John's Guestbook

John Francis  Thank you, Ana! Actually, there is information I am having a problem finding. It is in regards to the healing process of the heart itself; I am getting a new aortic valve (bovine) . How long does it take for the new valve and heart tissue to bond? How long do the stitches joining the new valve to the heart take to dissolve? How long does it take for the heart to adapt to the new valve size? I was asymptomatic and, up to Nov 3rd and my cardiogram, I was cross country biking 10 hours a week and feeling great.
Thank you
John

  Oh John, the healing process is individual and for me I can tell you that I had the Bentall procedure for my aortic valve and aneurysm repair. I also got a bovine replacement valve. After an episode with water in the lungs which was addressed and taken care of my recovery was pretty smooth. Can’t tell an exact time since my cardiologist has not giving me an echocardiogram since January 2020. He said he hears that my heart beats just fine and I’m not having any issues since then. I was not an athlete like you but tried to take care as best as I can. You should be just fine as you seem to be in good shape already and that will help you heal faster and better. There are all kinds of heart warriors here that have continued their previous athletic endeavors. There are cyclists, skiers, weight lifters and lots of walkers and marathon runners who have continued to post and show their pictures doing their favorite sports. I am hoping they will chime in and provide you their experiences. Stay healthy and strong and continue posting. My surgery was in November 2019. Where are you at? God speed dear John. Blessings 🚴‍♀️

Richard Munson  Good advice to john, ana. We all wish there was a playbook for post recovery time frame and discomfort. How long will it take, will it hurt , when will i be back to work, when will i climb mt. Washington again, etc etc. you are right my dear. It is an individual thing. We are all different. There is no pat answer to these questions. What worked for me may not work for you. I had pretty much the same surgery as many folks on this site. I stayed a week, joe stayed 2 weeks, mary stayed 3 days. Yes, i had some pain and admit it. Joe had more than me. Mary had less. I made up joe and mary by the way. Hopefully i made my point. Normal by the way to ask these questions because we are all searching for answers . Good luck john.

Marie Myers  John, I think those are some good questions for the cardiac surgeon. I know some sutures are permanent, that is they don’t dissolve. Different sutures are used in different areas. Your heart will be using the new valve as soon as the heart starts beating again, but it will take weeks and possibly months for the heart to totally be healed. Some remodeling of the heart occurs after time. I would take your recovery day and day, and don’t push beyond what advice is given to you by the surgeon, cardiologist, and rehab if you go. You sound like you are in great shape going in, so you will recover well. Wishing you a smooth journey through surgery and recovery!

Thomas Brusstar  I had my mitral valve repaired, not replaced. But I think all the sutures to repair my valve tissue, and to sew the “annular ring” around the base of the valve, are permanent. I don’t think they dissolve. Your heart will start adapting immediately to the new and improved flow. My left atrium was massively enlarged (4x normal) due to my valve failure before surgery; but after the repair, and literally before I left the operating table they measured it as fixed and it was down to like only 2x normal. So the heart tissue started adapting immediately to the proper function. I expect your heart will immediately have better flow and less stress. Just my sense based on my heart’s immediate recovery.