About Me (In My Own Words)
Sorry for being so long-winded, but hopefully there's something here of value for you:
I was born with supravalvular Aortic Stenosis and a bicuspid Aortic valve. My parents tried to keep me in limited activity, but I pushed those limits when possible :) At the age of 12, I was sleeping 12-14 hours a day, so off to the doctor we went. My blood pressure had hit 250/90 so following a catherization, I was taken to Children's Memorial in Chicago. They didn't want to replace the valve until I stopped growing, so they performed a valvoplasty. We were told at the time that should last anywhere from 10-40 years.
As the years went on, I didn't pay as close of attention to my condition as I probably should have. But 11 years later, I was married, and now have two sons. I started bicycling when I was around 38 (I think) and didn't really have any issues. I did a few bike tours of 40+ miles and kept with the pack just fine. I wore a heart rate monitor just to keep an eye on it and knew where my limits were.
In 2014, my father passed away from bone and lung cancer, COPD and emphysema. During that time, I wasn't in much of a mindset for bicycling. Then in February 2015, my father-in-law was diagnosed with Glioblastoma. He passed away one year, one month, and one day after my father, so another year passed. I had gotten heavier and unfortunately wasn't doing much about it. Earlier this year, I was starting to feel a bit "off". Part of me thought it was just getting over the stressful last couple of years, but in the back of my mind, I knew what it was, but wasn't ready to face it.
I finally had the deciding echo in September. I was then presented with the option of a tissue or mechanical valve. I had gone into this thinking "tissue, because then I don't have to take blood thinners", but the reality is that tissue valves don't last. So, I would be forced with having another operation another 10 years down the road, with yet another 10 or so years after that.
Suddenly, the mechanical valve became a lot more appealing. My surgeon presented me with two options, the St. Jude Regent, which was his preference and the On-X. I did some of my own research and decided on the On-X, and he was fine with that choice.
During one of my last pre-op appointments, he told me that I also had an aneurysm above my valve, so I would have to have aortic root and ascending aorta replacement along with my valve.
So on October 13, I checked in at 5:45 in the morning, got my chest dry shaved and sanded (fun!) got a shot to relax me, and that was the last I knew until around 9pm that night. The operation took about six hours since my previous surgery had created a lot of adhesion that he needed to work through.
I don't have a real clear memory of those first few hours, but I do remember bits and pieces. The breathing tube coming out. The nurses telling me to breathe in or out, can't remember which, while it was being removed so my lung wouldn't collapse.
I also remember the sponge bath the nurses gave me without any pain medication beforehand. I'd just been split open like a turkey and they're rolling me on my side. I'm pretty sure I wasn't dirty enough to need a bath right at that time.
I remember the finger pricks and insulin injections that seemed to come every hour. I'm not diabetic, but apparently it's common for a period of time after surgery. Surprisingly, I didn't feel the insulin shots in the stomach much at all, so if you're given the choice, I'd recommend the stomach.
I remember my entire bed being wheeled downstairs for a chest x-ray. I had to sit up in bed as best as I could, which at that time, required a LOT of help.
Around 3PM the next day, not quite 24 hours from surgery, I walked from the cardiac ICU down to the recovery wing under my own power. Not sure how many steps that was, but it was enough!
I had developed a bed sore, likely from laying on the operating table in one spot for 6+ hours, so finding a comfortable position was even more of a challenge. They brought in a wound bed to help, that would inflate to help support me more.
As far as the hospital food, I was on liquids only at first, then to a diabetic diet, then to a low-sodium diet, and finally to a full menu. I was very glad to get to the full menu!
On day three or four, I went to the in-hospital rehab twice a day and used a seated elliptical for a few minutes.
At some point, I went into Afib, so I was then on IV medications to bring that under control, and finally went back to normal sinus without having to be shocked out of it. That ended up lengthening my stay by a day, so the following Wednesday I was discharged.
Then you get busy. In home nurses, INR appointments, rehab sessions, surgeon follow-up, doctor follow-up, cardiologist follow-up, it's surprising how little downtime you feel you have those first few days.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Apple Valley, MN
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My surgery date is:
October 13, 2016
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Aortic Aneurysm
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. John Grehan
