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New diagnosis of ascending aortic aneurysm and I’m terrified
Aortic Aneurysms | Last Active: 8 hours ago | Replies (133)Comment receiving replies
Thank you so much for posting your story and words of encouragement. I was just now reading about the surgery and all of the potential risks are mind-boggling. You seem to have such a wonderful outlook on the surgery . I’m wondering if they gave you any kind of mental preparation for the enormous task this ascending aortic aneurysm surgery. I’ve been reading about Heart lung bypass, the cutting open of the chest wall, intubation after the surgery… It all just seems overwhelming and terrifying. I would love to know what preparation you might’ve had ahead of the surgery. Congratulations on such a wonderful outcome. It was fantastic to hear you’re back to doing all of the things you could do before. This watchful waiting period is difficult for me.
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I looked at the surgery this way: If I didn't get the surgery, I was likely to drop dead at some indeterminate point in the future. That sounded like a bad proposition. With the surgery, I have a little more predictability in my life, so this was the right option for me (and probably for you).
Don't fret the surgery... you will sleep through the whole thing! Stay in shape as much as you can prior to surgery as that will help with your recovery... they told me to 'walk, walk, walk'... and I did.
To your question, they did not have any sort of psychological prep. Just maintain a positive outlook prior to surgery and know that the first few days post surgery will be tough... Follow the doc and nurses' orders and once home, things will slowly get better. There are no shortcuts for this kind of operation but these docs do it routinely and the overall risk is low. Allocate 6 months for the entire recovery process... You will do great!