Recent content by Heather Anne

I can answer your second question: I believe it is pretty normal to be coughing up phlegm for a while. I know I did, and I used that spirometer like nobody's business. Good luck to you and congratulations on your continued smooth recovery!

I love this list. I third the "don't over-dramatize" point. Also, here's something I kept saying to myself as I waited: "It's going to be two really unpleasant days. You can handle two really unpleasant days." And you know what? That's all it was. Sure, there was discomfort and movement...

I had the opposite experience, just for some variety. All my life I'd been able to hear my heartbeat during quiet moments, as a clicking/snapping sound. In retrospect this was probably because of the extremely pronounced heart murmur I had as a result of my particular congenital deformation...

I'm 2.5 months post op also, and I've decided my scar makes me look like I have cleavage. Cleavage! I've always wanted cleavage. But seriously, I have a friend who had this surgery two years ago, and her scar is just a faint white line you don't see unless she points it out to you. I'm...

T -- I think your back/neck/shoulder pain is pretty par for the course given what contortions they put you through during the surgery. I found massages did help, but I told the therapist to g easy. Here's my two cents on sleep: try not to think about it as day v. night. Think about it as...

Congratulations, Coco! Every day will get better. I, too, gained water weight in the hospital -- only ten pounds, but I'm short so I was quite round when I came home. Drawstring pants are your best friend during this time!

Hey, neighbor! I had my AVR in August at UCSF -- my choice was between UCSF and Stanford and I chose UCSF based purely on geography (I live in Marin).

Congratulation! Sounds like you are doing well -- keep walking! It's the best thing!

Hammy Hancock: I like it! Sorry about the nausea. I've heard it's more common in young, slim, extremely attractive women with great pedicures.

Anna -- I'm 48, and had AVR on August 6. Not an emergency, and not as fraught as your experience was, but we're all on the same train on this board, one way or another. I do think cardiac rehab will help your anxiety and your mood. If nothing else, you will be in a room full of people who...

Congratulations! Glad to hear it all went well. Don't sweat the heart rate; that poor muscle has been beaten with a meat tenderizer -- it's entitled to be a little upset! (Okay, gross analogy. I take it back). My heart rate was also about 60 pre-surgery, and 80-85 the whole time I was in...

Shellbel -- YAY!!!!! I'm so happy for you!!! I've been thinking of you all day knowing this was your big day. It is all uphill (in a good way) from here. I'm so glad you made it through so well, and that you sneaked that pedi under the radar!!!

Thanks for the report -- sounds like you are on the mend after a rough go. Keep walking; you'll be amazed how much that helps even if it makes you tired in the immediate aftermath. .8 miles in 17 minutes is fast, brother! Don't worry about the heart flutters when you lie on your side. That's...

Well, this is a timely thread, for me personally. I do have full coverage for cardiac rehab, so I have my first session this coming Friday. Like many of you, I was a lifelong exerciser before my surgery, but I was barred from doing any cardio beginning in April when my stenosis was measured as...

Wow, great article, thanks for posting it! I am starting cardiac rehab this week and I'm already worried that they're going to treat me like I'm made of china. I really want to get back in shape, and if I feel like the rehab folks are babying me I am very likely to quit. Hopefully they have...