Carol's Journal

Hi I don't come here often. It will be 10 years in September since my Aorta Valve transplant. My doctors, keep telling me everything is find, except I have AFIB which (I believe I had as a child) because I had shortness of breath. I am tall, very slim as a child, but could not keep up with other girls when running track. There were lots of other signs over the years. Now when I go to the doctor, they say, my lungs are clear, my breathing is fine, but I can actually rattling in my chest at times. I told my PP this, she had a tech run some breathing tests on my about a year ago and said my lungs are clear. Do any of you, who have had your surgery already, have this problem. I thinking about going to a "Lung specialist". I also get short of breath more than I did the first few years after the surgery. Let me also state, I am 81 now.

I know some people are discussing "blood thinners". I just want to ad, my mom was on Warfarin for years. Probably 20. She developed major bleeding issues. Every bump, heaven help her if she fell. She did live to be 92, but the last few miserable. I too had the same issues from getting shots in my knees. It took a while for me to find the cause. My doctors, didn't seem to care. During this time, the skin on my arms got so dry, they actually peeled like corn meal, bruised, and bleed at every bump. I have the scars to prove it. So, I am doing my best to take healthier alternatives to keep my blood flowing, but blood thinners, in my opinion cause more harm than good.
By the way, my TAVR has held up well over the last 9.5 years.

I am thinking about changing cardiologists after 10 years. My cardiologist, tried to put me on Eliquis which in the ad says do not take if you have an artificial valve. I looked (pig valves) and they are artificial. In fact any thing other than human is artificial. He also at one time had me on a med for over 3 years that no one is suppose to use more than 1 years and he has asked me on several visits if I was taking a blood thinner. In addition, he told me on the last visit that I "now have AFIB", which I have always had! When I told him he told me years ago, I had AFIB he said, "You didn't before, but you do now! He mentioned that I am now "80" which makes me think that he is just throwing another pill at me and lumping me into a category. I had a bleeding issue for several years, which I found out was because of the shots, I was taking for my knees, which I cracked in my 20s and lately have had issue with. Once I stopped the shots, the bleeding and easy bruising stopped. My mother had AFIB, we have a family history of heart issues. Mom took Warfarin and she couldn't bump into anything without uncontrolled bleeding. I do not want to spend the rest of my life, miserable and frail. I have developed distrust for this man as a cardiologist. He is probably doing what 90% of them do, but I would like to find one who thinks outside the box and help me continue on without all the chemicals. Do any of you know a cardiologist who thinks "outside" the box and pills" in the Houston/Galveston Texas area?

I was looking at the map of heart hospitals. Why aren't hospitals in the Houston, Texas area listed? There are only 2 in the entire shown, in Dallas area. Houston's Medical Center is well know world wide.

I was 71 when I had the TAVR. This was in 2015 I had no clogs in my arteries oe viens according to the surgeon. Howver I have had AFIB all my life. We have a family history of heart issues of various kinds. The surgery was a breeze. I went in on Monday morning and went home Friday around noon. However, I did have an AFIB attack while still in the hospital and some difficulty with the leg, but worked to get that out by messaging the leg a lot over a couple of months. I was given a prescription for Metoprolol Tarrate which I took until last year and got the cardiologist change it to Metoprolo Succinate, because it is slower acting than the Tarrate.
My cardiologist prescribed 2 low dose asprins a day, which I took faithly for a number of years. Only to end up with a hole in my stomach and I was put on a prescription for that for a couple of years. I stopped th asprin all together. The this same cardiologist put me on a Prescription for Amidrone, which no one is suppose to be on a the long term, I was still the Metoprolo.
All my life, I had very oily skin and hair. Within 2 years of being on Metoprolo Tarrate, I begin to notice my hair getting very thing, not holding a curl (I have naturally hair and thick) My arms and legs, got very dry, brusied and bleed easily and my eyes got very dry. My arms even today, after coating them with all kinds of skin treatments, taking biotin, etc are stilly very dry. When I rubbed my hands down my arms they feel like cornmeal and sometimes it actually hurts.
When my doctors would not listen when I compalined to them, I was ignored. It took a few years to mak them undersand that this is not just aging.
After getting off of Amidrone and getting the Metoprolol change , taking bioten for skin problems, buying "Her" shampoe for women having thinning hair problems, things have improved. The is another medication that I still have questions about.
The point of all this, that most doctors, tend to treat all patients the same. If you reach a certain age, have a certain medical problem, they treat you all the same and have a tendecy not to listen to the patient, because that is what they have been taught.
Metoprolol is a beta blocker. It is not a blood thinner, but it has affected me as if it were. I did my own reserach on the web, talk to my parhmacist privately and checked out all the meds I have been prescribed. Then I made some changes and eventually got my doctors to change prescriptions. I still have a way to go, but as I mentioned it is better. I did see on beta blocker that has no side effects and I am going to check it out, to see if I can get off of Metoprolo completely.
By no means, am I suggesting to anyone to stop taking your prescriptions, but do check them out. I have known more than one person who are taking many prescriptions for many years, to actually become sicker and eventually pass away because their meds didn't get along. If you are not happy with your doctor or your prescriptions, take action. Be your on advocate.
On the bright side "TAVRS" are amazing.

Medications, after heart Valve replacement. My heart Valve replacement was in 2015. The surgeon told me the only blockage in my entire body was the Aorta Valve, due to my genetics. But I did have one major AFIB episode while in the hospital. I was orginally put on Metoprolol Tarrate and low dose asprin. One would think that every thing would be regulated and in place as far as prescriptions go. Not so. The Cardio, prescribed 2 low dose asprins a day, which after a couple of years, ate a hole in my stomach lining and gave me a hydal hernia. So, I was then given a pill for that, which I took until a few weeks ago, when the kidney dr. took me off of it. (No problems with my kidneys). The cardiologist put me on amiodarone when I told him I was no longer taking the asprin. In the meantime over the past 7.9 years, my eyes have dried out, my hair dried out and my skin especially dried out. I bruise and bleed with every little bump or scratch. Metoprolol is not suppose to be a blood thinner. Metoprolol hits the blood stream fast and I did get my cardiologist to take me off the amiodarone (whch I had taken for at least 2 years) and change the Metoprolol to Succinate, which is suppose to be slower acting. The only other heart med, I take is losartan potassium. My arms and legs, don't bleed or bruise as much but the skin is still so dry, that when I brushed my hand across my arms, I can feel the skin shed. I must admit I am a little different than most people, I just don't fit the medical books, quite like the doctors think I should. I have different reactions to some of the meds. etc. I am not spring chicken, but didn't have any of these issues, until the surgery, which was needed. I also felt fine for about the first year or so. I think the meds build up and need to be change, but I have no idea, what the cardiologist could give me other than Metoprolol. I don't understand why it has caused this skin and blood issue. I just know, that at my age my skin looks older than my grandmother's at 85. Lately, I have started cutting the Metoprolol tab in half and taking 1/2 in the AM and 1/2 in the PM. I am considering trying to find a "blood specialist" and see if it can be found out why I have these issues. If anyone else out there has experienced these problemw with Metoprolol, I would like to know if you found a solution.

Have any of you needed a pacemaker after a TAVR? My cardiologist wants to run a test on me to see if I need a pacemaker. My pulse is 54, BP today is 122 (in dr. office 140) Dia is 75. He had an echo done a week ago and said the new valve is working just fine. My surgery was in 2015. He has me on a tone of meds, because I still had AFIB after surgery. (Valve and AFIB genetic). Personally, I think if I have any issues, it is being caused by meds. I would appreciate feed back.

Hi, I don't get on here much. My heart valve surgery was in 2015 TAVR. At first they were going to do the full monty, but I protested and they decide I qualified after all. Before I was told I wasn't sick enough. Yet I had been given only 2 years at the most to live! The surgery went very well, in on Monday out on Friday. I was put on a beta blocker, Metoprolol. Now my skin bleeds easy with every little scratch or bump. My dr. says it is my skin type. There are other beta blockers out there and I will find them! But what I really want to tell others having this bleeding/bruising problem what I have done to help my skin. I started taking All my med 1 hour apart, now there are 9 pills. Not sure I need them all. In addition to taking the pills 1 hour apart, I have started putting:

"Bio Oil, Vaseline Intensive Care with Aloe, Arnicare Bruise Relief
and "Remedy" Intensive Skin Therapy which I got at a small medical supply store near me. If there isn't a medical supply store near you, I suggest you go online and see if you can find it. It helps to keep skin from being too dry. I put all 4 of these things on my arms 1 to 2 times a day and my arms are looking a lot better. It takes about 10 minutes of your day to do this and if it helps it is worth the trouble. I hope it works for those of you who need help with your skin.

I have explained to my cardiologist that my concern is more than vanity (I am nearly 78). The major concern is if I bleed this easily and in the future need more surgery, I could bleed to death. I know they take you off your meds for about 2 weeks before, but I will probably need to be off a month before.

So, I will continue to research Beta Blockers and their side effects.

Take care.