Open heart surgery-scared!!?

hey don't be scared

open heart surgery is not that risky

i work in cardiology

vary rarely do we ever have a patient die, and if we do it is because they have other problems (which you don't)

you are very healthy, you survived the first operation, and 14 years, you are also young (that means your body can fight infection and repair itself faster and doesn't have pther problems)

people who die due to the surgery are people who smoke, have type 2 diabetes, are very fat and just don't care about themselves, they don't look after themselves.

these people have been smoking for 50 years, and drinking and eating crap food

the chance of something going wrong for you is 0.0000000000000000000000001%

also, don't stress because if you relax your body can relax, and you heal better

you know it is easier to take blood etc if the patient is not freaking out

(i used to be petrified of needles and get stressed and that made them hurt, since i started taking blood and the patients were all relaxed i relaxed as a patient too, and it didn't hurt and was way less scary - i got cancer, but i am ok now :)

your chest will hurt after if they cut your sternum to put the valve in that way. and it will take you a while to recover (a few weeks) but hey you have a whole lifetime ahead of you, many years

also there is a new technique where they just use a catheter (and with that method you will recover in a very short time, (a day))

if you ever need to email i am here for you. i am in australia, hey you should come and visit one day, maybe you can study medicine too !!!

when exactly is your operation ?

take care, until we see you on here again

hugs from Australia :)

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Hi no one can really tell you the outcome from the surgery in the future as the doctors are amazed about how far you have came. But you have to be positive and live life happily and enjoy every moment you get as i could die tomorrow or today everyone can die and will die we all live with that risk and you have just another. I think because you have survived one before you'll survive this time. Even if i am wrong dont worry about it just see what happens and look on the bright side! I hope this helps and helps you sleep well.

Hope you had a great christmas

i have many friends who are 16 right now who had very very very complicated surgeries at a couple days old, a lot of them where born with HLHS, HRHS, they are still living today. So there is hope and a good amount of it that you can and WILL survive! Also surgeries have come a very far way and a valve Replacement is such a common procedure and a very high survival rate, i think the mortality rate is only about 2.4%(thats what i read) So you have a very very good chance of surviving because this actually a common procedure. And yes they will replace it with a larger(adult) one so you have to have surgery as soon as if they replaced it with a babies. So dont worry you will be ok! Its ok to be scared but you can get through it. Im 16 years old, i was born with heart valve problems also(i was born with Aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, bicuspid aortic valve and an enlarged aorta) that will require my aortic valve to be replaced, and my aorta to be replaced within the next few years. Good luck!

If you have anymore questions or want to talk you can email me through my profile

Maybe I don't understand it but, there must be a reason other then the one you gave that they are replacing the valve, the valve you have must be defective, other then this the valve weather from a baby or not grows with you. I have had mine replaced but by a artificial heart valve not a donar, I didn't know they used a donar when they can use a artificial, ask your doctor. I also had six by passes so, don't worry to much, these procedures are pretty common now days and go quite well.

I think the best way to quell your fears or at least get your question answered to speak with your surgeon or surgery team. They are obviously more familiar with your case than anyone on Yahoo! Answers and would be able to provide you with a more accurate description of your risk. If they are doing the surgery, then I would assume that they feel the benefits of doing the surgery outweigh the risks.

Heart valve surgery is open-heart surgery that is done while you are under general anesthesia. So you don't feel any pain during the surgical operation. The success rate of heart valve surgery is high. The operation can relieve your symptoms and prolong your life.

Any surgery is going to have its risks, however, surgery is also going to have their benefits. I know two people who have had valve replacement surgeries and both of them are here to talk about it. Just think, if you survived it once, what makes you think you can't/won't survive it again?!

You're a strong, young woman, do what you have to do to stay healthy!

Every surgery has its risks but with now developed technology the risk is quite small but the risk for your health is large,but it is your choice to do or not to do the operation I am just giving you an advice.