Heart Valve Replacement

Hi Mitch, If you Google Zipper Club Heart Surgery you may get in contact with Clubs throughout the world where people swap their experiences.
The Aussie Zipper Club is in Facebook. There are groups in New Zealand and although I didn't find any need for support myself, it's interesting to see how others fared.
Doing a check earlier reminded me of the severe bruising I had. (funny how you can forget these things) I remember I was bruised from the waist to my armpits and the colours were brilliant. I got my wife to take photos of me which she didn't like looking at.
I was reminded of the veins that were taken from my leg and left arm and how quickly they healed. Two months after the surgery, a group of seven of us and wives/partners attended a series of meetings at after care conducted at the Hospital. We were all cardio surgery survivors.
The guy who had a triple bypass performed immediately after me was struggling to walk to his letterbox and I was walking 6-7 kms per day! I've been blessed with rapid recovery from any ops I had found it hard to believe this guy was on a walking stick 2 months down the track. He was 12 years younger too.
You will be given coughing and breathing exercises to do and these start in ICU as they want you to clear your lungs of any fluid which may have collected.
They gave us a device with 3 plastic tubes connected by a bottom central tube with a mouthpiece and the idea was that you sucked air in and each tube would close a little valve until you had all three valves closed at once.
The endeavour was to hold the valves closed as long as possible to exercise your breathing. This was difficult as your chest is still joining back and your bruises are repairing but the sooner you can accomplish it the quicker you heal. This was on discharge from the Hospital on the 8th day after surgery.

I found the cruelist thing they did was to get me to walk down the corridor from the ICU at 10.00am the morning after the op. It's amazing what you can do, All I was thinking was my chest would fall open and my leg would open up where the femoral vein had been taken for the bypass.
I survived and can laugh about it today and look forward to quite a few more years of good living. Cheers Neil.

 

As the day gets closer, I get slightly more nervous...

Thanks for pointing me to the "zipper club ". Seems it is only available on Facebook. Don't do social media. But I did find a forum specifically for Valve Replacement support: valvereplacement.org. I think I'll join.

Mitch

 

Hi Mitch, I've been trying to locate info regarding the video we were shown. This was filmed in Australia with members of the Zipper Club relating their experiences. I have never had the nerves over any of the operations I've had over the years.
I quiz the Doctors thoroughly and place myself in their hands and relax and go with the flow.
The cardiologist performing my angiogram/angioplasty in March 2005, had to wake me a couple of times when he wanted me to inhale so that he could move the catheter around. I fell asleep watching the catheter moving around in my chest on the video screen.
When I go to the Dentist - I quite often doze off and my mouth starts to close.
I watch when being injected or blood testing is done. I've just always placed my faith in others to do what they are experts at. Keep Calm and Carry on. Neil.

 

I wonder how long it will be before they can grow heart valves in a laboratory setting?


Good luck to you, Mitch.

 

The only questions I asked my Dr were how many open heart surgeries she had done, how many valves she had replaced and her success rate. But I do like to know what is going to happen before and after. Watched a few videos of heart valve replacements on youtube - interesting to say the least.

I'm not really "nervous" right now. I understand the ultimate risks. But for my Dr. this is fairly routine.

And, of course, I am in the good hands of God.

Leaving for Plano just after midnight. Surgery in the a.m.

Mitch.

 

Hey Mitch
We'll be looking forward to hearing from you again here . Realize it might be a couple of days after the surgery before you get to your computer but we'll be waiting.
Be talking to ya !
Budo