alex's Guestbook

Hi Alex, How are you? I can't believe I just had my one year anniversary. I must say I was glad to put 2013 behind me as it was a very difficult year. I still struggle with fatigue on a regular basis. I was wondering how you are doing now? Steve B. MVR 1/31/13

Hi Alex, How is life going for you these days? In what ways did cardio rehab help you? My cardiologist wants me to start rehab soon. Since I had many symptoms going into my surgery I wonder if I will still have some symptoms afterwards. I guess time will tell. But, it\'s so good to see that you are doing so well and back to work. That\'s great! Keep us posted! Steve B.

Hi Alex, Great to see you doing so well. Steve is right behind you with his recovery as well. It is amazing to be on this side of things and watching him become a new person everyday. Your support along the way has been so appreciated and I just wanted to thank you. Aida

Alex - I waited 10 weeks before I started jogging again. As I recall, I got the go ahead a little earlier, but I did not feel like I was ready. At the risk of stating the obvious, check with your doctor for his guidance. Good luck. -Mitch Friedman, AVR and AAA repair 2/2/12

Alex - I could not agree with DVB more. No way you need to stay in bed. I just had my 1 year anniversary this weekend. I was in good shape going into surgery, so was in good shape coming out. To me recovery was all about incremental growth in my excercise. Do as much as possible, while listenting to your body and giving it what it needs (mainly naps at your stage). I would take 2 walks a day and increase my distance slowly (I ignored my pace in the beginning). I also was napping twice a day in the beginning. Sometimes naps were only 20 minutes, sometimes much longer. Once I hit a mile per walk, I increased both distance and pace slowly. Recovery is not linear. You do generally progress, but sometimes you take some side steps or backward steps along the way (usually the day after you did too much). On those days, just do what feels right. Use common sense, do what feels right, but progress slowly so you can feel out your body. Good luck, -Mitch Friedman

alex, Rest. Yes, when you need a nap, take one. But... Your body (unless sick) heals better when it is moderately challenged physically. In my journal I have a researched entry about the benefits of exercise to healing (September 12, 2012). Basically there is the opportunity to heal about 40% faster, documented with numerous medical/scientific studies & experiments. Healing faster has three benefits: first you get better quicker (duh). The second is that there is less time for things to go wrong before you are all healed. Exercise promotes general health as well, so by getting it you reset your own baseline \"health\" to a new, higher level. That\'s good too, so that\'s a net triple benefit overall from just these effects. Advice to \'rest\' is, in my view, well meaning but off-base (though I am not a medical doctor, so consider these remarks as talking points for a conversation with your MD). Rest is \'passive\' healing. Research over many, many decades shows that \'active\' healing (ie moderate exercise) is better for surgery patients. So in my case, immediately after surgery I started walking and doing arm exercises. Even a few sit-ups with my foot hooked in the bed frame. My hospital routine was: sleep, walk, sleep, walk, eat, sleep, walk, etc. Not much else to do there. Clocked miles before they sent me home. Then at home, repeat with ever longer walks. You can pretty safely increase your length/intensity by 5% per day. If your body complains that you overdid, you\'ll know and you can back off. It will be a little complaint because you only overdid it a little. Low risk. Of course, you should discuss your plan with your doctor. Those signals of slight physical stress invoke biochemical healing pathways that evolved over billions of years because they allowed your ancestors to survive better and have more offspring. What a fantastic gift! All the best to you -- DVB

Hey Alex, Glad to read that you were able to get out and enjoy life. I was told to \'rest\' also. I took that to mean I needed to listen to my body. If I felt tired, I needed to sit down or take a nap. I do not think they want you just sitting in a chair at home. It is still important to stimulate the mind and soul. Eric Rovin

Hi Alex, I recommend cardio rehab, which is exercise with adult supervision. :-) Well, medical supervision really, to keep you working out in that happy place between under and overworking your heart. I started rehab five weeks post op, right after getting cardioverted back into normal rhythm. In the meantime, walk every day. Start slowly each time, warm up for five minutes, and cool off for five minutes at the end. I learned that in cardio rehab. It\'s for some very important medical reason that I can\'t remember. Hey, they fixed my heart, not my memory! In the meantime give your heart some love and don\'t overdo. As my cardiologist says, never worry about your heart, it will last your entire life! Mike Z. AVR 12-15-12 P.S. Watching your kids have fun is very good for the heart.

Hi Alex, You are probably having some arrhythmia issues. Hopefully, they will go away, but they don\'t always. I had my surgery over 15 months ago, and I am still dealing with daily palpitations and some afib \"runs\". Nothing dangerous, but very annoying. Glad to hear you are home and doing well! Deb Z

Alex, I can\'t really answer your question. I never had an Electrocardiogram done after surgery, however I wore an external monitor until the day of discharge. They monitored me at the nurses station in the step down unit. Were you told when to follow up with your cardiologist at home? When I was released from CCF I was instructed to see my primary care physician within a week and my cardiologist in 3 weeks. I didn\'t have any irregularities that I am aware of. I don\'t really know the difference (if any) between the monitor and a full out ECG. Glad to hear you are back home and on your way to full recovery. The time will really fly by. Hope you get these issues worked out. I was terrified that I would develop Afib and have to go on Coumadin anyway (main reason for choosing tissue valve vs. mechanical), but thankfully I didn\'t. Have finally gotten completely off of the metoprolol. Take it easy and enjoy the time with your family. Linda THE Tiger, aka Linda Dixon