I am booked in for surgery at the beginning of July, hopefully only repair needed on my mitral and tricuspid valves but I also need ablation and another procedure to attempt to stop the af that I have been permanently in for over 2 years now.
I am absolutely terrified of hospitals but know that I must have this done to allow me to live life again rather than just exist as I am now.
Is there anyone that has had these procedures that can let me know what to expect in the immediate days post surgery and going forward?
How much difference will it make to my life?
Any advice will be gratefully appreciated.
Written by
Mightyyellows
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I had a replacement valve by open heart surgery. I was very wound up, so nervous. But the cardiac wings are very different from general wards. My anxiety melted away as I walked through the door. The staff are so well organized and knowledgeable.
Of course you will be unconscious for the op. But when you come round you will be so well cared for in ICU. Then watched carefully in HDU. Then back to your room. Nearly all cardiac wards are single rooms. You will be knocked sideways due to the massive anaesthetic needed.. then after a short week or so, you can come home. Recovery took me 3.5 months. The great thing was every day I felt a bit better. Then I got to the end of recovery and it was wonderful. Absolutely super. I could do so many routine things. I had my life back.
So please try to look forward to the day you go to hospital.
Due to covid I had no visitors which in fact was good. The staff never left me unattended for long.
Hi Mightyyellows, I too was/am terrified of hospitals. I initially said that I wouldn't be able to go through with surgery to replace my aortic valve. However I reached out to my GP, who liaised with the hospital and I was offered Clinical psychology appointments. It took 6 months of therapy to get me ready for surgery and I even had telephone appointments when I was in hospital. I did it though and 1 year on I'm doing well.
I'd highly recommend joining our Facebook group UK Aortic and Heart Defects Pre and Post surgery for more reassurance and support too 😁
My partner has just had his aortic and mitral valve replaced a few days ago. Trying to find your Facebook page but don’t seem to be able to find it and I think it will be useful for us 👍😁
Hello Mighty yellows,It is quite understandable that anyone should be frightened of heart surgery, especially with a dislike of hospitals. In answer to your question of the immediate few days after surgery, I can tell you firstly it was far less painfull than I expected in fact with the strong drugs for the first few days I didn't really feel much pain at all. After such major surgery you will feel tired and need to rest, there will be lots of checks of blood pressure and temperature every few hours that annoyingly keep waking you up, but take the time just to rest. They will try and get you to sit and stand quite early, within the first day or 2 and then to take a small walk after a few days. I felt rough and weak but managed the walk okay. To me it was quite like how you feel at the tail end of a bad virus, totally washed out, weak and just wanting to rest. You may find, as I did, that your lungs are not filling to normal capacity (if you had been out on a lung bypass). This not distressing, but strange and takes 2-3 weeks to come back to normal. Overall it takes some time to get better, a good 3 months and you will have good days and bad days, but keep going and doing the exercises and you will gradually have many more good days. You do not say what sort of symptoms you suffer, but for me it was a couple months before I felt better than before the op. In the end if you are having surgery it's because it's necessary and you would go downhill without it. Also consider the surgery teams are professionals, it's what they do and the support teams around then are excellent and know exactly what you're going through and how to help you. Keep positive that this will be a turning point in your life and things will only get better!
Good morning....I have had the same repairs and can understand your fears. The thought of being in hospital and facing a major operation is scary for anybody. After my initial panic I very quickly came to terms with the fact that it had to be done and also from advice and research, very quickly realised that valve operations are very common and have an excellent recovery record. I am sure you will get lots of encouraging replies from people on the forum who are very good at helping with fears, recovery and giving generally good advice.I know how much harder it must be for you if you not only fear the op but have a fear of hospital as well and all I can say is this is your life line and the staff, especially in heart care, are generally fabulous and look after you so well. You won't know a thing about the operation and the after care and pain management is excellent but your recovery is also about how you deal with it. I suggest you have a really good chat to the surgeon and anaesthetist about your anxiety regarding hospitals.....they will come and see you before your operation. I'm no expert but they might offer a heavier pre op sedative that will help. They are so good at putting you at ease and at the end of the day want you to be as calm and positive as can be pre op.
When you go to theatre, click your fingers and you are waking up with no concept of how long you have been out of it for. You will obviously know you've had major surgery but the pain relief and management is so good. They will have you up and out of bed to get you moving possibly the day after your op if you are up to it. You can't imagine this is possible but I felt so elated and proud of myself. The physiotherapists again are so good with patients and soon get you moving and walking. As long as your recovery is smooth you should only be in hospital for a relatively short stay which seems amazing after such a big operation and it's then down to you and your home recovery. Just listen carefully to all the dos and don'ts , accept any help you can get, and dont overdo anything. Its really important to do the recommended exercises and to also rest as much as you can. If you want to pm me, please feel free to do so. I wish you all the best with your operation and i know you will get that was wish from others on the forum who will also give you encouragement and good advice about the op and being in hospital. Good luck with everything and take care x
Sometimes it takes a while for everything to settle. Your body has to find it's new normal. I'm sure all will be ok for you. Just keep looking forward and stay positive.....you will be fine but make sure you try and keep mobile and do your walking and exercises. All the best x
I terrifiex wet for check up 2 weeks a go was in hospital till yesterday transferred to Oxford Ford fo same opp on Tuesday I'm so anxious to golly think it's a day to day hear so c how I go xxx
Reading some of the replies on here has helped me to become slightly less anxious about things. I will be having my surgery in Oxford too. How local is it for you? I am fortunate in that I live reasonably close so I also see my consultant there. I was in the critical care ward in 2014 with a pulmonary embolism (completely unrelated to my heart conditions) and all of the staff were wonderful and so very caring. I will be thinking of you on Tuesday and hope all goes well. X
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