Diana's Journal

Just found some comment by Adam on valve calcification. When my surgeon got into my Mitral Valve to repair it he found calcification. Never mentioned it to me but told my husband and said it was nothing to worry about! Really??  Does anyone have any info on this? I read from Adam that I should have an Echocardiogram every 6 months to a year to check on it.

Hi from Alberta Canada! Our socialized health care is in shambles and hospitals and cardiologists are overwhelmed. Therefore it has been difficult to get any answers or to be seen. I would appreciate your input or thoughts from your own experiences. I am now 4 months post op mitral valve repair, minimally invasive through right side of breast, not minimal pain though. My biggest concern is my heart rate. My BP was quite low and has risen somewhat to 90’s over 60’s but sometimes all over the place. Sometimes with just sitting quietly it will be 100/80 then 90/68. My heart rate is usually over 100. Walking through the mall today it was 128, just walking leisurely. Last week when I was standing at the stove cooking meet it spiked to 158-59 for 2 minutes. It seems to jump up when I’m sitting quietly at the computer or watching tv. Resting heart rate is average 81-91 for January. Walking heart rate average 103-128. Sleeping rate is always 78-99. My GP looked up from checkups pre-surgery to see what my heart rates were the past couple years and it ranged between 60-80. I’m concerned my heart is working too hard. I am 135 pounds, 5’6” age 68. I am not on any meds. Doctors took me off heart meds cuz my BP went dangerously low. Thanks for reading this long post and sharing any thoughts, experiences or insights.

Did anyone else have numbness in right armpit and on top of right chest and breast area after minimally invasive mitral valve repair? Did it eventually go away? Did you feel painful twinges as it regenerated?

I am 10 weeks post op minimally invasive Mitral Valve Repair. i purchased an Apple watch as my heart rate is high and BP was very low but has come up somewhat. I want to know how reliable the Apple watch 7 is for ECG. Mine is telling me no Afib, just high heart rate or it will say Sinus Rhythm. When I look at the pattern made it looks very irregular. I took my iphone to my doctor and showed her the readings and she basically poopooed the Apple watch and said it was unreliable. I would love to hear your experience with this.

I am now 10 weeks post op and feeling great! My only concern is still Blood Pressure and heart rate. My BP was very low for so long and now my Systolic is over 100 and Diastolic is over 80 which is not normal for me! And heart rate is staying around 100 with upticks anywhere from 108 to 136 but doesn't stay elevated.

I am 9 weeks post mitral valve repair. My BP is all over the place but mostly low as in 80-90's over mid 60's. Heart rate is consistently 100 or higher and the last two times I took my BP readings yesterday it indicated that I had an irregular heart beat. I am having headaches pretty much 24/7, have dizzy spells and my vision has gone double a few times and takes a few minutes to normalize. The good news is my mitral valve repair looks good on the echo but I didn't have these issues prior to surgery. My cardiologist seems frustrated and took me off all meds and said he was more worried about my low BP than high heart rate. He is so overworked that the one phone appointment I had last week he had to put me on hold at least 4 times and then when he came back on he didn't know where we left off and had to ask if I had had an echocardiogram since we last met (which was only once). When I told him yes last week he ha to go check. I don't feel like I have anyone to get answers from. Thoughts please.