12 weeks now. Tired and memory loss?

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Terrible l had to look back aetos l am sorry l forgot to welcome you to this site. It really is amazing .. l had OHS aortic on Jan 5 so just about 4 weeks before you. I also felt pretty much the same then as you do now.
Hope things continue moving forward for you .
 
Pump head is very disconcerting and you wonder what the heck is going on , once you realise its happening its not such a big deal I found (funny even sometimes) and it slowly ebbs away with time.
 
harrietW;n864994 said:
Terrible l had to look back aetos l am sorry l forgot to welcome you to this site. It really is amazing .. l had OHS aortic on Jan 5 so just about 4 weeks before you. I also felt pretty much the same then as you do now.
Hope things continue moving forward for you .

Thanks everyone!
Things are indeed getting better. Was on the treadmill last night for 40 min and felt very good. Still have that slight discomfort and pain when in sitting position along with the constant thumping of my heart here n there.
Things are getting better though :)
 
It will happen less and less as time goes on. I am a year and a half post op and I still get confused sometimes but nothing like right after surgery. I also still have the painful cramping in my shoulder and arm from the surgery but it might only happen every couple of months. The thumping and clicking of the mechanical valve is something you will have to get use to. Mine is still thumping and clicking but I don't notice it as much as much or really don't care as much either. It's just good to be around at all now!
 
Time is a great healer ... Every week will make a massive difference ... I had no specific memory loss issues ... But then my memory was not as good at 50 as it was at 30 ... However you will get better and 40 minutes on the treadmill is fantastic ... Keep it up and keep coming back here.
 
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 repair, but I am learning how to deal with it. I use memory aids and let other things go. Most of the people I have talked to impacted by severe memory issues are not in this forum but in forums meant for people with traumatic brain injuries. They have trouble reading and get frustrated writing or posting to forums.

I just talked to another person whose father at 55 went on disability a year after valve surgery. He is a smart and tough guy, but he cannot do his job safely any more. The fog is not lifting, and it is like being two different people.

I posted a lot of my experiences and what I thought was useful information in the Post-Surgery forum: Post-operative cognitive dysfunction
 
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 particulates, despite there being some evidence in the literature that the bypass machine is not the culprit (or only culprit). MRIs typically show tiny spots in the brain being affected, sometimes more often in the frontal or occipital lobes, but the cerebellum is also affected, patients suddenly losing balance or having trouble with coordination. The brain can heal from these injuries, but establishing new neural pathways can take time. A neurophysiatrist thought it more likely the culprit was simply anoxia, which led me to consider the risks being higher for people whose vasculature has adapted to a heart problem, particularly over a long period of time. This would make it more difficult for the surgery team to ensure a consistent supply of oxygenated blood across the brain during surgery, particularly if the surgery was long. Deconstructing what happened to your brain has some utility to how you are going to deal with cognitive challenges, but for most people not having surgery means you are going to die, so not a lot of choice there.

Most people just try to find a good cardiologist and surgical team, and then follow their advice. The real choices are how you are going to deal with problems that arise after surgery. Not remembering where you put your keys is one thing, but not being able to read or struggling to understand what people are saying to you, requires a different level of response. Although it may be hard to imagine what short term or working memory loss is like unless you experience it, it only really matters how the affected person responds. It is extremely helpful to have supportive and patient people around you, but I found it very difficult to assemble the tools I needed to understand my problems and start to deal with them. I remember telling my cardiac nurse that the world was wrong, disconnected. I do not say that any more.

Some people in this forum have expressed fear of cognitive problems after their pending surgery. I think it is important to stay optimistic and connected to others like in this forum. People sometimes do not have the choice to avoid surgery, but you can choose not to fear. And there are lots of resources to deal with cognitive problems, resulting from major surgery, aging or a knock to the head.
 
Capizzi;n865028 said:
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 particulates, despite there being some evidence in the literature that the bypass machine is not the culprit (or only culprit). MRIs typically show tiny spots in the brain being affected, sometimes more often in the frontal or occipital lobes, but the cerebellum is also affected, patients suddenly losing balance or having trouble with coordination. The brain can heal from these injuries, but establishing new neural pathways can take time. A neurophysiatrist thought it more likely the culprit was simply anoxia, which led me to consider the risks being higher for people whose vasculature has adapted to a heart problem, particularly over a long period of time. This would make it more difficult for the surgery team to ensure a consistent supply of oxygenated blood across the brain during surgery, particularly if the surgery was long. Deconstructing what happened to your brain has some utility to how you are going to deal with cognitive challenges, but for most people not having surgery means you are going to die, so not a lot of choice there.

Most people just try to find a good cardiologist and surgical team, and then follow their advice. The real choices are how you are going to deal with problems that arise after surgery. Not remembering where you put your keys is one thing, but not being able to read or struggling to understand what people are saying to you, requires a different level of response. Although it may be hard to imagine what short term or working memory loss is like unless you experience it, it only really matters how the affected person responds. It is extremely helpful to have supportive and patient people around you, but I found it very difficult to assemble the tools I needed to understand my problems and start to deal with them. I remember telling my cardiac nurse that the world was wrong, disconnected. I do not say that any more.

Some people in this forum have expressed fear of cognitive problems after their pending surgery. I think it is important to stay optimistic and connected to others like in this forum. People sometimes do not have the choice to avoid surgery, but you can choose not to fear. And there are lots of resources to deal with cognitive problems, resulting from major surgery, aging or a knock to the head.

Very well written. That's where I've occasionally found myself-" hey there was something I want to tell you but I forget what" or " where did I put that". Usually itcines back to me but it's not a big deal like the type of comprehension problem you mentioned. I agree with the positive attitude point of view and I like to remind myself that some occasional forgetfulness isn't bad considering one alternative is I could be dead. As for those who are having cognitve issues and trouble doing their jobs I feel for you.
 

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