Heart Valve Replacement

Of course, heart valve replacement surgery is still a serious consideration to you. After all, it is your heart and you have only one of them.

Open heart surgery usually means that you are sailing in uncharted waters, and it would be great if your surgeon would sit down and take the time to answer all your questions, but, statistics show that you probably won't be that lucky.

Forty five percent of heart surgery patients say that their surgeons could have better prepared them for their surgeries. Surgeons have certain office days set aside for consulting with patients; they would much rather be in the operating room. practicing their specialty.

I was my cardiovascular surgeon's 30th patient on the day that he told me that I was sinking fast due to two extremely damaged valves, He told me that I needed heart valve replacement, or if possible heart valve repair as soon as the surgery could be scheduled. It was the end of the day, and he was in no mood to answer my questions.

Surgeons in general, and heart surgery surgeons in particular, are usually extremely busy. If you want to know the real nitty-gritty, you'll probably have to get most of your answers from former heart surgery patients, from heart surgery support groups, from cardiac surgery rehab patients or from doing some tough due diligence research yourself.

To answer your top priority question about heart valve replacement surgery, research shows that only 2.4% of open heart surgery patients fail to survive, and in some cardiac surgery centers that figure drops to 1.8%.

Those are pretty impressive figures aren't they? This means that you have an excellent chance to survive your heart valve surgery. Cardiac surgeons perform these complicated surgeries often, and to them, it's almost routine, but to you it's far from routine.

The truth is though, that you will probably live through your open heart surgery, get well, and go right on with your life. More than likely, you'll be able to resume an active live style and do all the things you used to do. Your successful heart surgery will give you a second chance at life. Ready to surf anyone?

Recovery time for heart valve replacement is different for everyone. Some people are well on their way at six weeks while others take six months and more.

The one thing that will speed your recovery along the fastest is to join a cardiac rehab program. Your surgeon or cardiologist should recommend one to you, if they don't, find one on your own.

When I went to cardiac rehab orientation, I was only three weeks post open heart surgery. The machines, the activity, and the other cardiac patients all made me nervous. It literally hurt my chest to watch those recovering heart surgery patients exercising. But, within a few days, I felt right at home and was glad to be able to exercise in a controlled safe environment.

Your heart is monitored continually while you are exercising, there is a Doctor on the premises just in case your heart starts acting up, and they even do a mini EKG at the beginning of each exercise session. Like me, you will feel perfectly safe exercising in one of these cardiac rehab facilities.

Open heart surgery is certainly no picnic, no matter how smoothly it goes, and you and your caregivers will want to know what to expect as your surgery date gets closer and closer.

Adam Pick's book entitled, The Patient's Guide To Heart Surgery is a resource that I can highly recommend. Adam is an open heart surgery survivor who candidly tells his readers what they can expect prior to surgery, during surgery, and after surgery. Click Here For Adam's Book.

Reading his book did more than anything else to cut down on my worrying time. It is a wonderful resource that explains in plain English what to do and what you can expect as you and your caregivers navigate the open heart surgery process.