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

Thank you for your encouragement! I try to treat everyone with the same respect that I would like to receive😊! It works almost every time!

@coralbells1 Always the Golden rule

So true❣️ Thanks again for your nice reminders❣️

I retired four years ago from surgical and cardiac ICU nursing. Your pain will be well managed. Typically, the nurses will get you out of bed within several hours of your surgery. Typically by the following morning. Pain management techniques including bracing while coughing, getting out of bed a certain way and pain medication will cover it. It’s rarely an issue.

I've had quintuple bypass surgery about 8 months ago. I, too, was terrified. But I gotta tell ya. You are in possibly the best hospital in the world. What should have been a traumatic experience turned out to be one of the most joyful experiences of my life. There really wasn't any pain at all. Only some when I would cough. But that is definitely manageable. The care that I received for my time could not have been better. You don't need to worry. Soon it will be over with, and you will be on your way to a new life!

You were already off the breathing machine when you woke up?

Hello @mikeyingst, Welcome to Mayo Connect. I see you responded to a post made in 2019 regarding fear and open heart surgery. I am not sure the member will see your post as it has been 4 years, but perhaps you have some other questions for others facing open heart surgery? Is this something you are familiar with or perhaps are scheduled to have?

I have to have an aortic valve replaced, will I still be on the ventilator when I wake up? Is it full open heart surgery or is it manually invasive.

https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/aortic-valve-replacement/https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-long-in-hospital-after-tavr-procedure/
I posted a couple of links for you to take a look at. I know that TAVR has been the mode of surgery for aortic valve replacement for past several years, and it is done through the femoral artery like a heart cath. It used to be done open heart, bypass, respirator in the past, but it seems most are done trans-catheter, no respirator needed. Have you talked to your doctor about the procedure? They would be able to confirm the method they plan. If you type in TAVR in the search area above at the top of the page you will find dozens of posts related to aortic valve replacement. When is your procedure scheduled?

I meet with the surgeon tomorrow morning to find out the surgery date