PVC's and forceful heartbeat

[greggo32]

I know that there has been a lot of talk about PVC's post op; however, I'm going to bring up the subject again because a few things are really getting to me and I can use some advice. I had a mechanical aortic valve put in on 4/16/02 and I am on Lopresssor (Metoprolol) and Digoxin. My heart beats so forcefully that it is driving me crazy! It makes me feel like I don't want to talk and it makes me a little breathless.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Greg

 

[Perrster]

Hang tight

Hang tight

Hey Greggo,

I sympothize with you on your forceful heartbeat. Check out the thread on this forum titled "bounding pulse." There was good dialogue there.

It will take some time, but you'll (have to) get used to it.

Cheers!

 

[hensylee]

Hey Greg - nice to see you. Been wondering where ya been. I think a call to your cardio's office for reassurance might be in order. Any questions, they told me to call. I had bypass and my heart was pounding and seemed to labor so I called them. They increased a med I was on and it helped me a lot. Yours is no doubt different and connected to the valve but they will answer your questions. Also check on the bounding heart as Perry suggests. Are other things coming along. God bless

 

[JimL]

Greg,
I too have experienced the "forceful" heartbeats. I think I'm satisfied to just ignore mine, since they come and go, although I am very curious as to why. I've asked doctors, but get no answer.
However, "forceful" is certainly open to different interpretations. Definitely ask your cardiologist. Maybe you'll get an answer that will also satisfy my curiosity.

 

[greggo32]

Continuation

Continuation

I appreciate all of the feedback as I called my cardiologist and he said, "You just need to relax". He showed as much empathy and curiosity as an individual using only his/her brainstem! I am going to check out the thread recommended by Perry. The other point I wanted to make is that my recovery hasn't been smooth. It is very "up and down". I still have PVC's and they are annoying.

Greg

 

[hensylee]

Sorry you are not moving along as well as I thought. Anything we should know or anything we can help with? It takes awhile to get back in the swing so don't try to expect too much the first few weeks as it sure takes longer than that, but in time it should come. And it will. I was breathless, weak, sore, in pain and some sleeplessness but time took care of it. Just had to be patient. I kept a diary and have gone back and read it - can't believe that I was not as well as I have thought since those days. God bless

 

[ALCapshaw]

Hi Greg,

I had a couple of A-fib events after my bypass surgery and now I'm having PVC's and PAC's as I approach Valve Surgery. As in your case, the cardiologists yawn and act as if I'm boring them with my concerns. Beta blockers can help control PVC's but you have to BE CAREFULL not to get your blood pressure TOO LOW, which can cause cardiac arrest. Two VR members (was it Zazzy and Mara ?)
told me they take 400 and 500 mg of Magnesium to control PVC's.
You may want to ask your cardiologist about that approach.

I sympathize with your concerns. Strong and / or irregular heartbeats have a way of 'getting your attention' and causing concern. You may want to also talk with the cardiology nurses. They are often more available to take or return telephone calls and have a lot of experience. The more people you talk to, the more likely you are to find someone who knows / understands your situation.

I remember having a problem with coughing whenever I tried to talk,
for several weeks, following my bypass surgery. Your heart and body has suffered a lot of stress from the surgery. Time is often the best medicine for rhythm irregularities.

Good Luck in getting your situation resolved.

'AL'

 

[greggo32]

RESPONSE and THANKS

RESPONSE and THANKS

Dear Hensylee and AL,

Thanks for your thoughts and concern. Al, I didn't know that you have to have valve surgery. If you care to restate what is going on, I would appreciate it. Hensylee, I am trying to be patient and give myself time to heal. I take naps in the afternoon and eat well. My stress level is nonexistant. Well, I guess the stress of recovery is enough!! Anyway, I am doing my best to cope and I will have to bother the doctor if I don't feel better. I must say that it sure would make it easier if the cardiologist could see the patient once-twice per week after heart surgery. I don't think that is asking too much of our medical system. I'm not talking about 1/2 hour visits. I mean a 15 minute check-up! I still say we treat our drug addicts and prisoners better than the heart patients.

Greg

 

[hensylee]

I got much more service from nurses and Dr's assistant - Dr allowed 15 min visits; he was busy so I chose his ass't who spent 1/2 hr with me. Nurses always returned my calls. And yes, the prisoners/addicts get the cream.

 

[Perrster]

You're high maintenance!

You're high maintenance!

Hey Greggo,

Consider yourself permanently marked on the "high maintenance list." Just keep bugging them. Recovery IS a slow, patient process.

It's so darn easy to say that now. Heck, I went to the emergency room twice with odd symptoms during my first 6 months of recovery. Neither visit was serious, nevertheless, harrowing. Oddly, I never noticed my bounding pulse until just this year. Focussing on work, TV or music, or some activity lessens the effect. I have also been supplementing Magnesium for about a year now.

Have noticed also that exercise definitely reduces the symptoms. When do you start re-hab? Can you get out for a short-long walk yet?

Cheers!

 

[ALCapshaw]

Hi Greg,

To answer your question, I was diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis early last year. After adjusting my medications, my cardiologist hoped to postpone surgery for 2 to 4 years. Well, we managed to get one. My aortic valve is down to a 0.8 square cm opening and there is some mitral regurgitation and leakage. I can still walk comfortably on level surfaces and go upstairs, but when I do my walks, I have to stop to catch my breath and relieve the chest pain when going up hill.

I was referred to Dr. James Kirklin at the University of Alabama in Birmingham Hospital which is rated #13 in the nation for heart procedures. They 'penciled' me in for surgery on May 21 which has pretty much become cast in concrete. I submitted a list of (20) questions which I expected him to respond to by telephone. Apparently he now wants me to come to his clinic to discuss them personally at his next opportunity which will be May 13.

My concerns and 'issues' were posted in the Pre-Surgery Forum under UNEASY and Bumps in the Road - PVC's.

Hope you resolve your PVCs and Thudding Heartbeat in short order.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi gregg!
sorry to hear that your recovery has been so erratic. joey expected to have a smooth recovery and ran into a few bumps himself. he went into afib 3 or 4 days post surgery. when he had been in afib prior to the surgery (on and off, not constant) they were mild, irregular beats, no increase in pulse. he was put on sotolol/betapace for the afib and it was under control. after the surgery, however, the afib manifested itself in a very different way: his pulse/heart rate sky rocketed and was throbbing. they immediately gave him a magnesium drip (says something about magnesium therapy?) and sotolol. when the sotolol failed to work, after some discussion, he was given amiodarone. he is still on it and is monitored closely (he has a thyroid problem as well and the amio affects it, so bloodtests, eye tests, lung tests, etc).
when he went for his stress test, the cardio said that he had some pvc's, but nothing to worry about, as long as they weren't sequential. he does, sometimes, especially after lots of "holiday heart" food/drink, etc. have a few pvc's that he is aware of, but was told not to worry as long as they go away.
i know you must be so disappointed that things aren't going as you had probably hoped they would, but in time all will smooth out. it's only been less than a month since your surgery; please give it some more time.
i hope you feel better with each new day.
be well, sylvia

 

[Tom Harrison]

Greg: I had a mechanical valve installed the end of February and like you felt the surgeon booking me for an appointment in six months was to long. I had so many questions that could have been answered in a short appointment plus I would have felt more reassured.
Also I find the valve very noisy. Lying in bed at night it keeps me awake and at times almost rocks me. I can take an accurate pulse when walking just by listening to it. I feel like the alligator in Peter Pan that swallowed the clock

 

[greggo32]

Extra beats

Extra beats

I don't mean "to beat a dead horse"; however, I am wondering how many of you valve folks had to deal with extra beats after your surgery and how long did they last? I get the skipped beat sensation often. Mostly single ones. Anybody with some insight on this issue.

Greg

 

[Zipper]

Hi Gregg and Tom,

I'd always had palpatations before my aortic valve replacement, so I don't think I thought much of them after altho I did notice they decreased. I still have them a bit, probably due to my MVP.

I saw my Cardiologist at two weeks post-op and then again in a month. Once I started with Cardiac-Rehab 3x a week I felt very monitored. Had that not been the case, I would have had anxiety over many things!

I would INSIST on an appointment..stress is NOT good for you. Take care and best of luck.

Joan

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Greg, since you are only 3wks or so post-op perhaps your surgeon's office can help apply some pressure to the cardio to get you in there. I agree with Zipper you need to get this checked out for your own (and I would think your cardio's) peace of mind.

Whilst still in the hospital, I had 4 episodes of racing pulse (one time 180bpm) I only felt 2 of them, and each would resolve within a minute or so. These began within 15 minutes of them pulling the pacing wires.

They put me on amioderone to regulate it, and I have had no episodes since.

 

[cookie]

Hi Greg!
I had aortic valve and arotic root replacement and 2 years later I'm still dealing with an irregular heart beat and, sometimes, a bounding pulse. My cardio calls it a regular, irregular heart beat and doesn't seem concerned. It mostly happens when I've overindulged( LOL) or am too tired. I take a beta blocker every other day which helps with the pulse. I still tick like a clock but given the alternative the ticking has become second nature for me. Good luck with your recovery. Give it time and things will smooth out.

 

[greggo32]

My position

My position

Dear Johnny & Cookie,

Thanks for the feedback on my symptoms and overall frustration. Johnny-I'm so glad that surgery went well and I hope that your recovery is going well. Cookie-You sure have been through a lot as well. As for me, the main issue now is dealing with the skipped beats and fast heart rate. I am on Lopressor for the heart rate issue. I am going to see a cardiologist on Friday and hopefully they will do an echo so that we can see how the valve is functioning. I think that a patient (after undergoing open heart) should be seen once per week for a 15 minute visit. I think it is crazy to go from intensive treatment to nothing at all. I don't think my request is unfounded. There are a lot of symptoms that need to either be noted or discarded during the first month of recovery and one needs a specialist (cardiologist) to facilitate the process. I can cope with a lot; however, I need to know what is significant and what is insignificant!


Truly,

Greg

 

[ALCapshaw]

Hi Greg,

I understand and agree that it helps to know what symptoms are serious and what symptoms just need to be tolerated until they (hopefully) go away.

The medical / insurance system puts a LOT of pressure on Doctors and their time. I second Hensylee's suggestion to see if you can get one of the cardiac nurses or Physicians Assistants to call you back. They have a lot of experience and knowledge and can usually answer / address most concerns.

Best wishes for your continued recovery.

'AL'

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi gregg!
i'm so sorry you have to go through this. hopefully this will be the worst stumbling block you encounter.
i can totally relate to how you are feeling about wanting some contact with the cardio after coming home from the hospital. joey called his cardio atleast once a week (sometimes twice or more) after he got home. his cardio was nice enough and sensitive too and returned his calls or had his questions answered by one of the gals in his office.
he ended up going in to see him several times (i think it was after 2 weeks and then after 4 weeks to get a baseline lung capacity for the amiodarone and just see him). his surgeon wanted to see him a month later too. so, he was very fortunate in that way. i encouraged him to call the office with any questions or concerns; he did.
please let us know what the dr says. is there a possibility that they may change your medication?
wishing you all the best, sylvia