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Having aorta valve replacement: I’m scared
Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: Jun 14, 2023 | Replies (46)Comment receiving replies
Heart disease runs in my family my dad had open heart aorta replaced with bypass, my sister who was older than i had bypass and my brother also had to have his aorta value replaced but within a few days died. i know of course that it is common to be scared but im at the point of having a nervous breakdown over it.....my surgery is schedule for this monday jan 23 2022. i pray that i come out of it ok and live to tell others my experience with it...the thought of a machine breathing for me is terrifying...i know ill be asleep but its still nerve racking to think of
Replies to "Heart disease runs in my family my dad had open heart aorta replaced with bypass, my..."
I had my open heart 2 years ago- ironically it was not to replace my valve(it’s still functioning ok as a bicuspid) but I had a large aortic arch aneurysm due to another congenital defect. I was 42 when I had my open heart. The tough part was my dad had passed away in his open heart surgery 2 years prior. I am not going to lie- I have never felt so lonely and scared in my life as I did laying on the operating table waiting to be put out. I couldn’t have any sedatives before because I had to have hypothermia I had to get a normal baseline eeg for 5 minutes before I went to sleep. The staff in that Mayo OR was so awesome- everyone in the room at them time went around introduced them selves, they told me step by step what was going on, the anesthesia Dr held my hand wiped my tears, the eeg lady spoke to me. I couldn’t have asked for better people to be in a room to make sure I woke up. I felt very taken care of and went to sleep knowing I would be seeing my family again. This is one of the hardest, scariest things you are going to ever face. I am so sorry that you have to go through it. Find an institution and team that you feel comfortable and safe with. For me that was Mayo. Dr.Pochettino and Dr.Bower were literally my saviors. I will be sending many positive vibes and wishes for health and healing your way Monday! Remember even though you may feel alone there you really have so many people behind you and pulling for you!
Best wishes for peace and recovery!
@renee11 I was scared of my first surgery some years ago, and I saw a psychologist who did clinical hypnosis. That worked really well for me to calm me down and I was OK going through it. I could feel a few butterflies in my stomach, but I didn't feel fear. Would that be something you would be interested in looking into?
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had valve replacement in 12/20 using TAVR. Next day had some issues and was re-admitted. MD's decided I needed a pacemaker which I had next day and all went well and still is. Md's and staff were wonderful. Very patient, explained everything clearly and I had great care. Before pacemaker implant I had a brief heart stoppage and in less than a minute there were six people in room. 2 MD.s, couple of RN.s and a MD who was there to comfort my wife. Sounds bad was not and they had everything under control. You are in very good hands.