Barb Brooks posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie! Glad you're walking around. You'll be going home in no time. Feel better soon!

jeff o posted a note for Debbie that says: Keep on moving Debbie, it's helps so much with recovery. You'll do great and be home soon. We're cheering for you. Biggest problem with walking in the hospital was all the stuff I was hooked up to. Best thing about walking in the hospital, it was a little bit of independence. I was amazed at how much I improved day to day.

Aubrey posted a note for Debbie that says: Glad to hear you are doing so well. Everyday gets easier and you are now past the worst if it works like mine did. Walking is the best medicine and don't be afraid to take laxatives to keep intestines working while on the pain meds. So glad it went well.

Rebecca s posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie, so glad it went well and u got your little scar! Looking forward to hearing how your recovery goes. God is soooo good!

Barb Brooks posted a note for Debbie that says: Glad to hear she's doing well! She'll be home before you know it. Send her my best, and thanks for posting!

leticia posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie, you will be in my prayers. God is Big and you will do great. Keep the faith! Look forword to reading about your recovery. Leticia

Aubrey posted a note for Debbie that says: Good luck and we will be thinking and pulling for you tomorrow. The experience is not as bad as we make it out to be for most of us. You should do very well. Talk to you on the other side of this surgery.

Ernie A.S. posted a note for Debbie that says: You're going going to do great. The surgery part is a breeze. All I remember of it was them wheeling me in and then waking in ICU. Work out some hand gestures with your family for when you are in ICU and have the breathing tube down your throat. I pointed to my chest when I had pain and the nurse would ask if I had nausea. I'd point at my stomach when I felt a little nuaseous and the nurse would ask if I had pain. Worst person to play charades with EVER. Thank God my sister was there and could figure out what I was trying to say.

When you are in recovery, make sure nurses and aids leave everything you need in reachable distance before they leave the room and that you are situated in bed well enough to reach the controls. Laxatives and warm prune juice while you are in the hospital. Feeling bloated most of the time sucks. That was just my experience, yours may be totally different. Sleep as much as you can.

Lynn Ennis posted a note for Debbie that says: Good luck to you Debbie- you will be in good hands and the waiting will finally be over. I look forward to hearing from you in a few days.

Renee Elrod Flat Rock NC posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Debbie
I will keep you in my prayers. I was reading your story and I am meeting with a surgeon next week for the same thing.
God Bless

Carol JAckson posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie,
Thoughts and prayers are with you tomorrow. I got your message and that's so true. Every Dr. and every hospital seem to be different in how they do things. I'll be anxious to hear the details of your surgery.

Barb Brooks posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie... Good luck tomorrow!!! I'll be thinking about you, and looking forward to all the details. You'll be fine! Good vibes coming your way. :-)

Joe posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Debbie,
Sending prayers and best wishes your way. You will do great and be home on Tuesday with a great recovery ahead of you.

Renee Radocaj posted a note for Debbie that says: Best of luck tomorrow and praying for a quick recovery. You are going to do great and be home in time!!

Dan Sinclair posted a note for Debbie that says: Know you are in our thoughts and prayers Debbie. Thanks for sharing your experience. Take Care!

Brian Walsh posted a note for Debbie that says: You will be much in my prayers. I was in NYC for my surgery, my wife and I went into Rockefeller center (since my surgery was in Dec) and briefly toured NY the day before mine. Nothing wrong with that. God will see you through this and you will be back in no time.

Jim Jones posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie:

The very best of success tomorrow. I will be thinking of you and counting on a great outcome. And hey, the waiting is over! All the best.

Ernie A.S. posted a note for Debbie that says: Go Debbie go!!!!!

Laxatives and stool softener will be your best friends. Warm prune juice helps too.
Coughing is the worst. Hug your pillow good.

Aubrey Elmo Jones posted a note for Debbie that says: Sounds like you are ready and glad you had the right questions to ask to get your mind settled it is the right solution for you. I found this process to be very bearable and kind of like a speed bump. Yes, it is a bit uncomfortable in the beginning but they have pretty good drugs to manage it and the years you will have in the future are going to be awesome. Good luck and we will be keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

Jay Galloway posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Debbie, I went through all you are going to go thru on march 29, 2012. I went to cleveland clinic. I had a bicusbid valve with ascending aorita at 5.0 cm. They replaced both. A cow valve. I feel great. I am 58 years young young and in excellent health and love life. Call me at 858-314-2431 if you have any questions. Jay

Jim Jones posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie
So glad your pre-op went well. The waiting is almost over. Now you can finish up the last few pre-op items and get healed! Best.

Ernie A.S. posted a note for Debbie that says: I had full sternotomy, but there was a chance they might've had to replace the aorta as well as the valve, so wanted to make sure they had plenty of room to do what they needed to do. It's manly-man's scar now. :)

You're going to do great.

Aubrey posted a note for Debbie that says: I had the mini incision and a mini sternotomy since all that was wrong was the aortic valve. It is easier to recover from and let's me get back to work in 4 to 5 weeks and probably full time by week 6 or 7. I did not choose it for that reason but it was a nice benefit. I was more interested in a full flow valve with a 17 to 20 year average life. It will give me about 4 times the blood flow than I have had in many years and I expect to have more stamina than I may have ever had. I describe this because you should expect to experience the same future and outstanding benefits. Ask all the questions and your surgeon will be able to help you understand how he intends to do the replacement. Look forward to the opportunity to feel good for many years to come.

Sherry Stevens posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Debbie, I can't answer all your questions, but I do know the incisions can be anywhere from 2-3" to 11-12". I am 6 weeks post AVR and my incision is 2 1/4" long! In my case, because there were no other issues except my bicuspid valve the surgeon knew he didn't have to look for anything else so he could do a small incision. I am sure they do a lot of tugging and moving around in there to get everything done, but they know what they are doing. As Carol said, it is an upper sternotomy and works very well. I was offered the thoracotomy approach and opted for the sternotomy for a few reasons particular to my anatomy. Fortunately, scars are not a big issue for me because I won't be able to hide mine completely in my V-neck tops, but they do such a good job it looks like it will fade really well over time. Also, as someone said earlier, if the aortic valve is all they need to get to, the incision can be smaller, thus cutting a significant smaller amount of the sternum. Now that my incision is healed, though still a bit pink, I will start Bio-Oil which I found after a burn on my ankle from a motorcycle pipe. It worked really well to fade that burn
(hard to find now) so I think it should help on the incision as well. Stay positive and trust in your doctors and nurses. They know how all this works and they love to see patients thrive after surgery. I will be watching your posts to check on your progress. Prayers for you.

Carol Foster posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie,
I downloaded the pic of what I believe your surgeon is talking about, on my photos page. I put mine there as well, right mini-thoracotomy.

Carol Foster posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Deb,
I found this on the web (since I am certainly no old pro :) I hope it helps!

A partial upper sternotomy includes a 2- to 3-inch skin incision and division of the upper portion of the sternum, providing the surgeon access to the aortic valve to perform the replacement. In contrast, a traditional sternotomy requires an 8- to 10 -inch incision down the entire sternum, spreading the chest and interfering with the lung mechanics. The partial upper sternotomy offers the surgeon an excellent view of the aortic valve.

In general, you may be able to return to work (if you have a sedentary job), resume driving and participate in most non-strenuous activities within 1 to 4 weeks after routine minimally invasive heart surgery. You can resume heavy lifting and other more strenuous activities within 5 to 8 weeks after surgery. Your health care team will provide specific guidelines based on your rate of recovery.
Here's the link to the article and has a picture to show what it looks like (I couldn't get it to cut and paste here).

http://www.wehealny.org/services/bi_cardiacsurgery/minimallyinvasivesurgery.html

Rebecca S posted a note for Debbie that says: Oh boy. Would be great if your incision is that small. I wonder how, maybe it's because of the area he has to work on. Mine is probably 6 inches long. Looks like it may be skinny which would be great. Can't cover it up with my scrub tops so I am resigned to that.

Joe posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Debbie
My scar is 4 inches long. Since the only repair my surgeon had to make was replacing the aortic valve the incision and thus the scar can be smaller. They do not need a wider opening to just get at the aortic valve.

jeff o posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie, my 3 inch incision turned out to have to be about 5 inches so they could see everything they needed to check. But I had both an ascending aortic aneurysm graft and aortic valve repair. I wasn't surprised my surgeon needed a larger incision.

Jim Jones posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie
Imagine how well you will feel after your recovery. I am looking for your first post after surgery when you tell us you are glad you got it done. I don't know if you'll beat Aubrey's record of 10 days after surgery but let's see. Try to fill you mind with content that is calming, positive and interesting. We can only focus on one thing at a time and that is what I do when I get anxious. I have 6 weeks to go so I will periodically be doing some "mind filling" in the days ahead! Best

Tony Arnerich posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie-
Don't worry! This infection is rare and I doubt you have anything to worry about! Don't worry about me either. I am gonna get through this. These next few months may feel slow for you but trust me, it will be spring time before you know it and you will be feeling great. I promise!!! Keep a good attitude and win each day! You are doing great!!

Rebecca S posted a note for Debbie that says: Nervous is normal. We hope everything goes well, but sometimes there are glitches. I mean look at Aubrey whose PICC line was stuck and had to have chest cracked a second time. Weird things. But in the minority. I had swelling like crazy. Minority, too, I think. We just have to put it in Gods hands and trust. Believe me that's not always easy. Make sure your anesthesiologist knows you don't want to know when they are taking you out the door to OR, if that's something you don't want to experience. I did not want to know we were wheeling down the hall or remember the "see ya laters" with family. My doc did a good job of that!
I remember many times before that morning that I cried cause I did not want to go through it, but now I am over 3 weeks post op and getting better and better everyday.
Lots of people here praying for you! Joshua 1:9 is a good verse.

Aubrey posted a note for Debbie that says: I had a similar but less severe instance about a week before where the symptoms seemed to get worse. They did a good job in the cardiac ER and I did not have to stay. Same thing though, stay home, do nothing and wait on the surgery. Do not worry, mine was easier than I imagined and I bet yours will be. Enjoy the lazing around for a few days and get this thing fixed so you have decades more of feeling better than you have in a long time. Thinking of you and betting on your great outcome.

Carol Foster posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Debbie,

Wow what a crazy couple of days! You must be just beside yourself. So sorry that you're so stressed and all this is going on and that you won't be able to go to your son and daughter in law's shower. That has to be frustrating. Best laid plans I guess! It was really nice of your daughter to post all of what was going on with you. All you can do now is just listen to the doctors take it easy and make it to next week for your surgery without any other incidences and then focus on your recovery so that you'll be able to enjoy the wedding.

You know that we all know how your feeling and what you're going through and we're praying for you. Take care :)

Brian Walsh posted a note for Debbie that says: Glad to hear you are ok. Take care of yourself, focus on you and stay busy but not too active. Keeping you in prayer!

Jim Jones posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie
So glad you are home. Now please pace yourself- you don't want to worry all of us in the community that you are doing too much now, do you?? :)
I really Hope you have a smooth few days.
All the best.

jeff o posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie, take care of yourself. Feel free to ask anything you need to know about. If you can, try to find something you can do or maybe talk about. We're praying for you.

Rebecca S posted a note for Debbie that says: Wow, Debbie! Sorry to hear about this turn of events. Please take it easy and follow the doctors orders. You are almost there for surgery date. And then it will be all down hill in recovery.
Praying for you and your family and your medical team!

jjones@firstwellesley.com posted a note for Debbie that says: Kaitlyn:
Thanks so much for updating us on your mom's condition!
So sorry, Debbie, that you are going through this challenge pre-surgery. I certainly hope that things settle down for you real soon. All the best.

Barb Brooks posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie!!!! Oh No!!! Sorry to hear you're not feeling well! Glad you are r-e-l-a-x-I-n-g. Sounds like you have a LOT of support at home, and plenty of people to take care of you :-) Take it easy, get plenty of rest, and you'll be feeling better in no time. Thinking of you... and sending positive thoughts your way!! Stay strong and don't give up! Thanks Kaitlyn for the post :-)

Angelo Varrone posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie,
Hello from a fellow "southerner" in Atlanta. Today is my 6 week anniversary. Just a short note to tell you NOT TO WORRY. I had the same surgery you will have.The bottom line is you'll be put to sleep and wake up fixed and on the road to recovery. I was AMAZED about the low level of post-op pain, too. They deaden a bunch of nerves in the surgery, so that minimizes the pain. Your biggest challenge will be getting your strength back. Just listen to the nurses, they know what you have to do.

Rebecca S posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie, sorry about the nightmares. For me the waiting was horrible, but then the day got closer and I think I was getting calmer at times......resigned to it. I focused on the smaller fears.....pain, removing the breathing tube, having chest tubes. Was not afraid of not surviving. I even fretted over the scar and the disfigurement on my chest. These were all small things. Afterwards I was so grateful to God for getting me through. Oh I know I have posted lots of thoughts and complaints but God did hold my heart in his hands and made sure it re-started at the right time.
Go, enjoy the wedding shower! I love wedding cake. Of course right now I seem to be focused on what tastes good.....almost everything. You are going to get through this. We are praying for you!

Barb Brooks posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Debbie! Hope you are able to put the thoughts of the surgery aside long enough to enjoy the wedding shower! Many thought provoking ads and emails will rear their ugly heads, but you have to ignore them. It happens to me all the time! Please read my latest journal entry - it may make you feel better!

My surgery is scheduled for October 29th. You'll feel fantastic by then!

Jack White posted a note for Debbie that says: your story is similar to mine....

Feeling great with a bovine valve!

Jim Jones posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie:

Good luck to you over next few days. Aubrey left a reassuring post in my guestbook yesterday about the fears while waiting versus the real benefits of surgery. It helped me.

All the best to you.

jeff o posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Debbie, I had my surgery 5 weeks ago and I did not believe it but like everyone says, waiting was worse than anything else. Please let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

Jim Eyler posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Debbie
I wore the incision shield during my recovery. The shield itself is flexible and adjustible. Just place the strap over your head and adjust it's height by tying a knot until it's centrally located over the incision. Bend the legs on the shield until it creates a small gap between your clothes and the incision. That's all there is to it and you'll find that it works as advertised.

Barb Brooks posted a note for Debbie that says: Hi Debbie... where did you order it from, and what exactly is it called? I may need one! If I can look it up and see it, maybe I can figure it out :-)

Rebecca S posted a note for Debbie that says: Debbie, I haven't heard anyone say they have used the incision shield. I started to order it. Maybe it would've been nice. I have trouble with my gown rubbing against it at night. It is very sensitive.
Try to relax and do some things that are fun! Before you know it, the surgery will be here and passed.

Brian Walsh posted a note for Debbie that says: In response to your question about the smaller incision. What I know is it all depends on how much access they need. Dr. Adams told me they use pediatric chest tool to open the chest in my case, so only a 4 inch sternotomy. Basically they can see and have more access then what they would have if just through MIVS where the trocars are placed and maneuverability is pretty tight (I worked for a company that makes MIVS equipment).

Now why don't all do that? It is a matter of access to what they need. The atrial valves are in a different location then the mitrals. So they access the portions of the heart differently. I'm not well versed in the types of atrial surgical options, but I know it is different than the mitral options. The incision is all based on what they need access to and the confidence of the surgeon that he can get to what he needs to.

I like to look at it from a car perspective. I can do an oil change really easily if I pull the whole engine out. Full access to the filter, plug...and whatever else. However, the simpler way for me is to remove a few small parts and reach my arm in to get to the filter. Now if I have to do an oil change along with some belt changes, it may be in my best interest to just pull the whole engine out..idk but surgeons are great mechanics on the body so they know what procedures work best for them to make sure you have the least amount of time on the heart pump, the fastest recovery possible and most importantly the best fix.

All these factors play into the size of the incision. In the end I will tell you the incision is noticeable, but it is part of you post surgery, it tells your story and tells how God takes care of you. My friend Heidi Dohse (not on here, but several stories on the Internet about her) has had multiple heart surgeries and has a great video all about her scars.

The method is certainly something to be aware of and consider, but most of all get the best surgeon and one that is confident in his/her ability to do what is necessary and best for you.

I've registered to follow your journal, so you can find my email, feel free to email me directly if you like. I'm just a patient and will give you whatever insight I can give you based on the research I did for my Mitral Valve Repair.