Well here I am.... Emotions and thoughts flying in every direction. My thoracic aneurysm has jump to a 5 shown last Thursday from a CAT scan. It was bad enough ...Read more
Well here I am.... Emotions and thoughts flying in every direction. My thoracic aneurysm has jump to a 5 shown last Thursday from a CAT scan. It was bad enough the week before when I was hearing 4.9 and now my world is really upside down as I'm jumping through all of the hoops necessary to get in to see Dr Joseph Bavaria of the University of Pennsylvania! I also have a leak in my aortic valve and it's obvious that I am right at the door to surgery, and I can certainly say I find it very scary and daunting. I stumbled into this site because I was in search/research mode because I certainly want to have all the knowledge I can get my hands on...and have my proverbial ducks in a row.. problem is I'm having a hard time even locating the ducks right now. I keep hearing them saying there are no symptoms... Well they may not be physical but I know the symptoms and the thoughts of this or consistently floating around in my and of course we're always being told to keep our stress level yikes and how does one do that??! So I hope I've landed in the right place to help me or I swear the next step is going to be a psychiatrist😱🤯
Marie Myers And that is why you stumbled onto this site…Many of us have been through surgery , and have been th ... Read more
Marie Myers And that is why you stumbled onto this site…Many of us have been through surgery , and have been through that unpleasant jumble of emotions that you get when you find out you need heart surgery.. Welcome to the club that no one really wants to join! You will get a lot of information here. I found this site very comforting during my entire heart journey. Take one day at a time, and one doctor visit at a time. You will be in great hands with Dr Bavaria, and you will make it through. Welcome to the heart valve site!
Susan Lynn Welcome, fellow Pennsylvanian! As Marie said, you have come to the right place! We have all been ex... Read more
Susan Lynn Welcome, fellow Pennsylvanian! As Marie said, you have come to the right place! We have all been exactly where you are, today. It's a frantic feeling - we know! Do your research. Organize all of your questions. Take it one step at a time. Breathe! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. There are always experienced heart warriors ready to respond. You will find that you'll feel more confident and relaxed when you have the opportunity to interact with real people who've walked in your shoes. Believe us when we say, you're going through the most difficult part right now - waiting. Everything else is very doable. These surgeons, teams, and facilities have heart surgery totally refined! All the best to you!
Danielle Elizabeth It’s a lot to process and everyone copes differently. Personally I coped by reading as much as I co ... Read more
Danielle Elizabeth It’s a lot to process and everyone copes differently. Personally I coped by reading as much as I could about surgical methods and with staying busy. The silver lining is that your aneurysm has been monitored! A lot of us have been where you are and behavioral cognitive therapy was necessary for me prior and post surgery.
Timothy Andre You are in the right place Judith. Our community here is so supportive and has proven to be a major... Read more
Timothy Andre You are in the right place Judith. Our community here is so supportive and has proven to be a major help for many. The pre-surgery emotions can be difficult to manage, however it is pretty common amongst us heart valve patients. It may be the most difficult part of your heart journey. Dr. Bavaria is a great surgeon and was one of my choices. I hope you get to meet him for an opinion on your situation. You are doing your research and jumping through the necessary hoops to get the treatment that you need to heal your heart. Please lean on our community here for support and ask away with any questions you have about the process. Keep your head up and take a deep breath, you will do great. God bless you
Rose Madura Judith, welcome. You've "stumbled upon" a great resource. We've been in your shoes and agree with ot... Read more
Rose Madura Judith, welcome. You've "stumbled upon" a great resource. We've been in your shoes and agree with others that the initial thought of surgery can be scary. Continue to do your research. I'm an advocate for always getting a 2nd opinion. Let us know if you have any questions. We are here for you. Godspeed.
Greg Lewis Hi Judith! Everyone here, brings something different to the table. We all have different experiences, different opinions etc. And we love to share them, in order to help anyone that asks, (or often, doesn't ask ) 😉 for instance,.. personally, I did not want to know how they fix it, just fix it. I never looked into anything, no videos, and very little preknowledge. In Canada, that is the surgeons job. We don't choose anything but the valve type, and we dont pay for anything, so I just showed up. This kept me from thinking about it too much. As some say, this may be the hardest part. I have my own opinion on that. 😁 But no matter what, you gotta remember that...you are not alone in this!! You have support people. You have a team of health professionals. You don't have to know how to do any of the surgery, or any of it. You just gotta show up. This is on them..so shed that worry right now! Slow your mind...keep everything in perspective...people walk you through this whole thing! That's how you calm down. Write it out. Keep a log book. Writing down the steps helps. Go see someone at the hospital to walk you through the coming steps. ... Read more
Greg Lewis Hi Judith! Everyone here, brings something different to the table. We all have different experiences, different opinions etc. And we love to share them, in order to help anyone that asks, (or often, doesn't ask ) 😉 for instance,.. personally, I did not want to know how they fix it, just fix it. I never looked into anything, no videos, and very little preknowledge. In Canada, that is the surgeons job. We don't choose anything but the valve type, and we dont pay for anything, so I just showed up. This kept me from thinking about it too much. As some say, this may be the hardest part. I have my own opinion on that. 😁 But no matter what, you gotta remember that...you are not alone in this!! You have support people. You have a team of health professionals. You don't have to know how to do any of the surgery, or any of it. You just gotta show up. This is on them..so shed that worry right now! Slow your mind...keep everything in perspective...people walk you through this whole thing! That's how you calm down. Write it out. Keep a log book. Writing down the steps helps. Go see someone at the hospital to walk you through the coming steps. It is a pretty methodical procedure. I like to leave the specific medical questions to your doctor, but sometimes you can get a general answer here. Let us know any concerns and questions.
PS wake up everyday with a little goal in mind. Write it down. Helps you stay organized in your head.
Greg
Patsy Stewart You have all your ducks in a row and then..... there's always that one duck! You can do this, Judith! ... Read more
Patsy Stewart You have all your ducks in a row and then..... there's always that one duck! You can do this, Judith! Sounds like you're on the right road and before long, the doctors and their team will perform the biggest miracle on you ever! I've always found comfort in my faith. There's been many a time when all I could do was say His name and it brought a peace over me and I knew everything was going to be alright. Sending prayers and hugs your way!~❤️
I am from: Eagleville
But no matter what, you gotta remember that...you are not alone in this!! You have support people. You have a team of health professionals. You don't have to know how to do any of the surgery, or any of it. You just gotta show up. This is on them..so shed that worry right now!
Slow your mind...keep everything in perspective...people walk you through this whole thing!
That's how you calm down. Write it out. Keep a log book. Writing down the steps helps.
Go see someone at the hospital to walk you through the coming steps.
... Read more
But no matter what, you gotta remember that...you are not alone in this!! You have support people. You have a team of health professionals. You don't have to know how to do any of the surgery, or any of it. You just gotta show up. This is on them..so shed that worry right now!
Slow your mind...keep everything in perspective...people walk you through this whole thing!
That's how you calm down. Write it out. Keep a log book. Writing down the steps helps.
Go see someone at the hospital to walk you through the coming steps.
It is a pretty methodical procedure.
I like to leave the specific medical questions to your doctor, but sometimes you can get a general answer here.
Let us know any concerns and questions.
PS wake up everyday with a little goal in mind. Write it down. Helps you stay organized in your head.
Greg