Jennifer's Journal

Lena Afanaseva  Wishing you the best! I also have a kiddo in college, and my surgery on 1/21. Wish you a fast recovery!!!

Dan Baltazor  Glad to hear your feeling better and getting a new date. Hang in there!!
Thanks for keeping us posted.

Paul Howarth  It's better to be safe. I know the feeling of wanting to get it over with.
Like I'm telling others, your mind is going to prep for the worst. It's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
There are challenging periods, but I'm so thankful it was easier than my pre op worries.
Last, I can't imagine doing this with a cold or flu. You and your team made the right choice. Don't hold back, if something feels off, tell your doctor right away. I'm so happy I did it.
I didn't want to do it prior. I was so scared I wanted to run away.
Day 4 I feel good!

Susan Lynn  Jennifer - better to wait. Coughing is not something that's fun immediately after surgery, so you don't want to go in with one. You'll get it done when the time is right and your recovery will be smooth sailing! Hang in there.

Dan Vechiola  Hang in there Jennifer. Maybe it wasn't a good time for you to have surgery and a bigger power is delaying it for you, Stay positive and you will very soon be on the other side.

Jennifer McInerney  It’s for the best. You don’t want this surgery with a cough or cold. Hang in there, it will happen at the right time!!!

Jill McDonald   Jennifer one day in a life is just fine! You want to be tip-top shape for the climb! Keep moving forward! Keep your eye on the prize! Better health!

Dan Vechiola  Best wishes Jennifer. Now is the time to go get it done. Rise up and go get that valve replaced. Get the life expectancy that you deserve. Most importantly, the surgery, hospital stay, and recovery is not as bad as you are envisioning. I am 2 months post op so I can relate to how you are feeling. This surgery has come a LONG way so have faith in your surgeon and the pros at your hospital. The waiting is the hardest part and tomorrow you will be on the recovery side and time will begin to fly.

Jennifer Jacobs  thanks. I just heart from my surgeon. I started with a cough last weekend. I hadn't been able to shake it. He wants to wait until next week now, in hopes I get rid of this.

Susan Lynn  Jennifer - Trust your surgeon. Coughing after heart surgery isn't fun and you're also going to need to feel strong for your speedy recovery. Btw, are you having a mini-thoracotomy? I didn't know any of the cardio thoracic surgeons did that in Danville. I'm from WB.

Jennifer Jacobs  thanks Susan Lynn. He told me could do it minimally invasively. His words were I would be cut but it wouldn't be a big incision. I'm sorry, where is WB

Molly Ivers  You are going to fly through this Jennifer! Just keep telling yourself you will heal quickly, visualize it, believe it.

Meredith Geneja  You have a good Dr, I unexpectedly left the hospital with a cough which made the first few days tough. So happy that you are in such good hands.

Susan Lynn  Jennifer - I think your surgeon might be referring to a minimally-invasive mini-thoractomy. I had one to repair my mitral valve. It's a small, side incision, that can reduce recovery time. There's tons of information and lots to consider (including a femoral cannula), but this procedure worked well for me. Do your research - the most important thing is selecting the procedure that works for you. Best of luck.

Catie B  If I had solely needed my aortic valve replaced, my incision would have been several inches smaller, but still at the breastbone. Since he needed to do an aneurysm repair, my surgeon advised he felt it safer to do the full, traditional incision.

Marie Myers  Have the same story as Catie B. I had the full sternotomy incision because I needed an aneurysm repair. I can honestly say post op pain was not a major factor for me.

Marie Myers  Yoga and meditation helped calm me down, as did an occasional alprazolam (Xanax).
Listening to calming videos on U Tube also helped a lot. You have to accept the reality, and trust in the docs and nurses to get you through the surgery. Remember, they do this everyday!
I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of serious pain after surgery. After taking narcotic pain Meds for a few days, I was able to switch to Tylenol for the majority of the time. I was surprised , however , at how exhausted I was for a couple of weeks. Lots of napping was in my daily schedule.
I remember being very anxious about my surgery, which was was an AVR, aortic root, and ascending aneurysm resection.. I wish I had not worried so much about everything, but that is easier said than done. I wish you a smooth surgery and easy recovery!

Susan Lynn  Jennifer- I found that educating myself about my procedure, but not getting caught up in every activity involved helped me to feel more confident Trust your surgeon, medical team, and facility - this is what they do best. Imagine everything going completely perfectly! This will be behind you before you know it! You'll be just fine. ❤

Jennifer McInerney  I prayed for peace of mind. Talked to friends and family. Trusted my medical team. I surrounded myself with positivity. The heart lung is scary but I told myself I would be asleep and wouldn’t know, weird but that helped me. I’m a chicken and got thru this so for sure you can. You’ll be on the recovery side before you know it

Rob Sparling  Some of the details are things I didn’t want to know. That purposeful “ignorance” served me well for a previous surgery. So trust the surgical team knows exactly what to do and they will keep you on target. Also agree with Marie that meditation can help! Don’t worry, it will all work out!

Dan Vechiola  Its normal to have anxiety Jennifer. Put all your faith in your surgeon and hospital staff. They are great professionals and are able to handle such a larger operation. All we can do as patients is to go for the ride. Think positive going forward and visualize a successful surgery. After learning what will be involved just try to let go and distract yourself everyday leading up to surgery. A positive attitude is very beneficial. Don't worry about the details like the heart and lung machine because it is a necessary process for this surgery and we are unable to control it. Focus on what your can control like staying active, eating well and keeping your mind healthy. As is always said on this site, the waiting is the hardest part and the surgery is not as bad as we think it will be.