Bethany's Journal

Meredith Bray  Excellent posture while standing, and supporting your head/neck/shoulders while resting will help alleviate the rest of the back pain. You look great in your picture!
-Meredith

Kimberly Biddick  So glad to hear you are feeling better and better. I will pray that your recovery continues to improve day by day!!

Elaine Cutri  Keep up with the pain medication for a while. No need to be uncomfortable. The most important tasks are breathing exercises and walking. Best wishes Bethany!

Rafael Martinez  Hi Bethany. ..glad your are in the road to recovery.

You should have pain killer for at least 1 month. Or a litter more ...after a month start lower the doss.

That will help you to sleep well.

Take it easy.

Wanda Mroz  My worse part was the breathing tube removal! I will never forget that... But those drainage tubes run a close second. Did feel good after they were out. Hoping you continue to feel stronger everyday!

Betsey Osgood  A nurse friend of mine gave me the following advice: get a hair cut, shave your legs and think of something beautiful right before the anesthesia. You'll wake up calm. It worked for me!!! I'll be thinking of you on Monday! You got this!

Lisa Heinen  Looking back - I wish I hadn't worried so much! I know its par for the course - it's a huge surgery - but trusting in the Lord to guide the skilled surgeons hands was able to keep me calm going into surgery. Sending prayers for successful surgery and quick recovery!
I agree with Betsey - You got this!
Lisa Heinen

W. Carter  No nothing that I would do different. Just go in, relax, let them put you under, and have faith in God and the knowledge he gave your surgeon. Everything will be fine.

Lynee Casper  Glad you asked that question, Bethany, and it seems that those who have gone through surgery have some good thoughts. Sending prayers your way.

Jacqueline Cook  Bethany. I am just about a week behind you as far as surgery goes...so I don't have any thoughts to add of my own as far as things I wish I'd done prior to surgery. However...I am finding the "25 Tips to Prepare Women for Heart Surgery" by Christine Rekash Wagner to be very helpful. Her story is posted in Adam's blog. I will try to find it and send it to you if you are interested. Please know I'm sending prayers for peace your way as you continue to prepare. Looking forward to connecting with you are on the healing side of things!

Jacqueline Cook  Here's the link in case you are interested....

www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery.../25-tips-for-women/

I just noticed that she also had her surgery done by Dr. McCarthy!

Wishing you the best.

Your heart sister, Jacqueline

Christine Oliva  Yes Bethany read the tips for women and as Betsey says take care of yourself. I'm not a girly girl, but I got my hair cut, simple manicure and pedicure and made a tray with things like lotion, lipstick, moisturizer, fresh toothbrushes, etc when I felt better. I felt terrible in the hospital, but on the second day home I was glad to have my personal kit. It made me feel human again.
Also, I got some fresh wipes and they came in handy when I got the night sweats when I first got home. Think of what you like and try to see if you can have it when you start feeling better and be patient with yourself. Everyone heals at a different rate. Just think would I like that? I used many of the ideas presented the past few weeks, my AVR was 10/13 and now walking twice a day and doing some light housework so it can be done.
Sending positivity your way!

Doran Herritt  Stay busy until then. Have some fun. You will feel like new by the and will b well on your way to recovery. Peace to you and your family this weekend, skill to your medical team and continued prayers for a quick and uneventful recovery.
Take care,
Drn

Jean Raber  This topic seems to come up a lot. Sounds like mechanical valves last longer and younger people chose them more often; tissue valves don't require coumadin and were the choice of older patients.

However, recent studies show tissue valves are lasting a bit longer than originally thought. And some folks with certain types of mechanical valves may need maintenance with aspirin only at some point in the future.

Advances in valve replacement techniques have led some people to go for the tissue valve, anticipating that when it wears out, heart surgery will be much less invasive in another 10-20 years, so no big deal for a second replacement.

Last time the cardiology looked, he felt I was up for mitral valve repair rather than replace, but I would have chosen the tissue valve. I'm 61. If it lasted 15 years, I'd be good with that.

Naomi Ivker  My surgeon. Who is my age (46) said that if he had to choose he would go tissue, which I had already decided. They are lasting longer and the likelihood is that any replacement down the road would be via catheter. He and my cardiologist felt that risk was far lower than the risks and problems of dealing with Coumadin. I agree, although many are doing very well with mechanical valves. I also would probably go nuts with the noise the mechanical valves make, but that is just me. Very happy with my new bovine valve. I know there are people in this community who have good experiences with mechanical.

Gloria Savannah-Austin  The other thing with Mechanical vales is that you have to go every few weeks (???) I believe for blood work.....and am not 100% sure but this may be for life or for a very long time. I myself when the time comes will go for the tissue valve and if possible Ross procedure if my surgeon can do that for me. I am not sure how many surgeons are skilled with that more involved procedure, but am sticking with my surgeon of choice here in Florida. Hopefully you may be a candidate for a repair?

Meredith Bray  What worries you about coumadin? I had to make my decision 18 months ago. Everyone has their reasons. I choose a mechanical valve because the information I gathered showed a guaranteed replacement. Some estimates were 5-7 years, some were 15-20 years. I know that no doctor will guarantee that I will never need another surgery, but a tissue valve would guarantee that i would need another surgery. I get my blood checked every 5 weeks or so. I don't have any restrictions, other than paying attention to what I eat and drink. Dark green vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli) and alcohol affect my coagulation levels, but I haven't changed my diet one bit. I'm more consistent now though. Also, there are some valves in the marketplace that have been ok'd by the FDA to not need as much anti-coagulation therapy.
What other questions do you have?
Meredith

Bethany spence  I still feel tissue is the choice for me.
The surgery day is coming near. Planning on talking with the kids this weekend. Praying that goes well. Age 11 and 8 and both are very well minded, mature kiddos but I am still mom....Mom's Don't get sick, right?!!!

Neil Collins  Hi Bethany. I am 44 and just chose a tissue valve for my surgery in November. I am an active marathon runner and triathlete and tissue feels like the right decision for me. The advances in not only valves but future surgical options are too great to ignore. Mechanical would have offered a "one and done" but tissue allows us to see where the future lies in the coming years.
My kids are 9 and now 12 and so far they just seem excited to go and stay at a friends house for two weeks because they have a home theatre and Xbox!
Good luck with your surgery….

Rita Savelis  I have 2 mechanical valves and no problems with coumadin. It does seem like the trend in the U.S. now is tissue valves followed by multiple surgeries for young(er) patients. Surgeons often leave the choice up to patients which can be difficult because one can't predict the future.

Natalee LaJeunesse  I am in the same boat. Im having PVR in November and trying to make a decision. I am also leaning towards tissue! I have found that there is definately no right or wrong answer and opinions all over the board. Im doing my homework and the decision will ultimately be what works best for ME. Good luck with your surgery!

Natalee LaJeunesse  I also just realized we have kids the same age! (and actually have very similar stories!) It is hard to know how to handle telling them about the surgery, but I have used the rule to tell them "just enough" and not go into too much detail. This has worked for me. Also staying positive/upbeat around them is important.

Kimberly Nuttle  Bethany, I think you just have to be honest with them. Tell them in a way as to not scare them too much, but answer all the questions they may have. Leading up to, you could even have them do some things around the house to help you out - things that you will need them to help you with when you return home and are recouperating. Example - having your son empty the kitchen garbage can since you will be unable to lift much of anything for the first few weeks. Carrying laundry baskets. Putting laundry from the washer to the dryer. While our situation was totally different (our 8 yr old son just had open heart surgery), leading up to the surgery, I would remind him of things like, about having a tube in his chest to help with drainage, how he will feel very tired after surgery and it was okay to take naps during the day to get sleep & rest, how he would have a tube in his throat when he first woke up and we would only do yes/no questions with him answering with thumbs up / thumbs down. These little reminders helped him out a lot - he would ask questions, and we would talk about the surgery and what it would be like afterwards, etc. You know your kids best, and know how much information they can handle, but honesty is always best in my opinion. They may surprise you. :-)

Rita Savelis  Tell them that you are having your heart fixed, that you'll spend time in hospital, that you'll be tired for awhile afterwards. Kids need to get information and have their questions answered. It's also good to show your kids when you are afraid, when you have doubts, etc. They understand things in their kids' way and it's good to be honest.

Naomi Ivker  I told mine very simply that part of my heart wasn't working the way it should and I needed to get it fixed so I could have the energy to keep playing with them. Of all 3 my 8 year old is most patient with my recovery.

Bethany spence  Thank you all for the advice. It really helps to know I am not alone in this. What a great site this is:)

Jean Raber  About showing fear to children from someone whose mother was an award-winning drama queen: Tempering your own fears as much as you can and showing confidence in your doctors may give your kids the courage they need later in life to handle something similar. My mother's AVR was a nightmare because of her attitude, and when I was told a year later I'd need MVR, I said no way. Took talking to people on here and reading Adam's book to realize my experience could be quite different from Mom's.

Kimberly Nuttle  When you talk to them and give them an idea about your recovery, prepare them for the fact that you bill tired, and you may not be able to do things that you normally did for several weeks. If your kids are used to you being very active with them (playing outside with them, playing catch, practicing soccer, etc.) you may want to involve them in planning some alternatives like playing checkers, chess, bingo, scrabble, paint-by-number projects, making decorations for an upcoming holiday, etc. Also remind them that you will be unable to drive for a period of time, so Dad, Grandparents, Neighbors, etc. will be pitching in to get them to school/soccer/dance/music lessons, etc. Myself, I'm an organization freak so I knew that after I had our twins I'd forget things - I made up calendar that I posted on our fridge that had important info on it, including cub scout meetings, who was giving our son a ride to/from scouts, when he had homework assignments due, etc. because between the recuperating from the C-section, the pain meds, and oh yeah - the sheer exhaustion from lack of sleep - I knew I'd forget things. :-)

Whitney Nelson  I'm sure you have already told your kids but I have a nine year old and I told him that I have to have surgery to fix my a little leak in my heart so that afterwards I will feel better and be able to do so much more with him!

Mary K  Hi Bethany. Welcome! You have found the right place.

I suggest that you read through different people's blogs and the responses. You will find all kinds if information. If you click on a person's name you can start at the beginning of them and read all the way through. Adam ' s book is very helpful and they ship it out pretty quickly.

From my own experience and from reading others' the recuperation time varies greatly depending a lot on one's level of health going into the surgery. Some athletes are back walking three miles at four or five weeks. Others (like me ) are happy with a mile at ten weeks. My impression is that surgeon's tend to underestimate the time.

My best advice is to find a trusted confidant that you can talk to, and know that you will need help, and be willing to take it. You can pay it forward later.

Welcome to the club. I know that you did not want to join it, but we are a friendly, compassionate, helpful bunch.

Rodrigo Ponce  Hi, Bethany

I had AVR 5 and a half months ago. My advice is: inform yourself. Look for information on AVR. That might help ease your fears.

As for how long does it take to get back to normal... everyone will give you a different answer. In my case it took 1 month to get back on track with my life, but not entirely.

Jeanette Davidson   Hi Bethany~
I know there are so many unanswered questions. I think the most important thing is to realize that everyone's journey is individual. Just remember that you will be better and stronger when the surgery is complete and your heart is repaired . There is a recovery process and it can take a couple months or more. Check out our stories . It will help you!💕

Tammy Pilcher  Hi Bethany, welcome to the group! I had AVR 10 months ago and I'm doing great! You are welcome to read my journal and if I can answer questions, I will. Prayers and best wishes, Tammy

Clare Auten  Welcome. I am an "old timer". My surgery was almost 20 months ago. Ask any questions you may have.

John Jones  I will attest to what the others have said Bethany. My experience has been unique to me. One sure consistent truth is that we ALL recover in our own way. I'll be praying for you.

Rita Savelis  What is normal? Healing happens at your pace. Everyone has a different story. There is pre-op and post-op, and somehow you never really get back to a pre-op "normal". Things keep shifting. It's like having children or growing up. A different reality. Hang on for the ride.