Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog
Double Heart Valve Surgery Patient, Adam Pick, Blogs About
Heart Valve Replacement and Heart Valve Repair Surgery

Aortic Valve Replacement Recovery

September 30th, 2007

One of the common questions I get from future heart valve surgery patients is, “What is it like recovering from open heart surgery?”

Well… I’m going to be very honest with you.

Open heart surgery recovery, including aortic heart valve replacement recovery, is no simple, walk in the park.

How do I know? Well, l have a little bit of experience dealing with heart bypass surgery. In fact, here is a picture of me just coming out of the intensive care unit at USC Medical Center a few hours after my aortic and pulmonary valve replacement surgery.

Aortic Valve Replacement Recovery Pictures

How else do I know that aortic valve replacement recovery can be challenging?

In 2007, I ran a unique, online survey with 78 former heart valve replacement patients. In that study, the majority of patients stated that “heart valve replacement surgery recovery was more difficult than expected.”

So, unfortunately… This is not just my experience with aortic valve replacement recovery.

“Why I am telling you this?”

“Why am I writing about this in my blog?”

Honestly, I want to help you prepare for aortic valve replacement recovery. I want you to have a “real” expectation of what to expect during aortic heart valve replacement recovery. I am telling you this… Patient-To-Patient… Or, if you are a caregiver, I am telling you this Patient-To-Caregiver.

My aortic valve replacement recovery was filled with a number of unexpected twists and turns that left me and my family wondering, “What The Hell Is Wrong Here?!” And, “Why Didn’t Someone Tell Me About That?”

Still, I am beyond thankful for the “second chance” that heart valve surgery provided me. Without my valve replacement surgery (even with the frustrations of aortic valve replacement recovery), I may not be alive today.

Keep on tickin!

About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates clinical research with the personal experiences of 135 former patients to help future patients and their caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.

1 Comment... Click here to add one.


Rodney Major says on July 8th, 2011 at 8:07 am

Hello!
On April 7, 2011 I had aorta valve replacement surgery and suffered many complications. The following represents the diagnoses after surgery: congestive heart failure, acute renal failure, atrial fibriliation, hyperglycemia, shortness of breath, CHF exacebration, lower urinary tract infection, anemia, leukocytosis, pneumonia, gastrointestinal bleeding, anasarca, postcardiotomy syndrome. In 2005 I had quintuple heart bypass surgery which according to the surgeons required them to work their way through a lot of scar tissue first before actually performing valve replacement. The valve they used in my replacement surgery was bovine. If I remember correctly it took almost 3 hours to get through the scar tissue. I was in the hospital approx 42 days because of the complications. The cardiac care nurses said they took approx 29 and 1/2 liters of fluid out of my body during this time. I returned to work about 1 month after getting out of the hospital, to be exact, I entered the hospital on April 5 and was discharged on May 19, and returned to work on June 27. Presently I still have some shortness of breath and low blood pressure readings which are giving me a feeling of weakness, not a lot of energy, and shakiness. I have been going to followup appointments with a lot doctors and they are adjusting medications to hopefully alleviate these problems. I forgot to mention earlier that I have had both lungs drained of fluid about 2 weeks after returning home. I know it is not realistic to say, but if I could have foreseen any of these complications before hand I am not sure I would have opted for surgery. I know this is not a good thing to say, but this recovery has really been rough. I am a 70 year old male.

 

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