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It's now 20 October 2000 and I
am 18 days post-op. I had a St Judes valve fitted at The Royal
Brompton Hospital in London, under the steady hand of surgeon
Tony de Souza, who has an excellent reputation. That said, I
had to go back into theatre from intensive care as I was
losing too much blood, so I was out under a general for 20
hours. This was really tough on my wife Mary, who got a call
on her mobile at 11.30pm to tell her (she was staying in
another part of the hospital) and she had a long and lonely
wait until another call at 1am to tell her was OK. I think the
whole event is more stressful for the partner than the
patient, as they feel so helpless.
I spent 7 (what seemed like
long) days in hospital and came home on Monday last week.
Thanks to the anaesthetic and morphine, I felt pretty queasy
for a few days but by day 5, I was ready to come home, even
though I had to wait two more days.
I had gone to the hospital thinking I would prefer a
tissue valve of some description, but not sure either way. In
the event, my surgeon persuaded me that the St Judes was a
better option for me and, after some long discussions with
Mary, I took his advice. I was concerned about the
anti-coagulation therapy, warfarin here in the UK, as I have
always enjoyed social drinking and was not sure how I could
cope with a more structured regime. However, I have few
problems in reconciling myself to a couple of glasses of red
wine a day and I will have to resist temptation when it is put
in front of me! Now I have been through the op, I am really
glad that I will (hopefully) not have to face the prospect of
further surgery in 10-15 years.
My INR seems pretty stable already, I have to be
between 2.5 and 3.5. I am having a weekly test at the health
centre in our village, which is a good point to walk to once a
week. I am currently taking 6 mg of warfarin at night.
I was certainly not fit before
my op, but I walked a fair bit and have found my recovery no
problem. Pain was never really an issue and I am already out
walking our two dogs 3-4 miles a day plus other shorter walks
- I feel great! My chest is obviously sore, and it's easy to
forget sometimes as I try to do a little too much - Mary and I
have three young sons and they need help! It is frustrating
being at home at not being able to do many of the jobs that
need doing, but I am happy to let nature take its course and
allow my chest to heal itself properly.
As I work as an editor, I am
already doing a bit of work from home, although it gets in the
way of the walking and resting! However, I am pleased to have
the mental challenge.
If you are reading this before
you face surgery yourself, I hope it goes some way to
reassuring you that the prospect is worse than the actuality.
I know I found reading the experiences of others a great help
prior to my op, so I would love to think I can do the same for
others.
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