Week 10 post-op update: I think I finally figured out how to get ahead of the edema and stay ahead of it. I’ve been gaining and losing the same 2 to 8lbs of water every week since I was discharged from the hospital with the use of diuretics on various cycle regimens.

I started wearing 20-30mmHg rated compression socks and I’ve managed to squeeze 5lbs of water out of my feet and keep it off for a week.

The bad news this week is I discovered I can’t reduce my carvedilol any further than a 25mg dose 2x a day unless I increase another BP medication to offset it. I’m checking with the doctor to see if I can try offsetting the reduction with an increase in losartan.

Is anyone taking Bisoprolol long term/forever? All of a sudden (overnight) I had a high heart rate (170 when walking fast uphill, 150 mowing the lawn / walking up stairs, etc) and had a hard time getting it below 110. The nurse from the insurance company advised to go to the hospital right away and the hospital gave me Bisoprolol which made a huge difference. Surpassingly, it also seems to help with my frequent afib better than Amiodarone (it's only 16h so I can't tell for sure). I am not sure if Bisoprolol will hold me back with exercises, hiking, etc. I have an existing appointment with my cardiologist in about a week so I wanted to get some feedback regarding Bisoprolol. 

Ruth joy writes, "Morning Rita ,
There is hot weather coming over your way the next few days . Tues will be very hot .
Take care .
No need to reply .
Just know that you are thought of and that we hope you that you are feeling better than you were a few days ago xxx"

Hey all you heart warriors! I'm almost on my 10 month anniversary, just a quick question... I still have a bit of stiffness and pulling in my upper ribs to the right & left of the incision sure. Not normally a problem, but it does get a bit touchy and nervy when I reach across my body, or turn in either direction sometimes.

In your experience, did it take this long or longer for this to go away, or will I be dealing with this long term?

Hi Everyone - My God what an experience I have gone through and continue to go through. I had my Aortic valve surgery (replaced with a cow valve) on June 19th. The surgery itself took close to nine hours, as my surgeon had to replaced my aortic valve, place a graft in the aortic root, replace my entire ascending aortic valve with a graft and then replace the lower portion of my Aortic Arch with a graft. My doctor/surgeon knew exactly what needed to be replaced prior to the surgery, with the exception of replacing the bottom portion of my aortic arch. He wanted to have a better look at the arch, prior to making a decision as to whether it needed to be replaced. Turns out it did.
I then spent the next eight days in the Cardiac ICU at Stanford. This is where everything went sideways. My blood pressure was very low and remained that way for a few days. When they would try to sit me up in bed, my pressure would drop significantly (60/40). I would pass out and an entire emergency team would come in to revive me. This apparently happened twice, as I was passed out and didn't know what was actually going on.
In addition my White Blood Cell Count was very high. Getting my White Blood Cell count down to the normal range took all of the 24 days I was hospitalized.
In addition, on my second day in the ICU I was given an antibiotic that it turns out I am allergic to. It took days for my skin to clear up, from the potential infections all over my body.
When I checked in to Stanford Hospital for the surgery on Thursday June 19 my weight was 210 lbs. By Saturday June 21st I was 250 lbs. All this additional weight was caused by all the liquids they needed to give me during the surgery. My entire body was swollen. Every part of me. Both my feet had potato size blisters on them from the excess liquid.
When I was finally stabilized in the ICU, they moved me to a Step-Down Room, where I spent the next 15 days, trying to get rid of the excess liquid in my body, lower my white blood cell count and keep my blood pressure within a normal range.
I finally was able to achieve normal levels of everything.
Everyone's body is different and how each person reacts to a huge operation like mine is different. My surgeon and his team weren't completely surprised by the various stages that I went through during post-op.
I have been home for almost three weeks and am feeling more like myself every day.
I would still recommend my cardiac surgeon and the entire Stanford cardiac team for their excellent support. They did everything they could do to finally send me home to my family. I will never forget the kindness of the nurses, administrators, doctors and the cardiac surgeons. They saved my life. It took a little while to finally stabilize me but they did.

I am alive and thankful for everything I have in my life. Cardiac surgery does knock you down a few notches, which I think is good because it gives you a real opportunity to assess your life and what is really important in it.

I apologize for not writing sooner. I hope everyone in this group, who goes through cardiac surgery, is in the process of recovering or already completely recovered.
Bless you all. ITS GOOD TO BE BACK.

Does anyone have a fairly comprehensive checklist of things to be take care of in the months before surgery?

I know I need to determine someone I can appoint as a caregiver, start the FMLA process to take time off from work, update my will, arrange for cardiac rehab, and likely much more.

Any suggestions on what you all had wished you planned for before surgery? Thanks!

Happy Friday, Have any heart warriors out there had surgery with Dr David Heimansohn out of St Vincent Heart Center in Indiana? Would love to hear your thoughts/experience. 

Ruth joy writes, "Hi Mukund ,
You have had a lot of surgery . 
Everyone has a different recovery from their surgery . 
? Ask your doctor to review your medication .
Read about the side effects . Make sure that you are eating a balanced diet and drinking enough fluids . 
Have you had your bloods checked recently ? Are you anaemic ? 
Are you getting enough sleep ? Have you been walking and increasing your walks . 
You are doing well . Recovery takes time ."

Ruth joy writes, "Dear Rita ,
It is a good to know that you are out of the unit and that you are walking slowly .
Let ‘s see what the next few weeks brings .
Concentrate on you and your family .
If the room gets too hot drape a couple of wet towels around the room to lower the temperature . Sending you loads of love xxxxx"

Richard Munson writes, "Reading about your falling incidents which is more common with oldies but goodies like me and wondering how you fell. Dizzy, weakness, tripping are all candidates and not necessarily heart related. Meds can cause it. Balance issues, strength weakness. There is a balance program at your local p.t. Dept that might help. Get to the bottom of it before you end up in a motorized bike like george costanza. In the meantime, a cane might be an aide. "

I am still feeling always tired and weak after 10 months of double valve replacement and simultaneous coronary bypass surgery. Doctor asked to continue with rosuvaststin 10 and metoprolol 25 mg bd. Suggest solution.