Feeling Apprehensive about upcoming Valve surgery

[Shaley]

Hello everyone, I have just joined this forum with the hope of getting a bit more advice and reassurance from others who have been through or are going through the same surgery I will be having next week. I am a 61 year old woman from Australia however I moved three months ago to Abu Dhabi with my husband just before everything went into world wide lockdown due to Covid 19.This meant I didn't get to know anyone here or have the chance to make friendships with anyone. This has left me feeling quite isolated and alone. Anyway, long story short. I went into hospital three weeks ago with acute appendicitis that needed immediate surgery. Whilst I was in the emergency room the ER team did a routine check of my heart with the stethoscope and were surprised when they heard my pronounced murmur. I have known about my MVP for the last 30 years and have also suffered from Hypertension and Angina for over 20 years. After the surgery they decided to do an Echocardiogram just to check the level of regurgitation and the results were not that good. The MVP which originally started with mild regurgitation has progressed rapidly to a state of Severe regurgitation with ongoing symptoms as well as a slight leak coming also from the Tricuspid Valve. I was referred immediately to the Cardiology unit who advised me of the need to have surgery to have the MVP repaired in the hope this would prevent it from being replaced. To complicate matters I also have a long history of angina caused by uncontrolled hypertension which I have been taking a calcium channel blocker medication for. What alarmed the doctors more was my recent cholesterol blood test results as they were off the scales with very high readings in all the categories with an overall cholesterol reading of 7.8. The Cardiologist definitely felt I needed to be on a statin of some sort and wanted me to consider this as well. At first I was shocked about all of these sudden new developments and went to a second hospital for another opinion where I was seen by two Cardiac Surgeons another Cardiologist and a Cardiac Radiologist as well as cardiology nursing staff who all agreed that the Leak had progressed into the severe stage and needed immediate attention.Whilst that second opinion has helped me to come to terms with the original diagnosis and the impending surgery I can't help feeling completely overwhelmed and am still grappling with doubt about whether I should go ahead with the surgery or not. I will be admitted this Tuesday for a Cardiac Catheterization and if there are any complications like blockages etc they will be dealt with there and then.This will be followed by the Mitral Valve repair in the same hospital ideally a couple of days later. Has anyone else felt completely overwhelmed by the thought of having to have this kind of Surgery? Being away from all my loved ones and family I keep feeling as though it is all a bad nightmare and I will just wake up soon. I am mostly worried about the recovery and after care as I have no one here to help me. My husband won't be able to take time off work either. Any Advice would be greatly appreciated.

[080311]

Hello Shaley

Welcome to the forum, sorry to read your post you must feel your living a nightmare! It’s a very scary place you have found yourself in, I had Aortic valve replaced and bypass nearly 4 years ago at the age of 68, kept thinking it was happening to someone else and I was just watching. I can say to you it’s not as bad as your imagination will be making it. I was in hospital 7 days in ICU 1 HDU 2 and the rest back on the cardio ward, I had very little pain, but having open heart surgery you will not be allowed to put your arms above your head or pick up anything heavier than half a kettle of water for the first 6 weeks. Remember after the op baby steps, listen to your body if you are tired rest, don’t be surprised if you are emotional you are going to have major surgery, if there’s anything you want to know just post and someone will be along to help. With just moving to a new country must be really difficult for you, facing this with out your family or close friends. Something I will say is your medical team do this as their day job and I am sure you will well taken care of.

I send you best wishes stay safe Pauline

[Shaley in reply to 080311]

Thanks for your kind and caring words Pauline. The surgeon said I will be in ICU for around 3 to 4 days and then onto HDU for another 4 days and then onto the ward for a few days. I will be admitted for the Angiogram 2 days before the OP so at the very minimum I will be in the hospital for around 10 days. I guess this is not such a bad thing as they can keep a watchful eye on me and also I don't know anyone here and my husband will still be going to work each day as he doesnt have any stored holidays. It won't be easy getting somebody to come in and help me at home post Op due to COVID 19 but I will look into with the hospital. I am trying to remain positive through all of this.

[Ianc2]

So 61 years old - a mere slip of a girl. Get yourself some front fastening clothes, nighties, bras, etc. I had a similar set of problems when I was 69, had the operation in the Royal Brompton and was very well looked after. The recovery is a bit painful, slow and steady is the order of the day, but they will soon have you out of bed and walking a few steps to start with.

One of my abiding memories is of walking along the corridors, with all sorts of devices beeping away on a mobile hanger. As I approached bunches of medics they would create a path for me, I would pass through and they would close behind me, all without stopping talking.

If you look for the heading TOPICS on the right hand side you will see a sub heading RECOVERY. Have a look it may help.

Get yourself a v shaped pillow to help you sleep and give your husband an urgent course on how to cook simple meals, scrambled eggs, omelettes, pasta, bottled/tinned sauces etc. , for himself and for you. You will not be able to lift anything , especially kettles, so if you doubt his capacity to look after you, try and find someone who can help out.

For the first fortnight you will probably feel absolutely shattered as you slowly improve. Be confident that your fitness will slowly improve as your breastbone knits itself back together and make progress slowly and gently get some walking in.

After about 6-8 weeks you should hear something about a rehab course to help you get going and build your strength. After this you will gain strength, get fitter and be good for another 30 years.

[Shaley in reply to Ianc2]

Thanks Ian you have given me some very practical advice. The bit about giving my husband a crash course on cooking made me laugh. I think we may have to order in for a few weeks and live off cereal and boiled eggs the rest of the time. The recuperation period is a bit scary for me to think about. Seeing as though I will be on my own most of the time. In some way I am glad I will be in the hospital for longer than expected. Even though it involves a bigger healing process. To be honest part of me wants to run away and pretend none of this is happening. Business as usual. Forget I ever spoke to the Cardiologist in the first place. But at the same time I know I cannot manage a 14 hour flight back to Australia without the fear of something awful happening. I struggle with Angina on long haul flights at the best of times and now I know about all of these other problems it will be even worse . Aside from the fact there are no flights in and out of Australia anyway. I dont have a lot of choices. I will take a look at the recovery topics you mentioned I think they will be very useful. We have a huge swimming pool here that is just now opening up again after COVID so as soon as I am well enough I will use it as part of my Rehab.

[Ianc2 in reply to Shaley]

get a comfortable pair of Velcro fastening , trainer type walking shoes that are easy to get on and off, and keep them under the bed for use after the first fortnight, ready for you to exercise slowly and gently to gradually pick up speed and fitness. I measured my progress in walking around the house, then the drive, then the next door neighbours drive, and then to the lamp post, etc.

Expect to feel completely and utterly knackered at first. The body burglars will have had a field day see how many hands and bits of kit they can get into your chest at once. The Knock out stuff they have been letting you breathe takes a little while to get out of your system can be a bit confusing at first, but you will soon be gently moving around, your head will rapidly become clearer and your appetite will gradually return. If you can get a v shaped pillow for your return home it will help you sleep

In the UK (pre covid) you would get a call after 6-8 weeks to come and take part in the rehab process, starting with a beep test to gently measure your fitness, then lots of easy exercises to improve your stamina and ability to move, e.g. sit down, stand up and breathe, and again, etc,

Bear in mind that during the first 6 weeks your breast bone is busy knitting together and it does take time. All followed by another beep test to show you how much you have improved. Nice and easy does it.

Slowly but surely your fitness will improve and a new vitality will creep in, along with a different attitude to exercise and improving your general fitness by implementing changes to your diet, as you start to get going. As you are out in the sunny part of the world you probably have a great range of salads and healthy foods at your disposal to help you get into a new reality.

So a burst of short term pain followed by a steady , gradual improvement and then onto a whole new world of healthy, active living and enjoying life.