Mitrial valve repair

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Brade

I am a new member to this group, and am not quite sure if I'm doing this right or not.
I'm scheduled for the Cleveland Clinic for Mitrial Valve repair by Dr. Cosgrove on Nov. 5th. I am 62 years old in very good health except allergys (get shots for that). I have no blockages or other problems that I know of.
Am I wrong to think that in several weeks after surgery I'll be feeling pretty good and be well on my way back to a better life? I have heard many good things about Dr. Cosgrove. I hope I'm not being too optimistic.
 
Hi Brade,

Welcome to our group. Great to have you as our friend. Ask anything you can think of, and there will always be someone here that has an answer for you.
Yes, you will start feeling a lot better after your surgery, but it'll take some time though. You are going to have major surgery. They are not just going to work on your car.
I was 53 at surgery and had two AVR's in August 2000 within 11 days. It took me about a year to fully recover. I had many setbacks because I would do too much too soon. I was in such a hurry to get my life back. I had days that I felt on top of the world (6weeks+ post-op) and those were the days that I outdid myself. The next day I wouldn't be worth a plug nickle and would have to stay in bed because of chest muscle soreness and be so extremely tired that all I could do was hang in my bed pillows.
Surgery itself is not that bad. Hardly any pain. Just discomfort for a while, and don't try to sneeze.. LOL!! Have a little pillow handy, it'll become your security blanket for sometime.
It is the waiting period before surgery that was terrible for me and for most of us. The people on the forum made me feel so much more at ease, and once you become informed and educated, you will be so much more at ease about it.

Christina
Aortic Stenosis
AVR's 8/7/00 & 8/18/00
St.Jude's Mechanical
Coumadin 20mg a day.
 
Hi,

I had MVR in Feb. 2000. I had been quite symptomatic leading up to surgery -- my greatest problem was being short of breath. I had deteriorated rather slowly so with time I had sort of gotten use to feeling the way I did. It was strangely enough normal. I woke up after surgery and felt soooooooo much better. I was no longer as short of breath and I could walk stairs again. After 4 weeks I unfortunately suffered a severe complication and my recovery was greatly slowed.

The keypoints of this little story would be that you will feel better but heart surgery is heart surgery. There will be a while before you are fully healed but you will feel better. The pillow will be your best friend for a while :). Among my co-patients at the time the bids on recovery periods were anywhere from a few months to many months. The surgeon said that the experience of recovery is as many as there are patients. If you are young then the likelihood of a speedy recovery is greater than if you are older. A guy, 22 at the time, was back at work after 8 weeks. I am recovering after surgery now and I have been hurrying slow for 2 months. To hurry slow is a good rule of thumb but it's definately easier said than done!

Good luck with the surgery! What type of valve have you decided on? I got a mechanical valve.

Take care and all my best,

/jessica :D
 
Hi Brad Welcome

Hi Brad Welcome

You'll be so glad you found this site. It's a wonderful resource for heart surgery patients. Everyone here understands what you are facing and we will all do our best to answer your questions as honestly as we can.

My husband Joe has had 3 open heart surgeries, 2 lung surgeries and a pacemaker. It's been our experience that:

#1: The more of these operations you have, the longer the recovery

#2: The older you are, the longer the recovery

#3: The sicker you are going in, the longer the recovery

#4: The more they have to do inside your chest, the longer the recovery

#5: Each recovery progresses at the individual's rate. Everyone heals differently and has different pain thresholds and responses to the various meds that are used.

If this is your first open heart surgery and you have the repair done in a minimally invasive way, you have a good shot at feeling better sooner than later.

This is major surgery and you will feel better afterward right away, but to feel very much better, it will probably take from 6 months to a year. You'll have to work at it to get your breathing up to par. You'll be walking and using a breathing device on a regular basis.

I want to wish you all the best and please ask away, anything you want.

Take care,
 
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Hello Brade, and welcome to VR.Com! First of all, I wanted to ask, what kind of Mitral repair are you having? I had a balloon valvuplasty, and then there is Joe, Nancy's husband who had a different mitral valve repair. The least amount of times you have to have the surgery, the better. I was pregnant and very sick at the time of my valvuplasty, so I wouldn't have made it through a replacement at the time, so they opened the valve up waited until I had the baby to have my valve replaced. I am two months post op and I am doing great! I notice a huge difference in my energy levels, and I don't sit and cough constantly. I am a lot more healthy, and I think the people here on VR.com are all very helpfull, nice, and uplifting. They helped me out a lot and lifted my spirits when I was down. I am glad I found this site. I now have a CE Bovine pericardial bioprosthetic valve.
 
Brad - Welcome to this group. I had my surgery in Jan at CCF and used Dr Cosgrove. I had my Mitral valve repaired and my Aortic replaced. Dr Cosgrove is one of the best, I found several patient recommendations and also one of the doctors at CCF. He is a very busy person, since he is dept head, so don't expect to see much of him. As far as feeling better, I feel about the same as before surgery. I didn't have many symptoms, but was well over surgery limits on leakage. Feel free to contact me or read my personal story.
 
hi brad!
welcome to this site. as everyone has said, this is a fine place. chances are, there is someone here who has been through exactly what you are about to embark upon. please ask as many questions as you need to. we are happy to help.
if you search through some of the old threads, you are likely to find dr. cosgrove's name there somewhere (i know i've read his name in here before). also, the cc is really tops in heart hospitals. so, all in all, i think you're in good hands.

my husband joey is about 5 1/2 weeks post-op (ross procedure), and although he is walking in excess of 3 miles a day on a large incline, he claims he doesn't always feel like he can catch a deeper breath. (must have something to do with the fact that his breast bone was opened and closed, no?)

in any case, i see the progress. although it is slow and recovery requires patience, every day gets easier and better.

i wish you all the best on nov. 5th. we well all be praying for you and thinking about you.
in the meantime, i found it helped me a lot to have this "family" on this forum who are so warm and supportive.
we're here for you....
be well,
sylvia
 
Hey Brade - welcome to our home and come on in. This is the best place you could find to get answers to questions. YES - you will feel better in a few weeks after surgery - and be a new person. You'll be sore afterwards for awhile, but that's with any surgery. In the hospital they will give you all the info you need for recovery and what to expect but there are those here who can give you more from a personal view. Best of luck and keep on comin in. God bless:)
 
Brade
Wow, the people on this forum impress me beyond belief. I can think of nothing to add. I too believe that recovery is an individual thing. I also agree that if you push it, you will pay. Promise. When you have a really good day, MAKE yourself slow down. MAKE yourself sit, or nap. Thats when you really tend to over do. I once walked too far too soon, and didnt have the energy to get back home! duh. Dad had to go and get the car, and leave me on the curb!! I was laughing when he got back. Oh yeah, and did I say be sure and keep that sense of humor fine tuned??
mindy
 
mitral valve repair

mitral valve repair

Hello everyone,
I want to thank you all for the post's on my behalf. I know with all you wonderful people rooting for me this procedure will be a piece of cake and as I like to say, "I'll be right as rain"! 7 days and counting.

Brad:D
 
Brad
I had a miral repair just about 2yrs ago at CCF. Dr. Cosgrove was the surgeon. Like yourself, I was in good condition other than the valve problem. Other than being a bit tired and sore for a couple of weeks (much less so than I expected) I felt well and was back to work at seven weeks with more energy than before -guess I didn't realize I was slowing down at the time. Anyway, its 2 years later and all is well and I am forever thankful to Dr. Cosgrove and all at CCF. The worst part of the whole experience for me and I think a lot of others, was adjusting to the fact that surgery was needed and deciding where and who to go to to have it done. I wish you the best. Lynk
 
Hi brad, Iwas wondering what is wrong with your Mitral valve? I have rhuematic heart disease. I was just wondering. Just like everybody else says, DON'T OVERDO IT! I can't stress it enough. Milk the help for everything they can do, and more. I thought I would do it all too,and my sternum still hurts sometimes. I have to keep it going though. I have two young ones at home! You'll do fine.
 

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