edjspi
Active member
Hi All,
i just sent the below message privately and I thought I would post here so everyone had an update. I'm 6 weeks post-op from my second AVR (tissue valve first time, mechanical valve this time), and getting back into my normal routine.. but unfortunately that means i don't have as much time as i did to get to this SITE! So I apologize in advance if it takes me a while to reply to things....
still dealing with a few minor issues, but overall the surgery was a tremendous success, most people can't believe how well I'm doing after only 6 weeks. all holes and incisions are completely healed, and I'm on very little medication.
Thanks again to everyone at VR.com who has helped me through this...
________________________________
I'm back to work part time this week, and starting to ease back into my routine with kids, work, music, etc. Not easy to just EASE into it! Had my f/u appt with cardio and surgeon, they said all looks great, kept me on a bet blocker for 1 month, and if nothing else comes up I can see them in 6 weeks. After struggling to get my coumadin levels right and giving myself Lovinox injections for 3 weeks, I FINALLY hit an INR of 2.6 nine days ago, and they said I was good with the 8mg coumadin and could stop the shots. Now I'm getting checked every 2 weeks, and working on getting a home test system so I can do it myself! But they basically gave me the green light to monitor my own progress from here on out, and gradually get back to my normal exercise routine, with doing no weights until 8 weeks at earliest.
The noise is definitely getting better. There are times i don't notice it at all now, and the surgeon maintains that as the scar tissue forms around the heart it will only get better, and that I will get more used to it. Still having occasional rib/muscle pain, mostly in the mornings, but NOTHING like it was and I know that will go away eventually. The only thing I'm dealing with now (and one of the reasons they left me on the beta blocker for now) is a pounding, racing heart beat. My resting heart rate is still 100-110, and the pounding happens very randomly and doesn't neccessarily last very long, but it is VERY annnoying. wakes me up several times each night. Again my docs are saying that this is normal and a result of the heart reacting to being traumatized, and that it will go away over time, but could take a month or two.
I don't remember having this issue with my last surgery....
thanks again for the help and support everyone!
-Eddie
i just sent the below message privately and I thought I would post here so everyone had an update. I'm 6 weeks post-op from my second AVR (tissue valve first time, mechanical valve this time), and getting back into my normal routine.. but unfortunately that means i don't have as much time as i did to get to this SITE! So I apologize in advance if it takes me a while to reply to things....
still dealing with a few minor issues, but overall the surgery was a tremendous success, most people can't believe how well I'm doing after only 6 weeks. all holes and incisions are completely healed, and I'm on very little medication.
Thanks again to everyone at VR.com who has helped me through this...
________________________________
I'm back to work part time this week, and starting to ease back into my routine with kids, work, music, etc. Not easy to just EASE into it! Had my f/u appt with cardio and surgeon, they said all looks great, kept me on a bet blocker for 1 month, and if nothing else comes up I can see them in 6 weeks. After struggling to get my coumadin levels right and giving myself Lovinox injections for 3 weeks, I FINALLY hit an INR of 2.6 nine days ago, and they said I was good with the 8mg coumadin and could stop the shots. Now I'm getting checked every 2 weeks, and working on getting a home test system so I can do it myself! But they basically gave me the green light to monitor my own progress from here on out, and gradually get back to my normal exercise routine, with doing no weights until 8 weeks at earliest.
The noise is definitely getting better. There are times i don't notice it at all now, and the surgeon maintains that as the scar tissue forms around the heart it will only get better, and that I will get more used to it. Still having occasional rib/muscle pain, mostly in the mornings, but NOTHING like it was and I know that will go away eventually. The only thing I'm dealing with now (and one of the reasons they left me on the beta blocker for now) is a pounding, racing heart beat. My resting heart rate is still 100-110, and the pounding happens very randomly and doesn't neccessarily last very long, but it is VERY annnoying. wakes me up several times each night. Again my docs are saying that this is normal and a result of the heart reacting to being traumatized, and that it will go away over time, but could take a month or two.
I don't remember having this issue with my last surgery....
thanks again for the help and support everyone!
-Eddie
