Carol Jones - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

2642 days ago

Mark Wilbur, Penelope Bodek, Kelly Stoll reacted to this

I saw my cardiologist on Tuesday and he wanted to check me for fluid around my heart due to my legs swelling so much so I went back on thursday after a visit ...Read more

I saw my cardiologist on Tuesday and he wanted to check me for fluid around my heart due to my legs swelling so much so I went back on thursday after a visit to my regular Dr who was thrilled to se me and we discussed my new and improved health. Unofficially I have no fluid around my heart (havent' seen the dr for test results yet but the tech clued me in as I was worried) so that's a good thing. It's still hard to lay down and I'm spending most nights in a power recliner as that is easier to get out of for bathroom visits etc. I see my surgeon this week and will discuss the incision pain and pressure/tightness. I am sure this is normal but it is very uncomfortable. I'm supposed to start cardiac rehab in 2 weeks. Not sure if I will be able to drive by then or not (5 weeks out?) may have to arrange transportation which could get tricky. All in all I feel much better and oddly enough I am no longer hot all the time. Before the surgery I was always turning on fans and lowering the air conditioner. Now I find myself getting cold easier and not once have I been hot to the point where I needed a fan. It's a weird feeling to not be sweating constantly and It's been in the high 90's. Still can't wait for the day when I no longer feel the pain and I can bend over. I am taking a cruise in August and my cardiologist assures me I will enjoy it much more than the last one I took right before my surgery. He says by Labor Day this will all be a memory. I have my fingers crossed. Oh I also found out today that I am going to be a grandmother again in January. That will be #12. :)

Mark Wilbur Best wishes for a steady recovery, Carol. I like the line, "by Labor Day this will all be a memory." ... Read more

Mark Wilbur Best wishes for a steady recovery, Carol. I like the line, "by Labor Day this will all be a memory." Something to look forward to! (And #12 grandchild, too.) The future looks bright!

Rita Savelis Congrats on the new grandchild to come!
Feeling cold after OHS is common. Your hormonal system goes ... Read more

Rita Savelis Congrats on the new grandchild to come!
Feeling cold after OHS is common. Your hormonal system goes out of whack for a bit.
And I hear you on the pressure/tightness in the sternum. I kept waiting for that to go away...but it can come and go for a long time.
Recovery takes time so you'll have to be patient and take one day at a time.
Sometimes we're in such a rush to be better that we forget what our hearts and bodies have been through. Can't see our internal organs so we can't imagine that they need time to heal just like a broken leg would.
Wishing you a peaceful smooth recovery.

Nancy Surprenant Takahashi Carol I had my OHS one week before you and I still have struggles also, I have fluid in my lungs. I ... Read more

Nancy Surprenant Takahashi Carol I had my OHS one week before you and I still have struggles also, I have fluid in my lungs. I go in and out of afib. I get discouraged when I can see others doing 3 mile laps and i can barely make 1/4 mile. I still haven't been approved for rehab yet, I think Rita Savelis makes a very good point that our bodies have been through a lot and we forget it. My cardiologist reminded me this week that it's still very early.

Judy Shaw I too have always been the one hot and have to have a fan running. I've had thyroid and hormones chec ... Read more

Judy Shaw I too have always been the one hot and have to have a fan running. I've had thyroid and hormones checked but everything was ok. It is a miserable feeling to be hot all the time.
Congratulations on grandchild #12!!

Carol Jonesposted a journal

2646 days ago

Judy Shaw, Tina Maroon, Kelly Stoll and 1 other reacted to this

Pain seems to be changing to a very sharp stabbing pain and I feel like someone is pushing my chest in the middle and it's hard to stand up straight without ...Read more

Pain seems to be changing to a very sharp stabbing pain and I feel like someone is pushing my chest in the middle and it's hard to stand up straight without the pain meds. Going to my cardiologist today so hopefully will get some insight. Seeing my GP on Thursday and the surgeon next week. Whew that's a lot of Dr's. Supposed to start Cardiac rehab in 2 weeks. We'll see how that goes. At least the scarring is fading nicely.

Denise Campbell It could be the wires that they use to closed your sternum. I had stabbing feeling too. But it we ... Read more

Denise Campbell It could be the wires that they use to closed your sternum. I had stabbing feeling too. But it went away after a while. Good luck

Susan Killian I had sharp pain when trying to breath in deeply, has subsided now, I am 4 weeks out tomorrow.

Mark Wilbur Wishing you the best -- a pain-free best.

Carol Jonesposted a journal

2650 days ago

I am still very short of breath even doing simple things like walking to the mailbox and back. It's just a very short walk. I also am experiencing a lot of ...Read more

I am still very short of breath even doing simple things like walking to the mailbox and back. It's just a very short walk. I also am experiencing a lot of sunspots and flashes even when I haven't just come in from a bright day. It's starting to worry me. Has anyone else experienced vision problems after surgery?

Charlotte Dowd Hi Carol, yes I had some vision issues as a side effect of the oxy. I too, struggled with breathing t ... Read more

Charlotte Dowd Hi Carol, yes I had some vision issues as a side effect of the oxy. I too, struggled with breathing the entire 6 days I was in the hospital and a bit in the first few days after I got home. I just practice deep breathing a few time throughout each day to expand my lungs. It's been two weeks and my breathing is normalizing now. The vision issues nearly stopped when I quit taking the oxy, which also made me nauseous. I also had the flashes you spoke of but they have been clearing up with time.

Gina Fiorentino I dont know if this is exactly what you are describing but...
I saw some zig zag lines flash in bo ... Read more

Gina Fiorentino I dont know if this is exactly what you are describing but...
I saw some zig zag lines flash in both eyes (at different times) and also "stars" during the few weeks after surgery. Someone I met who had also recently had valve surgery told me it was "aura", as in "migraine aura", without the migraine headache. Sure enough, I looked up "aura" on Google under "images" and saw the zig zag patterns other people described. When I asked the Care Nurse, she said it may have been an affect of being on the heart / lung machine. Another person told me she had experienced the auras as well, but noticed that it happened immediately after she "did a little too much". Hers disappeared after a little while too. I noticed that it usually happened directly after I exerted myself, and lasted about 5-10 minutes each time. This symptom faded away, but I used it as a signal to take it easy...

Don L I also saw flashes/spots, or seemed to lose periphial vision off/on for a few days. It seemed to di ... Read more

Don L I also saw flashes/spots, or seemed to lose periphial vision off/on for a few days. It seemed to disappear once I was off the Tramadol(pain med). In my case blood pressure was on the low side too.

Carol Kauffman Carol K. I too experienced vision problems. The first time I turned on my cell phone after surgery I ... Read more

Carol Kauffman Carol K. I too experienced vision problems. The first time I turned on my cell phone after surgery I was almost blinded by the light! Then all night long in ICU they would be coming in and turning on the lights which I had to put something over my eyes! I also had a few ocular migraines. I've had those before, when under stress and/or in very bright sunlight. I also think my glasses prescription has changed but haven't checked that out yet. I read that Amiodorone can cause vision changes- my vision problems mostly ceased after I went off the meds. I still see a stray "spark" every now and then. I plan to talk to my eye doc next appt. Good luck!- I am 2 mo. post AVR and bypass

Helen Daw I had them too, but are fading away slowly. I cant look at the computer screen for too long. I was to ... Read more

Helen Daw I had them too, but are fading away slowly. I cant look at the computer screen for too long. I was told that in most people it does go away.

Susan Killian I had the zig zag flashing anomalies too. They have faded now, I thought from the anesthesia or oxy ... Read more

Susan Killian I had the zig zag flashing anomalies too. They have faded now, I thought from the anesthesia or oxy. But I quit the 0xy on about day 5, too nauseated even with zofran.

Bonnie Stone-Hope Had no vision issues but SO short of breath while in the CSU. Had to have 3 days of treatment (CPAP) ... Read more

Bonnie Stone-Hope Had no vision issues but SO short of breath while in the CSU. Had to have 3 days of treatment (CPAP)

Rose Madura Yes. I call them floaties. Mine got better over time. My nearsightedness got much worse and I had to ... Read more

Rose Madura Yes. I call them floaties. Mine got better over time. My nearsightedness got much worse and I had to get a new eyeglass prescription. I believe it was from being on high doses of Amiodarone for Afib for so long.

Carol Jonesposted a journal

2656 days ago

Kim Owen, Kelly Stoll and 1 other reacted to this

This journey started in March of 2017 and is now 13 months in. Had a valve replacement on April 18th. Went to rehab hospital on April 22nd and home on April ...Read more

This journey started in March of 2017 and is now 13 months in. Had a valve replacement on April 18th. Went to rehab hospital on April 22nd and home on April 26th.

Anna Jones Hi Carol, I'm going to ask to be sent to a rehab hospital too after surgery, as there is no one at ho ... Read more

Anna Jones Hi Carol, I'm going to ask to be sent to a rehab hospital too after surgery, as there is no one at home to help care for me.

While you were in the rehab hospital, did you get attentive care? Did you work with different types of therapists?

Carol Jones I got very attentive care and worked with several of the therapists on the staff. they changed up my ... Read more

Carol Jones I got very attentive care and worked with several of the therapists on the staff. they changed up my schedule each day so I could work on my weaknesses and also not get overtired.

Anna Jones Thank you, Carol, you have eased my mind.