johnnycake23
Two-time AVR Vet
Hello. Today is the 6 month anniversary of my second go-round with the scalpel and I want to measure up my status with others who have gone through the same or similar procedures.
You read stories of people saying they had this or that replaced or repaired and that 2 or 3 or 4 weeks later they?ve never felt better in their lives. Well, this ain?t one of them stories.
It took awhile, months even, before I could get my stamina back to a respectable level. Only the last two months have I been able to join the gym and get back to working up a sweat in the workout room. I get sternum and incision discomfort on occasion, particulalry when I walk; I guess it?s still considered a fresh wound. I told cardio how sometimes I feel a pressure build up just under my sternum where the scar tissue is and he told me it?s called an abdominal hernia, a protrusion that I can just push back into place with my fingers; it?s common but it?s nothing heart related. I chew Tums to make it go away. And there is the occasional but reportedly harmless skipping beats that happen mostly with fatigue. So, do I feel like my old self or even better than before? Truthfully, no. My body feels like it?s been through a major trauma. Go figure.
The good news is the heart is doing great. I went to my cardio last week and he said my valve ?sounds like a normal valve.? Can?t get more of a ringing endorsement than that. And my vitals were right on the money too. So there is reason to cheer. If I could only get my sleep issues under control then I?d really be a happy camper.
I guess my point is for others who are about to get such a procedure done, if their recovery is slower than the look-at-me-after-just-two-weeks crowd, I say to them don?t get discouraged. Some recoveries are slower than others, like mine obviously is. It sucks, no doubt, but you?ll get over the hump ? eventually. I?m not trying to be a bummer, just giving another perspective.
Thanks to everyone for their words of support. I can hardly wait for the fall when I put the pads back on and get back to my hockey team.
You read stories of people saying they had this or that replaced or repaired and that 2 or 3 or 4 weeks later they?ve never felt better in their lives. Well, this ain?t one of them stories.
It took awhile, months even, before I could get my stamina back to a respectable level. Only the last two months have I been able to join the gym and get back to working up a sweat in the workout room. I get sternum and incision discomfort on occasion, particulalry when I walk; I guess it?s still considered a fresh wound. I told cardio how sometimes I feel a pressure build up just under my sternum where the scar tissue is and he told me it?s called an abdominal hernia, a protrusion that I can just push back into place with my fingers; it?s common but it?s nothing heart related. I chew Tums to make it go away. And there is the occasional but reportedly harmless skipping beats that happen mostly with fatigue. So, do I feel like my old self or even better than before? Truthfully, no. My body feels like it?s been through a major trauma. Go figure.
The good news is the heart is doing great. I went to my cardio last week and he said my valve ?sounds like a normal valve.? Can?t get more of a ringing endorsement than that. And my vitals were right on the money too. So there is reason to cheer. If I could only get my sleep issues under control then I?d really be a happy camper.
I guess my point is for others who are about to get such a procedure done, if their recovery is slower than the look-at-me-after-just-two-weeks crowd, I say to them don?t get discouraged. Some recoveries are slower than others, like mine obviously is. It sucks, no doubt, but you?ll get over the hump ? eventually. I?m not trying to be a bummer, just giving another perspective.
Thanks to everyone for their words of support. I can hardly wait for the fall when I put the pads back on and get back to my hockey team.
