Hey guys, Almost 2 Months post and many heart related questions.

[Gribur]

Well I had my Aortic replacement on July 3, was fixed with a St.Jude mechanical and I had my ascending Aorta repaired/replaced not quite sure how that one works. If you have read any of my other posts, it has been a rough ride. I am now hopefully over the worst of it. I have had a follow up with the surgeon, I have been to the Emergency room and I have had an appt. with my GP and they all say my numbers are spot on and everything looks great. I am just trying to figure out if everything checks out why do I feel like such a bag of #@%$. It takes all I have to get out of bed in the morning. I do next to nothing all day, I have dizzy/light headed spells a lot, I get out of breath and I have constant anxiety and panic and by 4 or 5 in the evening I am done and feel the worst I have all day. I know healing takes a while but I am so tired of feeling this way and being told indirectly that this is normal. Any input would be great here, maybe I am not crazy and wondering if this was a good choice is normal. I am also wondering, I have heard that once your valve is replaced that your heart is essentially fixed and that you have a normal life span. I am wondering how it works if your ascending aorta was replaced? does that also now become better then new or is your lifespan affected due to its replacement? Please try to answer as much as you can , everything helps and maybe other members of this club can help me sort a few things out.
cheers guys
Larry

 

[Bina]

Hey Larry,
I'm another one who had a rough time post op. Spent 6 weeks in my pyjamas, pale white, weak, tired, ambulance trips to the ER, etc.
It really was the worst time of my life....That was almost 7 years ago and I am still here

The anxiety and feelings of helplessness really hit hard and I told my husband that I would rip the dang valve out of my chest. LOL
Seems kind of weird when I look back on all that, but I'm just relating that things will get better. You are SUPPOSED to be tired by
late afternoon, your body needs rest, so do it. Even now, I just go for a quick lie down in late afternoon. There is a daybed in
my office and I lie down quietly for a bit and watch a mindless TV show or two. Maybe your kids will snuggle up with pillows and
watch a DVD with you while you rest a bit.

Don't try to do too much, small steps are just fine and will accomplish more in the long run.
And yes, that valve is a St. Jude and they last a long time

 

[GeddyLee]

I feel ya on this one Larry. I had mine on July 9, and I am just now to the point where I feel about like I did pre-op (which wasn't too great). Like you, the surgeon and cardiologist seem to think everything looks fine. So who knows. I guess it does just take a longer amount of time for some of us

 

[Duffey]

Well I had my Aortic replacement on July 3, was fixed with a St.Jude mechanical and I had my ascending Aorta repaired/replaced not quite sure how that one works. If you have read any of my other posts, it has been a rough ride. I am now hopefully over the worst of it. I have had a follow up with the surgeon, I have been to the Emergency room and I have had an appt. with my GP and they all say my numbers are spot on and everything looks great. I am just trying to figure out if everything checks out why do I feel like such a bag of #@%$. It takes all I have to get out of bed in the morning. I do next to nothing all day, I have dizzy/light headed spells a lot, I get out of breath and I have constant anxiety and panic and by 4 or 5 in the evening I am done and feel the worst I have all day. I know healing takes a while but I am so tired of feeling this way and being told indirectly that this is normal. Any input would be great here, maybe I am not crazy and wondering if this was a good choice is normal. I am also wondering, I have heard that once your valve is replaced that your heart is essentially fixed and that you have a normal life span. I am wondering how it works if your ascending aorta was replaced? does that also now become better then new or is your lifespan affected due to its replacement? Please try to answer as much as you can , everything helps and maybe other members of this club can help me sort a few things out.
cheers guys
Larry

Larry,
You had a BIG surgery! By my calculations, you're about 7 weeks post-op. That's really not a long time in regards to valve replacement/aorta repair.
A few questions: are you weighing yourself consistently to monitor possible fluid gain? Has anyone checked your hemoglobin/hemacrit levels? Are you getting enough sleep?
The fact that you're worn out by late afternoon makes me suspect you're not getting enough rest.
Your valve may be fixed, but it takes a given amount of time for the heart to remodel. I think you will feel much better by three months post-op, but it's also possible you have some issues going on and you'll have to stay vigilant in recording symptoms. The surgeon signs off at 6 weeks, and it seems that many people report an upswing in symptoms right after this point. I think it's due to the lag time between surgeon care and cardiologist care.
Let us know how you feel this next week.
Mary

 

[Lynlw]

Larry,
You had a BIG surgery! By my calculations, you're about 7 weeks post-op. That's really not a long time in regards to valve replacement/aorta repair.
A few questions: are you weighing yourself consistently to monitor possible fluid gain? Has anyone checked your hemoglobin/hemacrit levels? Are you getting enough sleep?
The fact that you're worn out by late afternoon makes me suspect you're not getting enough rest.
Your valve may be fixed, but it takes a given amount of time for the heart to remodel. I think you will feel much better by three months post-op, but it's also possible you have some issues going on and you'll have to stay vigilant in recording symptoms. The surgeon signs off at 6 weeks, and it seems that many people report an upswing in symptoms right after this point. I think it's due to the lag time between surgeon care and cardiologist care.
Let us know how you feel this next week.
Mary

Glbert, Im sorry you feel crappy, but a little confused, beside having the OHS 7 weeks ago everything everyone else mentioned and Mary's good ponts werent you JUST in the hospital for a few days the last week or so ago. with a MASSIVE GI bleed from having an ulcer and being on coumadin, that at one point they had trouble replacing the blood as quickly as you were losing it? Most of the things you are describing sound like they are probably related to what your body went thru with that and the fact my guess is you are probably at least slightly anemic. The panic and anxiety wuld sound pretty normal for someone that has gone thru several serious unrelated medical problems in such a short time, but since it seems to be adding even more anxiety I would talk to your GP about seeing if you might need some meds to get you thru this rough patch

Im not sure numbers you are referring to that are spot on, my guess would be your heart, but after losing major amounts of blood and having it replaced your body takes quite a hit on all the organs
Hopefully you will stat feeling better