Surgery Decision FINALLY made!

[TomG]

Hi again this is TomG,

Recently I posted a message titled "Surgey Decision" and I got a lot of replies and to all of you thank you very much as it really helped me make the deision of getting my surgery done for my mitral valve. The date is set for September 13th, 2012 and of course I am very nervous as I assume all of you were as well. The surgeon and I discussed repair versus replacement and the surgeon and I agreed to opt for the repair.The only thing that is very concerning is he had mentioned several times that this will be a lengthy and difficult repair and a challenge for him, so with that being said that is why he is just giving it a 80% success rate whereas most of the time it would be in the 90% range, it is not great but it is not too horrible either. As I have mentioned before I did quite a bit of research on this and even reading what people went through on this forum, but I myself still am wondering what will it be like for me as everyone is different. Also never being in a operating room isn't helping either. However at least I have made to decision to get the surgery and made the date and what does help is now I can see light at the end of the tunnel as soon I will be putting this to past as it is "T-Minus six days and counting".

When I am able I will inform you all on this forum on how I am making out.

TomG

 

[ESF]

The last few days pre-surgery are nerve-racking---it's ok to ask your doctor for something like valium, especially at night as you can relax and get the sleep you need. As to what to expect post-surgery: Yes, the first few days and weeks are rough, but things get better pretty quickly. Your emotions will be all over the place for a few weeks; I found that if I just rode the highs and lows as they happened, it was much easier than fighting against them. Physically, the more you can walk (without pushing yourself), the faster you get your strength back. As to worrying about being in the operating room, I don't even remember going through the doors!
Where are you having your surgery?

Best of luck!

 

[anutherbuddy]

Hi TomG - my husband is having his surgery on 12 Sep and is having both mitral and aortic valves replaced. He seems to be holding on pretty well - maybe he doesn't want to worry me? Like you, it just feels good to have made some decisions and set a date. I seem to feel even less anxious once we had less than a week to go. Guess we will ride this roller coaster together - we are just in the car ahead of you. Best wishes.

 

[Adrienne]

Good luck! What your surgeon told you about an 80% chance of a repair is pretty much what mine told me. I hope yours goes as well as mine! About the operating room, I never saw it either. A nurse gave me some morphine to calm me down as I was being wheeled in. That is all I remember until it was all over.

 

[Guyswell]

Hi Tom,

Here are a few random thoughts that might help. In my experience, hospitals and surgical teams work very hard to make your whole experience from start to finish as comfortable and stress-free as possible. Before surgery, there a few minor annoyances like having a stranger using barber's clippers to remove hair from your collar line to below your belt line. You'll have an IV started. Most other pre-op preparation occurs after you're asleep. Once you're wheeled into the operating room (if you remember it at all) you'll notice the room is kept very cool, it's well-lit, and it's filled with highly-trained and professional people who will be giving you and your heart their undivided attention for the next 4-6 hours.

Here's my recollection of my surgeries... "O.K. Mr. XXXXX, you're going to start feeling drowsy now. Start counting backward from 100"... followed immediately by "O.K. Mr. XXXXX, you can wake up now. You're in the recovery room now and everything went very well. Your surgery was successful and we'll have your wife come back to visit in a few minutes".

After surgery, you'll receive plenty of pain medication to keep you as comfortable as possible. Yes, for several days you'll probably feel like you played in an NFL game without pads but my pain was never as bad as stubbing my toe on the table leg in the middle of the night.

Keep us posted.

 

[Mike1952]

Hi Tom,

Ditto what others have said. My surgeon was late getting started so I was able to watch the entire gold medal soccer match between the US and Japan (women). As soon as it was over, a nurse came in and started an IV. She told me to kiss my wife and next thing I know I was waking up in the ICU. The pain was never very bad, pain meds were available upon request. When I got home, I had a ten day supply of vicadin. I used it for less than a week and then just took ibuprofen at night. All in all, it is a terrifying thought to have OH surgery but to the professionals who do it every day, it is pretty routine.

Mike
Edwards bovine aortic valve, August 9, 2012 by Dr John Luber at St Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma, WA

 

[Mom2izzy]

Good luck with Your surgery. I had the same one done 6 months ago...I rarely think about it now...I remember that I was in pain for a few days (only because my stomach can't tolerate the "good stuff"...I chose pain over nausea), but I can't actually remember the pain...not sure if that makes sense or not. You'll feel so much better when you know you're on the other side of this mountain.

 

[Richard33]

My avr surgery is friday the 14th but i'm checking in on the 13th for an angiogram.. lots of anxiety but when symptoms get worse i feel like i wish it was already done. I'm hoping i'm not coming down with a cold because i dont want to delay it anymore.. Did your dr ask you to take iron supplements prior to surgery?