About Me (In My Own Words)
For several years, I have known that I had mitral valve stenosis and through the years had become more and more short of breath and less functional due to the valve closing. Finally, in September 2020, it had to be replaced. It was not the best of times to be hospitalized due to the pandemic and all the associated restrictions.
I had to have the valve replaced which required open-heart surgery. About the first thing that I remember after the surgery was the removal of the ventilator. While in the cardiac ICU, I did well. I was surprised by the overall lack of pain and felt good about my recovery. I was active and felt like this was going to be an easy recovery.
Once I was moved into the step-down unit, I started to experience problems breathing. I was told that I was having periods of A-Fib which most often went away. I was not able to be out of bed and was not recovering quickly so after about 10 days I was sent to a rehabilitation facility. I was there about a week and then returned to the hospital. After 4 or 5 days at the hospital, my strength returned, but I was put on more and more medication to control my heart rate. At times, the HR was over 170 and accurate readings became impossible. When I left the hospital the second time, my heart rate was in the 70’s with A-Fib still present.
At home, I started to recover more quickly. However, I was hospitalized briefly two or three more times. The real change occurred when my heart-rate went down to the 30’s and I admitted to the hospital. During the stay, I was taken off all the medication suppressing my heart rate. During this time, I developed a normal heart rate and appear to no longer experience A-Fib. At this point, I started to recover very quickly. I still had to return to the hospital a couple of times due to my heart rate problems, but the serious problems were gone. Next week, I will start at the hospital’s cardiac rehabilitation facility to build more strength and endurance. Already, I breathe much more easily and feel the benefits of the surgery.
I hope that the surgery is much easier for all of you, but I also wanted people who experience some of the same problems, to know that there is a positive ending. During the time I was in the hospital, I started to feel like there was no real hope for recovery and at best, I was going to go forward with serious medical issues. However, that was not what happened. I was told to be patient that I would be ok, but I stopped believing what I was being told. Imagine my happy surprise when I knew that I was going to have a true recovery and would enjoy a good life going forward. Sometimes healing takes longer and it can be discouraging, but don’t give up.
If you haven’t had your surgery, remember that most people go home within a week or so after surgery and continue to gain strength and make steady progress throughout their recovery.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
-
I am from:
Meridian, Idaho
-
My surgery date is:
September 15, 2020
-
I was diagnosed with:
Mitral Stenosis
-
My surgery was:
Mitral Valve Replacement
-
My surgeon is:
Dr. David Stuesse
