3 months since surgery

[Jamieann]

It's just shy of the 3 month mark since my surgery and I honestly feel great! The first 4-5 weeks were ROUGH, but somehow I made it through one day at a time. While I was in the middle of the hardest days I didn't know how much more I could take, but those days were so fleeting in the grand scheme of things.

I didn't have any symptoms prior to surgery, so wasn't expecting to feel much different but I would say I actually feel better now than I did before surgery. Mostly less tired and more alert during the day. I remember maybe a year ago telling my coworker that I didn't think it was natural how tired I was all the time...well problem solved!

I've been going to cardiac rehab and have been building back up to being able to run (am now able to run 5 min intervals at a time) and getting back to strength training as well.

I am just so grateful for my surgeon and cardiologist and that I got the surgery when I did (my valve ended up being a lot worse than they anticipated). It's great to be alive!

 

[Seaton]

Wonderful news, Jamieann! Glad to hear it.

I've had persistent fatigue for quite some time now and had previously been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. But could it have been my heart all along? Perhaps the future will tell.

Thank you greatly for the update and best to you onwards.

 

[almost_hectic]

It's just shy of the 3 month mark since my surgery and I honestly feel great! The first 4-5 weeks were ROUGH, but somehow I made it through one day at a time. While I was in the middle of the hardest days I didn't know how much more I could take, but those days were so fleeting in the grand scheme of things.

I didn't have any symptoms prior to surgery, so wasn't expecting to feel much different but I would say I actually feel better now than I did before surgery. Mostly less tired and more alert during the day. I remember maybe a year ago telling my coworker that I didn't think it was natural how tired I was all the time...well problem solved!

I've been going to cardiac rehab and have been building back up to being able to run (am now able to run 5 min intervals at a time) and getting back to strength training as well.

I am just so grateful for my surgeon and cardiologist and that I got the surgery when I did (my valve ended up being a lot worse than they anticipated). It's great to be alive!

Im ten months now, but your description of how you feel now could have been written by me. It sounds exactly like what my experience was, even the before surgery part. I remember at your stage thinking how amazing it was that every single week I felt even better, so much so it blew my mind because I had no idea I could feel that good or that I felt that bad before.

 

[dornole]

Thanks for these encouraging posts. This is really my hope that I'll have more energy after surgery. I like to imagine how much more energetic I might be.

 

[almost_hectic]

Thanks for these encouraging posts. This is really my hope that I'll have more energy after surgery. I like to imagine how much more energetic I might be.

Just so you understand, it's not so much "energy" as it is just feeling good. At least for me that's how it was. For months of recovery I felt really good but I'd get tired because healing seemed to take so much out of me for the first few months. It would swing between feeling good to feeling tired and exhausted. But if you commit to recovery and exercise you build up strength and energy comes in time.

 

[Catie]

Such a great report! Thanks for your encouraging post. And big congratulations on all your progress!