Vicki's Journal

Bob Fessler  You've got, this Vicki. I like you am not looking forward to surgery but I know and you know that this is what needs to be done and everything will work out. Hang in there. Think good thoughts. It will be okay.

Bridget Sawmiller  You got this! The days leading up are the worst emotionally. Looking back 9 months from my OHS, I can relate to your emotions, try to focus on the other side and the recovery and how great you will feel in 3 months post op. Prayers for a successful surgery tomorrow and a speedy recovery!

Barbara Wood  I understand how our feel Valerie, I've been rescheduled 3 times since March! You really do feel that the rugs been pulled from under you. No real advice, but my confidence came back within a few days each time- yours will too:). Best wishes for a smooth surgery & recovery!

Valerie Archual  What???!!! We're supposed to be surgery sisters??!!
That's it!!! I'm rescheduling mine for Friday too!!!

Vicki Woschnick  Thank you for the kind words, heart fam! Valerie--you rock! Thanks for the smile -- your heart's in the right place (and will be after Tuesday too) ❤️

Clare Auten  I woke up from surgery in a tight fitting surgical bra. I wore it 24/7 at the hospital. One nurse got a second one and hand washed the first for me. At home i wore my regular bras. Most did not rub or chafe. My husband or 13 year old daughter did help me fasten them in the beginning.

Civita Fahey  I found the hospital bras irritating since they had Velcro. I am using my normal bras. I have been able to fasten them myself. Tee shirts seem to be more comfortable for me. Button down have irritated the incision in my case but the bras don't really touch it

Clare Auten  Civita, I agree about the shirts. My surgery was in the winter and some fabrics were so irritating as well as a collar that hit in just the wrong spot. I think we all find those comfort pieces and then wear them all the time.

Amy Steele  Vicki, I ended up using the AztecHeart post surgical bra. I'm large chested and knew that the girls would be pulling too much on the incision and wanted something easier to get into than a regular bra. The post surgical bra did keep things in place relatively comfortably, but they're not meant for anyone over a DD cup. I was right on the borderline for a medium or a large, and I ended up going with a large since my cup size is larger than DD. It didn't fit as tightly around my chest as I would have liked, but the smaller size would have smooshed things a lot.
Overall, I think they're way overpriced for what they are, but I did end up wearing them for about 8 weeks. The unfortunate thing is that my sternum didn't end up healing properly even using the bra 24/7 for 8 weeks... Long story short, use whatever is comfortable for you. As far as shirts go, a cotton v-neck t-shirt was most comfortable for me. It was uncomfortable to have anything touching my scar for about 5 weeks.

Vicki Woschnick  Thank you everyone! This is great info, and really gives me peace of mind as to what to expect/next steps.

Bridget Supple  I found that the ones that hook up the front were the best for me after getting rid of the surgical bra. I could unhook the bottom few hooks so that it didn't rub against the bottom of my incision and it just felt better. I got mine on Amazon, Glamorise brand, come in a wide range of sizes. You might order one a size or two larger than you normally wear. That made it a little more comfortable in the first couple of weeks for me. Avoid the zip front things, no matter what the nurses tell you! OUCH!

Steve Farthing  If you are inclined to do it before symptoms occur, ask if that is 'reasonable'. Maybe they think you prefer to wait.

Phyllis Petersen  Symptoms can be subtle and then suddenly get bad. If you can, see if you can do it sooner rather than later. It'll be much easier to plan, get the surgeon you want and choose what's the best time for your recovery.

Peggy Whitecotton  Phyllis is right, sometimes symptoms can be subtle at first. I was told the same thing so I decided to get a second opinion with a surgeon and a good thing I did as he saved my life. My heart valve went from severe to critical in a matter of 6 weeks. During that period I couldn't walk from my front door to my car without getting short of breath. My recovery was very long and difficult because my valve was so bad by the time I had surgery. My surgeon said sometimes these cardiologist wait too long. Now, I realize that I was having mild (subtle) symptoms for years, my ankles swelling, I actually avoided stairs because I would get winded and have chest tightness and was tired all the time. All which I blamed on my age and weight...

Phyllis Petersen  I was actually complaining to the doctor about sudden bouts of fatigue and no one made the connection. They just ran blood test and said they didn't find anything. I'd get occasional flutters, but they didn't last so ...

Peggy Whitecotton  Same here, my surgeon says symptoms can start off so mild that you may not notice them. Then came the day my symptoms were really bad and decided to see a surgeon, almost waited to long. Now, I feel better then I have for 20 years, I now realize symptoms I had (I thought normal) are now gone. Because my heart was so bad it took me a full year to recover. Even now 14 months post-op I have a few little quirks now and then that will make me aware that my heart is still going through changes.. Read my story and journals.

Cathleen DeWitt  Schedule an appointment with a cardiac surgeon who sees this every day. Let him look at your results and run additional tests. Do NOT take the opinion of your cardiologist only. I was critical when I went in for surgery. My valve opening was the size of a coffee stir straw. The echos at my cardiologist's office were not telling the whole story. My lack of symptoms was deceiving, even to me (a veteran/pro at this). I had almost no symptoms other than palpitations. Get double and triple checked if you have to and trust the numbers. You are at the stage where you need to do that. This is considered an "elective" surgery for a reason. Don't wait until it's an emergency. Go in strong and come out strong. That's my advice.

Vicki Woschnick  Thank you everyone! Your advice is eye-opening (Cathleen, your story is nearly identical to mine) and I will follow up accordingly. I appreciate the info shared and the time everyone took to respond.

Cathleen DeWitt  :) I'm really glad you are going to follow up. The sooner the better. If a surgeon says you can wait, great! Better to know for sure! :) If I hadn't been so proactive due to my history, I wouldn't have had my surgery in time. Plus it can take awhile to get through the whole pre-surgery fiasco (appts, tests etc) so either way it's good to get on the radar now with your top choice. :)

Phyllis Petersen  Cathleen is right about how long pre-op testing can take, and that's before you ever get a surgical date.

Catie B  Vicki, I'm glad you'll be consulting a surgeon. It is better to be a little bit ahead in this instance, than behind. And it's true that the lead up to surgery can take some real time.

Lynda Ruiz  I didn't want to get to the critical stage when I might have fewer choices in where surgery would be done. Locally in my home town area is not an option I'd choose. My Cardiologist said "within a year" in Jan for my moderate to severe aortic stenosis. Then I found this site! Experiencing more breathlessness & fluttering now, some edema. Walking short distances challenging.