Jan Domingos - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

2115 days ago

I had my mitral valve repaired on August 9, 2017...11 months ago at NY Presbyterian Hospital by Dr. T. Sloan Guy. The surgery was done robotically. I had a ...Read more

I had my mitral valve repaired on August 9, 2017...11 months ago at NY Presbyterian Hospital by Dr. T. Sloan Guy. The surgery was done robotically. I had a Barlow's valve, with severe regurgitation discovered on my routine echo. I have had MVP since my 30's. I was 70 at the time of the operation. The surgery was successful. The only pre-operative symptoms I had were a lot of palpitations. It was caught before any heart failure, afib, pulminory hypertension, or heart enlargement occurred - I was very lucky. I went grocery shopping the week after I got home. I have, however, some nerve pain around a couple of my tiny incisions, and pain in my right chest wall. If I do any upper body weight machines ( which I did before the surgery) or lift anything heavy, my right chest wall hurts, even if I just take a deep breath, such as with a sneeze, yawn, or cough. My doctors all say that that sometimes happens and may eventually go away. I have never read anyone's story of their surgery where this is an after effect. I would appreciate anyone's comments on this. Thank you!

Rose Madura Hi Jan. I have the nerve pain around the incisions. I have encountered some pain in chest for a whil ... Read more

Rose Madura Hi Jan. I have the nerve pain around the incisions. I have encountered some pain in chest for a while but it has cleared up, I'm 13 months post op.

Susan Lynn Jan - my understanding is that they deliberately deaden the nerves during surgery to minimize post op ... Read more

Susan Lynn Jan - my understanding is that they deliberately deaden the nerves during surgery to minimize post operative pain. However, as the nerves regenerate, they do create pain, tingling, and numbness. I'm 7 months post op minimally invasive; I had numbness for awhile and a twinge, occasionally, but it seems to be improving. I hope your discomfort will subside soon. Sounds like you're a very young 70 - you should be able to maintain your active life. If it persists, I'd continue to reach out to your doctor.

Jan Domingos Thank you for your comments. I guess it is normal and I just have to wait it out. My cardiologist tol ... Read more

Jan Domingos Thank you for your comments. I guess it is normal and I just have to wait it out. My cardiologist told me women experience this more than men. And they did give me a chest nerve block, so it is probably the nerves regenerating. Thank you both! I feel better.