Hi Jackie. No expert here. But often the aortic valve is too diseased to be repaired and must be replaced. Repairs are quite a bit more common on mitral valves. ...Read more
Hi Jackie. No expert here. But often the aortic valve is too diseased to be repaired and must be replaced. Repairs are quite a bit more common on mitral valves. Your surgeon decides which procedure is necessary.
I saw your question was posted on Adam's Fourth of July thread. People will be able to find your questions more easily if you'll post them on your journal. If you're on the patient News Feed, look to the left and under your photo you'll see lists under "What to do Next?" and "Where to go?". You should see "My Journal" under the Where to Go? heading. Hope this helps.
Jackie - Welcome. You're asking all very legitimate questions and I see many of our heart warriors have responded to you.
Although I had a different surgery, ...Read more
Jackie - Welcome. You're asking all very legitimate questions and I see many of our heart warriors have responded to you.
Although I had a different surgery, I had many of the same concerns. I hadn't been in the hospital since my tonsillectomy at age 6. NOTE: I get stressed out just visiting people in the hospital! I was pleasantly surprised at the advancements in medicine and the superior care that I received. I do recommend that you select a surgeon who does a (successful) high volume of the procedures you need and, if possible, go to a specialized heart hospital. I worried about infection and that's why I chose a specialized facility - we heart patients aren't sick, we're just temporarily broken. :-) I also managed to get through my procedures without opioids (although they were prescribed) and just took an occasional Tylenol.
You have come to the right place - everyone here will get you through it. Waiting for your day to arrive is by far the hardest part! We've all been there. So, when you get to the hospital on the morning of surgery, remind yourself that you have already conquered the worst of it! You can do this, Jackie! I wish you all the best!
Hi Jackie & welcome. You’ve already received a lot of feedback on your inquiry but here’s some more. I’ve had 2 heart valve surgeries, one in 2010 when ...Read more
Hi Jackie & welcome. You’ve already received a lot of feedback on your inquiry but here’s some more. I’ve had 2 heart valve surgeries, one in 2010 when my stenotic aortic valve was replaced with an equine valve. I had a second congenital issue as well - aortic coartation (narrowing of the aorta) which was addressed by placing a conduit (a dacron tube) from my ascending aorta, behind my heart, down to my decending aorta. I had a slight aneurysm at that time but the surgeon felt it might not worsen & opted to monitor it annually via CT scan. Now it’s 2019 & the equine valve which was fairly new to the market in 2010 did not hold up as well as projected & became leaky. I also had a mitral valve that was leaking that needed to be repaired. The surgeon decided, while he was in there, he’d go ahead & repair the aneurysm now as it had worsened somewhat. The conduit from the first surgery was preventing access to the mitral valve so the surgeon had to re-do that as well. That, he tells me, was the most time consuming part. So, surgery #2 was considerably more complex & took longer.
1) My 2010 surgery took 2.5 hours. My 2019 surgery took 6.
2) For my first surgery I don’t remember being in ICU. I was in a regular room the next morning. For surgery #2, I was in ICU for 6 days.
3) I had no problem with infection. In both cases, I was given special soap to prevent infection & showered with it the night before surgery & the morning of.
4) I used an antibiotic soap for my first incision. For the second, I was just told to make sure to soap up the area well & rinse it off.
5 & 6) Pain was not a big issue with either surgery. For surgery #1, I took the narcotics prescribed which made me nauseous. After a couple of days of that, I went with just Tylenol which proved to be sufficient. For surgery #2, I took Tylenol from the get-go & it worked just fine. The anesthesiologist explained that some narcotics are necessary during the surgery so I must have had some then, but got by on Tylenol once I was out of surgery.
7) I went with tissue valves both times. The equine valve was projected to last 15-20 years & almost made it to 9. For surgery #2, I relied on my surgeon’s advice in choosing a tissue valve & he recommended an Edwards Magna valve, which is bovine. I’m 66 now & feel chances are good that TAVR will be available to me if I need another valve.
Hope that gives you some insight into another story at least. We’re all different but keep reading here & asking your doctors’ questions & all of that will help you decide what’s right for you. Adam’s book is a helpful resource as well. I wish you the best!
Rob Sparling Jackie, as has been mentioned a few times you will see each of us is different, recover differently, ... Read more
Rob Sparling Jackie, as has been mentioned a few times you will see each of us is different, recover differently, had different procedures, etc. But with the number of posts you have already received, I think you can also see some consistency: people make it through and despite that, we are all afraid. So this site is the right place to tame that and squish out little bothersome questions and concerns because those can cause us to doubt and perhaps creat an incentive to avoid what is best for us. Your courage is already showing! And you seem to be in very good physical and mental shape. My prediction is that you are going to rock this thing.
You already have a lot of feedback, but there is another batch:
1) My surgery was my first OHS and second major surgery. I was 50 years old when having a total hip replacement and am currently 51 years old 9 months after the OHS. The hip replacement was significantly harder and more painful.
2) I was in ICU two days. They didn’t have a bed available in the step down unit until the second day. I enjoyed being in ICU, actually. I do not remember the breathing tube. I remember my wife standing next to me and whispering in my ear and then a DIRE NEED for chapstick and ice chips. Throat hurt for several days, improving a little bit each day. I also had some pain on the removal of my chest tubes, one was worse than the other. Pulling the wires was weird. I did not like it (at all!) but it didn’t hurt.
3) Infections? No issues. Again, the OHS prep was easier and less uncomfortable than the hip surgery prep. I did get a low grade fever the day I was to be discharged and they kept me another day and did tests (blood, urine) and found nothing. Fever subsided and I went to the hotel for three days. (Cleveland Clinic, we too live in Michigan.). Wound care was exactly as Catie B mentioned. (We has same surgeon.)
4) Pain was not a real problem. Managing meds on the transition from ICU to step down caused me some problems. It was hard to get into a groove in the step down, but once I did it was fine. I don’t like opioids, but they have their place. Use them, be done quickly.
5) Valve choice is very personal and it depends on a lot of factors, including age. I set a goal to get 30 years of “runway” and that necessitates some serious trade-offs. Design a solution that is best for you! Please go back and read my journal for more on that subject.
You are going to be very impressed with how your body responds to this! It will respond best if you are positive and if you are prepared. Walk, walk, walk. Do breathing exercises. Eat well. Do that now and continue it through afterwards! You will be an an inspiration for others!
Read Adam’s book. I also recommend “Heart 411” by Dr. Marc Gillinov.
❤️💪
Jackie Benson Thanks, Rob! I do so appreciate reading everybody’s stories. It gives me more courage each day. I h ... Read more
Jackie Benson Thanks, Rob! I do so appreciate reading everybody’s stories. It gives me more courage each day. I have ordered Adam’s valve book. Thanks fir taking the time to respond to a newbie!
Ann Crone Hi Jackie, thanks for posting. You seem like a veteran at this (though unwilling I'm sure, nobody re ... Read more
Ann Crone Hi Jackie, thanks for posting. You seem like a veteran at this (though unwilling I'm sure, nobody really wants to be a veteran at this stuff lol!) and a good source of information for someone like me - looking at aortic valve replacement and aortic aneurysm repair scheduled for July 29th.
Jackie Benson Oh wow. good luck and prayers for your successful surgery! Will be watching for your update on your s ... Read more
Jackie Benson Oh wow. good luck and prayers for your successful surgery! Will be watching for your update on your surgery. That is the same surgery I am having so I am very interested in how well you do. Good luck, Ann!
MARIE PICUN First I would ask your surgeon all the questions. You have to trust your surgeon and your heart team. ... Read more
MARIE PICUN First I would ask your surgeon all the questions. You have to trust your surgeon and your heart team. They do this surgery more then once a day. I had my aortic valve surgery on Oct,9,2018. Went with a cow valve. I was told this befor my surgery. Now here I am telling you.
Jackie Benson Marie, why did you pick a cow valve? Is that better than a pig valve? Also, what is your age? I am wo ... Read more
Jackie Benson Marie, why did you pick a cow valve? Is that better than a pig valve? Also, what is your age? I am wondering if you still have to take Coumadin on either the pig or bovine valve?
Kathy Turner I had both mitral and aortic valves replaced. I trusted and had all the confidence in the world with ... Read more
Kathy Turner I had both mitral and aortic valves replaced. I trusted and had all the confidence in the world with my surgeon that he used what was best for my situation. What do I know about valves anyway.
I just had my aortic valve replaced last Tuesday (6/25). I am a lot like you, although younger (almost 56). I am fit, not overweight, don't smoke, have taken ...Read more
I just had my aortic valve replaced last Tuesday (6/25). I am a lot like you, although younger (almost 56). I am fit, not overweight, don't smoke, have taken good care of myself all these years. I got a porcine valve called the Freestyle from Medtronic. I don't need blood thinners, didn't get a beta-blocker, and won't be getting my narcotic pain reliever script filled. All I have to take is a 325mg aspirin a day. In the hospital I didn't take pain meds. At night, just to take the edge off, I asked for a shot of Toradol which is a powerful NSAID and non-narcotic. At home, I've used just Tylenol at night. It takes the heartbeat out of my head. Also, my surgeon uses a pain pump called the On-Q which is filled with a local anesthetic and lasts for 2 days. That was tremendously helpful and reduced the need for pain meds. It took about 2 hours on pump, went to the ICU by 12:45 or so and woke up at 4pm. By that evening I was off of the oxygen and breathing room air. One less tube! By 7pm the next day I was in a regular room. But I had to earn it by walking several times down the hall. By Thursday, all the tubes and lines were out, and on Saturday, THE BEST DAY EVER, I went home. I know this is not typical, and I don't know why I was so fortunate. But I just keep praying to God and thanking Him for my good fortune. Also, about the infection thing. For several days prior I showered at home with a special surgical soap called 4% CHG. If you ask your doctor's office, they should be able to get you a script for it. I got it at work. After-surgery care is dependent on how they close the wound. I have no staples and it is sealed with skin glue, which is easier to take care of.
I hope I have helped to answer some of your questions. Welcome to the group. Soon you will be on the Recovery Side of things. Best wishes for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.
Jackie Benson Thank you so much Therese! You have answer d some of my concerns and I am going to write all these su ... Read more
Jackie Benson Thank you so much Therese! You have answer d some of my concerns and I am going to write all these suggestions down. How long was your surgery? I also have an aneursym so mine will probably take longer because you didn’t have that. Where did you have your surgery?
Therese Rabbitt My surgery took around 4 hours. I had it done in Brookfield, Wisconsin. It's not a world-renown cen ... Read more
Therese Rabbitt My surgery took around 4 hours. I had it done in Brookfield, Wisconsin. It's not a world-renown center, or even known for it's heart program. It's where my husband works and where the insurance is. They took excellent care of me. Good luck to you wherever you go!
Although I only had an AVR, my story is somewhat similar. I had my surgery last Aug., my surgeon said in his report that I presented as someone much younger ...Read more
Although I only had an AVR, my story is somewhat similar. I had my surgery last Aug., my surgeon said in his report that I presented as someone much younger than 70 yrs. this was my first surgery, I had never been on meds., and basically symptom free up until a few months before surgery...I was starting to feel more tired. All of my team agreed that I was a candidate for a very routine procedure.
One of the fascinating lessons learned in my 18 months of reading the posts and journals is how absolutely individual every member’s surgery, post-op, and recovery experiences are. That said, this can also be said about the differences in protocols followed by cardiologists, surgeons and hospitals. I had the Edwards bovine valve, the only tissue valve my surgeon uses.
On admission, I was asked to change into a gown, I was shaved and then hooked up to an i.v. I had to ask my husband for the rest of the story before they wheeled me into the O.R. Some have written that they met or spoke to various team member’s or even asked what kind of music they wanted to listen to in the O.R.
I do not remember getting my breathing tube or wires removed before leaving the ICU a day after surgery. I do remember the pacer wires though, but it was very quick.
I was on whatever pain meds. they gave me for the first 3 days of my 5 1/2 day stay and then on ES Tylenol every 6 hours for the rest of my stay and then as needed for the next approx. 3 weeks. I would say that I felt discomfort rather than pain but was absolutely and totally exhausted for the next few weeks. In hindsight that was a blessing as I never suffered with any sleep problems/insomnia as many on here have described...my rental electric recliner was my best friend for one month. I did not have anything covering my incision and I had help with my one hospital shower with the instructions to not face forward into the shower spray.
I was on sternum precautions for 8 weeks which included no driving or lifting anything heavier than 5 pounds.
Two days after discharge, I was admitted into ER with ‘chemical induced afib’ and after several hours on an i.v., I returned home for two days only to be taken by ambulance back to hospital where I remained for 10 days. Unfortunately, my body didn’t get the message about a ‘routine procedure’. 😊
I really started to feel much better after 6 weeks, at 8 weeks we went up the Island for a weekend getaway and by about 3 months I was off all of my meds. other than my blood thinner which I continued to take until March and I am now only on the low dose aspirin. At 3-4 months I was basically feeling like I could hardly believe that I had OHS.
Welcome, Jackie!
I don't think there's any way around it being a frightening thing to face heart surgery, but surgeons are extremely skilled, and these operations ...Read more
Welcome, Jackie!
I don't think there's any way around it being a frightening thing to face heart surgery, but surgeons are extremely skilled, and these operations are almost routine to them, especially if you choose one who has performed many, many of the same procedures you need. I had my aortic valve and root replaced and aortic aneurysm repaired in 2016 and surgery lasted 5+ hours. How long you're hospitalized and in ICU may depend on whether you have any complications at all. I went into afib, which kept me in ICU an extra day. Was released from hospital in six days and had been told to expect 5-7. I initially had a Fentanyl pump, which they removed as soon as I could manage on Tylenol alone, a few days in. I'm not a fan of opioids, either, but you don't want to be in unnecessary misery. My worst pain, beyond a doubt, was from one of my chest tubes and I was greatly relieved once it was removed. I ended up with a minor infection and phlebitis in my arm from a badly placed IV, but it cleared with a round of Clindamycin. My incision was never bandaged and the main instruction was to not turn toward the shower and not let the water stream hit it for a few weeks. There were no ointments, etc., needed. I had my GP check it a couple times during follow up appointments.
My own situation required me to get a tissue valve, but I left the choice of the tissue prosthetic up to my surgeon. Mine is bovine.
Keep posting as many questions as you like--you'll probably want to do that on your journal. I think you'll find folks here are happy to respond with their own experience. As you understand, everyone's journey is different. I wish you the very best with yours!
Jackie Benson Thanks so much! I relish every story as it makes me less afraid.
Hi Jackie. Welcome to the site. You came to the right place. I'll try to answer your questions. 1. My surgery was 7 hours to replace the aortiv valve, ascending ...Read more
Hi Jackie. Welcome to the site. You came to the right place. I'll try to answer your questions. 1. My surgery was 7 hours to replace the aortiv valve, ascending aorta and arch.
2. I was in ICU for two days if we count the day of the surgery. Then I was in a step down for four more days.
3. I'm not sure of the odds but I did not get an infection. I had some complications and over a period of 3 mknths, I spent 24 days in the hospital.
4. Regarding the scar, the hospital will give you good instructions. I did not get it wet for quite a while. I bought about 10 new washcloths and used a damp and clean one every day to keep it clean. Used Dial antibacterial soap.
5. I did not have much pain at all. It's important to stay ahead of the pain. As mentioned, I had a lot of complications because I'm very symptomatic but I field somewhat normal after about 6 months. Two years now and I feel great! It's important to heal at your own pace and not try to compare yourself with others. You are healthy so your recovery should be good. I'd do lung exercises prior to surgery to help and keep walking a lot.
6. You may need narcotics the first few days but maybe not. The next best thing for me was Tylenol. You can discuss with the doctor and nurses about it. I do not like opiods either but I did take them when I needed them.
7. I went with the Edwards Magna tissue valve (bovine). I was 59 when I had the surgery. If I ever need it replaced, I could have the TAVR procedure. I'm not sure which is better. Do your research and discuss pros and cons with your cardiologist and surgeon. It is a very personal and quite permanent decision.
I know it is scary but the odds are in your favor. Trust your doctors and the good Lord, Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Jackie Benson Thank you for your comments, Rose. Sounds like you had a lot done! I don’t know yet exactly what I ... Read more
Jackie Benson Thank you for your comments, Rose. Sounds like you had a lot done! I don’t know yet exactly what I will need but I also have an aneursym and the aortic valve replacement. Not sure how long those 2 procedures will take. That is a little scary.
Hi Jackie, welcome to the site! I'm so glad you have so many questions! Here are answers based on my experience. I was 42 when I had my surgery 5.5 years ago ...Read more
Hi Jackie, welcome to the site! I'm so glad you have so many questions! Here are answers based on my experience. I was 42 when I had my surgery 5.5 years ago for a bicuspid & stenotic aortic valve. I was told that I may wake up with an aortic graft and possible a pacemaker. Scary, but considering the alternative, acceptable.
How long does surgery take? Hmm, I checked in at 5:30 AM, and woke up around 2:00 pm. But I was only on the bypass machine for about 45 minutes. I guess because they "only" had to replace my valve, it was pretty quick.
How long do you stay in ICU? I can't really answer that - my room evolved with me. The staff added and subtracted equipment as needed. I think by 48 hours after I woke up I would have been considered in a regular cardiac room.
Oh infections, yeas I was worried about those too. I know they put a gel in my nose before surgery to help ward off MRSA. My incision was covered with some sort of health care tape/gel/sticky stuff. That stuff didn't come off until I had been home for a week. My RN gave me specific instruction on how to clean my incision, and said not to scrub it - the covering will come off on it's own.
How much pain? This may be the most surprising answer for you - it wasn't nearly as awful as I thought it would be. And it wasn't specific pain anywhere - more like you did a complete home remodel (including demolition) all by yourself in one day. I was exhausted and it felt like every muscle and joint ached. I was on some sort of heavy-duty painkiller for about 60 hours. The RN always asked if I wanted it or not. I was on Tylenol only on day 3. I never needed anything stronger.
I have a mechanical valve and will be on some sort of anti-coagulant (blood thinner) for the rest of my life. I have not made any diet or lifestyle changes because of my new medications. Whichever valve you choose will the perfect one for you.
Suggestions for your time waiting? Talk to people - a lot of people have gone through some sort of heart surgery and are eager to share their experiences with you. Once you have your surgery date set, start planning something for about 3 months post op - a family reunion, a trip you've always wanted to take, something FUN to look forward to. It'll give you something to think about when your thoughts turn to mashed potatoes, and it'll give you something to work toward after surgery. (We had a family reunion and I rode rollercoasters again. it was GLORIOUS!)
This site was invaluable to me in the weeks leading up to surgery. I had been feeling like I was one of the very few people who went through heart surgery, and all of the sudden I had HUNDREDS of friends who knew exactly how I felt.
Meredith
Holiday, FL
PS I talk a lot. Sorry about that.
Jackie Benson I love all your helpful comments, Meredith! I am absorbing all this information and I am finding this ... Read more
Jackie Benson I love all your helpful comments, Meredith! I am absorbing all this information and I am finding this site to be very helpful. Glad your surgery turned out so well for you!
Dr. Joanna Chikwe is a world-renowned cardiac surgeon that has performed thousands of heart valve operations that include minimally-invasive techniques.
I am from: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
