Linda Edwards - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

2771 days ago

Had a new echo for post op baseline. Heart efficiency rating is lower now. Anyone have this happen. Maybe it will improve in time. Oh well at least ...Read more

Had a new echo for post op baseline. Heart efficiency rating is lower now. Anyone have this happen. Maybe it will improve in time. Oh well at least I'm alive. I was pretty bad before surgery.

Steve Wykstra I had a post-op echo as a baseline a week ago (had new aortic valve installed on Aug 10). The ejecti ... Read more

Steve Wykstra I had a post-op echo as a baseline a week ago (had new aortic valve installed on Aug 10). The ejection fraction (one measure of efficiency) was calculated the same as before--perhaps a bit lower. The doc said it takes time to improve. Makes sense. My heart had remodeled itself to cope with the old bad valve (increased ventrical size, some thickening of muscle, etc. Now, with the nice new one, there's no more backflow (regurg), but still, the heart has to remodel again slowly. Hope this is of some help.

Linda Edwardsposted a journal

2771 days ago

Darlene Smith reacted to this

I have returned to choir and a couple of dance classes. Do all my own housework and cooking. Sometimes I have too much energy. Often I get fatigued and dizzy. ...Read more

I have returned to choir and a couple of dance classes. Do all my own housework and cooking. Sometimes I have too much energy. Often I get fatigued and dizzy. Breathing is not totally improved but I need a surgery on my nose eventually. Will have three month check up with cardiologist soon. Only need to use oxygen at night. We live at a high altitude. I am unable to handle much stress. Stress makes me anxious and gives me fast heart beats. Singing voice is not totally recovered. Speaking voice remains a little weak. I lost 18 lbs the first month. Food didn't taste good at all Beginning to put in a few pounds this month. Still have a little difficulty remembering nouns. All in all this wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined it would be. Had best medical care. Periodically the heart hurts as do the scars. The three little slits where drainage hoses were are what give me the most discomfort. I'm alive!!! Yeah me and all who helped each in their own ways. Don't know how people do this without family support. I'm actually more frightened to have the nose surgery for Dev Sept and polyps.