Hi everyone. I am scheduled for surgery on March 8 at Mt. Sinai in NYC. Dr. David Adams and Percy Boateng will be doing a repair of my mitral valve and a bypass ...Read more
Hi everyone. I am scheduled for surgery on March 8 at Mt. Sinai in NYC. Dr. David Adams and Percy Boateng will be doing a repair of my mitral valve and a bypass around a blockage and a saccular aneurysm in my RCA. I feel very fortunate to have it done there by these doctors. Mentally, I am ok with the surgery itself, but the thought of waking up afterwards with a tube in my throat has me worried and quite frankly, fearful.
I have been an avid outdoorsman all of my life (I am now 68), doing a lot of solo canoe camping and backpacking in the wilderness areas of the Adirondacks of New York State. Although I realize it is just about impossible to know for sure, I often think about when I should be able to take that first solo trip of 2022 into the backcountry. I would appreciate anything you would like to share that might help me to better understand what to expect and I will likely experience. Any tips and advice to get through the surgery and the recovery/rehab would be great too. Thanks in advance!
Hi John, you seem to be in great hands at Mt. Sinai. May God bless you on your heart valve surgery jo ... Read more
Hi John, you seem to be in great hands at Mt. Sinai. May God bless you on your heart valve surgery journey
Phyllis Petersen Thankfully, I have no memory of the tube in my throat. There is so much variety in procedures and rec ... Read more
Phyllis Petersen Thankfully, I have no memory of the tube in my throat. There is so much variety in procedures and recoveries. I had my mitral repair robotically through side entry, so can't say how long it takes going through the sternum. I did my first hike 10 weeks after surgery, but didn't push it too hard. Definitely do cardiac rehab, if it's available to you. It made an incredible difference in my recovery. Knowing that I was in a safe environment with help nearby allowed me to push to my max.
Marie Myers I also was dreading the endotracheal tube .When you are waking up, you have so much medication onboar ... Read more
Marie Myers I also was dreading the endotracheal tube .When you are waking up, you have so much medication onboard, that you may not remember much of anything. I briefly realized the tube was still in,and it seems moments later, it just disappeared. I don’t remember being bothered by it. Wishing you a smooth journey through surgery and recovery!
John Blaser Hi Marie and Phyllis. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. It really helps me to hear what ... Read more
John Blaser Hi Marie and Phyllis. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. It really helps me to hear what others have experienced; it gives me more of perspective on it.
Ginny Turner Hi John, and best wishes for your upcoming surgery! You are in excellent hands with Dr. Adams. I am n ... Read more
Ginny Turner Hi John, and best wishes for your upcoming surgery! You are in excellent hands with Dr. Adams. I am now 2 weeks post-op from my mitral and tricuspid valve repairs and a Maze procedure done by Dr. Marc Gillinov at the Cleveland Clinic. As you addressed your fear of waking with the breathing tube, I'd like to share my recent experience because I was very apprehensive about it prior to surgery as well. Another patient on this site, George Gardopee, suggested watching a YouTube video about waking with a breathing tube (link below). It is recorded by a heart surgeon who had heart surgery himself.
About a week prior to surgery, I watched the video so I would know what to expect. I had told myself that if I awakened with an awareness of the tube, I would remain calm and know that it was breathing for me. When I awoke the first time in ICU, I was vaguely aware of the tube in my mouth. I was very groggy. It did not hurt, and I remembered my admonition to myself. I was able to remain calm and let it breathe for me. My husband was there with me and said I opened my eyes, heard him telling me the surgery was successful and then I dozed off again. As they began to reduce the amount of sedation, to ensure I could breathe well on my own, it was time to remove the tube. Removal was very easy. I was asked to sit up slightly, cough, and they withdrew the tube quickly. It did not hurt. In hindsight, I realize how groggy I was and can barely recall the whole tube experience - it may have lasted 20 - 30 minutes but felt like just a minute to me. Having programmed myself ahead of time not to fight it really worked, and I hope it helps you as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_lTF2ozUY0
This video explains, step by step, the things that you can expect to be happening around you and the feelings you may experience as you are waking up from yo...
Randy Chapman Thank you Ginny for posting the video link. I watched it as well as the other three in their U-Tube s ... Read more
Randy Chapman Thank you Ginny for posting the video link. I watched it as well as the other three in their U-Tube series. Highly recommended!
Ginny Turner Thanks, Randy. It’s a good series. My apprehension about the tube was much worse than the actual ex ... Read more
Ginny Turner Thanks, Randy. It’s a good series. My apprehension about the tube was much worse than the actual experience, which wasn’t bad at all.
John Blaser Thank you very much Ginny. I will watch it next week before my surgery.
I am from: Brewster, NY
My surgery date is: March 8, 2022
About a week prior to surgery, I watched the video so I would know what to expect. I had told myself that if I awakened with an awareness of the tube, I would remain calm and know that it was breathing for me. When I awoke the first time in ICU, I was vaguely aware of the tube in my mouth. I was very groggy. It did not hurt, and I remembered my admonition to myself. I was able to remain calm and let it breathe for me. My husband was there with me and said I opened my eyes, heard him telling me the surgery was successful and then I dozed off again. As they began to reduce the amount of sedation, to ensure I could breathe well on my own, it was time to remove the tube. Removal was very easy. I was asked to sit up slightly, cough, and they withdrew the tube quickly. It did not hurt. In hindsight, I realize how groggy I was and can barely recall the whole tube experience - it may have lasted 20 - 30 minutes but felt like just a minute to me. Having programmed myself ahead of time not to fight it really worked, and I hope it helps you as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_lTF2ozUY0