Comments on: “Nerve Damage After Heart Surgery?” Asks Sean

By: Pat

Pat — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:44:52 +0000

I have aortic valve replacement 3 weeks ago. Right after the surgery and up to about 2 & 1/2 weeks post op, my arms throbbed. From my elbow down to my hand mostly on the left side it felt like it was going to explode from achy pressure. The pain got worse while sleeping. The intense pain and pressure in my arms has gotten better, although my thumb and pointer finger are numb and sometimes ache now. In most posts, people seem to have the numbness in their pinky’s but mine is in the thumbs? Hopefully this will go away in time.

By: Greg

Greg — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 03:53:12 +0000

I have numbness in my left arm two years after my open heart bypass surgery. It comes and goes. I get it a lot while at the computer and while sleeping on my stomach with my left arm up under the pillow. My surgery was in March 2009. I was on the operating table for 7.5 hours and in the critical care unit for 11 days. I spent a total of 37 days in the hospital including a week before my operation and after my heart attack.

I noticed right after I woke up in ICU that my left hand was weak and numb. I had extreme numbness and weakness in my left pinky finger and the finger next to it. I have tingling feeling in my left upper outer thigh and in the lower inner part of my left leg right aboev the medial maleosis bone. SP?

The numbness in my left hand eventually went away but the numbness returns from time to time in my left arm. It feels like it’s gone to sleep or that I hit the funny bone in my elbow.

I read a lot of the post above trying to figure out what caused my numbness and there are many things that could be causing it. It’s definately some type of nerve damage. Be it from a lack of oxygen to the brain during the surgery or a compression of the nerves in the chest or left arm during the surgery. I was not awake so I don’t have a clue how they position my body during the surgery.

I complained a lot about the numbnes in my left hand because it made it hard to eat. I could not hold a fork and or knife with any grip to cut up my food using my left hand so that was annoying. I could not hold onto a wash cloth to wash myself as I had to do my own sponge baths in the hospital. I could not walk without help as I was so swollen up after the operation. I went in weighing about 220 lbs and weighted about 280 lbs after the operation. It took me 30 days to get all the fluid off my body with loop diuretics.

I still have a funny sensation on my chest where they cut me open. They used one of my chest arteries for a bypass. I had 4 bypasses, a MAZE Procedure and a Mitral Valve Repair Job in the same operation.

I’m doing better these days and will be 3 years post op in March of 2012.

I find it interesting that all these patients have the same type of numbness as I had and still have from time to time. I just hope it’s not pre stroke symptoms. Sometimes I will take some baby asprins just in case it’s a stroke or blockage in my brain. I took 12 baby aspins the night of my heart attack before I called for the ambulance and I think that helped to save my life that night.

By: StephenM

StephenM — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:48:26 +0000

Hi Virginia, I would say your concern for your dad is admirable, though maybe a bit premature. Nothing heals better than time. I also had a tripple bypass, new aerotic valve, and an angiogram in my right leg. The vein harvest for my heart was taken from my left leg. It took a few weeks for my right leg to return back to normal, and after 12 months, it has returned to full strength. My left leg, the donor vein one, has a little residual injury in that I have a numbness in my ankle, just around where the incision was made to remove the vein, this is likely to be permanent – but still beats death! I would suggest you speak to your dad’s medical consultant to express your concerns. I wish him a speedy recovery…

By: Debra Ogilby

Debra Ogilby — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 04:21:48 +0000

I had AVR 1 year ago, and the numbness in my right leg still hasnt returned, its patchy from the groin area to below the knee, and very painful at times. Causes me to limp. If im off my feet it feels ok, but if Im on my feet alot during the day, Im in alot of pain by evening.

By: Virginia Cote

Virginia Cote — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:37:39 +0000

my dad just had a triple by pass surgery a week ago and i believe that they took some veins out from his left leg. they also performed angiogram from his right leg…now he is transferred to the recovery room but he cannot feel his right leg nor move it…is it possible that his right leg will be paralized forever? or is it just normal to experience that after surgery? please reply to me or send me e-mail, im very worried for my dad…thank you and i will wait for your reply very soon.

By: Ann

Ann — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:24:19 +0000

My husband had an aortic valve replacment on 30th Sept 2011 he had what he says is a lot of electric shocks to the right side of his chest accross from his right nipple, less then 5 weeks later 2 Nov he had to have a middle part of his lung removered, its 9 days since surgery the electric shocks as he calls them has got a lot worse, he was cut around the back to get at the lung, at this moment in time he feels as if he will never get better, can you tell him anything about the elecrtic shocks he is suffering from? they also had to do a repair to somewhere else on the aortic surgeon did say he was lucky to be alive, he should know in a couple of weeks if he needs any more treatment for the cancer in his lung, hope you can help Ann

By: Cal

Cal — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:04:06 +0000

I am 43 and had a mitral valve repair at the beginning of August. I have been experiencing the numbness and tingling in my ring and pinky finger of my right hand since that date. My tongue and lower jaw has gone numb once and my back has gone numb a number of times. I am relieved to hear that it is not just me. Sometimes my pinky and ring finger go dead when typing on the keyboard. Good Luck and hang in there.

By: John

John — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:28:35 +0000

Janet, sorry to hear about your son. I hope he feels better soon. My right face is numb since December 1995. The doctors have no reason why this happened. I have learned to live with it.

By: janet

janet — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:28:45 +0000

my 21 year old son had a myofibroblastic tumor removed on sept 21rst. while still open on the operating table the dr found 2 little tumors surrounding the heart. they scraped them off. 5 weeks out of surgery his left foot is still numb and feels like it will explode. the surgeon told us it was due to scraping the sensory nerve. it will regenerate. the pain is almost unbearable for him. in 6 months we will return to the surgeon and if still numb, he will refer us to someone else. if my son james could hold out till then.

By: chris

chris — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:17:43 +0000

I have been experiencing visual aura(prodrome)almost everyday since mitral valve repair(minimally invasise) on 10/12/11. Sometimes there’s a headache afterward. I am 63 yr old female and wonder if anyone else had/has this?