mike dab
Active member
My doctor said the thumping would be gone or greatly diminished by now . . . but it woke me up again this morning. Is this something that others deal with six months after surgery?
now 6 months post op and still thumping away
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pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
Mike
you don't say what valve you had, but if its anything to go by my Arotic Mechanical was 'thumping' significantly for the better part of a year.
If the external scar tissue is anything to go by it was big red and lumpy for the first year. Its now at about the stage where I say to myself "hey, this isn't as bad as it was"
hang in there.
you don't say what valve you had, but if its anything to go by my Arotic Mechanical was 'thumping' significantly for the better part of a year.
If the external scar tissue is anything to go by it was big red and lumpy for the first year. Its now at about the stage where I say to myself "hey, this isn't as bad as it was"
hang in there.
Until now I might feel thumping on and off and mostly after a long tiring day or when I'm dehydrated!
Make sure you drink your water and soothing teas instead of coffee. Just my 2-cents thoughts!
Make sure you drink your water and soothing teas instead of coffee. Just my 2-cents thoughts!
Owen
Member
Mike,
The short answer is, yes....
I'm just past a year since my mechanical valve was put in, and I still have to take something to sleep at night, otherwise I just toss around trying to ignore it. Often, it feels like it's thumping in my throat, or up the sides of my neck.
I also get a hard thumping in my chest upon exertion, but usually during the day it doesn't bother me too much, mainly at night. In fact, for several months post-op my cardiologist had me on some rather strong sleep meds.
And I agree with the hydration - certainly seems to lessen it somewhat.
Hang in there, mine has lessened over time, although I still would like it lessened further. It does get annoying. The explanation I was given was basically that the heart had been having to work harder for years to compensate for the bicuspid valve, then more for my aneuryism. Now the heart needs to learn to back it down, it's still working harder than it needs to. Hope that makes some sense....
I take Melatonin at night (usually around 20 mg), and that helps put me to sleep, and generally stay asleep.
Hope it gets better for you soon
The short answer is, yes....
I'm just past a year since my mechanical valve was put in, and I still have to take something to sleep at night, otherwise I just toss around trying to ignore it. Often, it feels like it's thumping in my throat, or up the sides of my neck.
I also get a hard thumping in my chest upon exertion, but usually during the day it doesn't bother me too much, mainly at night. In fact, for several months post-op my cardiologist had me on some rather strong sleep meds.
And I agree with the hydration - certainly seems to lessen it somewhat.
Hang in there, mine has lessened over time, although I still would like it lessened further. It does get annoying. The explanation I was given was basically that the heart had been having to work harder for years to compensate for the bicuspid valve, then more for my aneuryism. Now the heart needs to learn to back it down, it's still working harder than it needs to. Hope that makes some sense....
I take Melatonin at night (usually around 20 mg), and that helps put me to sleep, and generally stay asleep.
Hope it gets better for you soon
ski girl
Well-known member
Just a random thought . . . are you doing any hard cardio exercise? As your heart adapts to being pushed (i.e., increasing fitness), it doesn't need to work so hard when not being pushed. This is why athletes tend to have low resting HRs. So maybe if your heart doesn't have to work as hard in the 'downtime' the thumping will decrease. I notice mine less at night now that I'm back to full fitness, which could be because I'm tired from training, but whatever the reason, I'll take it!
There shouldn't be any risk to trying the experiment above, only good things can come of getting fitter!
There shouldn't be any risk to trying the experiment above, only good things can come of getting fitter!
AZ Don
Well-known member
I had a valve sparing aneurysm repair and my heart thumps when I am in certain positions and especially when I take a deep breath. I'm at 10 months post op and it has never really changed. I don't think it has anything to do with how hard my heart is working because it's the same at rest or in the middle of a workout. The surgeon suggested that my graft could be transmitting my heart beat in a way that my native aorta did not. From the guesses at what it could be that seems the most likely to me. The surgeons assistant thought it had to do with the pericardial sac being left open and that scar tissue would close it by now and the thumping would be gone.
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
for what its worth, if I sleep on my left side its thumpier. I switched sides of the bed after the surgery and now I get out of the wrong side of the bed each morning (but I sleep better ;-)
How is your blood pressure? Sometimes high blood pressure can be "felt" as high pulse impacts. If you are taking meds for high blood pressure, and if you take them in the morning, then the amount of the meds in your system would be at its minimum in the morning before you take that day's dose.
Just a thought. . .
Just a thought. . .
mike dab
Active member
As always, you are quick to help and generous with your comments. Thank you Steve.
And thank you to everyone else who has responded.
I take my Metoprolol before bed time. It's 25 mg extended release.
My resting heart rate has come down almost to the pre-op level, around 65 BPM. My cardio is in good shape, so I don't think this is related to my heart rate going up and down. And yes, the thumping does seem to travel from my upper chest and sometimes from my neck. Pretty much the same regardless of sleeping positions.
So . . . I guess I just need to be patient and hope that it eventually goes away?
And thank you to everyone else who has responded.
I take my Metoprolol before bed time. It's 25 mg extended release.
My resting heart rate has come down almost to the pre-op level, around 65 BPM. My cardio is in good shape, so I don't think this is related to my heart rate going up and down. And yes, the thumping does seem to travel from my upper chest and sometimes from my neck. Pretty much the same regardless of sleeping positions.
So . . . I guess I just need to be patient and hope that it eventually goes away?
