Hi Everyone,
I continue to improve. I would highly recommend cardiac rehab. It has not only helped me physically, but it has helped me mentally as well. It ...Read more
Hi Everyone,
I continue to improve. I would highly recommend cardiac rehab. It has not only helped me physically, but it has helped me mentally as well. It has made me realize that I can do increasingly strenuous physical activity. That being said, I hate to leave cardiac rehab before I finish the program. I am going back to work on Monday! It will be nice, in most ways, to get back to my normal life. I say "in most ways" because I have gotten a bit spoiled being able to do what I want, when I want.
Now it's time to watch game 3 of the Portland Trailblazers vs. Houston Rockets. GO BLAZERS!
I wish everyone well that is on a "heart journey." Take care.
Oh yeah, I have not had any more Afib. Hooray!
Hi Everyone,
I reached a major milestone yesterday. The evening before my surgery, my husband and I walked from our home up to the nature park and back. It ...Read more
Hi Everyone,
I reached a major milestone yesterday. The evening before my surgery, my husband and I walked from our home up to the nature park and back. It is about 1 mile round trip. It is a walk with a lot of hills and valleys. I wondered how long it would be before I could do that walk again. My wonderful husband came up with the idea that this should be a post surgery goal and that when I accomplish it we would celebrate with a dinner at a nice restaurant. I accomplished it yesterday! And when I did I had tears in my eyes I was so happy! I did walk slow and stopped to rest on the hills a few times, but I did it! Boy, am I looking forward to that dinner out!
A friend asked me what my next goal is. Right away I said I want to be like my new friend in cardiac rehab. She is 10 -15 years older than me and can out do me by quite a bit at rehab. She starts rehab by jumping on the treadmill and jogging! She told me she thought she felt pretty good before surgery (I thought I felt good before surgery as well). She had been walking and doing some hiking. She had an aortic valve replacement just like me. Now, 4 months post surgery, she says she feels much better than she did before surgery. She is my inspiration!
Also, I have had no more episodes of A-fib. Yeah! I see the heart rhythm cardiologist tomorrow and I suspect he will be happy with my progress.
To those on this same road, you can do this. It is not easy but it is doable.
Take good care everybody.
Hi everyone,
I continue to improve a lot. I can walk at normal speed now. I can climb a flight of stairs without stopping, but I am still climbing a little ...Read more
Hi everyone,
I continue to improve a lot. I can walk at normal speed now. I can climb a flight of stairs without stopping, but I am still climbing a little slower than normal. I started cardiac rehab 1-1/2 weeks ago. I really like it. All the doctors tell me I will recover faster if I go to cardiac rehab. It is for 1 hour 3 times per week. I walk on the treadmill, petal a "recumbent" bike, petal an elliptical while sitting, and do some stretching and minor weight lifting. I'm sure the routine will be revised as I get stronger.
I find I want to do more and more. My body lets me know real fast if I am pushing the limits. This usually happens when I use my arms too much. But again, I see improvements every week and that makes me happy!
I did have a little scare when I got the results of my echocardiogram 1-1/2 weeks ago. It was done as a "baseline" after surgery and to check to see if my valves are functioning properly. The good news is all of my valves are doing great. The bad news is they diagnosed me with "left bundle branch block" (LBBB). There are 4 chambers in your heart and they should all be beating in unison. The electrical signal to my left ventricle is traveling on a crooked path, instead of in a straight line. This is causing a delay in the beat of the left ventricle. So 3 of my heart chambers are beating in unison, and one chamber has a delayed beat. How serious is this? My doctor assures me that the life threatening things have been fixed and LBBB is just a nuisance and nothing more.
Of course, I checked it out on the internet and there seems to be conflicting information on whether it is serious or not. My cardiologist assures me that surgery did not contribute to the LBBB, and I was showing early signs of it on an EKG last summer. I would appreciate any comments on this from the heart patients out there. My cardiologist said not to worry about it and enjoy life which I intend to do!
.I appreciate the good information, good thoughts, and prayers everyone has sent my way. I wish the best for everyone that is on this life changing journey.
Unless I have significant news, I probably won't be posting journal entries as often from this point forward. Take good care everybody!
Stephen Phayre Susan - I was also diagnosed with an LBBB 9 weeks after AVR. From reading some pubmed articles, it's ... Read more
Stephen Phayre Susan - I was also diagnosed with an LBBB 9 weeks after AVR. From reading some pubmed articles, it's seen more frequently after TAVR surgery rather than the traditional open heart surgery that I had. I've been assured that in about 50% of the time, these LBBBs go away. Persistent LBBB can be corrected by a pacemaker (and is considered serious because it can lead to fainting).
I continue to see steady improvement. I am walking quite a bit farther now and am close to my normal speed. I am running more errands myself and continue to ...Read more
I continue to see steady improvement. I am walking quite a bit farther now and am close to my normal speed. I am running more errands myself and continue to see my stamina increase. (I still have a ways to go but it is improving!)
I had 3 appointments this week. The first was with my surgeon who said I was doing well and looked and acted better than a lot of people at 5 weeks post-op. He said I can drive and I can lift up to 20 pounds, which is equivalent to a bag of groceries. (Darn, I guess I will have to do my own shopping now. I was spoiled for awhile!) I can raise my elbows above my shoulders now. He said I do not need to see him anymore! The second appointment was with my cardiologist. He also said I was doing very well. I told him I noticed the day before a change in my heart. I woke up and my heart no longer felt like it was too big for my chest and I can no longer feel every heart beat. He said it is because I am healing! My heart rate, which is usually in the 60 's and 70's range was at 83. This is still in the normal range. It seems a little high for me, but the doctor was not worried. He did order an echocardiogram that I will have done on Friday. This is to get a "baseline" after surgery. The third appointment was with the heart rhythm doctor who also said I am doing very well. He cut my Amiodarone dose from 400 mg twice a day to 200 mg once a day for 30 days and then I will stop taking it completely. This is to gradually wean me off of this medication while my heart continues to heal. The Maze procedure I had done should take effect by then. Scar tissue from the Maze procedure needs to form so that this procedure will prevent Afib. The doctor continues to tell me my Afib is a "nuisance and nothing more." It is in no way life threatening. But still, I would rather not have it!
My PT INR's continue to be in range. (This is the test where they check how fast my blood clots)
My desire to get back to normal increases as each week goes by. I can definitely tell when I am pushing myself too hard and I just have to be patient!
But all in all this has been a very good week.
What a difference a week can make! I can tell I'm continuing to improve and I have not had any Afib for over a week! I am walking farther, about a block and ...Read more
What a difference a week can make! I can tell I'm continuing to improve and I have not had any Afib for over a week! I am walking farther, about a block and past an additional 8 houses now. I am also walking faster, but not quite up to my normal speed. I have more energy. Yesterday I ran errands with my mom and we went out to lunch. That is the first time since surgery I have been anywhere other than doctor appointments. I was not even tired when we got home, although I rested anyway so as not to overdue it. I still have a great appetite.
I can feel and hear my heart beat. Will I always feel it or will it lessen over time? I guess that is a question for my doctor next week.
My doctor has me taking amiodarone to assist my heart in maintaining normal sinus rhythm. It takes awhile to build up in your system. It seems to be working for me. Soon they will gradually taper me off of the amiodarone and hopefully my heart will stay in normal sinus rhythm. My heart has had some time to recover from the stress of surgery. Even if I do have Afib, I have been assured that it is in no way life threatening and is just uncomfortable.
All in all, I am doing well and am continuing to improve slowly but steadily.
Hi Everyone,
I am continuing to improve. I am now sleeping in my own bed and I can not only sleep on my back, but on either side as well. I have only one pillow. ...Read more
Hi Everyone,
I am continuing to improve. I am now sleeping in my own bed and I can not only sleep on my back, but on either side as well. I have only one pillow. This has definitely helped me sleep better and last night I slept through the night!
I am also trying to walk a little further every day. I am up to 4 walks around the block per day. (When the weather does not cooperate I still do laps in the house).
I didn't mention before that I did not need to receive blood during my surgery and I was happy about that.
The only time I get to feeling down is when I have A-fib. That's when I feel like I'm not improving and get a little depressed. However, I am writing the A-fib episodes on a calendar and I can see the episodes are getting further apart, which is what the doctor wants to see.
Another thing I haven't mentioned to fellow AV patients is to be sure and let your children (even adult children) know what they will see when they visit you in the CICU after surgery. My 20 year old daughter took one look at me and passed out! Fortunately she sank to a sitting position before she went over. She was not hurt and nurses were right there to assist her. My 23 year old son, who has seen a lot as an EMT/fireman, had a look of pure fear on his face that I have never seen on him before. Obviously we did not prepare them well enough
.All in all I am continuing to improve slowly but steadily. Many thanks to all of you for your continuing love and support. I could not do it without all of you!
2 weeks post op and I am doing great! I was so happy to get home from the hospital. I was there a total of 8 nights due to bouts of mild A-fib. I have been ...Read more
2 weeks post op and I am doing great! I was so happy to get home from the hospital. I was there a total of 8 nights due to bouts of mild A-fib. I have been home since last Wednesday and have only had one bout of A-fib at home. My doctors says my heart is still recovering and the A-fib does not concern them as it is mild. I notice I am getting better every day and when I think about where I was a week ago I know I have come along way. (Can't wait to get to 3 weeks post op!).
Things I have noticed: my incision does not hurt at all! My husband is amazed I can cough without pain. My sleep patterns are steadily improving. After surgery I was waking up every 2 hours at night. Last night I slept for 5 hours straight My surgeon said it could take up to a month for my internal clock to re-set and know the difference between day and night. I don't think it will take that long. My surgeon also said it could take a month to get my appetite back. Heck, it only took a week and I seem to have a bigger than normal appetite. Hospital food is terrible, by the way. I asked my nurse if my husband could bring me food from home and she said yes, with a few restrictions such as low salt. I also seemed to have a heightened sense of smell in the hospital and everything in a hospital smells bad, including the hand sanitizer.
The hospital staff was wonderful to me! I walked around the 6th floor at least 4 times per day and am continuing to walk and climb stairs at home. We had a big snow storm the day after I got home and I have not been able to walk outside, so I do laps in the house. I had follow up appointments at the hospital yesterday and I was able to walk around the hospital, although my husband did drop me off and pick me up at the front door.
I have a mechanical valve, so I am taking blood thinners (warfarin). They tell me I am one of the lucky ones and I have been very stable on this medication. I seem to take after my mom on this.
When it is real quiet I can hear my mechanical valve. This is not a bad thing. I find the quiet, steady rhythm comforting.
Whoever said sleeping in a recliner at first is a good idea was correct. Lying propped up instead of lying flat is definitely the way to go.
Also, getting a "recovery area" set up prior to surgery was a good idea. I filled my space, with books, magazines, craft projects and movies.
All in all I am doing great. A huge thank you to everyone for sharing their heart valve stories, for the kind words of encouragement, and for all of your warm thoughts and prayers. It truly has helped a lot!
2 weeks post-op Susan
Hi everyone, It's me.
Thanks for all the words of encouragement, messages, cards, and flowers. They really cheer me up and give me something to look forward ...Read more
Hi everyone, It's me.
Thanks for all the words of encouragement, messages, cards, and flowers. They really cheer me up and give me something to look forward to.
I am doing well but I am still in the hospital. Some of the things I worried about the most pre-surgery were not big problems. For example, when I awoke from the initial surgery, the breathing tube had already been removed.
I was also very worried about pain levels but I was able to get rid of the Push Button medication in the first two days and then transition to Tylenol for another 2 days. I was able to elimiate all pain medications on day #4 of post-op.
My Surgery was 5 - 1/2 hours long and certainly put a stress on my heart and it's electronics. Due to this, there have been 2 episodes of A-fib. The staff tells me this is not uncommon for paitients with similar surguries. About 1 out of 4 patients experience A-fib at some point in early post-op. They are treating this with different meds but I wll be here a few more days.
All my best,
Susan
Good news in waves today.
Sue has been moved out of CICU and is now in a regular recovery room at St. Vincent Hospital.
She has all tubes, bells, whistles, ...Read more
Good news in waves today.
Sue has been moved out of CICU and is now in a regular recovery room at St. Vincent Hospital.
She has all tubes, bells, whistles, and gadgets removed with the exception of a temporary pace maker.
Her heart rhythm numbers continue to improve and are much better than they were at the last update. The likelihood of having a permanent pacemaker seems to be less every day.
As we knew before surgery, rest is difficult for Sue having to be poked, BP cuffed every hour, and many other distractions on a regular basis in CICU.
Now that she has been in a regular recovery room, we can already see fewer "Interruptions" to her rest.
More news later. The nurse is here to get her ready for a walk.
Dennis
Sue is doing great since yesterdays surgery. Her breath tube and a few other tubes & wires have been removed but she is still in the CICU which is not that ...Read more
Sue is doing great since yesterdays surgery. Her breath tube and a few other tubes & wires have been removed but she is still in the CICU which is not that uncommon at this point.
She has been able to get out of bed and sit in a chair for an hour or two today.
Her sense of time or (body clock) will be out of sync for a couple of weeks or so according to what her Surgeon told us this morning .
She woke up this morning at 2:00 am and was feeling great. She waited until 5:30 am to call me at home to tell me how good she was feeling. When I saw her around 8:00 am, she had eaten a large breakfast that amazed the nurse on duty.
She is working hard to prevent pneumonia by using her incentive spirometer (breathing measurement device) to help her lungs get cleared.
Surprisingly (to me) this is the most painful part of her recovery so far. She is using the pain meds button to prepare her for the spirometer but otherwise has little pain.
The one remaining issue today is that her heart rhythm is not yet normal so she is still on the temporary pace maker.
The Surgeon told us that it make take a few days to get in sync but if it does not by this weekend, they may need to give her a permanent pace maker on Monday next week. At this point, that's a minor "disappointment" after all she has been through and it is not that uncommon or troublesome.
Anita and Brian (our young adult kids) were able to visit her today with me. Sue was pleased and I think a little surprised.
Sue is hopeful and working very hard to be home in time to watch the Seahawks woop-up on the Pat's. Sorry close neighbors. :)
All for now.
Dennis
Today is a very long day. as of 6:30 PM, Sue is just coming out of sedation in preparation to have her breathing tube removed.
The surgery went great according ...Read more
Today is a very long day. as of 6:30 PM, Sue is just coming out of sedation in preparation to have her breathing tube removed.
The surgery went great according to her Surgeon in terms of Aortic Valve replacement, Aorta repair, Mitral valve repair, and a modified Maze procedure to reduce risk of future A-fib episodes.
There was some level of complication late in the operation related to an inflammation or reaction in her lungs that cause the procedures to run about an hour longer than expected.
All in all, the operation appears to have been a great success thanks to the many world class professionals at St. Vincent's Cardiac unit.
I need to head back to the hospital now to be with Sue for her breathing tube removal and preparation for a good nights rest, at least for me, then back to be with her in the early morning.
THANK YOU! to everyone who has offered advice, help with recovery, and all your words of kindness and encouragement. It has been A WORLD of help in getting Sue and I prepared for this day and the days ahead.
Dennis (The HUbby)
Hi everyone. I am less than 48 hours to surgery. Hard to believe that soon all of the waiting and constant thinking about it will be over. I am having my bicuspid ...Read more
Hi everyone. I am less than 48 hours to surgery. Hard to believe that soon all of the waiting and constant thinking about it will be over. I am having my bicuspid aortic valve replaced with a mechanical valve and am having the mitral valve repaired (mitral valve prolapse). I feel ready, although a little apprehensive. I will be so glad to get this behind me! Any advice on what to bring to the hospital? What is it like to wake up after surgery? I am most apprehensive about waking up with a breathing tube down my throat. How bad is this and how bad is the pain? Any words of advice, along with encouragement and prayers, would be much appreciated! Many, many thanks go out to my family, friends, and fellow heart valve patients, who have all shown so much love and support, especially this past week. I am truly blessed and I know I can do this.
I have been reading patient stories on this website since last August, but just started my own journal. My surgeon will be Dr. Jeffrey Swanson in Portland, ...Read more
I have been reading patient stories on this website since last August, but just started my own journal. My surgeon will be Dr. Jeffrey Swanson in Portland, Oregon. I did all the research and got several opinions before I chose him. He is mentioned in Adam Pick's book. I am lucky that the hospital is 15 minutes from my home. I have met with Dr. Swanson 3 times now and really like and respect him. He said I am the only patient that came in with a 3 page typed list of questions. Really? I just want to be as educated as possible going into this. He has operated on one of my neighbor's and on the mother of another neighbor. They are both doing well. I am less than 2 weeks from surgery. Right now I feel calm and ready. Of course, when I get back from vacation and the date gets closer, I may be singing a different tune. It has helped so much to be able to read about my fellow HV patients. This has been a wonderful website. Thank you Dan Sinclair, Cindy Wilson, and several others that I have read about. As always, my prayers go out to Rachel Shelley and her family.
My surgery is scheduled for January 28th. I was told last August that it was time to think about surgery. I wanted to wait to have surgery until my daughter ...Read more
My surgery is scheduled for January 28th. I was told last August that it was time to think about surgery. I wanted to wait to have surgery until my daughter came home from Australia, where she studied for a semester. She came home in early December, and then it was the holidays and now here I am. I have actually become calmer the closer I get to surgery. I was very apprehensive at first. The more I learn, the more I read about you all, and the more I pray, have all helped tremendously. The support of family and friends has also been a huge help. We were also able to plan a vacation with family before surgery and I am on vacation as I write this. It has definitely distracted me in a good way. And it has been wonderful to spend time with our grown children, Brian, age 23, and Anita, age 20, and Anita's boyfriend, Eli, also age 23. I feel great and do not have any symptoms other than very occasional afib. (Last incidence of this was in September). I walk my dogs a lot, up and down hills. I have been swimming and doing a lot of snorkeling while on vacation. I will post more soon.