Allan's Journal

Marie Myers  If you have questions and cant get answers from your cardiologist, you might feel better getting another opinion from another cardiologist. But keep in mind, different docs may have different thoughts on managing your particular case. Hope that helps! I did not have problems with PVC’s, but I remain on a beta blocker 5+ years after surgery.

Andrew Dial  Hi Allan, I am coming up on 8 months post Ross procedure, and I started having more PVC/PAC the last few weeks or so. I think it started happening when I switched my BP meds. (My cardiologist doesn’t think it’s related) Anyways… I get them off and on thru the day. He says they are normal, and everyone gets them. Just the fact that my chest was ripped open and work was done in my heart, I am now super chyper sensitive  of every little off beat that my heart makes. I guess it’s something that I just need to get used to. Not sure if that helps or not, but moral of the story, they’re not bad and nothing wrong is happening. 

Susan Lynn  Two years after my mitral valve repair, I was diagnosed with PACs. I also now have a low volume of PVCs. I didn't notice anything at all - they showed up on a Zio monitor that I wore for two weeks. Metoprolol succinate has them both under control. I understood that failure to treat them could lead to afib. Hate taking medication, but that's the way it goes. Best of luck to you!

Rose Madura  I had PVCs about 1-1/2 years later after a change in blood pressure medicine.  Went back on it and they disappeared.  

Greg Lewis  Hi gang! I have had a lot of rhythm issues since surgery. Let's see...afib. fixed with Cardioversion. PVCs..went away on their own. Then they came back. Almost all the time. THIS AMOUNT caused some heart failure! So let your cardiologist know when they are bad. Mine were bad enough to go to the ER. This was fixed by first fixing my Thyroid. THE AMIODORONE had caused toxicity in my thyroid! Then they went away for a few months, but came back recently, and now seem to be gone again. Who knows why. There are just so many triggers for the damn things! 
Any more questions, ask away!  

Allan Fiore  I had 20-30 PVCs a minutes before surgery. They were every two three beats which made life tough.  They are way less then they were as my valve was really severe with regurg ans my LVEDp was over 20.  

Greg Lewis  Allan, read on the internet how to do the VALSALVA MANEUVER.  It put me back into regular rhythm a few times, when I got it just right.

Klara Čičić  Hi, Allan. I am 4 months post-op. I developed 2 small subcutaneous bumps size smaller than green peas, consistecy like hard rubber, at the site of the catheter on the neck. I rubbed it now and then when I remembered, they started disappearing recently and now I think they are almost completely gone. My guess is it was some kind of allergic reaction of subcutaneous tissue to the medical plastic used ...maybe...

Robert Stebbins  I had exactly the same neck thing as Klara except mine was a single bump. It was painful so I didn’t feel like rubbing it very often. It disappeared on its own at about 6 weeks after surgery. Hope yours does too!