11 DAYS POST AVR

[MARIO__0]

Posted by MARIO on June 06, 1999 at 11:15:27
WELL ALL MY FELLOW ZIPPER CLUB MEMBERS AFTER MANY MONTHS AND A FEW FALSE STARTS I FINALLY HAD AN AORTIC VALVE HOMOGRAFT PUT IN. IT HAPPENNED AT THE MONTREAL HEART INSTITUE ON 05 26 99. ALL WENT WELL AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE STAFF AND MY DOCTOR. I WAS NERVOUS WHILE ON THE WAITING LIST BUT ON 05 25 99 I GOT A CALL TO SHOW UP AT 01.30 PM THAT SAME DAY FOR ADDMISSION. FROM THAT MOMENT ON IT WAS SMOOTH SAILING. THE MOST FRIGHTENING MOMENT WAS THE MORNING OF THE SURGERY WHEN A NURSE WALKED IN TO MY ROOM AND WAN'T TO SHAVE MY CHEST AND GROIN AREA, WHEN THE NOISY SHAKY ELECTRIC TRIMMERS WENT ON I HOPED SHE HAD A STEADY HAND. THEN  I WAS GIVEN A MARVELOUS TRANQUILIZER AND WAS IN LALA LAND IN NO TIME AT ALL. NOT NERVOUS YET AT ALL, EVEN WHEN I SAW THE MASK GO ON I THOUGHT WOW ITS FINNALY GOING TO BE DONE. THEY DID PREPARE ME FOR THE IUC BY TELLING ME THAT I WOULD BE FULL OF WIRES BUT WHEN I WOKE UP I THOUIGHT I WAS SEVEN OF NINE'S RELATIVE HOOKED UP TO THE COLLECTIVE. MY WIFE SAYS AND I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT I GAVE THE ENTIRE ICU UNIT A HEART ATTACK BECAUSE I SUDDENLY SPANG UP FROM A LYING POSITION ASLEEP GRABBING MY BREATHING WIRES AND TRYING TO PULL THEM OFF....EVERY BUZZER IN THE PLACE WENT OFF. THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN I WOKE UP I FOUND THE MACHINE WAS PRESET AT A SLOWER BREATHING SPEED THAN I WAS USED TO. ALL IN ALL THE OPERATION WAS NOT AS BAD AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. THE MORPINE WAS EXCELLENT IF I COULD SAY SO MYSELF AND IT KNOCKED OUT ALL THE PAIN IN A MATTER A MINUTES. BUT ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END AND ON THE SECOND DAY I WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE REGULAR ROOM AND THE MORPHINE WAS REPLACED WITH REGULAR PAIN KILLERS..YOU KNOW NOTHING IS AS GOOD AS 100% PURE COLOMBIAN COFFEE SO WHY DID THEY TAKE AWAY MY MORPHINE....BUT STILL NOT AS BAD AS I THOUGHT.THE MOST PAINFULL THINGS I REMEMBER WAS A BAD MIGRAIN AND THE PULLING OF THE WIRES LIKE THE BREATHING AND THE WEE WEE WIRES....WHOOOOW...A FEW MISSED BREATHES THERE.IN ALL I STAYED 7 DAYS AND WOULD DO IT AGAIN TO CHANGE MY HOMOGRAFT IN ABOUT 15 YEARS. BY THE WAY I AM A MALE 38 YEARS OLD AND WAS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE BEFORE...WILL NOW REST AND ATTEMPT TO GO FOR MY BROWN BELT IN KARATE IN SEPTEMBER.MY SURGEON SAYS HE WANTS TO BE KEPT CURRENT ABOUT MY KARATE..BEFORE I GO JUST A PLUG FOR MY SURGEON DR RAYMOND CARTIER WHO TO ME SEEMED THE BEST VERY TALKABLE AND VERY CARING. ONE THING I DID NOTICE IS THAT THEY SURE ARE NOT IN IT FOR THE MONEY BECAUSE MY SURGEON MUST BE IN IT FOR THE LOVE OF HIS PROFFESION BECAUSE I COULD TELL YOU THEY ALMOST ALWAYS SLEEP THERE AT THE HOSPITAL. AFTER 20 YEARS OF BEING AN INSURANCE BROKER I THOUGHT I HAD PRESSURE AT MY JOB WELL NOW I KNOW BETTER.....FOR ANYONE GOING FOR HEART SURGERY JUST MAKE SURE ITS DONE AT A CENTER THAT DOES MANY LIKE THE CLEVLAND CLINIC AND BELIEVE ME IT IS A BIG OPERATION BUT I FOUND NOT ANYMOPRE PAINFUL THAN WHEN MY APPENDIX BURST 10 YEARS AGO THAT TOOK ME 6 MONTHS TO GET BACK TO NORMAL...ANYONE WHO NEED INFO JUST EMAIL ME THANKS MARIO...

Posted by CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on June 06, 1999 at 11:31:24
Dear Mario
I am glad the surgery went so smoothly and that you handled everything so well.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck.
Information provided here is of a general nature.  Specific diagnoses and treatments can only be made by your doctor.  If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiologist at Desk F15.