Amit's Journal

Deena Z  For sure , had pain those initial months.  Took Tylenol, as Rose recommended,  and found a heating pad helped.  Lying exclusively on my back got to be unbearable, hear ya!

Richard Munson  Nice, your vitals are good. I’m sure you know that how long your pain will last is totally different from one person to the next, so who can really answer it. 

Dan Fouratt  Richard is right we are all different.  If you are anything like me another week you will not notice the pain. I am glad it went well for you.

Dan

Robert Miller  Hard to say. I had a full sternotomy and both times stopped meds the next day (they give you meds the first day by default). However, with a mini sternotomy, they are probably cutting through more muscles. Women on this forum commented that when you do minimal invasive surgery, the fact that you go through more tissue can cause more pain. But the fact that you are only on tylenol is encouraging. Give it 1-2 more weeks. If it doesn't go away, check with your surgeon and/or cardiologist. 

Richard Munson  Congratulations. Your surgery, my birthday same day. I was no doubt feeling better than you that day. Glad you are home. 

Dan Fouratt  Amit, Welcome home.  I felt recovery was the best part, the worry is behind you and you can look forward to feeling better. Listen to your body during this time.

Kimberly Eisenhut  Amit, I just watched one of Adams interviews with Drs at Penn and found them extremely helpful and just know you are going to be in good hands. Stay positive and find things to keep your mind busy. We will be here to cheer you on when you are on the road to feeling better after your successful surgery!

Dan Fouratt  I had MIAVR replacement March 2024. It went great.  I was in decent shape before surgery (63 at the time).  I walked day of surgery (not far). I was release 4 days after surgery, did several days of 10 miles that week.  I did have an event of A-Flutter, but it did not affect my recovery.  My recovery continued and at the 2 month point I was able to become a caregiver to my wife who broke her heal. not yet  year out and feel there are no issues with the valve.  You will do great!  Good luck on your journey.

Dorothea Jenkins  Good luck Amit, I was scared but it was not like I thought it to be. Having to lay without moving my right arm and keeping legs straight on a hard bed was the only difficult time I had. I went home the next day and hit my soft gel mattress was something as it made me think no place like home. I had the best possible people taking care of me and respected my privacy. 

Richard Munson  Think positive. Feb 18th is also my birthday. So you all can say congratulations Amit on your surgery and happy 83rd to me, all in one breath.

Rose Madura  Amit, it's normal to be nervous but these doctors do this every day and are good at what they do. The odds are in your favor.  Try to focus on that. Godspeed.👍

susan harris  Amit, would you mind sharing who your surgeon is?  i am tracking those doing minimally invasive work. 

Susan Lynn  Amit - Fellow Pennsylvanian! No worries. I had a minimally invasive entry (mitral valve repair) and found the surgery and recovery completely doable. As Richard said, think positively! You'll be just fine!

Marie Myers  I would eat a nutritious diet with plenty of protein to assist with healing. Go off any supplements that may increase bleeding if you are taking any of those. If you can walk, do that to increase your stamina for recovery. I found listening to calming meditations and doing yoga helpful also. 

Marie Myers  Your fatigue could be due to a non-cardiac issue. . Have you seen your GP and discussed this? Perhaps your thyroid ,iron, or blood count is low? 

Suelynn Hanegraaf  My cardiologist told me that stenosis can suddenly get worse - not necessarily gradual. I would suggest letting your cardiologist know how you are feeling. 💕

Robert Miller  I am not familiar with aortic stenosis but in my case things did go bad very quickly (a few months). Talk to your cardiologist and see if you need a more frequent check up, i.e. every 3 months rather than once a year.

It's also possible that you are just more aware of age related symptoms now that you know you have some heart issue. Your mind does play tricks on you, e.g. I am much more aware of my heart beat than I was before.