Email Bag - Recovery After Heart Valve Surgery
I just received an email from Roger, a recent Ross Procedure patient and reader of my book.
Roger raises some interesting points, so I thought I would include this as an email bag blog.
Roger’s comments and questions are:
I am now 20 weeks post op and I just had my annual physical today with my family dr. BP 116/70, heart rate in the 70s, blood work good so that all seems reassuring.
I am back to running about 3.5 miles at a 10 min pace. Per your suggesions, I have been monitoring my heart rate while running and trying to keep that in the 150 range.
It seems like I improve slowly but steadily. The Dr did say that I have a heart murmer which he said is perhaps normal after this type of surgery but he has never seen a Ross patient, so I was curious if you have a murmer or if you know whether that is a normal situation.
I remember one time you mentioned to me that you still listen to your heart so I figured you would know. Your feedback is appreciated as I am obviously still very paranoid that something is going to go wrong.
I feel like I am about 85% back to “normal” feeling. How long does it take to feel completely recovered?
My Response To Roger?
Roger. Let me start with a virtual “high-five”! It must feel great to be running again. And, it seems, given your age and recent heart surgery, your system is definitely healing and responding to your desire to recover from your Ross Procedure operation.
From prior emails, I know you can go into the “Something Is Wrong Here!” mode, right?
But, let me assure… If something was wrong, I highly doubt your cardiologist or surgeon would encourage you to walk 3.5 miles, let alone, run 3.5 miles.
That said, I know what it is like to be paranoid by the “What’s Wrong Here?” mentality that dominates patient’s brains during the recovery. FYI, it’s been 21 months since my Ross Procedure and I still sometimes think “something is wrong” with my heart. 
As for the heart murmur you mention above, I too had a tiny murmur following my aortic and pulmonary valve replacements.
From what my cardiologist told me, that is common. If I remember right, Dr. Rosin told me that the tiny murmur may be caused by sutures around the new heart valve. Interesting though. My murmur has since gone away. Maybe that will happen to you as well.
Regarding your final question, “How long does it take to fully recover from open heart surgery?”
That is a toughie. I would encourage you to go back and re-read the beginning of Part IV of my book. The process of healing is very personal. In a recent survey I just completed, some patients feel fully recovered after eight weeks. Some patients feel fully recovered after sixteen weeks.
Me? I didn’t feel fully recovered until I entered the Pacific Ocean with my surfboard. That was 435 days after surgery!!! For me, that was the moment that I considered my recovery complete!
If you would like to read about that moment, I memorialized it in this blog about surfing after heart valve surgery.
One more point, I felt even more recovered when I Scuba dived during my honeymoon in Fiji a few weeks ago.
That said, you may want to create some form of milestone to help you during this process. If you were to complete one physical activity that would signify your recovery completion, what would it be????
Let me know. I would love to support and encourage you.
Keep on tickin,
Adam
Adam Pick is the author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, a unique book which integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of an actual heart valve surgery patient. This special book was designed to minimize stress and enhance the patient’s recovery. To learn more about Adam’s heart valve surgery book, click here.
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November 29th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Hi everyone -
I am planning to have an aortic valve/ root replacement and bypass done over the next few weeks at NY Presbyterian (Columbia University Med Ctr), I have a stenotic bicuspid aortic valve with severe regurgitation. I also have two drug eluding stents in my RCA - and yesterday additional blockages in the same artery were discoved upon an angiogram. (whick was a surprise to me.)
I am thinking of Dr. Memhet Oz or Dr. Craig Smith as possibilities of who i will use. I am also curious if there is anyone here who has had the same
“combo” operation done.
Any suggestions, comments, would be appreciated. I didnt think I would need to have the surgery yet, but here we are- I’m an active 53 yr old, who plays tennis and mountain bikes. any and all comments / advice will be greatly appreciated. Adam’s book is a wonderful reference. I am hoping that there is someone out there who has had the experieicne I am about to face. thanks, Gary