Donna's Journal

Rita Savelis  You've been through a lot. It is certainly rough to wake up from surgery, and especially OHS. It wasn't painful for me either, but so intense and so wearying. Each week/month will get better.

Steven A Husted  may the good lord above watch over you and help you thru this journey just take it one day at a time there will be good days and bad days but it does get better each day week month year i am 20 months out and doing well in phase 3 of cardio rehab slow and easy one day at a time time is a great healer

Joyce Shelby  Donna, you will do great! You will be scheduling your cardiac rehab apts in the hospital soon! :-) continued prayers for a successful surgery and continuous health and healing!

Cheryle Bird  I'm hearing you Donna. This is a great site to encourage, enquire, read and learn of others who have already had surgery. Isn't it comforting to know that we are not alone & that there are others who have been or are having similar health issues/surgeries. It's a day at a time, and seeing your surgery is on Friday (& I go in tomorrow) I just want to wish you all the best, I pray that your surgery is a success and that the days that follow see you go stronger. Big smiles to you & go easy on yourself.

Sanford Backos  Donna the best advice I can relay to you is to just relax, open heart surgery is not that bad. I too am having an aortic valve replaced this week on Wednesday, my third one.

To give a little peek into what to expect after surgery, once you wake and get off the ventilator (for me the worst part of the whole procedure), they will get you up and sitting in a chair right away. It seems daunting at first with all the tubes sticking out of you, but you won't be in much pain just a little sore. You will probably be in the intensive care unit until they can move you to your room, but once there you get more comfortable. I enjoyed the fact that with a push of a button I could get anything i needed. I liked it so much I didn't want to leave. Within a day or two encourage the doctors to remove some of the tubes you will feel a lot better once they do. You will probably feel some discomfort with the chest staples and sternum incision, a pain pill will take care of that but you probably won't need it very often. You will be encouraged to get up and walk around or sit in a chair which feels better than laying around all day, (have someone bring you a robe and slippers). I'm not used to sleeping on my back so reclining in a chair was great for napping. You will probably be discharged on the fourth day and at that point they remove the IV (the last tube to go) and you can finally go home, take a nice hot shower and begin the recuperation process. You'll be back to normal in about four weeks once the breastbone heals. Good luck and God bless.

Donna Chaney  Thank you guys. The insight is so comforting. Just knowing what to expect puts me at ease. I'm praying for yal. Hope things go well. It's a big week for us. God bless.

Denise Campbell  4 weeks? You must be superman. I'm at 6 weeks and yes every week you get stronger. But back to normal? No way.

Sanford Backos  I was much more cautious after my first surgery not wanting to do too much and just waiting to heal slowly. After surgery number 2, I just had a different attitude and refused to let the operation keep me down I became more active. Not to say I was 100% after 4 weeks, but I was driving. It's a state of mind. I guess if you think you're superman, you are superman.

Steven A Husted  i think sanford gave a pretty good discription of the surgery i liked sitting in a chair for sleep and they do get you up and walking before you are ready but it does help the healing process

Donna Chaney  Thanks guys. After speaking with all of you I just feel I'm ready to get this over with and be on the other side. They say I don't know what it feels like to feel good anymore and I can't even tell anything is wrong. So I'm anxious to see what feeling good is about. God bless you all. Thank you.

paula Murphy  I just saw this and 2 things that I wished I had in the hospital were hand wipes that kill bacteria and a claw that you can squeeze and get things like tissues that fall on the floor and even your candy from the nightstand. It was hard reaching at first.

Patti Talbot  Not nearly as much as you think. Toothbrush and toothpaste! I used everything they provided and it didn't even bother me!

Tracy Simmons  I agree with Patti. You may want to bring some comfy undies, or even boxers. It sounds strange, but tight undies were the last thing I wanted around the groin incision.

Patti Talbot  Great idea on the boxers! I had the groin incision for the heart lung machine. I "think" I remember my surgeon saying bc my incision was minimally invasive there wasn't enough room thus the groin incision. It's biggish but it's never hurt for a minute.

Christine Oliva  Hi Donna, I would agree with Patty you really don't need much because they will supply the essentials and if all goes well you will be out in less than a week. Basic grooming supplies and maybe PJ's or lite robe if you have visitors and maybe some relaxation tapes. The first two days you are not concerned with grooming. Everyone is different, but I knew it was time for me to go home when I started worrying about my hair and clothes. Also, keep in mind until you are off all the equipment and totally stable, walking the halls, the nurses and doctors want easy access to you. I brought PJ's but the doctors wanted me use my hospital gown until the day before they let me go home. Good luck with your operation and make sure you have all your supplies for the first few weeks at home.

Mary Wagner  I only used my undies and the bottom part of pj's. I was more comfortable walking in the hall that way.

Donna Chaney  Thanks everyone. You guys are amazing. If not for yal I would still be going crazy out my mind. God bless everyone of you guys.

Wanda Mroz  Groin incisions are necessary for those having minimally invasive surgeries. Not needed for those having OHS. don't bring much... Toothpaste toothbrush, dry shampoo some deodorant and some face wash was all I needed.

Donna Chaney  Oh ok. I was wondering if there was something the dr.s forgot to tell me. We didn't discuss another groin incision other than the angiogram I had. Thanks.

Patti Talbot  Donna yes , I felt the same way! I had been waiting 20 years, the symptoms were bothering my life, and it was time to move forward. Good luck to you!

Joyce Shelby  Yes, me too Donna! After 11 years of symptoms, my time for surgery has come. April 11th is my surgery, At first I was scared but through God's grace, I am at peace with everything. I am looking forward to the surgery and living a "normal" life. I am even looking forward to cardiac rehab...lol!

Franklin Wyrick  I don't even have a surgery date yet, but just knowing that I am going to have it has calmed me a lot. I always knew this was coming and worried constantly about it. Now that the time is here I suddenly feel at ease. A little scared, but relieved that the waiting is almost over. I wish you well and I'm looking forward to hearing from you on the other side of surgery.

Nicola Laker  Definitely. I'm excited about the 'new me' but also very scared about the surgery. I haven't been thinking about it too much as Im kept busy with work, home and caring for my mum so that has been a blessing. I was born with Ebsteins Anomaly so I have never really had 'normal" and as it's progressively become worse over the last 50 years, I have only really noticed any real difference in the last year or so. I had put this down to stress due to nursing my father before he passed and my husband having cancer treatment (in remission now. ..yay!) so I was quite shocked when a letter arrived and numerous messages left on my phone when I returned from holiday in january this year, that I needed surgery 😮 . I'm actually still waiting for a date but it should be beginning of May. I just can't wait for it all to be over with and recovering well.

Donna Chaney  Thank you guys so much. This has truly been a blessing hearing from each of you and knowing I'm not alone. All of you are in my prayers. Im praying the best for all of us. You guys are making this much easier than I thought possible. What a blessing. God bless you all!

Tracy Simmons  I think how you feel is totally normal. I was diagnosed with MVR 10 years ago and told I would probably need surgery one day. Of course I didn't think about it every day, but it was always in the back of my mind, especially when it was time for my annual echo and check-up. There is some relief knowing that the time to get it taken care of.

Debbie Bentley   I'm having trouble sleeping and my dr told me to take melatonin at night . It help to get me rested so I don't think about surgery all night long .

Nicola Laker  I seem to be suffering from headaches. When I eventually get to sleep I do manage a few hours at a time but fed up with the headaches on and off all day and sometimes night. Hope its just the anxiety and they will stop once the surgery is over and done with. X

Donna Chaney  Thank you. I'm gonna try the melatonin. I have to try something. And I'm dreaming every time I do get some sleep. I haven't slept a full night in weeks now.

Donna Chaney  I did have headaches too. Constantly. But since the dental work is over I don't really have them anymore.