Russ Pickett - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

900 days ago

Having surgery to replace a bicuspid aortic valve, repair an aneurysm and bypass in a few weeks. I’m experiencing a good bit of anxiety and don’t quite ...Read more

Having surgery to replace a bicuspid aortic valve, repair an aneurysm and bypass in a few weeks. I’m experiencing a good bit of anxiety and don’t quite know how to manage it. Im guessing it’s pretty common? Any advice is appreciated.

Marie Myers I surely understand the anxiety thing, and it is very common. The waiting period was difficult, and I ... Read more

Marie Myers I surely understand the anxiety thing, and it is very common. The waiting period was difficult, and I found yoga and meditation helped me. Also, there are many videos on UTube, on “finding calm”or “acceptance”, which I found useful. I had a hard time sleeping, and finally requested something for anxiety from my doc. That helped me lots. If you are able to do some walking, biking, and stretching, those things will help ease your mind as well as get you in better shape for surgery. A good massage helps too! Hope you find some peace!

Russ Pickett Thank You Marie! I appreciate your suggestions and will check out the YouTube offerings. Just wish ... Read more

Russ Pickett Thank You Marie! I appreciate your suggestions and will check out the YouTube offerings. Just wish I could go to sleep and wake up when it’s over!

Marie Myers One thing that I will add… The whole open heart surgery was not as bad and painful as my worrying ... Read more

Marie Myers One thing that I will add… The whole open heart surgery was not as bad and painful as my worrying mind would have me believe.

Heidi Donohue Just remember that there are so many people on this site supporting you and many people have been whe ... Read more

Heidi Donohue Just remember that there are so many people on this site supporting you and many people have been where you are at and come out just fine. Think how relieved you'll feel once this is behind you. Try you best to turn any negative thoughts into positive ones and stay strong you'll be looked after docs and nurses that only have you best interest in mind .

Russ Pickett Thank you both. I’m trying to look ahead and past the surgery into recovery. I’m less than thre ... Read more

Russ Pickett Thank you both. I’m trying to look ahead and past the surgery into recovery. I’m less than three weeks to my surgery date. I kinda hope they go quickly.

Rose Madura Russ, I had similar surgery as you except no bypass. The surgery is not as bad as our minds think. Re ... Read more

Rose Madura Russ, I had similar surgery as you except no bypass. The surgery is not as bad as our minds think. Remember that these surgeries are done every day with exceptional success. The doctors know what they are doing so you have to trust them Godspeed!

Bryant To I had the Ross procedure and aortic aneurysm repaired in 2019. I think what put me at ease during t ... Read more

Bryant To I had the Ross procedure and aortic aneurysm repaired in 2019. I think what put me at ease during the week before my surgery was my finding the right surgeon at Mount Sinai in NYC. He had done a lot of the Ross procedure if not the most in the US. I was more worried about my family than myself. Recovery was not as bad as I thought. The only issue I had was back pain but ibuprofen took care of that. The nurses and docs in recovery took such good care of me that I didn’t want to be discharged too soon. 😁

Russ Pickett Thank you all! It is helpful to hear your stories and reassurance.