Preparing for surgery

I write this 2 months later, so that I have had time to recover, reflect & think before writing all these posts.

Preparing for this surgery was one of the toughest things I have ever done. Even though there was no choice but to have surgery there is a mental, emotional & physical portion of prepping for surgery. Let me break it down for you guys.

Timeline:

October 15th ~~ Cardiologist Check up

November 12th ~~ Last Day of Work

November 14th ~~ Admitted to Cornell Hospital for angiogram & tests

November 15th ~~ Surgery

Less than 1 month I had to get my paperwork done, my work caught up, days off, tests done & oh yeah, trying to catch my emotions up to that. Taking medical leave is not an easy task; there is a lot of paperwork, phone calls to make, people to speak too. My advice is make sure you have everything ready, everyones contact information & patience. Then preparing to take off of work is super stressful. Since this wasn't something we were planning taking off for 2 months is pretty daunting as a young woman in my career. But I work with some amazing people who helped me prepare and who picked up some slack while I was on leave.

Then comes speaking with your doctors office & surgeons office & making sure you have everything you need before surgery. You need your paperwork, your test results & all your information for surgery prep. And let me tell you their paperwork may be easier than works, but it is WAY more daunting.

And lets not forget one big important part of prepping for surgery. Your psyche. My emotions and thoughts got the best of me at times, but it is so daunting and scary that sometimes you dont even have time to think or comprehend what is happening, especially when surgery is urgent & unexpected like this was.

The day before I was admitted, I took the day off from work. I tried to get things done in my new house, things done for our wedding (dont forget I was getting married in 2 more months! ha!) & just trying to relax myself to get myself ready for what was to come.

Then came the day we went to the hospital. My family was with me and I was admitted in the morning on November 14th and needed some testing done and a big one to check my arteries to make sure everything was ok before surgery. It was quite a day of poking & procedures and at the end of the day they were unsure if I needed 1 or 2 surgeries the next day. They werent sure if my heart valve could be spared. I needed to speak with my surgeon and decide which valve I would like if the case came where he needed to perform a heart valve replacement as well. Of course hearing this was very upsetting but it wasnt a decision he could ask me when I was already mid-operation so we decided and hoped for the best. That was one thing that bothered me, besides having one of the biggest surgeries anyone can have! I had to accept the fact that I would not know if I needed my aorta & valve replaced until after I woke up and it was something that I needed to accpet within 12 hours.

Also being an adult and not having a private room meant you have to stay alone in your hospital room. And I have to say at the end of the day that was the worst part. Saying goodnight to my family (who all stayed in the hotel connected to the hospital all week) was one of the saddest moments because I laid there that night anticipating, scared and anxious for what was to come the next morning. But you do what you have to do in times like that, remember who you have in your corner, remember the doctors and medical staff I had behind me and pray that the next day would bring good things.

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