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  1. C

    4 Years

    I have two years behind me now after a mitral repair. I figure the mental agitation and stress I feel is pretty much the way it is going to stay. I look forward each day to retreat to a cool, quiet, darkish room. Feeling off can go to feeling overwhelmed. I have a number of ways to deal with...
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    Side sleeping -- I'm confused.

    I sometimes got relief with a heat pad under my lower back. Hot showers gave me temporary relief. When not resting I tried to strech my back. You might also change the pressure on your lower back with small supports. You could try small rolled up towels or denser products designed for that. I...
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    Surgery May 9

    I wish you good luck. I will be thinking positive thoughts for you. I am sure you have a lot to do, but I am also curious about your symptoms and what triggered the recommendation to do a replacement. I assume you would have said re-repair if you were having that done. I think most of us who...
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    12 weeks now. Tired and memory loss?

    My observation is that everyone responds differently to major surgery, but the risks increase with age and physiological adaptation to a heart problem. My cardiac rehab nurses, who have seen thousands of patients, still attributed the condition to the bypass machine kicking up micro-emboli and...
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    12 weeks now. Tired and memory loss?

    Hi Aetos, My observation is that most people recover over time, their memory and fitness recovering. It requires regular exercise, mental challenges, healthy food, and lots of rest. My own experience is that my short term memory has not recovered. It has not improved at all since my mitral...
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    Cycling across America for this wonderful forum.

    Write me directly if you make it to Oregon. I live in Portland. I would love to help. Highway 101 from Lincoln City to Astoria can be dangerous.
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    Tips for post-op recovery sleeping?

    I bought two dense wedges designed to prop people up in bed. I bought them at Bed Bath and Beyond, which is store selling bed sheets, pillows, etc. They made a world of difference because unlike trying to prop yourself up with pillows, they don't slide around and are firm enough so that your...
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    mitral valve REPAIR patients role call...

    Good job keeping up with the cardiac rehab! I'm two years post mitral repair. I was 51 for surgery but diagnosed at 24. I had formal cardiac rehab 3/wk for about 3 months. After those sessions I walked and rode my bike a lot the first year. I started swimming in year two of recovery with a...
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    Surgery Scars on women...

    I swim a lot. I massaged the scars with coconut oil initially. When I could handle more intensity, I had graston done to the scar to minimize the scar; it kept braiding up. My scar person typically works with women recovering from breast surgeries. Two years after my surgery and I occasionally...
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    Hey, let's talk ear lobe creases!

    I had an ear crease. I had mitral repair, and now the crease is gone. I think it is about impaired blood flow. The crease is not useful as a predictor. I only mention it because I had not heard of anyone having their ear crease go away. I did not even think it was very interesting except my...
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    Well, that was fast...

    Good luck MRicharson! I strongly encourage cardiac rehab. I learned a lot from the other people in rehab and I learn a lot about my own limitations. I needed a reason to get out of the house anyway. I left references to help others deal with pumphead in the Post-surgical forum, but everyone...
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    Blood pressure

    My pre-mitral repair BP was almost always 120/80. Post-surgical BP varies widely, sometime really low and other times dangerously high. I had headaches as I tried to increase exercise. My stress test was terminated because my BP was 200+/157 before I broke a sweat -- this was only while...
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    Post-operative cognitive dysfunction

    A number of people have asked for this information, so I thought I'd post it. I keep meeting people who treat their cardiac depression and/or brain injuries with alcohol, which is traumatic for their families. Then I realize how heavily I am dosing myself with caffeine. How are people dealing...
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    Post-operative cognitive dysfunction

    Several cognitive issues were immediately obvious to me post-surgery. My mitral valve related crippling anxiety was gone, leaving me in an eerie and uncomfortable silence. I had a strange abundance of oxygen, which may be poorly regulated blood pressure. And I could neither feel nor hear my...
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    Post-operative cognitive dysfunction

    Several cognitive issues were immediately obvious to me post-surgery. The crippling anxiety was gone, leaving me with eerie silence in my head. I had a strange abundance of oxygen. And I could neither feel nor hear my heart beating. It turns out that people who hear their hearts are different...
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    Post-operative cognitive dysfunction

    I wanted to ask the forum about resources and perspectives they have used to cope with long-term post-surgical cognitive changes. I would like to learn what has helped others remain positive and hopeful. I thought I would also share things that have helped me over the last two years. I will...
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    PDF from STS What to expect after OHS

    I wanted to ask the forum about resources and perspectives they have used to cope with long-term post-surgical cognitive changes. I would like to learn what has helped others remain positive and hopeful. I thought I would also share things that have helped me over the last two years; I have...
  18. C

    Post-operative cognitive dysfunction

    I wanted to ask the forum about resources and perspectives they have used to cope with long-term post-surgical cognitive changes. I would like to learn what has helped others remain positive and hopeful. I thought I would also share things that have helped me over the last two years. The 'What...
  19. C

    Post-operative cognitive dysfunction

    I wanted to ask the forum about resources and perspectives they have used to cope with long-term post-surgical cognitive changes. I would like to learn what has helped others remain positive and hopeful. I thought I would also share things that have helped me over the last two years. The 'What...
  20. C

    Post-operative cognitive dysfunction

    I wanted to ask the forum about resources and perspectives they have used to cope with long-term post-surgical cognitive changes. I would like to learn what has helped others remain positive and hopeful. I thought I would also share things that have helped me over the last two years. I have...
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