New Post Op patient, I am young and new here too.

[pekster11]

i'm 37 and will be having a mechanical AV plus an aortic graft.
I'm still hoping to be able to play soccer afterwards (not super competitve soccer) with my mates. Just going to have to be v careful about heading the ball and going in for tackles !

 

[carolinemc]

Welcome to a great source of encouragement and knowledge and family plus. I have been here for some time and it was here when I had my second bypass in 2001. I had it the same week of 09/11/01, hard for me then This place was great before surgery, I need to vent at times when frustration was too great. And when I needed knowledge for some thing or other. The support here is great.I have a St judes valve. I have also been on warifin( the generic of coumadin), no real problems there. I get problems with the INR at different times, but it is managable. Am going through a problem right know and will be fine, work related. But will hang in there, family here will help. I will be more active, stress and emotional eating has taken a toll and got to change right now, walking. You just keep coming in here, the family is here for you and everyone else. Later.

 

[MS2]

It is really comforting knowing that others around my age (26) have gone through (or will be going through) the same procedure I will be having. I just got diagnosed with moderate to severe aortic insufficiency so it is time for me to look for a surgeon. I did not know I even had a murmur until I went for a school physical a year ago. It progressed from mild aortic insufficiency to moderate/severe over the last year, so my cardio suggested I prepare myself to have this surgery within the next year, before any other complications could pop up. You all have been an inspiration though, and making me much more comfortable with this whole process...although I am still scared about the recovery and any complications that could occur.

 

[saranodamnedh]

Hi guys,

I am 28 years old and have a mechanical valve as well. Assuming you were healthy, expect to bounce back quickly. I'm back to weights and heavy cardio at 5 months. While I'm not at 100%, I've consistently surprised myself. Be patient.

As an aside, I didn't bother with rehabilitation. As long as your stress test was ok, it's probably fine to do the cardio on your own.

 

[jenlbryan1101]

It's encouraging to see others closer to my age that have gone through OHS. On 8/23/11 I was given a mechanical aortic valve and have started coumadin. I'm 33 and a Mom to a 7 yo daughter and a 3 yo active little boy. The hardest part has been trying to teach my son not to jump on me. I'm 3 weeks post op now and back to being a full time SAHM which has been tough. The pain was not so bad in the hospital and I'm sure it had a lot to do with pain meds and being able to rest without the interruption of my kids. My surgeon has not been the easiest with prescribing pain meds so I've been having to tough a lot of this out without relieve.

I wish you guys a speedy recovery.

 

[Bill B]

You seem to be doing fine so far. I highly recommend real cardiac rehab, not just going to the gym. This is a 12-week (beginning 6 weeks post-op), carefully monitored, graduated aerobic exercise program for which most insurance will pay. I was an active guy with an athletic background, but I found this program to be of great help. They went a bit too slow at first but eventually it became challenging and my exercise tolerance increased immensely and steadily. You will find nearly all the other rehab clients are MUCH older and have had coronary artery disease and are given much more restricted exercise regimens. So, you may feel quite out of place, but unless you are VERY conscientious and consistent with exercise on your own, the cardiac rehab program is the best thing you can do post-op to get back into good or even better shape. After that, you should have no restrictions on exercise at all, unless there is some other reason for that. As you said, the mechanical valve and warfarin should not affect your lifestyle (unless perhaps you were a big-time drinker, in which case the valve and warfarin would encourage a positive change in lifestyle). I'm almost 2 years out. After the first 4-5 months, with the rehab under my belt, there has been essentially nothing that reminds me I have a bionic valve.

BTW, I started sleeping on my side almost immediately in the hospital, with a few pillow supports. If you follow the sternal precautions in the way you move around, there's no reason not to if it is comfortable. I kept a pillow propped under my top leg and in front of my thorax and under my top arm when sleeping on my side for the first couple of weeks. I've never liked sleeping on my back and was glad I didn't have to.

 

[hannahsmom]

Hello.

Congratulations on a successful surgery! I am not a patient but am the mother of one. My daughter had valve replacement last year at the age of 10. She was given an adult size mechanical (23mm) valve and is therefore on warfarin for life.

We had originally planned for a the Ross procedure and mechanical was plan b. When we were told the surgeon had to proceed with plan b (her pulmonary valve would not have lasted very long as an aortic valve) we were initially devastated due to an uneducated fear of anticoagulants.

I am happy to tell you that she was back to school in just 3 short weeks and she returned to dance and gymnastics at 6 weeks. She is a female so obviously contact sport restrictions don't apply to her as much. Overall her life has not changed much. She is almost 1 yr post op and is doing wonderfully!!!

Making sure she understands her medication was very important now that she's having sleepovers, going to camp, etc. She has done very well with it. Her INR has been completely stable since 5 mos post op.

It's a blessing that even while you are young - you had/have options that can last a lifetime. I am reminded of that every time it's quiet and I hear that precious valve ticking away!

Last but not least - this site got me thru the hardest time in my life. I didn't post until long after surgery but visited often for inspiration. There are some truly amazing people that know how you are feeling. Glad that you have joined!

Kelly

 

[Julian]

Hello.

Congratulations on a successful surgery! I am not a patient but am the mother of one. My daughter had valve replacement last year at the age of 10. She was given an adult size mechanical (23mm) valve and is therefore on warfarin for life.

We had originally planned for a the Ross procedure and mechanical was plan b. When we were told the surgeon had to proceed with plan b (her pulmonary valve would not have lasted very long as an aortic valve) we were initially devastated due to an uneducated fear of anticoagulants.

I am happy to tell you that she was back to school in just 3 short weeks and she returned to dance and gymnastics at 6 weeks. She is a female so obviously contact sport restrictions don't apply to her as much. Overall her life has not changed much. She is almost 1 yr post op and is doing wonderfully!!!

Making sure she understands her medication was very important now that she's having sleepovers, going to camp, etc. She has done very well with it. Her INR has been completely stable since 5 mos post op.

It's a blessing that even while you are young - you had/have options that can last a lifetime. I am reminded of that every time it's quiet and I hear that precious valve ticking away!

Last but not least - this site got me thru the hardest time in my life. I didn't post until long after surgery but visited often for inspiration. There are some truly amazing people that know how you are feeling. Glad that you have joined!

Kelly

This is amazing! Back to school in 3 weeks! I'm so jealous. Dance and gymnastics at 6 weeks! Oh to be young again! What a great story!