Okay so Ive had my follow up appointment at the surgeons office. Unfortunately however, my surgeon had to travel out of town so I was seen by a physicians assistant. I was explained thisprior to the appointment and while I was disappointed, I did not want to be a pain in the ass patient and make a fuss, I thought I was being helpful to my surgeon by accommodating his change in schedule. This was just a checkup to see that I was doing fine anyway.
Anyhow, one of the questions I had at my appointment was how strong my heartbeat felt at times and was that normal or something to be concerned about. Even if my heart rate is not elevated no my blood pressure, there are times when I can now feel my heartbeat throughout my torso as it will move my body with each beat, and other times its very calm. He said its because when operating on the heart they have to cut open the pericardial sac, and then after surgery the sac is left open. Well that was the short explanation, but without medical knowledge of what that meant Ive been trying to dig deeper on my own for a greater understanding. Ive found some info but not a lot. As I understand it the pericardium is the sac surrounding the heart. Its made of connective very strong connective tissue and acts as a cushion of sorts protecting the heart while the body is in active movement. And it also acts to restrict the heart from expaning to greatly at times during pumping. So with that knowledge I can now understand why at times I feel my heartbeat so pronounced.
What I dont completely understand is what to expect going forward. Ive read that some surgeons will close this sac back up to complete the surgery. However the vast majority routinely leave it open, it said to reduce complications after surgery with fluid drainage. Does anyone know will the sac always remain open. I started to read something I found stating that the sac will heal very quickly, but it wasnt clear if that meant it would close and resume its normal function. Im very curious to know if this exagerated sensation of my heartbeat at times is something I will always have or if it will diminish with time as the pericardium heals itself. Can anyone elaborate in this topic?
