Grizzard was born with a malfunctioning heart valve. He later had one made from a pig installed. And he never failed to find humor in it.
I think I am more scared of the post op then I am of the actual operation.
I read your post and thought I was reading my own post, I’m due to have heart surgery in the next 2 weeks, I’m having my aortic valve replaced as well.
I’m 64 years old, when I was about 50 I developed an ear infection, I went to a walk-in clinic and the doctor asked me if I knew I had a heart murmur, which was a shock to me, after a couple of visits to a cardiologist, I was told I had a bicuspid aortic valve that I was born with.
In the last 2 months the valve is now ready to be replaced, the only thing left to decide is when the surgery will take place.
The one major exception is instead of open heart surgery, the procedure they are using on me is called Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) for short, this procedure goes thru the main Artery in your groin and take about 1 hour to replace the valve and baring complications only requires a 1 day stay in the hospital.
I don’t envy you having open heart surgery, it’s been around for a long time, the procedure is safe, it just takes a longer recovery period, but the results should be you live a long healthy life afterwards.
Triple by pass from the VA. You will be out of commission for about two months so your ribs can heal a little.
I had my operation in 2017. It was successful. I’m better than new.
Good luck!
Grizzard was born with a malfunctioning heart valve. He later had one made from a pig installed. And he never failed to find humor in it.
Open chest mitral valve repair 2017 , aged 55.
Went without a hitch. Very efficient, had the process down pat.
Checked in hospital 0530 Monday, they kicked me out @ 1300 Wed.
First three / four weeks weeks suck. You have to be very careful to let your ribcage knit back together and begin to heal. You cough alot and it’s very uncomfortable. But you get through it.
Not a pleasant experience, but for me, it wasn’t near as bad as I imagined it would be.
Good luck! Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Hubby had open heart in December of 23. He was in hospital 5 days post surgery. He was in pain enough to take the oxycodone for about 5 days. Still have half of the 30 pills he started with. He walked from the car to his computer desk with no problems. Other than serving him food and delivering him the huge about of pills every 4 hours, he managed everything on his own. Sorting the drugs and keeping track of the timing of them can be done on your own, but it really is a task best managed by someone else for a week or two. As far as bathroom, he did it on his own. Sleeping was very difficult for about two weeks. Eating was pretty normal.
6 months out he is back to work. Well, he was actually back to work 3 months ago, but that was phone work from home. He is feeling good now and better than he has been in a few years. Prayers that it goes as well for you as it did for him.
Knew someone who had a valve replaced. Had to sleep in sitting in a couch with his feet up. Could not sleep on a flat bed. Also, he would be awake one minute and asleep then next. No driving for awhile. Lifting restrictions. Hopefully you get enough oxygen during the operation because he might not have.
The operation changed him.
Thanks for posting. Prayer for you. Health/life BUMP.
In May 2021 my wife and I went on vacation to St Thomas, Hiked through the hills of St. John and went snorkeling. Enjoy physical activity now, more than I have in 20 yrs, So far so good.
In 2017 I had my aortic valve replaced due to a heart murmur that went mis diagnosed for 55 years... it caught up with me at summer camp, when I passed out from heat exhaustion in the pool.
Cow valve successfully replaced and stitched up, my heart wouldn’t beat on its own, so they had to go back in to do a bonus by pass to bring blood to one of the bottom atriums. They called it a bonus bypass because insurance didn’t cover it so they ate the cost... it worked thank God.
Keep good posture and let the sternum heal... keep the cough pillow handy to hug, a lot. Only take pain killers when absolutely needed... I suffered the pain to know how my body was feeling... and healing. Felt tired and beat up, for a week and then slowly... walking was easier, had more energy and worked through it faster than the doctor thought I would.
My hardest thing was the bathroom... twisting the upper torso brought stress to my sternum and discomfort.
Good luck. Hug that pillow. Breath deep. Enjoy life after. It will be better.
Please let me know how you are doing. God give your doctors the wisdom to see you through this. Amen.
Yes the blow and suck thing I did constantly too... helps a lot
Yes had open heart surgery and valve replacement in 2018. Don’t want to make light of your particular situation, but to me it was a breeze. I have a strong gag reflex and the worst part of the whole deal was waking up with the endotracheal tube in my throat. I’m gagging like hell and the tech is sitting there saying “just relax sir” and if I wasn’t restrained, I woulda jumped outta the bed and strangled him. LOL.
Don’t remember much pain at all. Worst thing was coughing was a little unpleasant. Special instructions were given in how to sit up and roll over. They had me up and walking the same day as surgery. With a walker of course. Special care is taken to make sure you cough a lot to clear the lungs. a couple times a day an inhalation specialist gives you breathing exercises with a tube. I don’t remember any particular difficulty in bathing myself. Was home in 3 days.
In my situation, my valve was damaged by an infection, so was saddled with 6 weeks of IV pump infused antibiotics 24 hours a day. Had to walk around with the IV bag and pump in a laptop case I rigged up.
They had a nurse stop by a couple times a week to check on me.
IOW, I think this is pretty common surgery now and hopefully you’ll be fine. Good luck. If I remember anything else I’ll post again.
One of my friends had that surgery several years ago. She’s fine now but its a tough recovery.
I had quadruple bypass open heart surgery 3 years ago at VA in ct.
Softer surgery they got me up to walk,had nurse accompany me with all tubes attached,after first time I then walked myself,did not really feel like eating so didn’t eat much
I am a retired cardiac RN.
One of the most important concerns after open heart surgery is protecting the sternum as it heals. The flat plate of bone is cut to allow access to the heart, then stitched with wire to close it. It is strong - you will not pop open like the Alien movie. But the delicate bone structure will begin building and must not be disturbed. Imagine joining two flat plates by welding along the edge.
You must prevent ANY shifting of the healing bone until it has time to heal just like your broken arm would in a cast. When the arms are used to lift, push, or pull anything, the force continues to the chest muscles and torques the bone.
Standing and sitting down safely requires a little skill. When you are moving your body around to get to the edge of the chair, practice hugging your arms to keep from pushing off. Work yourself to the edge of chair, feet directly below. Hug yourself and rock forward three time and push up with your legs to stand . Your upper body weight will give momentum to stand .
It is a challenge to learn and practice after surgery, but will be much easier to start now. Getting in and out of bed is tougher, but you will learn. Glad you are looking ahead. Practice now.
Getting up, moving, and breathing deeply is critical to preventing pneumonia. The discomfort of moving causes shallow breathing that facilitates growth of germs that would set back recovery. There is always congestion after this surgery. You will probably be given a “ flutter valve “ by respiratory therapy. Use that to clear the nasty blob a mucus. When you feel a sloppy, floppy loogy (can’t spell it ), blow that horn strong and long as though you are calling in troops to battle. Take a moment between blows, you can feel the blob getting floppier. Blooooow again. About the third or fourth time, it will break loose and cough up. Don’t freak out if you swallow it, better in the stomach than lungs.
Manage your pain well after surgery. It is a tough procedure. This is the proper time to use opioids effectively in a short term event.
The goal of pain management is to be comfortable enough to move and deep breath. You are not going to achieve “pain free”.
A stoic patient that bullies his way through the pain slows his recovery with elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and other bodily responses. A truly strong man uses his will to protect his body while it heals. Manage your pain well in the early phase, and the body’s need for medication will taper off.
Most pain meds have a 4 hour dosing. The effect begins about 15-30 minutes after taking and peaks an hour or so later. The med diminishes slowly until gone. That early bloom of the pain med is the perfect time to clear the lungs. Knowing that the pain relief is coming, blow the flutter valve, cough up stuff, then rest. Trust me, it is worth it.
One more thing
During the first 48 hours after valve surgery, many patients go into Afib. This is a temporary reaction that is corrected with IV meds. The heart muscle is just twitchy after all the excitement and will calm down. It may not effect you, but don’t freak out. The staff will be on it.
May you have a successful surgery and recovery. You are in my prayers.
Post Op the pain I had was all in the sternum which they cut in half to get to your heart. They wire it back together but each time you cough it hurts a lot. That is the only pain I had. You will be very tired for a few days. You will not remember much of the first day due to high dose pain killers.
Post Op you will be on a ventilator until you can breath on your own. If you have any other questions, send me a Freeper Mail.
Wish you luck my friend.
That wire they put in to hold your chest together comes outlast,doesn’t hurt just weird,nurse will tell you to hum as she slowly pulls it out