Excerpt From Chapter Eleven of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery by Adam Pick
I would exit the operating room at three-thirty in the afternoon. My surgery was four hours long. Both my aortic and pulmonary valves were replaced.
I remember nothing of the event. I especially don't remember my gurney rolling out of the operating room and into the intensive care unit, also known as the ICU.
The general anesthetic would keep me asleep for another two hours following surgery. Then, at about five-thirty in the afternoon, my eyelids separated and light stimulated my pupils.
I was awake.
Seconds after I opened my eyes, I slipped back into sleep.
Sometime later, my eyelids would split again. This time, however, I was conscious. I now was able to mentally center my attention and comprehend the surroundings.
My first cognitive process centered on the image of my father standing before me. He was on my left side, standing tall, not more than a foot away.
What I then experienced was beautiful... I saw my father smiling from ear-to-ear. Even though his hands were tucked in his pockets, there was joy and love radiating from his heart to my newly, stitched heart. In that moment, my father was so happy. I took that as a good sign. I was relieved. I wanted to talk with him. I wanted to know what had happened. I wanted the details. But... I couldn't speak. Unknown to me, a large tube had been inserted into my mouth and down my throat. This foreign structure, known as a vent tube, rendered my vocal capability useless. While it was quite uncomfortable, I remained calm and chose to enjoy the silence. Then, I noticed Robyn (my wife) standing quietly behind my father. I fell back to sleep.
>> To learn what happens next in the intensive care unit after heart valve repair and heart valve replacement, please click here.
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