Dave's Posts

I've completed my cardiac rehabilitation with 36 sessions. I'm elated with my progress. When I began rehab, I had grave concerns about my shortness of breath, which I thought would have been fixed after getting my new aortic valve. Climbing two flights of stairs was still a struggle, and I had to rest and catch my breath after one flight before tackling the second. After rehab, I can jog up those two flights of stairs without stopping. What a difference. I can comfortably manage two 20 minute exercises, one on a treadmill at 3.5 mph and a 10% incline. I'm now attending the Wellness Center's public workout arena with an even wider choice of machines. I just have to schedule myself to get there at least 3 days a week. It was easier when I HAD to be there for the class. Now it's up to me. I had my second checkup with my cardiologist since surgery and everything is fine. My porcine valve has functioned more than 17 million times and I feel great. Now that my ordeal is about done, I highly recommend you put your trust in the New England Heart Institute in Manchester, NH, Adam Pick's Heart Valve Surgery book and support sites and the Monadnock Community Hospital Wellness Center's Cardiac Rehabilitation program in Peterborough, NH. I wish you well. Dave

It's been a long time since I reported on my Journal. No news is good news, as they say. I've been nausea free a few days after I stopped taking Tylenol (Acetaminophen) and used Aleve to deal with what little pain was left. I weaned myself off Aleve a while ago, so now I'm taking neither prescription nor OTC pain meds, and all is well. I began cardiac rehabilitation about two weeks ago - delayed because of my persistent nausea and liver distress. The Bond Wellness Center of the Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough, NH has a terrific cardiac program https://monadnockcommunityhospital.com/bwc/RehabCardio.php It includes an hour of powerpoint education twice a week and 1.5 hours of highly supervised exercise three times a week. There is a dedicated room of equipment for cardiac patients like me. My rehab is progressing very well and I can work up a healthy sweat with a 140 heart rate with no side effects but I still have shortness of breath after climbing a flight of stairs. Have any of you aortic valve replacement patients had a similar experience? Other than this one anomaly, life is good again, very good indeed. Dave

Twelve days ago I reported that all was looking good. I had a good visit with my surgeon, Dr. Westbrook, and I believed that by stopping two blood pressure meds I would soon get my apetite back and my queazy stomach would be a thing of the past. Not so fast, Dave. Those same symptoms hung on and I was very discouraged that even my pain management was getting worse. You may recall that my doctors believed my really bad, earlier nausea was caused by an accumulation of narcotics in Percocet, so I had been controlling the pain with Tylenol (Acetaminophen). I rescheduled my first visit with my Cardiologist, Dr. Beatty Hunter, to deal with my pain, my poor apetite and my queazy stomach. Although I never took more than the manufacturer's recommended maximum dosage of Acetaminophen, blood tests showed that my liver had already been damaged. Dr. Hunter immediately took away the Acetaminophen, Simvastatin (cholestoral drug similar to Lipitor that I'd been taking for years) and Nifedipine (the final blood pressure drug that I'd been taking for a few years). Aleve was recommended for my pain. Within a few days, my pain subsided, my queazy stomach was almost gone and my apetite was almost back to normal. What a difference. It's the first time in almost 4 weeks that I feel very good. I will have blood analysis done this week to ensure my liver is on the mend. The message here is that any number of drugs can result in very undesirable side effects, the worst for me was being on the constant verge of nausea. Also, taking "safe" doses of over-the-counter medicines can cause liver damage which in turn can produce nausea. I hope this helps someone else that has undergone valve surgery and is dealing with, what sometimes can be, a hard road to recovery. To my friends, neighbors and loved ones, I'm so grateful for your encouragement, your thoughts and prayers and for your wonderful meals. I'm back to wanting to cook again. Yahoo. Dave