Terrified: Soon to have open heart surgery, so many questions

I had open heart surgery for acute heart failure on May 8th. My mitral valve was replaced with a pig valve. Like you, I was terrified before surgery. As I approached the operating room (not in it) I was given anesthesia. The next thing I remember is waking up on a hospital bed. I had little pain and was taught how to get out of bed with minimal pain and without disturbing any stitches. I followed recovery instructions to the letter. Today, I have enough breath, can walk longer distances, and continue to be my disabled husband's caregiver. Be of good cheer. You will be amazed at how much better you feel after surgery.

@mrsjaxx727 Good evening. I had a triple by pass in 05 and was happy with what I could do . One thing was have no pain or Shortness of breath I listened to the Dr after surgery and did very well The pain medication was of great benefit to me . I was glad I had it and it wasn't all that scary . You will be glad you had it go in with plans for after it is over and done .

@mrsjaxx727 Welcome to Mayo Connect, where patients, caregivers and family members alike gather to voice concerns and questions, and receive support from others who have had similar experiences. I am glad to see that there are others who have responded to your pleas for answers! Facing any surgery can be pretty darned scary. Each person has their own story. Ask your doctor for a clinical social worker to help you through the process of preparing yourself, if possible. When I had two of my surgeries, my sister [who was a trained hypnotherapist] helped me calm down and go through with less anxiety. Be honest in your questions, when your medical team asks. Do you have any family or close friends who are able to accompany you to appointments? And remember, we will all be right here for you.
Ginger

@mrsjaxx727 - Good morning. Although I have had open chest surgery for lung cancer I know just how you feel. I was petrified. As soon as I was on my way to the OR I was balling my eyes out by the time I was wheeled into the elevator and until I got a shot of Valium. You can speak with the anesthesiologist when you have a visit with him/her and request a shot to relax you. There are so many things that or minds can come up with to scare the lights out of us- but they are all in our minds. Anticipation is sometimes worse than any reality.
As far as pain goes there are painkillers if you need them. They will also give you pain meds before you are operated on, probably in your IV. I had the same operation twice, on different sides of my body, 10 years apart. My first lobectomy was painful and the second one was not. One of the most wonderful things about our bodies is that we tolerate more pain than we imagine. And the body often "gets use" to a certain level. Have you ever had surgery before? When is your operation?

@mrsjaxx727 As Merpreb said the anesthesiologist will come in and talk to you before the surgery at least that's how mine did for me and this will help relax you if you need something to calm you down tell him or your surgeon. The med I had to relax me as I was being wheeled into the O.R. I remember seeing tome light bulbs out and told them they needed to put new ones in ., so you may say silly things like I did but the Dr.s and nurses will take care of you so its just important for you to relax . It will go better for you as your mind and thoughts control how you feel no matter what the issue is. Good luck and let us know afterwards how you are doing ,we care here on the forum.

I wanna ty all for relaxing me
I dont feel as scared now talking to all of you and u went thou it. Thank
u from the bottom of my heart

Ty for having me relax more. I been in tears every day

Ty all soooooo much

@mrsjaxx727 I am glad to see that you felt our posts to you helped! As fellow patients, that's important to us! Please check back in with us as you feel inspired to do so, and please let us know how you are doing after the surgery.
Ginger

thank you to all who replied to terrified. I have questions about recovery. my bypass surgery is tomorrow. How long after surgery can you do normal things? Bathroom, comb hair, etc?