Ellen's Journal

Hey everyone..I am three weeks out of surgery and two weeks out of the hospital. Things are going well except I am experiencing achey elbows and ankles and wrists...similar to flu like aches...I have had this for the last week. Has anyone else had this?

Hey everyone...Well I can say that I feel pretty good. I have little pain left and I feel pretty good overall. Just some recommendations to all the new comers out of the hospital...listen to the guidelines...even though its hard and sometimes you forget to not use your hands etc. Do your breathing on the spectrometer or whatever its called. I was resistant to it but once I started doing it I felt a lot better. DO NOT REACH FOR THINGS THAT ARE FAR AWAY...apparently we have small muscles between our rib bones and we can pull them very easily and OUCH...you will not like it and it will set you back a few days. Pain in shoulders and back is a lot better however my ankles and wrists tend to be a little achy this week. I am also finally able to sleep on my back ok. \' The being stuck at home is driving me insane. I am sick of TV and Internet. I want to go out and do things but the few outing I have had really have tired me out. I went out to lunch and ended up sleeping the rest of the day. Its just a reminder that I am not as healed as I think I am. But I must just be patient. Also I am having some pretty bad anxiety. and its wierd...its not anxiety about the surgery or my heart...its anxiety about bad things I have seen or been through in my life. I am not sure why these are resurfacing at this time. Oh well...I am so glad to see that so many people are on the mend and doing well in their recoveries!! Its great!

It is day 3 since I have been released from the hospital. and Day 10 since my surgery. My main complaint is the back and neck pain. I was sleeping in the recliner last night and the back pain became too much so I very sleepily and groggily moved to the floor. Do not do this. I stuck blankets under my shoulder blades and I had a great sleep...BUT getting off the floor without using the sternum is a different story. I managed to get up with minimal pain by tucking my elbow but I wont do this again...it was too bad because it was the best sleep I have gotten since I got home. Boredom is also starting to kick in. I want to start reading but I have no patience for some reason and if I start to read I seem to fall asleep. Any recommendations for the boredom? I signed up for netflix online but I am actually sick of TV. I am a huge baker and love to cook and love to garden and this is just so frustrating. Also the beta blocker that they have me on had dropped my blood pressure pretty low and this makes me very worried. I do not have the symptoms of low pb but to make matters more alarming my heart rate is up around 100. I called the doc about this and he says high heart rate is very common for people after AV replacement and that it will go away gradually and i need the beta blocker to keep the heart rate low so right now they are not doing anything about it. But its very scary. I guess thats about it for day 3....

I got released from the hospital today!! SO I am now at home resting. I have a bit of anxiety. At least at the hospital if anything went wrong they were there to fix it. Now I am on my own...eeek. I also feel at times like i have more energy then I truly do. I decided I wanted to wash all the clothes I took to the hospital. So I went upstairs and gathered clothing and then when I came back down I had forgot somethings and went back up and was exhausted. I am finding it hard to remember my limits are my limits. But Yay I am home...and I cannot wait to REALLY WASH MY HAIR!

Hey Everyone! I am writing you from my hospital bed! Surgery went well. I am one week Post OP (well I will be tomorrow)! I had my valve replaced but once they got inside they found an issue with the aortic root as well so that had to be repaired as well. First 3-4 days out of surgery were Pure Hell. But I am finally starting to feel human again! But I just wanted to stop by and let everyone know! I made it and so far so good! post more later!

I am going in for my surgery next week and I have never stayed in a hospital before. What do I have to bring with me? What did others bring? I have no idea what to pack

Sept 20th. Thats the big day. I am very frightened along with a whole bag of mixed emotions. I get angry that I have to go through this being so young. Then I fear the surgery and hospital stay. I also worry if my life will be the same after wards or am I going to feel limited and live limited constantly worrying about my heart. Will I be afraid to ski? Will I be afraid to travel? This is so difficult. I have been doing a good job of blocking it out until the last two days. The closer the operation gets the more I worry.

Hi Everyone. I have been surfing these journals for about a week now and I finally decided to start one of my own. I am here because I recently got the news that I must undergo Valve replacement surgery for my Bicuspid Aortic Valve with severe stenosis. I have known since my BV was discovered 15 years ago that one day it would need replacement. Unfortunately that day came much earlier then I expected or wanted. Well, I have to deal with it...not much of an option there. Even though this is something I knew I would eventually face, it does not make it any easier. I am terrified. I have been interviewing doctors which I am not enjoying. How do you pick someone to hold your life in their hands? How do you know how good they really are?? Very scary and very frustrating. Well...Hello Everyone! I will be posting here more later...!!