Surgery coming soon

[Brent Moroz]

Greetings,

I found this site a month or so ago and it has sure helped calm me. I am having my aortic valve replaced as well as my ascending aortic root. The surgery is scheduled for Jan 25, 2012. I am still worried about the whole thing but the chances of something serious happening if I don't have the surgery is a lot higher than if I do.

It is nice to see the checklist of things to bring to the hospital. It sounds like I won't need to bring much. Is there anything that I should make sure to do/bring before or after the surgery?

A little bit of background about myself. I am 36 non-smoker and living in a small town in northern Alberta. My doctor first discovered a heart murmur in November of 2010 when I went in to find out why a cold was hanging on for over a month. Currently I am asymptomatic. After my stress test, my cardiologist said he didn't need to see me for another year but asked if I wanted this fixed sooner or later. I picked sooner and here I am.

Thanks
Brent

 

[Mentu]

Hi, Brent, I would say that sooner is the right approach. It sounds as though you are in pretty good health in which case, your recovery should go well. Contemplating heart surgery is distressing but the reality is often a far better experience than you may expect.

You are right that you probably will not need much at the hospital. I took books which I didn't have the concentration to read but what I used a lot was my mp3 player. I found television tedious as I kept dozing off but the music was great to have with me. A friend suggested that I take my most comfortable soft clothes and house shoes. On day four, I took my first shower and changed into my own clothes which left me feeling totally exhausted but almost normal. Once you are fully awake and realize that you are healing, a lot of anxieties sort of evaporate. Let us know how we can help.

Larry

 

[Sarah_Louise]

Good luck with the op,
Will be thinking of you
Love Sarah xxxx

 

[Superbob]

Had my aortic valve and root replaced seven years ago and am doing well. Sounds like you are mentally prepared and you should do well, too, Brent. Sending you all best vibes. Keep us posted.

 

[Freddie]

Hello and Welcome fellow Canuck..(hope your keeping warm during this cold snap)
Make sure you cut your toe nails before surgery, have frozen meals on hand and have items that are usually higher up in the cupboards on the counter. You may even find the fridge door difficult to open.

Bring your slippers.

Best Wishes.

 

[Brent Moroz]

Thanks everyone.

I am packing up a bag this weekend so I am all ready to go for Wednesday morning. Ipad, cell phone, chargers, sweat pants, button up shirts, slippers, and the usual toiletries. I hope I don't forget anything but even if I do it doesn't sound like I will be in the hospital for long. I am getting the On-X valve. It sounds like it is good and I might (depending on if I am selected) be on Plavix instead of Coumadin.

Mentally I am all prepared for this. My biggest worry before was not knowing the date. Friends seemed surprised that I was calmer after getting the phone call but knowing when it will happen (assuming I don't get bumped) gives me something to look forward to. Emotionally I still occasionally am a bit of a mess. The what-if scenarios start running through my head and then things just start to snowball.

Fortunately my mom is going to stay with me for the first couple of weeks. Before she leaves we should have most of the stuff I use daily sitting on the counter for easier access. Never thought of the frozen meals though. I guess I should clean out my freezer this weekend. I don't think I will feel like going downstairs to get things from the big freezer down there.

Atleast it should be close to the freezing point when I go in next week. Not like this week when it was -40.

 

[Boston Tiger]

It sounds like you are set for your hospital stay. My suggestion would be to think about your sleeping arrangements for when you return home. I couldn't lie totally flat in bed for a couple of weeks post surgery. I ended up making a nest in the Lazy Boy in the family room for the first week or so, using all sorts of pillows from around the house. By week two (or maybe three) I had moved back up to the bedroom, but my wife bought a wedge pillow to help prop me more upright.

 

[DanielB]

Hi Brent, I agree that you most likely won't need too much for your hospital stay. One of the best things I had with me was the knowledge ind insights learned from this site about the proceedure and potential after surgery events. It helped alot to know what the doctors and nurses were talking about especially when I wanted to ask questions. I eneded up with a heart block issue, but knew right away what it was when the surgeon told me making it really easy to move into a discussion as to what his plan was for resolving it. It really made my hospitalstay an easy one, knowing what to expect as it came along.

best of luck to you on your surgery.

Dan

 

[Lynlw]

Hi Brent, Welcome sounds like you are well prepared, mentally and physically. If I might suggest, I would probably leave the electronics with your Mom, or whoever wll be there the day of and day after surgery. That way you wont have to worry about them getting misplaced and Mom wont have to worry about keeping track of them, she can bring them the next day if she lives close or even locked in the trunk of the car. What we always do be sure for Justin to have right after surgery , is clean (usually new) fleece blanket, and depending on surgery time and what time he has to be there, what case he is etc he has (and uses his cell phone and ipod in the preop holding area, then I just thro them in my tote bag.

 

[Bill B]

To me, you appear to be doing better than average in getting ready and not worrying too much. You probably know the surgery is now quite routine and extremely successful, especially if you are otherwise healthy. The odds are so overwhelming that you will do well, that most of the "what ifs" are not very relevant. You're taking a lot more to the hospital than I did. You'll be on the other side very soon and helping other newbies here to calm their pre-op nerves.

 

[bradvo]

I prepared for the hospital and didn't need much more then tooth brush, boxer shorts , bath robe and phone myself.
What Boston Tiger said about pillows I agree 100%...
Brad

PS
I put you on the calendar for Jan 25.

 

[RealtorRick]

This site helped me sooo much, although I had 6 years in the "waiting room". I am 11 days post op and kinda wish I had opted to have it done much earlier, AI made too big of a deal about it. I too had no symptoms. My root was replaced also nad am told that just added a little time to the surgery which was 6 hours. My murmer was discovered in 1975 but was written off as a nuisance murmer. I only had 2 doctors pick it up in the next 30+ years. I am a non-smoker also adn am told that is one thing that has helped my rapid recovery. If you have any questions shoot me a message.

 

[RealtorRick]

I forgot to mention, my list for the hospital was short. Brought my own toothbrush (battery operated) and nothing else. Day 3 I was able to wear underwear which wife brought for me. Everything else was provided. I did wear my Penn State Beanie for all my walks and if I got a little chilled in my room.

 

[Bev]

I agree about sleeping in a Lazyboy chair. I learned that on this site, and it was a life saver. After the surgery I couldn't get comfortable laying flat in bed, even with a bunch of pillows, and I ended up sleeping in the recliner for about 3 weeks. You need to have a small pillow/soft cushion to hug. Some hospitals provide them, but I brought my own (did some "test pillow hugging" at Winners.) I also used this pillow over my chest when I was in the car so the seatbelt didn't touch my incision.
Good luck with the surgery Brent. Sending good thoughts across the country

 

[Brent Moroz]

Thank you everyone.

My list for what I am bringing has been cut in half. Since I live 2 hours away from the hospital I need to pack everything ahead of time and then have it brought it later when I am in the cardiac ward. I do have a recliner chair at home so it looks like that might be my new bed for a while after the surgery if I am having difficulty with the bed. My hospital will be providing me with a "heart" pillow. From what I have been told and read that it will be my best friend for the next 3 months or so.

Now to hope that I don't get bumped and things go smoothly on Wednesday. Maybe by the weekend I will be able to post an update of how things went.

Brent

 

[normofthenorth]

I was glad I brought a blindfold and earplugs. I'm not sure I actually used the earplugs (I'm a very good sleeper), but the blindfold helped a lot for sleeping in the hospital.

BTW, I chose "later" rather than "sooner". My way risks more physical damage, but having pre-op symptoms meant I got to feel better (than pre-op) "sooner" rather than "later".

 

[Ovie]

Good luck! Hope all goes smoothe!

 

[Allisoninoz]

Hi Brent,
Great you're calm(ish) about it all. Much more than I was - even though I'd known about it all my life (maybe that's why I was anxious). Anyway, my tips: ipod or iphone and headphones; don't bother with books, maybe just get newspapers if you feel like catching up on what happened in the 48 hours that seem to be missing from your memory; eat and drink if you feel like it but don't stress if you don't - you will eventually; trackpants and t-shirts were much better than roaming the ward in pjs - made me feel much less like a patient and more on the road to recovery; a few good pillows for when you're home - i am a tummy sleeper but had to sleep on side for weeks and weeks, so just hugged a pillow to protect incision; oh, and I wore lipstick and mascara pretty quickly ... but that's entirely your choice ...
You might want to read my article about the whole experience if you haven't already ... http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/a-diary-of-open-heart-surgery/story-fn6bn9st-1226058541539
Good luck!

 

[Madeline Altieri]

Hi Brent,
It's nice to hear that you are so calm going into surgery. That's how I was too and it most definitely is the best way! I agree with everyone that says iPod or mp3, I listened to mine until the happy juice kicked in and it was the first thing I wanted when I woke up in the ICU to help get my mind off of things. Suggestion on foods to eat while in the hospital: pudding and watermelon. I don't know if others have felt this but it was particularly hard for me to swallow following surgery due to the breathing tube and it felt sort of like I had strep throat. Once at home, I slept on the couch for about 2 weeks. My bedroom is upstairs and it took me about a week to finally get the energy to go up there at all. On the couch I made sure to have a tray with my favorite books and magazines right next to me so that I did not have to reach far. For me, sitting up on my own was definitely the most difficult thing for the first few days, propping myself up with pillows definitely helped! It also made it feel like there was less pressure on my chest. Movies were my best friend !
Good luck!
-Madeline

 

[Brent Moroz]

Well, things have changed. 15 hours before I was supposed to be at the hospital I phoned to confirm and I was told I got bumped due to emergencies. I knew that could happen but I was hoping that it would happen to me. The new surgery date is January 31.