About Me (In My Own Words)
I’d spent all of 2016 getting weaker and feeling so exhausted, wondering what was happening to me. In June, two months before my 911 episode I had a warning that felt like cold rippling water across my chest. I had rolled our heavy trash cans out to the cul de sac and came in to rest being very short of breath. The sensation was so unusual I dialed 911 but didn’t call because I recovered from the shortness of breath and the sensation went away. I phoned and told my family about it immediately because I was home alone.
I was a two weeks retired very obese 66 yr old, type 2 Diabetic, high bp, but under the long term care of a family doc and with several meds to balance everything.. On August 16th, 2016 while traveling in the SUV with my husband in SE Georgia, I drove while he made business phone calls. It was a hot 96 degree day and we were traveling from Douglas, GA to our next customer in NC. I had to stop to use the restroom at a Burger King. I left the motor running with the air conditioner cooling him while on the phone. When I returned, I climbed up in my big Infinity, buckled my seatbelt, and couldn’t breathe. He noticed my distress, asked if I was ok and I shook my head no. He asked should he call 911 and I nodded YES! I was feeling the exact same cold rippling sensation in my chest as I had back in June! Thankfully I was parked in a handicap spot and had the parking break on. I lost consciousness and woke up to him trying to tell 911 our location. He didn’t even know what town we were in but described our surroundings well enough they were able to locate us. If he had only remembered to use the “where am I button” on my dash! We had laughed about that thing for a few years! Next thing I remember the ambulance was there and they were trying to unbuckle my seat belt. Thankfully we were one block from a very small hospital and the ambulance had been parked there. Their ED ran vitals, some other fast tests, and immediately transferred me to Vidalia, GA, the nearest hospital with a cardiologist. One cardiologist! The same ambulance drove me there about 30 miles away. I was admitted into their ICU and he found the aortic stenosis. He doesn’t do open heart surgery so I had to be moved again ASAP. Determined to get home to Bham for surgery, I was facing a six hour ambulance ride. We couldn’t find one locally because one ambulance covers a tri county area and couldn’t be gone that long. 24+ hrs later my “hero”nurse came on duty. Between her, Med Jet , who we had paid ten years for insurance for a moment like this, and Dr Kumar, cardiologist who agreed to receive and admit me at UAB, at 2:00 AM, I flew out of a cornfield airfield in Vidalia to the Birmingham airport in 39 minutes flat! There another ambulance got me to UAB in 10 min. All the tests were run again and Dr Surich, would do the surgery as soon as he returned to the USA. He was home in Croatia, I believe.
After all I’d been through, but no pain whatsoever, I was able to relax and let UAB do their thing. Being a teaching hospital, I had a dozen docs come through in the next few days. The surgery took about four hours and I woke up happy to be alive! And thirsty! No one prepares you for the intense thirst. Amazing, still no pain and a Tylenol was all that I required after leaving iCU. I woke up with a tight surgical type bra containing my breasts and more tubes and wires than I’d ever experienced. My main fear had been the respirator as I had told the docs before. That and my vertigo when laying flat! They removed the respirator while I was still groggy, and All liquids were measured and limited to 32 oz per day for a couple of weeks. Popsicles were my thirst quencher a few hrs after waking up and half frozen diet drinks later after I got home. 32 oz is not much when taking lasix daily plus you’ve pushed water for years! First day they give you lots of lasix. 2nd day they gave me sorbitol for bowels. So I had the wet day, then the poop everywhere day. Little by little wires and drains are removed as I traveled the hallway pushing my I V pole. Walking laps around the floor was tough because I’m large, had to cover up, was so hot, sweated like crazy, and was so weak. Dr Surich in his drill sergeant Putin like voice commanded me, WALK OR YOU WILL DIE, and Don’t wave your arms around or YOU WILL DIE, and my fav, don’t Drink over 32 oz or YOU WILL DIE. No one kept up with my input but me, so I was very careful! I told him we called him Dr. So Rich and he cracked a smile. Knew I had him then. So we built trust and mutual respect as the first couple of days post op passed. He agreed I could walk laps in my cooler air conditioned private room but he marked on the white board the ridiculous number. I did them in sets of five and marked them for him to see. Next day he saw my compromise worked. 2nd day after they removed the surgical bra, he told me to “CONTAIN THOSE THINGS”, so we got a soft front fastening sports bra that worked fine. Coughing is hard but they give you a heart pillow to hug that helps. Respiratory therapists come every two hrs, then four hrs to make you deep breathe and give breathing treatments to make you cough. Walking often and deep breathing help get you home quicker. So many goals each day! Amazing part to me was it didn’t hurt! I expected to be in horrible pain and I never was. I was sore and very weak but quickly built up my walking - slow, but steady. I had a pressure bandage and plastic thread stitches. About the third day the pressure bandage was removed and then covered with gauze and tape.
I hope this story helps someone facing aortic valve replacement. Because mine was an emergency, then three hospitals in two days, a jet plane ride, and then wait for Dr So Rich, my entire hospital stay was two weeks. At home I had to have 24 hr sitters for the first week. My husband and I live alone and he works full time at our company. He was taking business calls in my room so doc insisted I have someone round the clock for me to make sure I was breathing, he said, checking every hour. Discharged six days after surgery. Visiting nurses and physical therapy came to my home the first month every few days. Our home is very accessible so that was good. I use a bedside potty at night and had a rollator everywhere I walked. I had a shower chair already and gladly used it with a sitter helping me bathe that first week at home. Also because the nurses asked specific questions about bs, bp, meds, and liquids, I used a small journal from Target $1 bin charted every bite and drink, every bp check and bs check, and weight ins. Daily weigh ins are still required due to fluid retention being a symptom of problems. I kept that little book detailed for months and took it to every doctor visit.
I completed weeks of cardiac rehab and still walk as much as possible. Because of other health issues, it’s hard some days, but I feel so much better than I did the year prior to surgery. I can breathe and don’t require the constant rest and sleep. Mine is an artificial valve so I’m on Warfarin for life. That requires blood checks called INR, every four weeks if it’s going well, and more frequently if not. Very thankful for the way mine all played out. If I’d stayed home alone that trip I might have died. Lots of ifs! We have three grandchildren I enjoy every day or two. So much life to be lived!
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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My surgery date is:
October 23, 2016
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Stenosis
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Franjo Surich
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My hospital is:
University of Alabama Birmingham UAB
