First Post-Op Stress Test

[jmstallard]

I was diagnosed when I was 10 weeks old, so I've been doing stress tests all of my life. I always scored pretty high (don't recall the METs though), and never felt any symptoms. Well yesterday I had my first post-op stress test; I figured I wouldn't do well, being just six weeks out of surgery, but...I felt great! Sure, I was breathing hard, and sweating, and my shins (anterior tibialis muscle I think) were killing me due to running uphill, but my chest felt like I was taking a stroll in the park. I even recovered from the exertion quicker than before the surgery. I was shocked, and obviously very pleased. The downside is that this strongly suggests that I was, in fact, exhibiting symptoms prior to surgery, and maybe my brain just interpreted that as normal, or I was unconsciously in denial (or is denial a conscious act?). Either way, my Cardiologist will be very happy to hear this, and I'm glad they pushed me to consider surgery despite being (supposedly) asymptomatic. Now my mind is whirling with possibilities. What can I do now that I couldn't do before? Maybe I'll enter the World's Strongest Man competition.

For those of you who were asymptomatic, if you're not yet into rehab, maybe you'll have the same thing happen. If you've already started rehab, I'm curious if you felt better than before surgery.

 

[epstns]

I'm a bit older than you (63 at surgery, now 65), and until about a year or so prior to surgery I thought I was asymptomatic. In fact, although I had none of the "cardinal" symptoms (shortness of breath, chest pain or fainting), I did have the symptom of reduced exercise tolerance and stamina. My heart and body were able to compensate for this until nearly the last year, though. Fast forward about 2 1/2 years, and I feel better now and can do more now than I could do even several years prior to surgery. I think this is great, considering that I am a good bit older now and am of an age when most are slowing down. In the early stages of aortic stenosis most of us are truly asymptomatic. As the disease progresses, it does so very gradually at first, so that we do not really notice the progression until it becomes more severe.

Welcome to the "better" side of the mountain!