Surgery on wednesday...and im freaking out!!

[erica688]

So I am having my second open heart surgery on wednesday and I'm so nervous. I am having my aortic and pulmonary valves replaced. I had my first surgery when I was 10 and I am 20 years old now. Any advice to help ease my nerves?

 

[Duff Man]

Hey Erica, welcome to the Zoo. I'm in the waiting room although not nearly as close as you, and I try to use meditation to relax. (and strong tranquilizers ) If you google meditation it's pretty easy to find good guides on it. It's not as new-age/hippyish as you might think.

I wish you the very best of luck on your procedure, and I'll be praying for you.

 

[Marguerite53]

Hello and welcome!

You are very young, but young or middle aged or old....this is a freaky thing to go through!! So you are behaving normally, honest!

I think you should give your surgeon a call. Let him know that you are anxious and ask him what they recommend. They may say to call your regular physician and be prescribed some calming medicines. DO THAT!! They won't make you drunk or stoned. They will make you feel more comfortable in yourself. Perhaps you will be restricted from driving or the usual "operating heavy machinery", but it will allow you to feel sane and to appreciate these next few days without all the butterflies.

Then see if you can find time to go out into nature, even if it's just a park bench or a balcony somewhere. Look around you, listen to life. Collect all the sounds and sights and smells into your being. When you start to feel anxious again, call upon these things you have collected to come into your mind and ease the strain of worry and fear. Like the simple warmth of the sun, or a fresh brewed cup of coffee, or the song of a little bird. Whatever makes you feel alive!!!

We have a small army of people here who will "have your back" as you go in to your surgery. We'll be thinking of you and we'll know exactly what you are going through so you won't be alone at all.

Hang in there. It's tough those last few days.

Best wishes!

Marguerite

 

[zipper2]

Erica wecome to the best family in the world,
Im somewhere in the waiting room too round 2
Your going to do fine,the waits hard for surgery
almost there and i promise you'll do fine!!!
all my thoughts and prayers go out to you and keep us
posted when you can.



Zipper2

 

[Lilianne]

Hi Erica,

If it can be of any consolation at all, I feel nervous too. I found Marguerite's post very encouraging though, so I'll try to do what she proposes...I wish everything goes fine. I'll be thinking of you.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Lilianne]

Hi Erica,

If it can be of any consolation at all, I feel nervous too. I found Marguerite's post very encouraging though, so I'll try to do what she proposes...I wish everything goes fine. I'll be thinking of you.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Mimi]

Hi Erica,

My friend who is 24 years old had a valve replacement this year and it was her second time for OHS. I spoke to her last week, 4 months out of surgery and she's back enjoying life. Her strength and spirit for life is amazing. Actually, we both had OHS on the same day and we ended up in ICU together. You may be a bit afraid at this stage and feeling alone, but just remember that someone else half a world away has gone through a similar experience. Good luck, take care.

All the best.

Mimi

 

[Phyllis]

Welcome, Erica and I am glad you put yourself on the calendar so we can help you through this. You will be fine and you now have a whole group of people who will have you in their thoughts and prayers, pre-surgery, through surgery and recovery.

 

[ctyguy]

Erica....glad you found this site, its a great resource with alot of folks who are more than willing to share their experiences. My first (and hopefully last) OHS was just shy of 4 months ago, this was my first surgery of any kind, ever ! Needless to say I was pretty freaked out about the whole deal. I had an AVR with mechanical valve and everything went like clockwork in regards to the surgery. The best advice I can give you is to talk to your surgeon again prior to your procedure. I found that to have a great calming effect on me. I think it was just having some familiarity with him and having confidence in his skills that settled me down. Im a "numbers" guy and the fact that my surgeon performs 250 to 300 procedures a year was comforting. Also the fact that the mortality rate for AVRs is in the 1% to 2% range. The fact that your 20 and strong physically only helps lower that rate down to probably next to nothing.

Best of luck to you, Im sure you will do very well and bounce right back. I look forward to reading about how well your recovery is going !

 

[upchurch131]

So I am having my second open heart surgery on wednesday and I'm so nervous. I am having my aortic and pulmonary valves replaced. I had my first surgery when I was 10 and I am 20 years old now. Any advice to help ease my nerves?

Erica,

I'm waiting for my date and feel your anxiety. Sometimes our experience with previous surgeries add to our anxiety (after all, we know what to expect). I've been with a therapist and it helps alot. I also am taking Lexapro to help with those times when I get real low. It won't be a solution until the surgery is complete and successful. But I know that I choose life and this is a means to that end. Remembering this helps me.

 

[upchurch131]

Then see if you can find time to go out into nature, even if it's just a park bench or a balcony somewhere. Look around you, listen to life. Collect all the sounds and sights and smells into your being. When you start to feel anxious again, call upon these things you have collected to come into your mind and ease the strain of worry and fear. Like the simple warmth of the sun, or a fresh brewed cup of coffee, or the song of a little bird. Whatever makes you feel alive!!!

Wow, I LOVE what Marguerite has suggested. I have been doing JUST THIS and highly recommend it! I put up two bird feeders in my yard off my deck and watch the colorful birds (who are pigs by the way!) feed. I listen to their song and the winds rustle the leaves, feel the sun and enjoy these things now and will after my date. It works! My wife just got off the phone with me and said she couldn't disturb me yesterday as I looked so at peace.

When you feel the need to be alone, that is OK. Enjoy life! You have a long way to go!

 

[briansmom]

I'm the parent of the patient and the waiting was agony. I tried to stay busy every day. I made sure that my son had a really fun weekend with all of his friends around the weekend before the surgery - oh and I took Xanax every night to sleep This is a hard time, so don't be a hero and just do your best to get to the surgery. The anticipation is almost always much worse than the actual surgery and recovery.
Best wishes, please keep us informed.

 

[erica688]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions I will definitley use them. Also im so grateful to have all this support, it means the world to me, and for once I dont feel alone in this.

 

[WayneGM]

Welcome to our little community. Glad you found us. I can't add much to what's been said, but as you've probably noticed if your've checked out the posts, we're a pretty positive bunch here. Being nervous is perfectly normal, but OHS has come a long way over the years. Best wishes for a successful surgery and smooth recovery.

 

[Praline]

Nobody could be more scared that I was when I had my surgery . The fantastic people here helped me stay sane, literally. And they were all correct... the worse part was the waiting. You will be just fine. I am waiting to welcome you to this side of the mountain.

 

[ruth]

I think I used the term "freaking out" in one of my first posts here as well - it's all too normal of a reaction. It helped me to try to stay focused on the positive, to be grateful to live in a time and a place where my condition could be treated with such success. Many of us find a remarkable calm before the surgery once the waiting is over, I wish that for you soon.

Wishing you all the best for a successful surgery and uneventful recovery.

Peace,
Ruth