OK-going in tomorrow for angio for better pictures of my annie, located in the cavernous segment of my right ICA. Other than what I've been told by Karen on here, mainly, to lie still afterwards, anything else I should ask/expect? They have told me I would be sedated and not aware of what they're doing, thank God! I know nothing to eat or drink after midnight tonight, but any other advice? How long will I have to lay still? ( I live 2 hours away! ) and should I bring reading material to pass the time? Am very nervous, but trying to stay positive! Thanks!
Hi Cece ... last angio for me was in June, 2011...in hospital about 6 hours...(we were three hours from home)...got a Hotel room for the night just incase ... not to mention I was very tired after procedure...
The anticipation is worse then the actual event...
I had to lay still for about 2 1/2 hours...because they used a plug in groin for bleeding, if not, I think I would have had to lay longer...
Doctors gave me something to relax...so couldn't read until back in Hotel bed...
Nervous is natural...
Hope you have something to sleep tonight...and get some rest...
Cyber~thoughts your way...Colleen
Hi Cece,
Had my first Angio last monday and although I was nervous it all went great. As well as not eating after midnight I was told no blood thinning medication either. I wasn't sedated but had a little something to relax me, so was aware throughtout the procedure and it really wasn't bad at all. Had to lie still, but still able to hear and respond to my surgeon, felt a little sting at my groin, felt a little heat as forewarned when the dye administered and felt a whole heap of relief once it was over. Infact strange as it sounds, my whole angio procedure was somewhat comforting, to feel what I was told I would feel as it was happening. I'm a stickler for direction :)
And if like you say are going to be sedated, then thats even better. The lying still afterwards is a little time consuming, but I was still able to eat my lunch, read my book and catch up on a little zzzzzz.
Best wishes that all goes as smoothly and the results are to even better
Gaynor
Cece,
Good luck tomorrow! Best advice, rest rest and rest!! My angios the first I had to lie still for 5 hours. THe 2nd, when the PED was implanted, I was in ICU and restricted to lying flat from around 2PM when the surgery was over until the next morning at around 11 AM just before they let me go home. Funny thing, I was not going to let that lying still thing get to me, as soon as I was permitted to drink something I sent my sister to the convenience store next door to the hospital to get me a cup of coffee and I drank it through a straw while lying flat. The doctors and nurses were all laughing at me!!
Good luck tomorrow, nerve racking as it is, it will be all over before you know it. Maybe you should also get a hotel room, as Colleen did, close to the hospital as a precaution.
Please let us know how you are when it's all over.
You are in my thoughts and prayers!
Linda
Hi Cece-
I had my first follow up angio about 6 mos ago, and like you, I was really worried and anxious. Everyone was SO nice, I was 100% unaware of what was going on (thank GOD!) once the procedure started, and afterwards they got me up and out within a few hours. Sore and tired, but it was great to get back home and take a nap in my own bed. You'll do fine!
I had an angio in late April and another in early June. I had to lie flat for 6 hours after both. I don't remember feeling the incision, but I did feel the warm flush both times (in different places both times). I took my Kindle with me to read, but never had anyone take it out of my bag for me. It was too much of a pain while lying flat--especially the second time, since I was having Gamma Knife radiation to shrink my AVM & was wearing a metal frame on my head for most of the day--couldn't wear my glasses, so couldn't see very far.
Be prepared to have your pulse points marked in Sharpie on the tops of your feet. It took a few days for it to come off.
Be prepared to have a stranger shave your bikini area--both sides, not just the side of the incision. Male nurse did mine both times.
Regular undies rubbed the incision site. I found that boy short panties were more comfortable to wear for a while afterwards.
Cece,
My angio in September was uneventful. The team was excellent - they applied pressure for 20 minutes to stop the bleeding, then I had to lay for 4 hours without moving the right side of my body, including my leg. The sedative was not enough to put me in la-la land, but just relax me. The doctor gave instructions every time the dye was injected so that I knew exactly what to expect. After the 4 hours was up, I was able to sit on the side of the bed and they kept me there for another hours to make sure I was ambulatory and no problems.
The next one in 3 months I am not looking forward to because of the Plavix and aspiring regimen I am one. When I had surgery 2 weeks ago (stent and coils), I had to lie still for 6 hours, then could not get out of bed overnight after they removed the thingamajigy out of my groin.
Just a hint for anyone who has muscle problems - at the original angio I was fine. My surgery entailed leaving the thingamijigy in for 24 hours, then it was removed. Which, meant that I could not move my right side for around 36 hours. My muscles were cramping, I was in horrific pain even though they were giving me strong pain killers via IV. My doctor told me to remind him next time and he would definitely give me muscle relaxers the next go around.
I am probably writing this too late for you to read beforehand. The only discomfort I had from the angio was I started walking too much afterward and my leg started aching. Very, very slight headaches that I just took Advil for - not enough to slow me down. Just stay off your leg as much as possible it! Let us know how you are afterward and the results when you get them.
Sherri
Gotcha in my Thoughts and Prayers today...! Keep us posted...
Cyber~thoughts your way...Colleen
I laughed when you said be prepared for a stranger to shave your bikini area because when I went to the bathroom for the first time after mine I wasn't expecting to see that I now had a mohawk down there. lol I'm happy that I don't remember if it was a male or female that did it.I have issues with men touching or seeing me it just makes me uncomfortable .
hope things went well today!
Thanks so much everyone for responding! Angio went fine, the anticipation was way worse than the actual event for sure! I had to laugh about the mohawk comment...someone in my family who had a heart angio warned me about the shaving, so I did the deed myself the night before! So glad I did, as my nurse was a young, hot guy and I would have been soooo embarrassed! No changes either, so I must have done a good job! The good news is...the surgeon says I have the arteries of a 22 year old, not a 52 year old, which is wonderful. However, (don't you just hate it when they say we have good news and bad news, why can't it just be all good?) the pictures of my annie show it is larger than he thought, now about 12 mm not the 11 they initially thought, and it seems as if it is going to have a baby annie! Lucky me, grandmother to a baby annie, huh? It has also expanded upward out of the cavernous sinus, leaving it at more risk for rupture, and devastating results should it do so, that and the baby annie together have him concerned. So, my hubby and I decided right then and there to have the PED put in 11/21 and am relieved to finally have a plan of attack. No more indecision, just action to get rid of the bugger and the baby bugger and get back to living my life! Thanks again for all your words of encouragement and advise....am so glad I found this site! <3
Hi Cece...so glad you did good with angio...yup...you and hubby and Doc...are making the best decision...and you like me had good arteries...You can be resting over the "Turkey Holiday"...
and ~
You know you will have all of our thoughts and prayers...! Cyber~healing thoughts Colleen