Solo act?

[AtlantaPat]

I'm hoping to get on the calendar for mitral valve repair surgery at the Cleveland Clinic this week. Even though it'll be four to six weeks until I go in, I'm starting to think through the logistics of it all.

Getting to Cleveland is going to be simple enough (Airtran), but I have to start figuring out the post-op part of this as I'll be in Cleveland by myself. Is there anything about this that just isn't doable without a friend/family member present post-op? (I'll have help once I get back home to Atlanta)

I'm told I'll be in the hospital five to seven days and should be cleared to travel as soon as I'm discharged. My plan is to travel light, have everything in a wheeled duffel bag and call a cab to the airport. Is this nuts? Will the clinic say "no way!" when we get to the part about who'll be with me at disacharge up there?

Thanks for all the info on threads about what to bring to the hospital, how to get your home ready, etc.

Thanks-
Pat

 

[RCB]

Not the way to go.

Not the way to go.

I'm hoping to get on the calendar for mitral valve repair surgery at the Cleveland Clinic this week. Even though it'll be four to six weeks until I go in, I'm starting to think through the logistics of it all.

Getting to Cleveland is going to be simple enough (Airtran), but I have to start figuring out the post-op part of this as I'll be in Cleveland by myself. Is there anything about this that just isn't doable without a friend/family member present post-op? (I'll have help once I get back home to Atlanta)

I'm told I'll be in the hospital five to seven days and should be cleared to travel as soon as I'm discharged. My plan is to travel light, have everything in a wheeled duffel bag and call a cab to the airport. Is this nuts? Will the clinic say "no way!" when we get to the part about who'll be with me at disacharge up there?

Thanks for all the info on threads about what to bring to the hospital, how to get your home ready, etc.

Thanks-
Pat

Pat,
Although not impossible, I would be very much against it. There are too
many situations to list here that could make your solo plan a disaster. Please, reconsider this. I have been down this road four times and I'm not at all sure I could have made it home alone and in good shape! Maybe CC can arrange for someone to put you on the plane and someone to take you off and make sure you get to your home. At home you will need someone to be "on call" if things get bad.
Please rethink this!

 

[ArleneT]

Can't Imagine Doing This Alone

Can't Imagine Doing This Alone

Pat,

I just got home from the Cleveland Clinic last Tuesday and also had a mitral valve repair and have a few things for you to think about. For starters, every case is different, but I was much weaker after surgery than I thought I would be. The first time I tried to walk a little ways down the hall, my legs were like jello. I was nauseated and tossing up from the anesthesia and it was so helpful to have my hubby there for support.

When I scheduled my surgery, I thought I was going to be getting out on Monday and going home on Tuesday. They recommended I stay in a hotel at least one day before leaving to see if any problems came up that didn't surface in the hospital. Since I was released on Saturday instead, I ended up staying in a hotel a few days before leaving. I can't imagine doing all of this without my husband with me. He went and picked up prescriptions that I needed to start taking when I got out and basically did everything for me that I didn't have to do myself. I needed my energy to just get through the day.

If you absolutely can't have someone with you, there is a person from a group that visits you in the hospital after surgery called Mended Hearts. These are people who have been through heart surgery and try to give you some perspective on how well they are doing. They have a very active local organization and it's possible that you may be able to arrange for one of them to stay with you or at least check on you if you are in the hotel overnight. I will get you the contact information if you want to check with them before you go up there.

Also,we used a driver from the airport instead of a taxi and he was wonderful. He deals mainly with taking Clinic patients back and forth and is a really nice person. The car was a very comfortable Cadillac and had never been smoked in. We didn't need him to, but he will come right to your hotel room and take the luggage down to the car for you. I have his card and will post his information if you want it. I heard some people complaining about the cab trips, so I would definitely reccommend him since his service is the same price as a cab.

I was in the hospital many years ago and wasn't able to have anyone with me. I arranged ahead of time to have a private duty aide be with me. Who is your surgeon? Check with their administrative assistant or whoever you have been dealing with to see if this is possible.

Again,I wouldn't reccommend doing it alone, but these are just a few things to think about if you absolutely can't have anyone with you. Also, what about having someone come up there at least to help you with the trip home even if they can't stay the whole time?

Hope you manage to find someone to go with you!

Arlene

 

[Phyllis]

Pat,
You've gotten all good advice here.
I can't imagine flying home alone after surgery. We all know how unpredictable flying can be today. It would be well worth the money to pay for a friend's fare to come up in time for your dismissal and the trip home. Wishing you the best.

 

[AtlantaPat]

I haven't decided...

I haven't decided...

...if I'll definitely do it this way. But I'm seriously considering it.

It's been five months since I've been told by two cardiologists that I definitely needed the valve repair "sooner rather than later". I now finally have a number of things in order and could (or so I hope) proceed with the surgery. Dr. Smedira's office at Cleveland says we'll be looking at a time frame of a month to six weeks from scheduling to surgery. The one thing I can't get in order between now and April is having a relative available to be there with me. I can have someone there with me later on, maybe this summer. For a lot of reasons though, I just need to have the surgery behind me though.

I guess that's why I'm asking this now. I realize it's hardly ideal to go it alone, but I want to find out if it's either 1) impossible or 2) insanely risky. If so, I'll start getting my head around waiting a few more months or possible longer to have the repair done. If there are "workarounds" though that can minimize the risk, I want to see if I can arrange them so that I can get this done soon.

I appreciate the advice from people who've been there!

Pat

 

[sue943]

Obviously I cannot speak from personal experience in America but I know what happened to me in the UK. I have to fly back and forth to England and the day before my operation the doctor asked me what my home situation was and my plans on discharge. I told him that I intended flying back to Jersey alone and would be living alone. His response was "No way". They would only discharge me into the care of someone collecting me from the hospital and with the assurance that I would not be alone. This was just as well as I developed problems after discharge, as you will see in my signature.

When I finally flew home alone it was just over three weeks post surgery and I was wheelchaired to my seat on the plane, then from my seat to the taxi which took me to my house. I didn't have to lift anything at all, the taxi driver placed my case in such a position that I could open it without moving it at all.

 

[Lynlw]

I didn't have surgery , my son did, but I can't imagine doing this byyour self, especially the first couple days I know the thing Justin needed help with, things as little as helping him get on his shoes, I know he probably could have done by himself, but it would have hurt,
I think it is hard enough just to be in the hospital w/out someone watching you (and the nurses and doctors) but if at all possible, I would make sure there was someone at least when you check out and are going home. they tell you alot of things, and I just had a small gallbladder surgery this week and honestly didin't remeber anything they told me, I had to ask my husband.
and the other things like being able to sit there and have someone else go get the meds, or getting thru the airport heck if I lived closer "I" would offer to sit w/ you. is it totally impossible to do by your self? probably not, but would I let anyone I love go thru it? no way. please think some more.people are nice and usually really want to help others going thru rough times, but just don't know how to help, I'm sure if you asked your family or friends someone would love to fly up for at least the discharge and get you home safely w/out putting yourself thru extra pain, Lyn

 

[RCB]

My vote

My vote

Valve replacement surgery is rarely an emergency. I have never heard of a
repair being an emergency. You won't be scheduled for at 6-8 weeks, why not wait a few more months till you "have all your ducks in a row."

Who knows, Maybe by that time, Ross and I will escort you!

 

[ArleneT]

Contact Information

Contact Information

Sent this information to Pat, but will post it here also in case someone else wants to have it also.

Bounit Brothers Transportation
Owner is Mustapha 216-789-7076

He is a truly nice person. We really enjoyed meeting him.

The car was a late model comfortable Cadillac that was very clean and had never been smoked in.

Arlene

 

[Blanche]

Pat:
What you are suggesting is, to me, insanely dangerous. But, that's just me. I would like to add, that you might have difficulties getting on the airplane for your return trip from surgery. I was denied boarding in New Orleans because I was was weak from a severe case of food poisoning. There were two other people with me, so I did have assistance. I'd also point out that airline travel isn't always reliable, what with cancellations, schedule changes, overbooking and the like.

Whatever you choose, I wish you the very best.

 

[Georgia]

Pat, I sure hope you can work this out. I'd be very concerned about someone going home in the same town without live-in help for a week. The travel thing alone is undoable. You'd have trouble navigating the bathrooms!

You simply cannot imagine how debilitated you are the first couple of weeks after surgery. Even those doing very well (myself included) found getting home from the hospital enervating (it's 10 min. away from my house). I walked the 40 feet from the car to the door, up one step, 6 feet to the bed, and slept for 3 hours.

And not only are you physically debilitated, there're are major cognitive problems for many post-ohs patients; ability to concentrate, remember, even understanding speech can be affected (I remember hearing people talk, and it took a couple of seconds for the sounds to organize themselves into words - very disconcerting).

I do hope you reconsider flying home alone. Best of luck.

 

[geebee]

I think you should really rethink the alone thing. I cannot imagine trying to do this alone. Like RCB, I have been through OHS multiple times and I think it is impossible and dangerous to go it alone.

 

[AtlantaPat]

You convinced me...

You convinced me...

...all of you. Thanks.
I just needed a smack up side the head to realize I've either got to find someone to be there or postpone this.

I'm very self-reliant and pretty resourceful, so I guessed this would be one of those "difficult...but-if-you-really-put-your-mind-to-it" kind of things. But I also figured it'd be smart to ask some folks who've been there!

I guess it's not such a bright idea

Though I read about it a few months ago, I wasn't even factoring in the expected post-op cognitive difficulties. I was only thinking in physical terms ("If I just pace myself and take frequent breaks..."), but as Georgia points out, the mental difficulties alone could leave me staggering blindly around a Cleveland interstate median during a late winter blizzard. Not so good.

As frustrating as it is that I might have to put the surgery off, I'll get working on Plan B. Thanks for setting me straight.

Pat

 

[Jkm7]

Everyone here has posted excellent comments of things you need to consider.
I cannot personally imagine how I could have coped on my own to travel.

Have you considered the basic logistics of getting through TSA and Security and the airport? What if they decide they need to 'pat you down' and they lay a hand on your new incision??

How will you lift your bag? You simply cannot lift anything over ten pounds (initially)....at least those were the instructions I was given.

IF everything goes perfectly, it's near impossible for you to travel alone so soon.

BUT, if anything goes wrong, you are putting yourself at great risk IMO

(Airports these days can be closed because someone skipped through security. You get to stand in a 3 (or more) hour line while they sort it all out.
You will not be physically able to do that.

Good luck. I hope you are able to make other arrangements.

 

[Natanni]

I am speaking from the spouse's point of view here, but when my 34 year old husband had his aortic valve replaced in Sept, I am pretty sure he would have found a flight home alone near impossible. He is very active, in his personal and professional life, but any way you look at it, open heart surgery is a huge production. He was discharged on day 4 post op, and we had a 4 hour commute home by car. It was horrendous. We made frequent stops, but things like a bump or a sharp turn hurt, much less trying to manage one's own luggage. Strength is limited, memory a smidge foggy, medication may be fussy, appetite poor, comfort postional--he was surrounded with pillows and still didn't feel right....I would definatley look into a little extra help from a good friend, or schedule your surgery at a time more convenient for you to get help. Good luck....