What they are going to do?

 I have been asked many times “What exactly are they doing?”  I’m also asked what happens after.

So here goes.

I call the night before to find out when I need to report to the hospital.  Usually it’s around 6:00 or so.  I’m Queen for a day as the surgeon has set the entire day aside for only my surgery.  I should probably find myself a tiara!🤣

During surgery, they will replace my artificial valve and also put a stent in one of the arteries on the other side of my heart.  For most of the actual surgery, I will be on the heart lung machine to do the work of my heart as they need to stop my heart to fix the valve.  This is scary but doctors have been using this machine for so long that they are pros and it will be fine.

After surgery, I head to ICU where I will wake up and they’ll remove the breathing tube.  I’m of course so high that Lord knows what will come out of my mouth.  Last time I heard the nurses talking about drinks after work.  I proceeded to attempt to get up and told them I too wanted to come have drinks.  This is probably one of the reasons they tie my arms to the bed.

Usually the next day I move to the recovery hospital room.  This is where the ‘fun’ begins and my time to work to get out of the hospital.  Over the next few days I will be made to walk around the ward many times a day and sit for long periods in the chair.

The second or third day after surgery, they assess if my lungs are draining fluid properly.  Once all is working properly, they remove all the tubes and wires.  They also take out the IV in my neck.  It all feels funny and hurts a bit getting the tubes out but it’s over in a matter of seconds.  Plus it is such a pain walking around the ward with the tubes and wires hanging out of my body.

When I finally break free of the hospital and go home, I start the boring and painful journey to heal.  I can’t drive or do any lifting or pulling activities for 6 weeks.  That is how long it takes the sternum to fuse back shut completely.  Yeah, no housework!  Bummer about no driving. 

Healing is slow, but I’ll feel better almost immediately after surgery.  So, it’s worth it.

About three months post op, I’ll head back to Mayo Clinic for a checkup and then can avoid the place until my one year checkup.

Easy Peasy!  I know it sounds scary…well it is scary but this is number 5 for me.  I’m an old pro and it will go fine.