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Jim47

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
24
Location
Dublin, ohio
Hello I would like to introduce myself. I am 47 yrs old and had complex mitral valve repair and a maze procedure on March 10th. This has all taken me by surprise and has been an emotional rollercoaster. I knew I had mitral valve prolapse but was told not to worry about it. In late february I went to my family doctor and was told I was in Afib. I immediately went to the cardiologist and dicovered I had severe regurgitation and a rutpured chord. I had a TEE and a Cath on a friday and surgery the following monday.

the arteries were fine but I noticed that on a card they had written my EF as 35%. No one discussed that with me and when I asked the surgeon and attending they weren't overly concerned. The internet is full of horror stories about having a low EF. This has caused me quite a bit of anxiety and I have been on Paxil for 2 weeks. I see the cardiologist May 14 for another echo.

I am starting rehab on Tuesday and hoping my energy level will quickly come back. I have found great comfort in reading the posts from others who have had similiar experiences.

thanks Jim
 
Jim47 said:
This has all taken me by surprise and has been an emotional rollercoaster.
Click to expand...
I was 46 when it took me by surprise, and it defintely can be a rollercoaster! Welcome to our little group. Rehab will be great.
 
Hello Jim, sounds like you are still reeling from sudden events. This is a good place to talk about it as there is so much common ground. Knowing from age 6 my ticker was poorly and surgery would happen at some time, shock was one of the few things I didn't experience on this strange VR trip. I can however fully sympathise with your anxieties. It will get easier as you come to accept your new status as an OHS warrior. Think positive. :) :)
 
Don't get yourself riled up. Your heart just went through major trauma and it's not happy at you right now. It will take it a while to reshape and resize and things get fined tuned during that time. Now if you have a 35% ejection fraction 6 months down the road, I might be concerned.
 
Welcome to VR Jim,

I too had severe regurgitation with a broken chordea. I had mitral valve repair and a maze on Feb 7th. Be patient becuase recovery takes time. I find myself wanting to do something only to decide it is really not smart (with a little help from my wife). Ask any questions you might have. Thats what we are here for.:)

Sounds like you are doing well. Rehab will help.
 
Hi Jim and welcome to the zoo....many of us were surprised when we learned we needed OHS....I was 49 when my AVR was done....all is well and I'm looking forward to a long and happy life, I'm sure you will have the same...Rest, eat and walk....Wishing you a smooth recovery.
 
I also had a complicated mitral valve repair and a maze procedure (left maze) as well as the closure of a patent foramen ovale (similar to an atrial septal defect). I had two ruptured chordae as well as a lot of calcium deposits (probably caused by endocarditis in 2004).

As far as the EF, I have a feeling that when you have your next echo, it will have gone up.
 
Hey Jim! My mom had an EF between 20-25% 8 months after her mitral valve replacement. She waited too long to have her surgery. She is on a variety of meds, but I feel the most important drug at least in her case has been Coreg. Between that and her bivent pacemaker-her EF at last check in Feb was 54%. We were very happy to hear that!
I would be willing to bet yours will go up too-probably on its own. She had a LOT of issues to contend with. Please keep us posted-I know you will do GREAT!!! :) Deb
 
Hi Jim, I am quite new here too and have found it to be an amazing resource as well as a place to have a laugh with people, make friends and get honest answers to questions, so welcome from me and I'm sure you'll find a lot of support here. I know too how scary the net info can be sometimes, but I do believe it's better to be informed, even if it's hard to know.

I understand how shocked you were - I was too - but maybe it's good that you've had your surgery so fast. Time to dwell on it all isn't always a good thing. I hope you continue to do well and that the worst is now behind you. You'll always find someone here who's been-there-done-that whatever new thing happens, so you can be sure to find honest answers and support which I've found helps an awful lot.

Jim was my brother's name by the way :) Small world eh? ;)

All the best, Lynn
 
Welcome to the VR community. Glad you found us. Like you, needing OHS came as a real surprise. But, now that it's done, no regrets and life is good. Best wishes for a smooth and speedy recovery.
 
Jim,
I also had a low EF, 33%, a few weeks after my MV repair. My cardio was concerned at the time by the low EF and put me on several medications, including a high dose of Toprol XL. A few months later when they did the follow up echo my EF was back to normal at 55%. This forum was a huge support to me when I came home from that visit with the cardiologist and felt like my world was falling apart. They calmed me down by explaining my heart was remodeling and most likely would be back to normal after the heart had time to adjust to the repaired valve.

You are doing the right thing by going to cardiac rehab and continuing to work on your fitness level.

Chris
 
thank all of you for the warm welcome. Today is 7 weeks post op. I truely thought I would be feeling stronger by now. Had even thought I would be back to work by next week on restricted, duty but now I'm not sure.

again thank you all jim
 
Jim47 said:
thank all of you for the warm welcome. Today is 7 weeks post op. I truely thought I would be feeling stronger by now. Had even thought I would be back to work by next week on restricted, duty but now I'm not sure.

again thank you all jim
Click to expand...

Jim...everyone is different....don't judge your recovery on that of others....I was back at work pretty quick and thought I was SuperPatient but there were others that bounced back quicker than I did.....don't get down or depressed about it...you will get there in your own time.
 
Jim,
I wanted to mention that the range of numbers for EF values varies greatly.
We rarely read of members having an EF higher than 70, and most seem to hover in the 55-65 range maybe a year post-op.
As Ross said, wait and see what your EF is six months, or a year from now, before getting too concerned.
Welcome to VR.:)
 
I want to second Debster's post. Coreg has been great for my son. Your EF is probably making your recovery a bit longer than others, but the ef will probably improve with time and you can lead a pretty normal life with an EF above 35. However, if I read your post correctly, your docs do not have you on any heart meds; that would concern me a bit. I would talk to him about meds at your May 15 appt if your EF hasn't shown good improvement at that time.

Good luck and let us know how the echo goes.
 
Welcome Jim, hope things start getting better for you soon, take care of yourself, best wishes.
 
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