So happy to find this forum! Found out yesterday I need MVR...

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Sheryl99

VR.org Supporter
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
7
Location
Santa Fe, NM
This is all new to me, so I am hoping to make some friends here who can help me through this process. I think it will be great to talk to people who have been there, done that. I live alone, so I'm concerned about recuperation and support.

I had an echo on Feb 18th, and the conclusions are:

1. Borderline LVH with ejection fraction 50-55%
2. Aortic valve sclerosis with moderate to moderately severe aortic insufficiency
3. Moderate to moderately severe mitral regurgitation
4. Moderate tricuspid regurgitation
5. Mild to moderate pulmonary hypertension

My chin is up anyway! Please message me soon. ~ Sheryl

PS How do I add a photo so it displays on my posts?
 
Hi Sheryl,
Welcome to our family, you will gain a wealth of knowledge and info to help you with your journey.
To enable you to put your photo on your posts you need to make a subscription, you can use the forum without payment but you get added little bonus's, just go into your settings for details.
Deb x
 
Welcome to this wonderful forum, Shery99. You have found the right place for support :).
Based on your echo reading, I presume you will be having an appointment with your cardiologist soon to discuss the findings.
Wishing you all the very best!
 
Sheryl,

Welcome to this forum. I have been a member since November and my confidence has soared in dealing with the doctors I come in contact with waiting and watching. Good luck going forward.
 
Hi, Sheryl, and welcome!

I can guarantee that you'll have plenty of support and encouragement from our group. Have you met with the cardiologist since you had the echo, and if so, what are his/her thoughts?
 
Hi, Sheryl, my first word of advice is "Don't Panic". You've begun this journey the way many of us have and we certainly understand the consternation that it causes. I, too, live by myself - well, except for Den & Teti, my tonks, and Bede, my dog. Before surgery, I worried about everything. Would I be able to live at home after surgery? Would I even be able to care for myself? How long might I be an invalid? How long before I could start living normally? ... and many more.

I can only tell you that not one of the things I worried about was ever a problem, even once. Surgery was on Tuesday and I was home in my own bed the following Sunday. To be practical, I had asked my best friend to come stay with me for a few days after I got home and it was really nice to have him there but I found that I didn't need him to actually do anything. On Monday morning, I let him fix breakfast but after that I fixed my own meals. After breakfast, I took my first real shower and it left me feeling exhausted but wonderful so I took a nap in my recliner. I worried that I would not be able to sleep in my own bed so my brother brought me a recliner. I came to really like it for resting during the day but I never slept in it at night. Before surgery I had put a number of things in the freezer to make things a little easier and after that first breakfast I made my own meals. On the following day, I decided to do some laundry and discovered that I couldn't carry a normal laundry basket so I had to make a couple of trips to the washing machine and after that, I needed a nap. )For the first few weeks, you are likely to become exhausted easily so be prepared for naps.) Later that day, my friend went with me for my first walk to the end of the block and back then it was time for another nap but it felt great to be walking outside. As the days passed, my friend returned home and my walks got longer. During the day, in the recliner, I often used my tray table for my computer so I could keep in touch with friends, chatted on the phone and listened to music. As each day passed, I felt better. By the time I saw my surgeon again, two weeks after surgery, I was walking about a quarter of a mile at at time (always remembering that you never want to walk until you get tired because there is the walk back remaining). He was delighted that I was getting out and asked about the amount of pain meds I was taking. When I told him I found the pain meds only necessary at bedtime, he told me that I could probably start driving at the end of week four. Things only got better, Sheryl. I went back to work on half days at six weeks and really never had a problem; a week later I decided to work full days with the understanding that if I got tired I would go home but I never needed to do so. Cardiac Rehab began at week seven and ran (3 days a week) for three months. By then, I was doing almost everything I had done before surgery. I cannot tell you how much Cardiac Rehab helped. The exercise was good but the best thing it did was to restore my confidence in my own body. Its a terrible disappointment to discovery that one's body is failing and it takes awhile to trust it again after surgery. Cardiac Rehab helps do that wonderfully well.

My only continuing issue was that I developed what for me has proven to be chronic costochondritis which is an inflammation of the cartilage where the ribs are attached to the sternum. The problem this caused was that while driving the shoulder harness irritated my chest so a friend made me a long narrow pillow to use as a fender and it worked great until I lost it last week after four and a half years. As a temporary substitute, I borrowed one of Bede's toys.
View attachment 9138
It has worked so well that I don't need to replace it and Bede has a lot of toys. Like my old pillow, it is long and narrow but it has a "nose" that keeps it from slipping under the shoulder harness as the old pillow often did.

If you have other questions, Sheryl, this is the place to ask them. We've had a lot of different experiences and someone, likely several someones, will be able to help. I can say for myself that this group made a tremendous difference in the way I faced surgery and recovery. Let us know how we can help.

Larry
 
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Welcome Sheryl:
Everyone on this site is blessed that they found out about their condition and that it is usually repaired successfully.
Here is what worked for me.
I spoke with a therapist to control my fear and panic in the months leading up to my surgery.
I went to the gym daily and walked 2 miles a day.
I lost 10 lbs before my surgery.
I was blessed that a great surgeon and cardiologist were my destiny.
I fully researched my disease, my options, my surgeon and hospital.
I choose the ON-X mechanical valve.
I am coming up on a year next month.
My life has returned to normal, as long as I take my heart medications.

Best of Luck,
H.O.T.S.
 
Thank you, Larry. The things you've mentioned are what I have been worrying about, so you have put me at ease. That doesn't mean I won't start panicking again tomorrow, LOL!
 
Wow, you guys are great. Thank you all for the warm welcome!

It is hard for me now because I get so tired just walking across the room. My heart feels tight sometimes, but thankfully the pain and pounding have lessened. I get frustrated easily when I try to concentrate. I expect this will all go away.

I'd better go rest. Talk to you all again soon.
 
Duffy, yes, I have talked to my cardiologist but not the surgeon. I don't see him until March 31st if my next tests on the 7th are okay, otherwise sooner. My cardiologist said my heart is having to work 2-3 times as hard and that all valves are leaking quite badly. My question is, will the MVR help the other valves to stop leaking?
 
Hello and welcome !
Sometimes the other valves will leak a bit to compensate for the stress on a really messed up valve.

You may want to start a bit of preparation in your home. Freezing foods, arranging things in reach, etc. We have a thread on this kind of stuff.
 
I want to welcome you to the forum and assure you that you are NOT alone. We are here to support you and hopefully help dispel some of the fears you might have about OHS.

Hopefully your doctor will be able to provide more information and answer some of the questions you have on your meeting on March 7th. Please let us know how your appt. went.

'til then....take care! :)
 
Sheryl,

I'm about 4 years removed from my visit with the cardiologist where I was told that surgery was needed to fix my failed mitral valve. You have found the perfect place to ask questions, since the people on here have been there/done that. One of the neat things about the site is that there tends to be a fairly quick rotation of posters, since most people do so well after their surgery that they quickly resume their active lives and don't have as much time to spend here. I know that I've definitely been guilty of that!

The one thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet, but it an absolute truth, is that the wait for the surgery is the hardest part of the process, since it is mentally draining. The recovery is tough, but the memories of that will definitely fade in time. And the good news is that you will have a lot of time after the surgery where you can enjoy life.
 
Hi Sheryl,
I join the others in saying Welcome, Happy you found us but sorry for the reason.
I had two OHS in four years and it still amazes me how easily I healed and got back into my usual routine.
I have DH at home but both surgeries, he had to return to his office so we arranged for a caregiver friend to be home with me during the day. We did so more because my hospital (Mass. General) expected all of the OHS patients to have someone with them most of the time. By day two or three each time, I thanked our friend and suggested she no longer needed to come.

I managed just fine on my own.
I showered with either her or DH present the first few times until I felt secure. I had DH walk the stairs with me a few times and after that I went up and down safely and confidently a number of times each day.

Both surgeries from day one home, I got out of bed at a reasonable time each morning, showered and dressed and never stayed in bed for the day. I wasn't sick; I was healing. I was completely compliant about doing all the walking the hospital outlined I should do and firmly believe it is the single best thing you can do for yourself to help in your physical and emotional healing. Walk, Walk, Walk..... It is so important.

I was able to make preparations for light dinners for us and certainly was able to set the table and warm up meals that friends brought to us or DH brought home. I was able to put fish in to bake or a steak on the grill but nothing more complicated than that for a few weeks.

As to laundry, I paid very close attention to the instructions I was given both times (same surgeon - same hospital and even some of the same techs and nurses) to not carry anything more than (I think) 12 pounds. I chose to carry a few things to the washer and made several trips. I was able to reach into the top load washer, take out a few things at a time and transfer to the dryer. I fold the laundry and left it for DH to carry up the stairs.

First surgery, I was more ill going in and it took me longer to heal. I was in CICU for days prior to surgery until I was strong enough to the have surgery. Even so, I w as permitted to drive something like 6-7 weeks post op. I had no need and wasn't confident so waited for 8 weeks as I recall.

The second surgery I was cleared to drive at barely two weeks for short, local trips to do small errands. No highways or night driving until later.

Our best friend (the he in the him/her couple) is a doctor and the week I came home from my first surgery in frigidly cold Northeast winter called to invite us to dinner that weekend at their house. I thought he was crazy and trying to kill me. He knew just what he was doing. He answered "do you for one minute think I'd suggest you do anything that would hurt you"? Of course, I knew he would not. We dressed, bundled up and went to dinner. I was tired, of course, but it was wonderful. He knew the only way to prove to me I 'wouldn't break' and could go out and about and get back to my life was to make me do it. He was right and the biggest favor he could do for us. After that, we went to local, small restaurants for casual dinners when I felt up to it. DH would take me grocery shopping and do the carting and carrying. Going to dinner that night proved to me, I COULD and it wouldn't harm me as long as I used common sense.

You'll see in many of the posts here that many of consider the waiting for the surgery the hardest part. I am among those that think so. Not to say this isn't serious stuff as, of course, it is but it is hugely successful surgery and given a competent team in a good heart center, you will be safe. They have seen it all, done it all and know how to cope with whatever comes up. Be sure to go to a well regarded heart center and you have every reason to believe you should do fine..... barring any co-morbidites that may put you (anyone) at more risk.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi Sheryl; I am 16 months post mitral valve replacement. My valve problem was a sudden failure with no warning whatsoever, so I was spared the anxiety of waiting for surgery; mine was done within an hour of my diagnosis, and if it hadn't been that quick, I wouldn't be writing this;) Recovery is a journey and takes different amounts of time for different people. Mine was a little longer than typical because of the damage done to my heart between failure and diagnosis, and initially I had really significant shortness of breath which persisted for several months, but last week I did 45,000 vertical feet of skiing and today I was flying my plane. Right after my surgery it was hard for me to even imagine being back to this point, but here I am, and believe me, I'm nothing special. Welcome to the forum; it was invaluable to me in the early stages of my recovery, and you will find it a fantastic source of information and support in the months to come. Good luck on your journey!
 
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