Yesterday, I took my 14-pound Shih Tzu to the vet for her infected toe, got her treated, dropped her off at home, and headed on down to the INR clinic for the weekly finger prick. Then I stopped by the Research Dept. and signed up for the Heart Research Study I was telling you about before.
I stopped off for lunch on the way home; and, of course, brushed my teeth when I got home. I know you are wondering, where is this story going and what does it have to do with new symptoms or heart valve replacement surgery? Here's what happened.
As I finished brushing my teeth, I looked into the mirror, and saw to my surprise and fright three huge (about 3/4" in diameter) balloon shaped areas on the bulging veins in my neck. It looked like three bull frogs croaking at the same time. To say the least, I was a little unnerved by the image looking back at me in the mirror.
The new development was totally unexpected, and I didn't know whether to call 911 or to try and reach my Doctor. When I calmed down a little, I called my best friend. She is terrific in a crisis, level headed, knows all about my heart situation, and tends to think through unexpected situations rationally. She helped me realize that since I wasn't really feeling any worse that I probably had time to reach the Doctor.
Dr. Blake, my Cardiologist, called me back and explained that it was just a natural progression of the worsening regurgitation of the valve. And, my lifting my dog in and out of the car probably brought on the weird balloon display in my neck. Not to worry, she said, we still have plenty of time to get you fixed. Believe me, I was relieved to hear that news!
The point is, there are literally hundreds of questions that pop into your mind about your upcoming valve replacement surgery, some of them are very important and some of them are just a matter or curiosity. But, they are your questions, unique to your situation, and they deserve answers.
Last night, my friend got on the Internet and found a wonderful down loadable book by Adam Pick, a double valve replacement surgery patient. He calls the book, The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. It was written to give patients and their caregivers' valuable insight into the whole valve replacement surgery process.
If you want to avoid a lot of undue stress, have real curiosity about your heart surgery, and tons of questions, you've got to get this book. I read it in two sittings, and I now understand a thousand times better what to expect on the road ahead.
It covers everything from dispelling fear, to picking a surgeon, to the actual surgery, and gives you some real informative information about the recovery process that you probably won't hear from your surgeon. If you are interested, you can find it here: The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery.
Time to put my feet up for awhile!
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