Jill's Journal

Jeff V.  Hi Jill! Can you share what type of AV you selected and was it recommended to you by Dr. Svensson? Did you have random AFIB prior to surgery and how is it today? Thanks!

Adam Pick  Happy Anniversary Jill! Great to hear that Dr. Svensson and the CC team helped you through this! Congrats!!!!

Jill Krajnovich  Hi Jeff, I have an Edwards Lifesciences Pericardial Tissue Valve which Dr Svensson chose. I did have AFIB episodes prior to surgery and had undergone an ablation. I then was placed on both metoprolol and diltiazem to control my rhythm. Following valve surgery, I had several AFIB episodes with the final one occurring about 8 weeks afterwards. This is a common side effect of surgery but generally not lasting. I now take 25 mg of metoprolol and a baby aspirin daily and I have not had another Afib episode in more than 10 months.

Bob Fessler  I had my one year anniversary last Saturday. I am doing great. I don't even think about my heart or surgery anymore. I agree 100% with Jill about the surgery. It was nowhere near as bad as expected. Good luck to all. No afib before surgery. A minor episode in the hospital after surgery and no afib since. I had an Edwards pericardial tissue valve installed. I only take a baby aspirin once a day.

Jeff V.  Thanks Jill! Glad to hear the AFIB is in check. Did Dr. Svensson advise on the approximate lifetime of the Edwards valve you received and the replacement plan down the road (given today's technology)? Thx again!!

Jill Krajnovich  Yes, he is hoping for 15-20 years and then doing a replacement using the TAVR method. He feels most valve replacement surgeries will be done that way in the future.

LINDA ROBERTS  Did you get a mini-sternotomy and if so how many inches is that incision? Dr. Svensson will be doing my surgery August 17th. Glad you are doing well.

Paul Rose  Congratulations, may your NSR continue 😎And hopefully at some stage you can ween off the metropolol

Jill Krajnovich  Hi Linda, I did have a mini-sternotomy and it is about 4 inches long. I recommend using silicone tape on the incision to help keep it flat. I began using it 7 weeks after my surgery and my scar is flat with the exception of the bottom half inch where the tape did not stick well near my cleavage. I believe the entire scar would have been raised if I did not use the tape. Best wishes to you on your upcoming surgery!

Judy Stokes  Mine only lasted a short time . Took metoprolol and it went away. I did have to stay In Hospital 1 extra day because of it. Don't get discouraged. When are you to be discharged?

Steve Farthing  I had afib problems until the diuretic Lasix was done which was about 7 days. 24 hours after Lasix was done, heart rate and rhythm went back to normal without metopolol or amiodarone. My doc even prescribed Lasix plus potassium since Lasix (furosemide) depletes it. But still had afib. Was in hospital 3 1/2 days after surgery.

Rose Madura  Jill, hang in there. I was very symptomatic with Afib and had to be hospitalized each time I had an issue. I'm still on Amiodarone and Metroplol and will be for a few months. I don't expect it to be permanent though. I believe when I see my cardiologist in mid-September, I suspect he'll start to wean me off the medicines. We'll see. Let us know how it goes.

Catie B  Sorry to hear about the afib, Jill. I struggled with it for a few weeks and was on Amiodarone for three months. Best to you for a very strong recovery!

Matt Sheffield  I've been on meds for about 6 months now. Dr. says I'll have to stay on it for some time. Currently I take 5mg of Bystolic. I was on Amiodarone for a couple months, but that med. made me feel "off".

Paul Rose  I was in Afib for ~12 weeks post mitral valve repair surgery. The surgeon waited for my sternum to start to bond and my heart to start to remodel. I was successfully Cardioverted after 12 weeks at the first attemptI and have been in NSR ever since (4 years and 9 months)

I was on Ace inhibitors, Beta Blockers and warfarin. After 4~5 months I met with my Cardiologist who agreed that my BP was too low (90/70 average over 3 months) through excercise and effects of the meds and was taken off the Ramipril effective immediately – my BP rose to 107/80 and much less prone to dizziness. over the next month it moved up and then started to slide down again with almost the same symptoms – review with Cardiologist, same symptoms instructed to stop Bisoprolol effective immediately. No ACE no BETA

As an aside I recoreded my BP, HR and Weight on a great iPad App. Very useful in discussions with the Cardiologist.

I remained on warfarin for ~10 months until passing a halter monitor test. I was then off all meds and have been ever since. Now 5 years post surgery.

I hope your journey is successful. it's easy to say but it's hard being patient - it is needed.

All the best with your recovery, the hard part is over

Paul

Barbara Wood  I had no afib in the hospital but went into it about a week after I got home. I was prescribed amiodorone, 400 mg & metoprolol, 50 mg- it didnt put me in nsr. After a miserable week with afib I went back to the hospital to be cardioverted ( along with a tee). I've remained in nsr since ( 6 weeks), & am taking 200 mg amiodorone & 12.5 mg of metoprolol currently. I'm told the amiodonone for another month,, but not sure yet about the beta blocker.All the best Jill- it keeps getting easier!

Laura Jacobs  Hi Jill, I am so glad to hear that your surgery was a success but sorry to hear about the afib. I have been wondering if I had a few episodes of afib but I am not sure. I had several nights in a row of chest pain and thumping on my left side and the best I could describe it was a squeezing feeling. I have felt nothing the last two nights??? I am on metropolol. I think I am going to wait until my first followup on Aug 10th to mention it - if it returns.

Jill Krajnovich  Thank you for all of your responses! I have a follow-up tomorrow in which I am going to discuss it with them in more detail but the plan is that I will wean off the amiodarone over the next 6 weeks and will remain on warfarin for 3-6 months. The metoprolol may be permanent as I was taking this drug prior to surgery, I am just taking a higher dose now.

Paul Rose  Good luck at the follow up. for what it is worth I was in Afib for close to two years before the surgery and was on a cocktail of meds including Metopolol before and after surgery. I was lucky enough that my heart remodelled and allowed me to wean off all meds apart from mini aspirin. I hope you have the same sucess

Valerie Archual  I have had intense PVC's not a-fib. Just got back from Cleveland-went and saw Dr. Jaegar an excellent EP doctor there. Prayers for things to settle down for you soon.