Six weeks after AVR & I'm doing great except that...

[Ray Norsworthy]

I still go into A-fib occasionally, usually not longer than 15 minutes. Still, it's disconcerting & worrisome. Sure hope it goes away for good so I can get off the coumadin & amioderone.

The other problem I have at the moment is an extremely sore upper sternum. I can't figure out what I could have done to make it so sore unless it was my little Schnauzer lying across my chest yesterday in the recliner. I do have a sinus infection, but I don't think that could cause it. My scar is healing nicely & I haven't done anything stupid or been hit in the chest. It's so sore I can hardly bend over. Anyone experience anything like this? It cost me my usual 3 mile walk & I don't feel like doing anything except sleeping.

 

[offwego]

been a long time for me...and I had minimally invasive surgery but I do remember having weird heart beats and A fib...3 mile walks? sounds like you're doing pretty great! all part of the process...nothing wrong with sleeping...that's actually most of my plan when i get my surgery in two weeks. hang in there.

 

[carolinemc]

On the pain in the sternum, it will last for at least a year, lessen as time passes. I was that way also after surgery. You have to remember, the muscles have had trauma from being cut open and it takes time for the muscles to heal from such trauma. Just be patient, it will lessen with time. Sorry that you are still experiencing a-fib. But hope that improves more also. What kind of aortic valve did you get? If you have a St Judes, will you be on coumadin for a long time. Otherwise, good luck and give yourself time to heal, hugs for today.

 

[Lynlw]

I still go into A-fib occasionally, usually not longer than 15 minutes. Still, it's disconcerting & worrisome. Sure hope it goes away for good so I can get off the coumadin & amioderone.

The other problem I have at the moment is an extremely sore upper sternum. I can't figure out what I could have done to make it so sore unless it was my little Schnauzer lying across my chest yesterday in the recliner. I do have a sinus infection, but I don't think that could cause it. My scar is healing nicely & I haven't done anything stupid or been hit in the chest. It's so sore I can hardly bend over. Anyone experience anything like this? It cost me my usual 3 mile walk & I don't feel like doing anything except sleeping.

Since from how you wrote this it seems to me that the bad sternl pain is relatively new, or at least getting worse not better. IF that is the case, I would definately be calling the doctor (surgeon/cardilogist, whoever you are supposed to call ith post op questions/problems) and get checked out. hopefully its just normal post op healing, but it could also be something like effusions (fluid building between the sacs around your heart Pericardial, or lungs plueral. Justin had alot of pericardial effusions post op as a young toddler and one of the ways I could tell it was getting worse, is he wouldn't bend over to pick things off the floor, but would point and want us to get it for him. Since pain can get worse when you bend with effusions.

 

[Ray Norsworthy]

Thank you, friends. The reason I'm so late answering this is I've been in the hospital. I had pericarditis & a large pericardial infusion that was strangling my heart & had to be drained. It was a hellish week, but I'm back home. The doctor took me off Coumadin, but increased my amioderone, so it's a devil's trade-off. I hope I won't be on it long since it has potentially fatal side effects. They kill ya to heal ya. I'm feeling a little snake-bit now, but maybe my luck will change & I can get on with my life.

 

[Bina]

Thank you, friends. The reason I'm so late answering this is I've been in the hospital. I had pericarditis & a large pericardial infusion that was strangling my heart & had to be drained. It was a hellish week, but I'm back home. The doctor took me off Coumadin, but increased my amioderone, so it's a devil's trade-off. I hope I won't be on it long since it has potentially fatal side effects. They kill ya to heal ya. I'm feeling a little snake-bit now, but maybe my luck will change & I can get on with my life.

That's too bad about the effusion, what a rotten thing to have. But, now you can move forward again. Good Luck !

 

[Lynlw]

Thank you, friends. The reason I'm so late answering this is I've been in the hospital. I had pericarditis & a large pericardial infusion that was strangling my heart & had to be drained. It was a hellish week, but I'm back home. The doctor took me off Coumadin, but increased my amioderone, so it's a devil's trade-off. I hope I won't be on it long since it has potentially fatal side effects. They kill ya to heal ya. I'm feeling a little snake-bit now, but maybe my luck will change & I can get on with my life.

Im sorry to hear my thoughts were correct and you had peicardiall effusions. Im glad to hear you are home now. I'm guessing you have a tissue valve since they stopped the Coumadin? Hopefully the effusions wont come back but be sure to call right away if you start feeling the same way.

 

[epstns]

Ray - Hang in there. Things will settle down and then begin to improve more rapidly. I was re-admitted to the hospital about a month after surgery (for a different reason), and once that issue was resolved, my recovery quickly caught up with where I should have been. Now, almost 8 months post-op, I'm almost "normal." Of course, I was never truly "normal."

 

[Ray Norsworthy]

Thanks, friends. I've been home since Sunday & the atrial fib hasn't come back except in short 5 second episodes! I don't know if this is dangerous or not since I'm not on the Coumadin anymore, but it sure is disconcerting. Lyn, you nailed it all right. And as a matter of fact, when I went to the emergency room that night I mentioned that it might be a pericardial effusion so they did a echocardiogram right away & bingo. Steve, I'm not normal, either! Ha. I hope you're right; if I had to go back in the hospital again so soon, I'd be devastated.

 

[carolinemc]

You will be sore and stiff for some time, up to a year after surgery. I worked on the keyboard at work and had to slowly unbend myself because I got stiff over the keyboard. It won't be forever, and the pain decreases over time. Just be sure to move often and stretch. It should not affect your walking at all, just a sore sternum is all it is, the muscles have to heal and up to year is correct. Hugs for today.