Hi Greg:
My husband's recovery has also been slow. He had two valves installed in October of 2001. He was dx'd in April with a third, leaking tricuspid valve, and he is in chronic a-fib. We have thought all along that there are other factors influencing his recovery. He has had a couple of bleeding events, since the surgery, from the coumaden. Through all of this though, for the most part, he has been good emotionally. We just take each day at a time. We both think he has been better, more energy, since about mid-May....although he did have a minor setback last week from a really really bad hematoma.
The message we have gotten from everyone...his cardio's, here on this stie, etc., is that everyone is different, and recovers at their own rate. My husband, for example, could not walk 50 feet without being SOB, and that was walking slowly. He climbed a flight os stairs and was SOB at the top, where he had to rest.
I would recommend that you go in to see your Dr. - You might need, emotionally, to have a follow-up echo done, to reassure you that everything is AOK, and that you are making progress. Just an idea. And, take it easy on yourself. You are not a by-pass patient, who usually recover very quickly, and do NOT let anyone think you are. A valve job takes much., much longer to recover from.
Finally, to quote someone else on this site......Where does God fit into all of this?
Best wishes.
Marybeth