Surgery 7-31-2012 St. Vincent Hospital Indianpolis, IN

[badheart1]

Hi, I am new to this site but I appreciate all I have been able to read about real people who have been through this. I have talked to a friend who had this surgery and he said the pain was so bad he would not go through it again. He opted for the mechanical and takes coumadin.
I will have the valve replaced and Aorta repaired. I am a healthy and active female age 69.
How bad is the pain? My doctor assured they would manage it and how long will it be before I can do everyday things? We hope to move in Sept?

 

[Rachel]

Hi, welcome to the forum!

I think pain is so very relative and tolerances are different for everyone. Overall, I didn't experience much pain at all, except I do remember being in an amazing amount of pain right after they woke me up, but I think they must have given me something to make me forget that, because even a few hours afterwards I couldn't remember that pain (thank God).

Other than that I was fairly comfortable the entire time, so much so that after they took my tubes out I was able to just take Tylenol as my main form of pain management.

I was also told (I don't know if it's true), but I was told that the younger you are, the more healing pain you experience. I had surgery at age 45, so I'm kind of right there in the middle group and I was fine during the weeks of healing. I was able to do things for myself right away, I just couldn't lift heavy things or use my arms to push myself up for a couple weeks.

I think hospital staff are masters at pain management, just be sure to speak up when you need the drugs!!!!!

Wishing you well, you'll be fine.

Rachel

 

[Jkm7]

I've had two OHS at Mass General Hospital and both times my nurses emphasized to me they consider pain control as important as other vital signs such as bp and temperature. I was kept very comfortable both times and sent home with adequate pain meds. Of course, you have to expect discomfort but few of us have anything that resembles excrutiating pain and those folks are mostly those who cannot handle many of the pain meds. IF you are in pain, do not suffer silently. Let your nurses know and do not wait until you are really miserable. It is much easier to control moderate pain than to 'play catch up'. No one but you knows your level of pain and nurses are trained to know if you say you are in pain, then you are in pain and they respond according to whatever orders your surgeon has left.

If you have fear you won't be managed well, speak with your surgeon and let him know your fear. A simple comment is sometimes all it takes to get adequate action.

You should not plan to do any heavy lifting until your sternum is fully healed....... if you are having full sternal open surgery. You will be told to limit your lifting to less than 15 or in some cases 10 pounds. It is VERY important to obey that instruction. Many of us have that limit raised around 8-10 weeks.


Best wishes.

 

[badheart1]

Rachel, Thank you so very much. You have made me feel much better.

I have had other surgeries before and told I was one tough woman but my conversation with one who had been there, scared me to death. You know it had to be a man. My surgeon told me men from 40 to 60 were the worst patients. No offence to the macho men out there.

 

[badheart1]

jkm7

Thank you for the infor. I am not sure what I am having concerning the sternum but it must be full open surgery for my Dr. said 5 pounds for 5 months. It may be my age but have been lifting 5 pound weights for a couple of years but will do what I am told. I will find out more at my pre-op next Monday.

I am thinking he was at the wrong hospital. Thank you again for I am going to forget the horrific pain discussion.

 

[Boston Tiger]

I have to think hard to remember my painful moments, and I'm one of those men in the 40 to 60 range! I expressed my concerns to my surgeon/anesthesiologist beforehand, and they may have worked to alleviate things before I could get behind. Here are the three worst pains I had:

1) The unexpected sharp pain in my shoulder when I came to for good the first night (post tube removal). There was only a dull ache (a 3 or 4 on the pain scale of 10) in my chest, but the pain in my shoulder was more substantial (I think I gave it a 5 or maybe a 6).

2) Lying back down the first night, after the nurse had me stand up and move around. I made the mistake of not listening to exactly how she said to lie back down, and that quick motion quickly shot my pain up o the 9 or 10 range. I was hit immediately by a case of the shakes and the sweats, and from that point on I learned to really pay attention to the nurses advice!

3) Four or five weeks after surgery, when I returned to work, that dreaded first sneeze hit. For the only time in my life, I only had half of a sneeze. The pain that shot through me was enough to stop a sneeze in its tracks. It was heavenly a few weeks later when I was able to sneeze without tearing up!

As others have said, work with your nurses to stay ahead of the pain. I got behind on my fourth day in the hospital, and it took a while to catch back up. And I wasn't resting/recovering properly when I more uncomfortable.

 

[Madsometimes]

I experienced very little pain. When I woke up in ICU, I was in no pain at all, and nor was I bothered by the ventilator. The next day, my back was sore but I had no chest pain. By one week post op, I had ditched all the strong painkillers such as dihyrocodeine in favour of paracetamol - the strong painkillers are quite constipating.

 

[Greg a]

badheart, WELCOME, I have added your surgery to the family calendar so we wi8ll be there with you in spirit (after all you really dont want this group of nuts around you) pain can be managed very well and individuals have had massage and chiro work done prior to aid the discomfort caused by the rib spreaders but this too is manageable .....there are pain meds so ask for them ..... a mechanical valve does not guarantee no re-ops but does reduce any chance for need of one

 

[Rachel]

Rachel, Thank you so very much. You have made me feel much better.

I have had other surgeries before and told I was one tough woman but my conversation with one who had been there, scared me to death. You know it had to be a man. My surgeon told me men from 40 to 60 were the worst patients. No offence to the macho men out there.

You are so welcome, just remember what others here have also said - speak up when you need the drugs!

Here's to being "tough cookies" as I think we are all very tough cookies here!!! :thumbup:

I'll be thinking of you!!!
Rachel

 

[epstns]

Badheart - I'm a guy, but I was a bit over that 40-60 range at surgery (I was 63). I do not remember having any post-op pain until I was home and up and around a lot. Then I developed a cold and cough, and the coughing and sneezing hurt a bit. Only the long, protracted bouts of continuous coughing were a problem, though. Most coughs and sneezes were easily handled by hugging my heart pillow.

As others have said, most hospitals and their nursing staffs now see pain management as having the same importance as any other medical treatment. When I was discussing surgery with my surgeon, he told me that the hospital uses a medication pump that pumps pain meds directly into the incision site for the first couple of days post-op. This unit is automatic - I didn't have to push any buttons. They set it and periodically asked how I was feeling. As long as I felt no pain, they were pleased. After that was removed, they were constantly checking with me to ensure that pain was not a problem. I just remember being surprised at how little pain there was - even when I got home. It just is not something that stands out in any way. Talk it over with your care team. They have marvellous tools now that can make pain a non-issue.

 

[badheart1]

Thanks again for your testimonies. You have no idea how much better I feel about this. I think the odds or with me and God is by my side. At this point I just want to get it done and over and start the road to recovery. Any prayers on Tuesday would be most apprecaited. My name is Susan.

 

[Lily]

Thanks again for your testimonies. You have no idea how much better I feel about this. I think the odds or with me and God is by my side. At this point I just want to get it done and over and start the road to recovery. Any prayers on Tuesday would be most apprecaited. My name is Susan.

The others posters have made such helpful comments!

I hope this will be helpful too, and from another Susan

Pain is so relative. I have a(n occasionally thoughtless) friend who blathered to me that her doctor said a hysterectomy is more painful than heart surgery. She's had neither. I've had both. My hysterectomy was a walk in the park. Both of my heart surgeries were very painful but not nearly as painful as childbirth -- and that's relative too -- though some of my OHS pain was unexpected (like in my shoulders and later in my lower rib cage) and some pain of course can go on for weeks so you'll have weight lifting restrictions and driving restrictions for a few or several weeks post-op as your sternum heals.

Also, I've noticed from posts here and from reading elsewhere that those in more muscular condition pre-op very well may suffer with more post-op pain, because of the muscle pulls and such from how they have to get the chest cavity open. Apparently less-muscular people might not suffer from these pains as much.

Hope that is helpful. Overall, a few weeks after the valve replacement, I felt so much better than I had in many years because I had been declining gradually for so long before that and I had forgotten how well a person can feel. Hoping your surgery and recovery goes very well! Best Wishes

 

[Bean Counter]

The only amount of significant pain I remember is the first time I sneezed. Get yourself a good pillow to hold against your chest. I did have some good pain management, so I'm sure that contributed to minimal pain. The most discomfort I experienced was for the first few hours when I was awake...my back was very tight...it was like I needed a good massage. Nothing too intense, just a bit of discomfort. I imagine they probably had me in a weird postion while on the operating table.

Good luck!