Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery.......

What about any family that could come and help out for a short while? Friends or relatives that could either stay over or drop in on occasion to help out, or clean acouple times, prepare or help with meals? Lasagna and tuna caserole can go a long way in situations like this.

If you plan it out and let someone close to you know you might need them regularly, then every other day and less frequently as you get back on your feet. If not, sometimes churches have volunteers that are more than willing to do this kind of work. Just a bit of networking and advance planning to get that ball rolling.

Don't look at it as accepting charity, the ladies that do this kind of volunteer work are about as selfless as you QPs! Anyways, just an idea.

[greenberetTFS]

Originally Posted by Sarski

What about any family that could come and help out for a short while? Friends or relatives that could either stay over or drop in on occasion to help out, or clean acouple times, prepare or help with meals? Lasagna and tuna caserole can go a long way in situations like this.

If you plan it out and let someone close to you know you might need them regularly, then every other day and less frequently as you get back on your feet. If not, sometimes churches have volunteers that are more than willing to do this kind of work. Just a bit of networking and advance planning to get that ball rolling.

Don't look at it as accepting charity, the ladies that do this kind of volunteer work are about as selfless as you QPs! Anyways, just an idea.

Family members are pretty well tied up in their own needs,but you've got a point regarding church members.............We don't go to church anymore because it's kinda like a hassle to go through considering we are really homebound........We only go out when absolutely necessary(Doctors visits,Hospital and food shopping(always need help carrying things in and stocking them away).........

Big Teddy

[swatsurgeon]

FYI,
The opinion of the surgeon outweighs the opinion of the cardiologist relative to overall risk. The surgeons look at the medical work up and then figure in the surgical risk......a cardiologist works from only one data set, the surgeon has two.
Please ask the surgeon for his/her opinion about overall risk and "expected" recovery. No, we don't have a crystal ball but we use the benefit of those two data sets, experience, pattern recognition (profiling!!) and previous outcomes that are weighted against overall medical status and condition.

ss

[greenberetTFS]

Originally Posted by swatsurgeon

FYI,
The opinion of the surgeon outweighs the opinion of the cardiologist relative to overall risk. The surgeons look at the medical work up and then figure in the surgical risk......a cardiologist works from only one data set, the surgeon has two.
Please ask the surgeon for his/her opinion about overall risk and "expected" recovery. No, we don't have a crystal ball but we use the benefit of those two data sets, experience, pattern recognition (profiling!!) and previous outcomes that are weighted against overall medical status and condition.

ss

Thanks Syd,your opinion is really valued by me,I'll follow up on that advice.....

Big Teddy

I' ll add a little more on the churches. Some of them, it makes no difference if you are a member or attend. They will help out anyways. It might not be the same volunteer from day to day, but it might be worth a shot and a few phone calls or web browsing to find the right folks.

Some of them might even have gone through this before theirselves, or already have cared for persons in the same circumstances.

I hope that it can work out and take much of the burden off of your recovery, and worrying about Mrs. greenberetTFS during that time.

[PSM]

Welp, I'm now in line for aortic surgery soon. I remembered Big Teddy's thread and reread it today. (Rest in Peace, Teddy!) Since its 12 years later, does anyone have more updated information or advice. Mine is a bicuspid aortic valve with some calcification. It's been monitored for years, but my latest echo showed an increased gradient over the previous echos. The surgery will be done in Tucson. Like Teddy, my cardiologist suggested getting an angiogram before scheduling the surgery. It seems to be a tossup as to which procedure I'll have until I meet with the surgeon.

Pat

[cbtengr]

Originally Posted by PSM

Welp, I'm now in line for aortic surgery soon. I remembered Big Teddy's thread and reread it today. (Rest in Peace, Teddy!) Since its 12 years later, does anyone have more updated information or advice. Mine is a bicuspid aortic valve with some calcification. It's been monitored for years, but my latest echo showed an increased gradient over the previous echos. The surgery will be done in Tucson. Like Teddy, my cardiologist suggested getting an angiogram before scheduling the surgery. It seems to be a tossup as to which procedure I'll have until I meet with the surgeon.

Pat

I wish you nothing but the best with this Pat! I know nothing about the valve business but I had a triple by-pass 10 years ago and it was bad enough.

[MR2]

Originally Posted by cbtengr

I wish you nothing but the best with this Pat! I know nothing about the valve business but I had a triple by-pass 10 years ago and it was bad enough.

Point is that it was 10 years ago and he's still here!

[PSM]

Originally Posted by MR2

Point is that it was 10 years ago and he's still here!

I'm not worried about the surgery but the recovery period. I'm still in pretty good shape, but the Tucson hospital is quite aways from our house. Is my wife going to have to take the travel trailer up there or get a motel room? And once I'm home, how much of a burden will I be on her if any?

[PSM]

Originally Posted by cbtengr

I wish you nothing but the best with this Pat! I know nothing about the valve business but I had a triple by-pass 10 years ago and it was bad enough.

How long was the stay in the hospital and how long was the recovery? We live an hour and a half from the hospital, so we need to plan for my wife. We have a travel trailer if the hospital will allow her to stay in the parking lot. There's a 50/50 chance that they won't have to crack my chest, but I'm expecting the worst. To be honest, as long as I don't have to have another NG tube, this will be a walk in a shaded park.

[MR2]

Originally Posted by PSM

I'm not worried about the surgery but the recovery period. I'm still in pretty good shape, but the Tucson hospital is quite aways from our house. Is my wife going to have to take the travel trailer up there or get a motel room? And once I'm home, how much of a burden will I be on her if any?

Metallic or porcine valve? Your wife may be able to live in your room most of the time. But she will need a break from all the noise, activity, and stress.

Write down your questions - and write down the answers. Best have a witness with you, as you will misinterpret the answers - I guarantee you!

It kinda depends on what kind of shape you're in now - like, can you, physically, go up some stairs vs can you even get up off of a couch. That said, baring complications, plan on between 2-5 days in hospital post op. You will need to make frequent visits back to the doc/surgeon/hospital. Demand physical rehab and cardiac rehab. And do it!!!

As for a burden at home - if you cannot get out of bed w/o assistance, you will need a potty chair and a regular chair close by. You may need to arrange for a home nurse to assist the wife. This could be 24-7 to just every other day. Depends on your needs.

In a couple of weeks, you need to start cardiac rehab. Both of you! Be sure to do the psych and dietary sessions. Stick with it ( and hopefully you'll still be here in another ten!)

[cbtengr]

Originally Posted by PSM

How long was the stay in the hospital and how long was the recovery? We live an hour and a half from the hospital, so we need to plan for my wife. We have a travel trailer if the hospital will allow her to stay in the parking lot. There's a 50/50 chance that they won't have to crack my chest, but I'm expecting the worst. To be honest, as long as I don't have to have another NG tube, this will be a walk in a shaded park.

I spent 4 nights in the hospital, would have been 3 but I was not coming around and it turned out I needed a blood transfusion. Everything I ate and drank tasted terrible for quite sometime. Within two months I was putting scaffolding up and replacing windows in my house. I am hoping they do not have to crack your chest. Godspeed!

[PSM]

Fortunately, I'm still in very good shape. I wouldn't have even known about this problem if the surgeon for my inguinal hernia hadn't insisted that I see a cardiologist before getting general anesthesia. Even now I have no noticeable external effects, no pain, no shortness of breath, only the heart mummer that they picked up on.

And my wife is in excellent shape, as well.

As to the pig valve vs metallic, that has yet to be determined as is the method of replacement. They want to do the pig valve my cardiologist is worried that I'll a little too young and healthy and it may not last me a lifetime. But, he doesn't want to put me on blood thinners for the rest of my life either.

[MR2]

Metallic or porcine - the dilemma...

You're looking at a daily (expensive - but better) pill or inevitably another surgery down the road that you are, technically, less likely to survive. That sounded harsh, it's probably not that dire. Probably meaning depends on how your health is, how soon it fails, and whatever new health anonomly pops up.

Prayers out!

[PSM]

Originally Posted by MR2

Metallic or porcine - the dilemma...

You're looking at a daily (expensive - but better) pill or inevitably another surgery down the road that you are, technically, less likely to survive. That sounded harsh, it's probably not that dire. Probably meaning depends on how your health is, how soon it fails, and whatever new health anonomly pops up.

Prayers out!

Exactually! Whoever thought that it would suck to be healthy at 74? My mother is 97 and only recently started using a walker. And she's taking care of my younger sister and her husband who is only a couple of years older than me. You're right, I've been gored by a wild dilemma!