Leesa's Journal

Hi everyone. Sorry for taking awhile to post! I am now almost 2 weeks post op from having my ascending aorta/aortic root replaced with a dacron graft. The surgery was considered an "elective" surgery since it was scheduled. However, after they opened me up, they realized quickly that it was actually an emergency surgery. As soon as I was opened up my surgeon saw that my aorta had already dissected where the aorta and aortic valve connect. There were several rips and holes between the two and I was bleeding internally. Moreover, my aorta was so thin that he could not even get a stitch through it. My surgeon says he has no idea how I am even alive. Thank the Lord, the surgery went well. It just was more complicated than originally thought. But here I sit, in my own bed at 10 days post-op, and I am alive. I am so, so happy to be alive.

Hi everyone, I am only a week and a half away from my first OHS. I will be having my aortic root replaced. Luckily, my aortic valve is healthy enough to keep, so I will be having the valve-sparing procedure performed. I found out that I would need surgery back in March. My surgeon originally wanted to operate in June, but I was in my senior year at college so I wanted to graduate first. Well, I graduated two weeks ago, so now it is time for surgery! Since being told I needed surgery in March, I have been on an emotional roller coaster. Some days I am petrified about surgery, other days I am quite calm about it. I have poured hours into researching my operation as well as what to expect after surgery. One thing I have found especially helpful is watching videos of the surgery being performed. It's nice to know what will be happening to my body while I am asleep. Still, I am quite nervous. I have severe anxiety and panic attacks as it is; so bad, in fact, that I am agoraphobic (i rarely leave the house). So in some ways, I am actually more nervous about my general anxiety than the surgery itself, if that makes sense. In addition to my aortic aneurysm, I am riddled with medical problems. I have Marfan Syndrome, neurocardiogenic syncope (I can’t stand very long without passing out), near constant vertigo, hypothyroidism, back pain from herniated discs, etc. My health is so poor that I am in bed roughly 22 hours a day, every day. Friends and family constantly tell me that after surgery I will feel so much better and will finally be able to live a “normal” life. This is soo frustrating to me because it is not true. The physical problems I face every day have nothing to do with my heart; indeed, aortic aneurysms rarely cause any symptoms. So, the surgery will not make me feel better. It will not be a cure all. I WISH my ohs would fix my other problems, but it won’t. So it is so frustrating when people think that after my surgery I will be better, and it puts a lot of pressure on me to somehow change my life after the surgery in ways that may not be possible. Anyway, I’m starting to ramble. I just cannot wait to get this surgery behind me. It's been on my mind for so long. A lot of people who have had OHS have told me that the wait is worse than the surgery itself. I hope this is true!