Dee's Posts

Just curious after reading your post and looking at your profile. It looks like you had surgery at the premier hospital in mid may 2026. Roughly 2 months is not a long time in the world of heart surgery. Are you for sure, not getting better ? Assume you get regular checkups and updates. Everyone heals at different rates of speed from what i see. Those that run the boston marathon the week after discharge are rare, and not believable to me.

Hi Dee, I agree you are early in your recovery timeframe, especially given you have experienced some complications such as pneumonia and some fluid buildup. You will definitely have good and bad days in your recovery. I believe a straight line recovery is very rare. I found it better to focus on my week to week progress because it is hard to measure your progress day by day when you experience set backs. Always try to do a little more on your good days but give yourself a break too, when you have a bad day. It's ok to take a nap, even if you didn't need one yesterday. It sounds like you are following up with your doctor which is important, too. Don't let anyone push aside your concerns, you know your body best, and you have to advocate for yourself if you feel your needs aren't being met. Have you signed up for cardio rehab. If not I highly recommend doing so. You can get some feedback that way and possibly meet people that are going through the same thing in person too. Wishing you well ❤️‍🩹

Thank you Grace- I think you are right- I thought I would see a little improvement each day and not so many set backs. I have a full day of follow up coming up soon and will see if there is something more I should be doing. Cardiac rehab is set to begin in 2 weeks.

Ah, Dee. I feel for you! I had gone in thinking I'd be good to go in 4-5 weeks after my surgery. I ended up having some complications and I really didn't understand what all had happened. Everything I read had people feeling great a few weeks after their surgery and had me wondering what was wrong with me. Then I found this site and talked with real people. I learned everybody's journey is different. You have good days and think you're on the other side, and then a not so good day. Just keep moving and listen to your body. It does get better!!

I don’t think your expectations are too high. You have to have a positive attitude through it all. You just have to be a realist. Its major surgery and it takes time to recover. In the world of minimally invasive, not just heart surgery btw, i think they imply that a person will be dancing the jig in record time. Not always true. I am no doctor but the heart is one of the few surgeries where they actually shut it down to do the work, then restart it. That in itself is a massive strain on your body. In many cases, the minimally invasive term, involves how they actually get to your heart not the actual surgery.

As Grace recommended, you definitely want to evaluate your progress by the week, not the day. Some days you'll have more energy than you expected, others you'll feel like you took a giant leap backward. Don't overdue it on the good days and give yourself a little slack on the bad ones. Before you know it, you'll see the progression. I felt pretty good after surgery, but the last symptom to go was the exhaustion. Frequent naps got me through the day for several months. One day at a time. You can do it. Take all the time you need.

For sure get off that couch ( as i lay here on my couch). My doctor said walking was the best exercise and i agree. No special equipment needed. I had a treadmill and used it when outside was not doable. But walking from room to room works. Did i mention my cassie was my inspiration to get out and walk. ( see picture). She was my rock.

Hi Dee. I am 10 mon out and i felt like you. I started with cardiac rehab after 3 months. I was so incredibly happy with just being able to do cardio machines. I recommend getting in to rehab as soon as possible. I had a very hard time with the recovery process. Still trying to get my strength back. Don’t behard on yourself

I had my 3rd heart surgery, 2nd open, 5/28. Ross. Audiobooks! Libby app is essential. My kids bought me complex Lego sets, which I focused on early in recovery. I just can’t tell you how frustrating it can be, especially if you have been very active. I went from running and hiking miles and miles to barely being able to walk for 3minutes. However, and I can’t stress this enough, give yourself grace and space to recover on your own timeline. We heap all kinds of expectation upon ourselves without taking the time to remember we went through the most epic, invasive, terrifying surgery known to man. It will happen, just stick with it. There will be awful days, BUT…it will amaze you what’s just around the corner when you keep plugging along. Always keep that in your mind.

Hi Dee. I had surgery for mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation May 9, 2025. I got a mechanical valve because two attempts during surgery to repair the valve failed. About three days later I got a pacemaker...unexpected but my ticker just kept dropping to around 40 to 50 beats per minute, so it was a necessity before I could get out. I think every heart patient is so different. Challenges are different. In my case, I had virtually no pain whatsoever, and any pain I had was due to stiffness. I started cardiac rehab in August that year and it definitely helped with regaining energy and overall fitness. Like many people, though, other things have come up physically that seem to be the result of having the surgery. Which isn't to say I wouldn't have done the surgery or that was a mistake, but my frustration with these things gets the best of me sometimes even all of this time later. Exercise, even if it is just a little, could definitely up your energy even if you initially don't feel like it would. Obviously you want to follow medical advice for your specific situation. Even contacting a therapist who is familiar with this type of trauma (because it really is), could help. Hang in there and hope things do quickly improve for you!

Dee, I'm assuming that you are keeping in contact with your surgeon and or cardiologist regarding your symptoms. I had a lot of complications when I had my surgery and i just kept plugging along. I had terrible bouts of Afib, Aflutter, and lots of inflammation and fluid around the heart and lungs. I'm a prayerful person so I prayed a lot and did my best to stay positive. It might help you to talk about it with someone. Being sad about things from the surgery is quite normal. God bless you. Please keep us updated. 🙏

Rose, thank you. I too, am a prayerful person and I follow up with the medical team through regular appointments. My husband found this site and suggested I join because he sees me struggle every day- looking for some sort of encouragement from others who are going through the same journey and emotions. It is good to have people out there who understand the roller coaster ride we find ourselves on.

Hi Dee. Early in my recovery, I focused on "beating my record" inside the house. I walked laps around the furniture. First it was 5 laps at a time, then 8, then 12 and more. Then it was total laps per day in the house. Then I moved outside: first walking 4 houses away, then 8, then 12.... Its a game, but seeing "today Chris" beat "yesterday Chris" always gives me a sense of accomplishment. And put your results on paper so you can see your growth week-over-week. I hope this helps. Best of luck to you!