Judi's Journal

Greg Johnson  I am three weeks out with similian symptoms. Went to family dr for x-ray. She suggested I go to hospital ER. Before I knew it I was admitted and having 1+ liter of fluid removed from the lining of my lung. I guess I am suggesting that you go actually see the Dr. They can tell a lot by listening.

Judi Nunez  I ended up at ER and all they could find was most likely pericarditis. It's so painful and all they can for it is aspirin for inflammation. It goes away on its own but it's so painful and uncomfortable.

Pam Driggs  Hi Judi, I wish I could answer this for you but I have not had mine removed yet. I am not even sure if I have staples.
I just want to say that I was nervous about a lot of things before the surgery such as getting the chest tubes out, and nothing was as bad as I had anticipated.
I hope it goes well for you and does not cause you any pain!!

Janet R  Judi, Good luck with getting your stitches removed. I hope that it is not too painful. My incision was not stapled, instead my skin was glued together and healing well at 4 weeks. My sternum is wired together with stainless steel and is permanent.

Janet R  Hi Judi, glad you are going home. You will be amazed at 2 weeks at how much better you will be. I am now 3 weeks out from my MVR.

Janet R  Keep breathing and walking. A lot of the discomfort will subside gradually. I am now just taking my Norco at night only and Tylenol during the day. As you feel better, please remember your strenal precautions and listen to your body. I am already considering going back to work part time on week 5.

Tim Goff  That is great news Judi. Glad to hear of your progress and wishing you continued success on the road to recovery.

Ben Fretwell  Great news, Judi! You will be amazed at how much better you will feel once you get home. I have been home for two days since spending a week in the hospital for MVR, and I feel like a new man!
Just don't overdo it...following those instruction for caring for yourself after you get home makes all the difference!
Good luck!

Pat Bluemel  You heal better and faster at home. You will feel immediately at ease when you get there. Great news!

Clay Rowe  I had the same problem with the narcotics and nausea...was probably the worst part of post-op. You'll feel SO much better when you can eat something...it's worth the gamble of Tylenol only. Good luck!

Judi Nunez  Feel so much better since tubes came out. Thanks for all your good thoughts. I feel I'm on the mend. Can eat now without narcotics and nausea. Can't wait to see spring again.

Pat Bluemel  Good work on the tubes, creepy feeling wasn't it? I hope your pain is minimal. I'm 10 days out and take Tylenol in the morning because I'm stiff and Tylenol PM at night. Keep moving forward and drink a lot of milkshakes! I had three a day.

Tim Goff  I heard a bird singing yesterday with the warmer day and although this week will be chilly, spring and your recovery is on the way. Hoping you have a better day today!

Jim Kelly-Evans  Judi...the waiting can be nerve racking....I'm waiting five and a half weeks for my procedure Monday. Hang in there and we'll be fine. Best wishes!

Wiliam Height  Judi, change your thinking to make sure you have everything you need lined up for after surgery, that is recovery. Start thinking in terms of smaller time increments, what needs to be done today right now in your life? This will help you also when you come out of surgery, time will stop and you will only be required to take action on what you can, which is the present moment.

Tammi Gunwall  I agree with William. Make a list of things you would like to try to complete or get in order before surgery. Prepare for recovery. I moved most of my clothes to a level I could reach or put them in easily accessible drawers. Showering is difficult at first. We added a shower head w hose for me and bought an inexpensive shower chair for me to sit on. I rented a medical-grade recliner (which was awesome) and had it delivered prior to leaving for the hospital so I could set up my recovery space the way I wanted it. Another option is a pillow wedge (Bed, bath & beyond has them). We purchased one after the recliner was sent back as a transition back to bed. Healing seemed easier for me at an incline. At 5wks post up, I'm still using it. Make sure you've got a pill box to keep your medications in order and a small notebook/pen near you for keeping track of when you take them each day. In the beginning it's hard to remember. I also kept track of my weight, INR levels and anything else that might be important to relay back to your Dr. ... Good luck!!

kathy lesnau  Agree with William and Tammi. Before my surgery I filled my days prior to surgery thinking of how I was going to make my recovery easier for myself and everyone around me. I even bought a new bed with new bedspread, some new clothes for ease in dressing and some books to read after surgery. Coming home was like Christmas for me, lol Mentally see yourself on the other side of this. Good luck!

Lenore Mitchell  Judi, it's impossible to totally stop the nervousness, but you're on the home stretch of waiting now. It'll be a bit shocking to see your name on the upcoming surgery list, but believe me, it'll also be comforting to know that you're on the road. I found myself strangely calm the day of surgery, and then before I knew it, I awoke in ICU surrounded by my daughters. Then comes the road to recovery, each day better. Here's another thing which helped calm me before surgery and also was a relaxing activity afterwards: coloring in a cute little book with colored pencils. I'm not particularly artistic, but this was fun and a nice way to pass the time. My daughter got this book for me: The Secret Garden by Johanna Basford. It's full of ink drawings of flowers, butterflies, etc. Very cute - and esp those first days at home when you're on pain pills, coloring doesn't require much mental input and yet is fun. Good luck to you! You're almost there.

Nancy D  since cooking is good therapy for me I cooked a few meals to put in the freezer ahead of time for days my husband didn't feel like cooking once I was home. That in addition to the other preparations to your home for recovery. I also shopped for some pjs, with shorts or capri type pants to wear at the hospital for the strolls down the hall. I felt better protected than an additional hospital gown on backwards...... ;-)

kathy lesnau  I just brought leggings to combat exposure with hospital gown for walks. Seems as if hospitals vary on whether or not they let you shower. Mine did not, hated that I couldn't wash my hair.

Judi Nunez  Thank you all again for the ideas and encouragement. I love the leggings and capri suggestions. Someone else suggested boxer shorts so not to feel so exposed. I'm almost there, just a few more days. Hoping I can stay calm.

Cris Dykeman  Praying for you this morning! My suggestion this morning is ask for the drugs as early as possible. My nerves were crazy and this helped a ton. Also, i remember the nurse telling me, on day 2, that they could only issue. pain meds if i said i was a 6 or higher in pain (which sometimes you dont feel that way because of the current pain meds).
Best of luck today!

Jim Kelly-Evans  Hello Judi, I had a trans-radial cath (wrist) in December. It is almost painless. The only thing I felt were a couple of pinches when they injected some local anesthetic. After that, I didn't feel much of anything. The whole procedure was painless. And here is the GREAT news! Recovery is so much easier than with the usual groin entry. You don't have to lie still on your back for hours. They put an inflatable pressure dressing on your wrist and all you have to do is keep your arm still for a few hours. Your nurse will gradually deflate the pressure bandage after a while. It's definitely the only way to go. I had some sedation but i was fully awake for mine. You will do fine!

Judi Nunez  Jim thank you so much. This makes me feel better. With all these procedures and OHS in the near future I'm always on edge. At least I can relax alittle about this one.

Elaine Foster  I had wrist cath also. I was slightly aware of what was going on, but time passed quickly and I did not have any pain. It was really the easiest part of pre-surgery.

Lenore Mitchell  They give you Versed which is conscious sedation so you're awake but feeling no pain. The heart cath procedure isn't much different from the patient standpoint than the TEE. It'll be over before you know it. Try to concentrate on taking slow deep breaths to calm yourself beforehand and while they're getting started.

Nitin Natarajan  I didn't have MVP, but I had a BAV (surgery was on December 3). My doctors (cardio and PMD) never said that I couldn't and they were aware that I had one and had gotten more before surgery. I intend to get one that represents my surgery later this year. The artist I use is ok with patients on blood thinners and my cardio said it's ok as long as the right level of care is taken regarding bleeding. They said they can also adjust my meds if necessary around the day that I get it done. If you use a reputable place with a reputable artist, the potential for infection is rather low. Just my thoughts/experience.

Judi Nunez  Thanks Natin. I should not to be on any blood thinners but I will ask Drs again if I can get the tattoo. Your reply is appreciated.

Cheryl Batzing  I did Judi....on Dec. 16. I actually was given two "minimally invasive" options by two different surgeons--one was using DaVinci robot to do it, the other was using a "port access" side approach. I went with the surgeon I felt the most comfortable with--and he did the port access through my right side-about 3 inches long. He was also able to repair my valve rather than replace it. I didn't want to have to heal from the sternum cut...so was thankful. HOWEVER, what they did not tell me, and I found out myself and the nurses confirmed, minimally invasive is deceptive. The pain initially is greater than a sternum cut....BUT, after 2-3 days, the healing is faster and you do recover more quickly and don't have lifting restrictions as long. I asked the nurses why no doctor told me that information....and they shrugged. In retrospect, I'd probably do it again. My right chest to my side where the incision is is still numb 4 weeks post surgery. I had some low throbbing/aches, but nothing that Tylenol couldn't help, and it went away yesterday and I almost forgot I'd had OHS! I also never had trouble after about Day 5 in the hospital moving my right arm and using my arm. I just tried to be careful due to the incision. I was using a blow dryer on my hair at about Day 10 post op. I feel really great actually. Been on the treadmill at the gym since Week 3 for 30 minutes, 3X a week. Going for a Cardiac Rehab appointment tomorrow morning at 4 week post to see if I have any arm restrictions, or if I can start lifting my weights again. I was an exerciser and very hard to not go at it. I do get tired in the afternoons/evenings...so trying to remember I just had OHS and cut myself a break! Great question you ask. My experience....others might be different. Best to you!

Jim O'Brien  Welcome Judi to our community! In reply to your post about being scared and stressed out many of us have felt the same way. I know I did. But finding a wonderful community like this, reading and researching about your pending surgery is a big help.
I had minimally invasive Mitral Valve surgery via the port access side approach. Thanks to morphine and what they called a "Q-Ball" (which was a small device used to pump small continuous amounts of an anesthetic I think) the pain for me wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. They gave me a prescription for Tramadol when I was discharged that I never filled. My surgery was on November 24th. For me the about the worst part of it was the breathing tube down my throat for almost 2-1/2 days! Don't be alarmed, this isn't the normal time it's in. I had problems failing the blood gas level tests (a test comparison of oxygen you are able to take in and the amount of co2 you output - in short, a kind of lung function test). When I came out of anesthesia better, I realized that they had me flat on my back and I have sleep apnea. When I communicated this to them via a clipboard and paper, they turned me on my side. Not much longer after that, I passed the blood gas test and out came the tube! It's my understanding that they typically remove the breathing tube within about 6 hours or so post surgery but this can vary from person to person. Most of that time you'll be too groggy to notice it.
Here it is, week 7 post-op for me. I too still have some slight numbness and soreness at the incision sites but this is normal and I haven't needed any pain medicine for it. The sites are healing well, my surgeon said I looked great when I saw his today. Overall I feel pretty good and family and friends tell me I look great after what I've been through. I was doing some easy short walks but due to some complications I've had with my right leg, I've had to stop. I also haven't been able to start Cardiac Rehab yet but will as soon as my issues go away I will. I was able to have my Mitral Valve repaired. If I had to do this again, I would definitely go the same route and not the sternotomy approach if I had the choice.
Some general tips: research and read all you can; ask around and research for an excellent heart surgeon - find one you are comfortable and confident in - if not find another surgeon; don't be afraid to ask questions to understand what YOUR best options are; be prepared to nap quite a bit after surgery - I did and still am, but it has helped the healing process; seek support and prayers from family, friends and this community to help you deal with this. Hang in there, I'm sure you'll do great and when recovery is over will feel better. Best of luck with everything to you.

Judi Nunez  Thank you so much Cheryl and Jim. Your comments really helped. I have one more Dr. to see next Tuesday at Brigham and womans in Boston so after that I will make my decision. I will continue to research both approaches to the surgery. I will keep you posted.

  Judi: My Doctor found a substantial heart murmur during a routine annual physical in Feb 2014. My appointment that day was in the afternoon... I had jogged 4 miles that same morning without any issues. After seeing a cardiologist and a few tests, I was told surgery to repair my damaged mitral valve was recommended. I was scared to death; I was 61 and had never had any serious health issues. My first cardiologist suggested I speak with a surgeon at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. When asked about minimally invasive surgery, my cardiologist looked puzzled and asked, "Why would you want to do that?" I went home and looked for information. I was able to get in the see Dr. J. Michael Smith at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati. From the first handshake Dr. Smith put me at ease. My Robotic surgery was done May 5 at Good Sam Hospital. I spent 5 nights in the hospital. After going home for a few days I had to go to the ER with Atrial Fib, but it took care of itself and just happened the one time. I was able to go back to my office for a couple hours a day within two weeks. ( I was moving pretty slowly but I was here. LOL) It's now been 9 months today since my surgery. I did a 70 minute high intensity spinning/TRX workout class last night and feel terrific. I have trouble jogging for more than a few minutes without a break but hopeful that comes back.. If it doesn't its a small price to pay. I have two small scars from the surgery under my right arm. One is about one inch and the other about half that size. It's not fun but I just told myself my situation was fixable... lots of people are going through medical issues that can't be fixed. Good luck !

Bob M  Judi, welcome to our awesome Community! We are here to pray for you, share our specific experiences and answer your direct questions. Anxiety before OHS: many here have the same feelings. I along with others here are spiritual. That is our source of peace and comfort before OHS. Others use visualization and have referred to materials from the Cleveland Clinic web site. I pray you find the strength and courage to embrace your OHS. It will be a new day for you when your heart is fixed. God bless and rise up!

Judi Nunez  Thank you Bob. I'm so glad to have found this site. I have so many questions and fears. I'm glad your recovery is going well. I will continue to read on as it looks like this site is really going to help me.

Tammy Pilcher  Judi, yes, it is normal to feel scared and stressed out. Like Bob, for me, my faith was my answer. When I found out I needed OHS, I was so afraid. But I did the only thing I knew to do, I prayed for God to give me peace and courage. He did, because I had an amazing sense of surrender. I knew there was nothing to really worry about, because I was going to be okay no matter what happened. I made a journal of favorite scriptures to take with me to Orlando. The more I read these the more peace I felt. The morning of my surgery I chose one to take with me to the hospital: For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee. Isaiah 41:13. I hope this helps, Judi. I'll be praying for you. You can do this!

Judi Nunez  Thanks Tammy. My sister in law has been giving me these to read also to try to stay calm. My son bought me a beautiful braclet that is beaded with the hand of god on it. I'm just so nervous to do this.

Tammy Pilcher  Also Judi, I wrote about my surgery experience in my journal. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be and I've done really great. It might ease some fears if you'ld like to read it. Prayers and best wishes heart sister!

Elaine Foster  It is absolutely normal to be scared. But, as you read and learn more about your procedure, I believe it will help you. OHS is very common, and even though we have never had it , our Drs. and nurses do it everyday. I think the big thing is to choose a surgeon who has done lots of your type of surgeries and has a good reputation for excellence. I, too like Bob and Tammy am a believer in Christ, and He helped me and gave me peace. It helped me so much to read others journals, and to know that I was not the first to go through this, and that they made it through and so would I. One of my scriptures was Psalm 73:26 " My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" LIke, Tammy, I knew no matter what I was going to be ok. God Bless you

Judi Nunez  thanks again everyone who is writing to me. I have been reading what you are all writing in your blogs and I'm still so scared to have pain and nausea and discomfort. I know its temporary and comes with OHS so I expect it will all pass but I can't get this fear and anxiety and feeling like wanting to cry all the time. I have never been like this so I'm nervous I'm driving myself crazy.

Mark Alafita  Judi, I'm with you! I have my procedure scheduled at the end of the month, and I've not had any medical problems up until this point. The fear of the unknown is incredible. I have, however, found great relief from reading the journals and posts from those who have gone before us. And although it doesn't change our situation, I have made the following conclusions: 1. There will be pain and nausea, but that sure beats the alternative! 2. If all these folks can do it, then we can too! 3. We will have access to pain meds and anti-nausea meds throughout the whole process...don't be afraid to use them. And 4. All I want is to wake up from the procedure, get a kiss from my wife, telling me that the surgery went great, and I will handle whatever else comes after because life is precious. And you will too! I will keep you in my thoughts, and I hope these words help you in a small way. It helped me just to type them! All my best.

Judi Nunez  Mark, good to hear from you. I am so thankful for this site also. Although I'm sorry your waiting your surgery date , its good to know there is someone out there that feels like I do. I know it will be very tough at first but your right, others have gotten through it. And I am with you, can't wait to see my husband and sons when I wake up. The best to you and hopefully we can keep up on this site and see how we are both doing as well as others. Good luck to you.

Linda Crawford  Mark pretty much summed it up. The more you read and process all of this the better you will feel. My surgery is coming up soon and I try to keep busy because otherwise I would probably be even more nervous. I hope you begin to feel more confident as you move through this process. There are lots of people here for you.

Joseph Ballett  We all did it and so can you, yes we all have those feelings and thoughts with out them we would not be human , reach out to others here for support, we will be by your side all the way.

Cheryl Batzing  Wow, I love reading everyone's posts! And Mark, you are thinking correctly! Judi, you can read my journal as well....I felt like the biggest wimp/baby in the world, had no symptoms, and although my faith helped a lot, I did waver between peace & panic up until the day of my surgery. I also was afraid of pain & nausea--but there are great drugs for that! I would just tell the nurse I had pain or was nausea, and they would fix that. Like magic. :) Looking back, God enabled me to handle it as it came closer and right when I needed it. I was pretty much at peace....had some bumps in recovery, but nothing totally unbearable although I resorted to tears a few times (as noted in my journal). Nervousness & anxiety are normal, but as Elaine said, OHS is a routine operation these days. Prayers lifted up for you Judi for wisdom & peace! You can do this!