Just had valve replacement surgery

[Consuela]

It has been about a month since my valve replacement. I was wondering if anyone experiencd this feeling of depression. I have been to my doctors, surgeon, cardiologist and pcp and they all say I am doing fine. So why don't I feel fine.
When do things get back to normal? Does the scar pain ever go away? I would love to hear from anyone that went through what I am going through.

 

[aussigal]

HI Consuela

and WELCOME to vr.com

I havent had my turn at surgery yet but I do know you are absolutely NORMAL...

so many of us have gone thru depression before and after VR surgery

see your doc and let them know you are feeling depressed...

it can be helped and remember ITS NORMAL..

you have had major surgery it will take a bit longer than a coupla weeks to feel as good as new...but keep recovering...it really does happen...

we all care about our family here..

 

[hensylee]

Mornin, Consuela. Welcome to VR. Congratulations on your successful surgery.

Pain - too early to be free of it, but it should be subsiding a bit each day.

Depression is common in heart patients - We sometimes find that a member is quite depressed after surgery and eventually it subsides, as well. If it becomes unbearable to you, you might find a visit to a therapist will help - or consult your primary dr for advice, perhaps.

I am sorry you are going through a bad time. At a month out from surgery, don't expect to be on top of the world yet. It sometimes takes up to a year to get over this surgery. It is MAJOR surgery and your body and mind have taken a beating. You WILL be better.

We are here 24/7 to answer your questions and support you while you go through all this. Please stay in touch. Blessins......

 

[alan_delac]

Hi,

I?m 7 months past surgery, bicuspid aortic valve replacement. I can say that I was psychologically sensitive for a number of months. I couldn?t watch (didn?t like to) TV with medical or police topics or anything that would remind me that my life was in danger. I often felt fearful. Before operation I was quite resilient person. I think that physical trauma that we went through affected our brains as well.
Good news is that it gets better. Some people say that after 2 months they feel quite well I experienced similar recovery but it doesn?t stop there. I think I am still recovering. It happens that sometimes you feel like you are going backwards. I started to experience irregular heart beat about 7 week after the operation and it took another 2-3 weeks to get over that problem.
For me the psychological part was more difficult than physical.

Things that helped me.
Painkiller Tramal or Tramadol would help me feel more optimistic, have more energy and sleep better. After a while I was taking only one in the afternoon to avoid feeling drained and moody. When I stoped taking the pill it took a few days to get over the cold turkey problem.
Getting busy with something emotionally neutral helped as well. I?m an engineer and I started working from home about 3-4 week after the operation, only a few hours each day. It helped to think about something else.
I enjoyed daily walks, light physical activity made me feel better.

It takes time to get well and you will get there. If it doesn?t get better soon you could consider taking antidepressants till your body recovers.

I whish you a quick and easy recovery.

Smile.

Alan

 

[Cris N]

Consuela,
Welcome to this wonderfully informative and supportive site. We hope you'll stick around for a long time.

You are progressing normally. I experienced pain from my incision for some time along with hypersensitive skin. It's mostly gone now. I suffered from depression after surgery - cried frequently - finally had a full blown panic attack that took me to the ER. I talked with the dr who prescribed anti-anxiety med. It too is gone. Slowly, but surely, you will get better.

Get as much exercise as you can handle and talk to your dr about the depression. It is part of OHS and can be treated easily.

Best of luck with your recovery and please let us know how we can help. Lots of people here to lean on.

Cris

Cris

 

[rbl1999]

Hi, I had AVR in July and know what you are going thru. The pain will get better but mine still pops up once in a while. I did not have bad depression, but sometimes that "feeling" would just come over me and still does. Our bodies have been thru a lot, I am beginning to believe my doctor when he says 6-12 months for a pretty full recover. I find that the busier I keep myself the better I am. I go to the gym 5 days a week and that has been a life saver for me.. Be patient, it will all work out.. Rose

 

[Georgia]

Hi, Consuela!

This is not just major major surgery, it's a life-changing event that causes us to redefine ourselves.

I was told by everyone that depression is a common by-product of open heart surgery (ohs); many of us have taken antidepressants to get over the hump. I strongly suggest that you insist on pursuing this with your pcp or cardiologist. They know very well that depression follows heart trouble.

If you'll take the time to peruse posts on this site, you'll see that post-valve-replacement people need to be assertive with medical professionals. We're a small minority that most cardiologists don't deal with too often, and pcp's hardly at all. It's a "squeaky wheel" kindof thing. Keep reminding your docs what happened.

If you're not in cardiac rehab yet, please get a prescription for same and participate. It was the single thing that sped recovery for me and for many here.

Where is your pain? Your incision? Your back and shoulders? If your shoulders, neck and back hurt, it's very common and related to the position they put you in during surgery - they pin your arms together behind you to get access to the heart. You need to have someone massage your back and shoulders several times a day. Most of us have had trouble with this, and massage is a miracle.

Hang in there, Consuela. You have to be patient because recovery is slow and not linear - you'll have good days, often followed by bad (mostly because you overextended yourself on the good days!). Stay with us, read old posts, and ask all the questions you want.

 

[Tom F.]

We are all different in the way we recover from open heat surgery, some get better faster, others take more time. But for the most part all of us are a long way from being well after one month. At 3 months most people are pretty much feeing themselves again. But some report that it can take 6 mos to a year to feel totally recovered. My doc told me that at 6 mos everyone is still healing inside. Take time to be good to yourself.

As for healing a found a wonderful product called "Scar Massage" from a place called Baar Products (Baar.com). I think it helped me heal a bit faster and better, and my scar is less obvious than a lot of people according to my doc.

 

[imhayley]

welcome!!!

welcome!!!

Hello and welcome to a wonderful way to find the answeres to ALL your questions. Im 7 months post op and have a mechanical mitral valve and had the maze procedure also. I must say that reading your post brings me back to the early days of my recovery. I cried and still do almost every single day. I had depression soooo bad that I was hospitalized. Some folks get through it just fine and some dont....guess Im in the other catagory. I was completely miserable for the first 3 months and then each day I would notice a little progress and from there here I am. Its the hardest thing Ive ever been through and Im still in denial most of the time because its just too much for my mind (its little) to handle. I wish you so much love and so much relief from your pain and depression and just know we ALL have been there I think in one way or another. You will get through this (at least thats what they all told me when I joined so Im a believer!!!!) and all the folks here will help you I promise!!!!!! I will say a special heart to heart prayer for you and keep your chin up...or you may run into a wall. OUCH!! I hope I at least made ya smile once!

 

[PamO]

Consuela: Welcome! My husband had AVR about 15 months ago and he was very sensitive to anything and everything the first month to two months. Anything would set him off into an angry, confused person (and this is not who my husband is). Afterwards, he couldn't remember what set him off and that would depress him. His doctor prescribed anti-anxiety pills for him and they did help to keep him on an even keel for a few weeks. I really think that the anesthesia contributed to this and once it was out of his system, he bounced back.

The pain, well, it does subside. He still has really bad back pain episodes infrequently, but they do come.

Like what's been quoted before, this is a life-changing experience. Your mind needs to catch up with your body healing. Mike still can't watch ER or Grey's Anatomy though.

This too shall pass - hang in there and don't hesitate to talk to your dr. about your feelings of depression!

 

[Consuela]

Thank you all!

Thank you all!

I want to thank each and every one of you who answered me. I feel I have a new family and you all understand what I am going through. Thank you again and God Bless you.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Welcome Consuela,

Please tell us a little more about your pain.
Where is it located? Is it muscle or bone or other?
For muscle pain, MASSAGE is the answer!

At 6 weeks, you should begin to feel more energetic as the sternum should be about 80% healed which will give you more energy for other things.

Lighth Physical Activity does wonders for muscles, energy, and mood. If your insurance will cover it, I highly recommend Cardiac Rehabilitation. This is program of monitored exercise with Cardiac Nurses overseeing the type and level of exercise as you regain your strength and mobility.

I also recommend browsing in the Post Surgery Forum for countless personal stories from other survivors and their post-op experiences.

Feel free to ask any questions that come to mind. We've all "Been There, Done That" and can someone will surely relate to your situation.

BTW, there is an excellent book by J. Jude, M.D., et.al.
"Surviving Heart Surgery and Bypassing Depression" or something close to that (see the REFERENCE Forum for the exact title, and lots of other good references).

Best wishes,

'Al Capshaw'

 

[Consuela]

QUOTE=ALCapshaw2]Welcome Consuela,

Please tell us a little more about your pain.
Where is it located? Is it muscle or bone or other?
For muscle pain, MASSAGE is the answer!

At 6 weeks, you should begin to feel more energetic as the sternum should be about 80% healed which will give you more energy for other things.

Lighth Physical Activity does wonders for muscles, energy, and mood. If your insurance will cover it, I highly recommend Cardiac Rehabilitation. This is program of monitored exercise with Cardiac Nurses overseeing the type and level of exercise as you regain your strength and mobility.

I also recommend browsing in the Post Surgery Forum for countless personal stories from other survivors and their post-op experiences.

Feel free to ask any questions that come to mind. We've all "Been There, Done That" and can someone will surely relate to your situation.

BTW, there is an excellent book by J. Jude, M.D., et.al.
"Surviving Heart Surgery and Bypassing Depression" or something close to that (see the REFERENCE Forum for the exact title, and lots of other good references).

Best wishes,

'Al Capshaw'[/QUOTE]




The pain is to the right of the scar at the top of the chest. The scar has little discomfort, just the tightness and I can live with that. I know that will go away in time, but this pain just comes when I turn the wrong way or sit for a very long time. I personally think it is a nerve that was severed during the operation.
I will be seeing my surgeon again in a week and if it hasn't gone away, I will mentioned it to him.
Thanks for recommending the book. I ordered it from Barnes & Noble and should get it in a few days.
Again thank all of you for being so informative.

 

[tony_stewart_fan]

Hey Buddy,
yeA depression is totaly common, my fiance's gradpa had it a few years back and he is still on anti-depressents.....he is fine now as long as he takes his medication then he tends to get a little cranky....but as long as he takes his meds he is nicer than santa or something like that....lol......but anyways yeA that is totaly normal for you to be like that. My dad had replacement surgery many years back and he is fine then ever now.....and i will prob have to have surgery within the next 10-25 years.......but yeA hope all is going well......