Newbie, post surgery survey

[Tom Berning]

Hi there,

I'm scheduled for AVR in Dec. I'm a total virgin when it comes to hospitals. What I'm after is post surgery stories from people like me (54, good health, no other complications) who have had an AVR and ascending aorta graft. How long after your return home did you feel like doing anything, how long before you could drive etc? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tom

 

[Cooker]

Tom, welcome to VR. I was 2 months away from 50 when I had my AVR. I was was back to work in 5 weeks and driving at 3 weeks and the includes two minor bumps in the recovery road. Everyone is different. I was in pretty good health other than the valve and I could not have been more surprised at how quick recovery was. I think most will agree if there are no other troubles it will go pretty quick and smooth!

 

[Greg a]

Tom WELCOME TO OUR OHS FAMILY........... the reality is that we all REALLLY do heal differently on the forums you will see some common time frames but due to complications we all set our own parameters but we do survive and life life for ourselves and our families GODSPEED TOM and ask lots of questions

 

[Jkm7]

Welcome and Happy you found us but sorry for the reason.

There are soooo many posts for reading about our post surgery experiences.
What I found so helpful when I first found this site just after my first OHS and before my second, four years later, was to read everything here and then ask the specific questions I had.

This site helped me immeasureably to learn about my condition, the surgeries and what to expect. The 'tips and help' from those who have been there and done it are priceless.

Start reading. (I see you joined in May so maybe you have done lots of reading already?)

We're happy to help in any way we can.

 

[offwego]

Check out one of my threads...I am three weeks post op and doing really well overall...I was cleared for driving at just over two weeks and drove last night for the first time (at 3 weeks)..I have no brain fog, heart is getting better most days, pain is minor around incision and is healing very fast.

One of the keys if you are lucky enough, is to not be symptomatic prior to surgery...unfortunately i was laid up inside for a solid 4 weeks or more with what I thought was Bronchitis but was really a combination of that along without knowing my Mitral Valve was in bad shape.

Everyone is different..but generally and from now two surgeries and lots of reading...you can expect to start feeling better at around the 3 week mark..and better each week...another milestone generally is at about 6 weeks...Obviously this can vary greatly with the individual..

 

[normofthenorth]

For most of us, the recovery is a sharp rise and a long "tail" -- what the mathematicians call "concave downward". The first few days (and weeks and months) present a lot of progress, barring "bumps in the road". But even after 6 months and even 9 months, I wasn't quite back to 100%. Now, at 11+ months, I seem to be pretty close.

I was 11 yrs older than you, and I waited for symptoms before scheduling my surgery. They were initially expecting to do the Bentall (AVR + Aortic Root graft), and probably leaving my MV to recover on its own, but the team (surgeon) changed its/his mind while I was on the OR. Going in pre-symptoms generally helps minimize lingering effects (damage), but also poses a psychological burden, because it may be a year before you actually feel BETTER (or even as good) as you did the morning of your surgery, which is tough on some people. Ironically, feeling a little weak and crummy on your way in shortens the recovery -- or at least the time until you feel better than you did pre-op.

Good luck!

 

[offwego]

that's a good point...I had symptoms before BOTH surgeries and both times I was told I looked better post op almost right away..if I had no symptoms it would be a different story...So it was smart of me not to get echo's for 1 1/2 years? lol... I just couldn't bring myself to doing elective MR replacement (didn't know a repair was possible...that was the bonus!)...I guess I needed to feel bad to motivate myself to doing it again...and motivated I was...from the instant I was told I needed it...two weeks later I was in surgery...

Being in the best shape you can be can't hurt...non smokers and not being overweight have it much easier according to the nurses..I was in reasonable good shape although not working out much for over a month...

 

[DebbyA]

Tom,
I first came to the forum looking for the same thing, how people just like me fared. The data is just not set up that way. But if you read the pre- and post-surgery stickies, you'll get a pretty good idea of what it's like for most people. For searches, I find the Google advanced search may pin things down better than the forum search engine. Also if you put some of your key words in the title of a post, you may be more likely to get the attention of your target audience. Hope this helps.

And WELCOME!

 

[Daveb]

Tom,

I was 50 and in very good health (ran a very hilly 15K 3 weeks before surgery) before my first AVR (no graft). They did a minimal invasive entry ( 3" incision). I felt fine after the surgery and was walking laps around the nurses station the evening of the surgery.
I went home after three days and over did it the first day at home (way too active and did not take any pain medication). I finally took some pain medication and after a day and a half in bed my energy started to return. I was driving at 3 weeks, was released to start running at 5 weeks and went back to work at 6 weeks (The reason for the difference is that I say my cardiologist at 5 weeks and my surgeon at 6 weeks and the surgeon needed to be the one to release me for work). I continued running and started training hard at 10 weeks.

I wish I wasn't aggressive as I was and had taken the recovery a little slower at `16 weeks I then started to lose energy and developed endocarditis. It wasn't diagnosed for another month during which time I was going down hill fast and the new valve started failing. I had another surgery at 23 weeks and this one didn't go as well. But I am recovery a lot slower and doing pretty good now.

I would encourage you to read a bunch of the threads on this site and trust in your doctors. The nurses (both ICU and recovery) for both my surgeries were pretty amazing and knowledgeable about what you are going through. Really pay attention to them when it comes to pain management.
This next statement may seem to contradict what I just said, but both are true (in my mind ) You are responsible for your own health. Ask questions and get explanations for what medicine is doing what, what are the side affects. Stay on top of your feelings and get your rest.
Good Luck and welcome to the club

 

[dcc617]

Dave - I'm meeting with the surgeon on 12/13 to set the date. This board is really REALLY helping me sooth my shattered nerves.

One comment you made - 'You are responsible for your own health. Ask questions and get explanations for what medicine is doing what, what are the side affects.' AMEN! I'm an employee benefits broker and am responsible for conducting employee benefit meetings. You can't imagine the ignorance and arrogance I encounter in the general public. People assume the doctor will do everything for them. We tell people to ask questions and assume responsibility. Do they listen? sometimes. This is a partnership between you and your providers.

 

[Bill B]

They have you up walking within a day of surgery, but that was about 20 feet for me. However, within 3 or 4 days I was doing laps around the hospital ward and feeling pretty good. When I got home I could walk miles on level ground, but I had no tolerance for even the shortest uphill grade. That took quite a while, and I benefited greatly from surpervised cardiac rehab. I HIGHLY recommend that. Most insurance pays for 12 week (36 sessions) after OHS. Again, HIGHLY recommended to speed up recovery.

I drove 2 weeks after surgery. I was told 4-6 weeks, but I took a chance for specific reasons and had no problem.

The recovery in terms of exercise tolerance is fairly slow. Other than that I had trouble sleeping for 2 weeks and some GI problems (bloating after eating) for 2-3 weeks post-op. Note that I never experienced any pain from the surgical incision or elsewhere.

 

[John & Joann]

There will be a wide variance between patients, procedures, medical conditions, etc. Walking the first day--maybe 5 ft. Walking around the hospital for 20 minutes per trip by the 3rd day. Generally home by the 5th to 7th day. Walking around the block soon after you return home. Driving a car in 4 weeks. Doing normal actities in about 2 months. Feeling 100% in around 6 months.

These a SWAG estimates and shold not be used to determine your recovery rate.

 

[paulschumann]

3 days after surgery I was walking laps around the hospital and just stiff & sore getting outta bed. 2 weeks after surgery I went fishing all night with my brother & just handed him the pole if the fish felt bigger than 10lbs. 3 weeks later (a few days ago) I started driving and today I was pheasant hunting walking through 2 feet of snow in thick grass & cattails for a mile or two at a time. I'm going back to work tomorrow and feel great, just playing the waiting game until I can start lifting stuff over 10lbs which won't be for a couple more months according to the Dr.

 

[LeakyUK]

I was walking after 48 hrs, managed a couple of miles after 2 weeks, driving after 7 weeks (Not allowed until after follow up appointment or insurance invalid). I was still a little sore - especially when looking behind. By 3 months I was cutting down a rogue tree and feeling very good.