November 22nd was 10 months from my surgery and a little over 7 months after cardioverting back to a beautiful normal sinus rhythm and I couldn't feel better! ...Read more
November 22nd was 10 months from my surgery and a little over 7 months after cardioverting back to a beautiful normal sinus rhythm and I couldn't feel better! The meds are all gone and I Thank God for an amazing set of physicians and caregivers! I truly feel as though I've been given a second chance at life and I'm determined not to waste it - every day is precious.
Well, 2.5 months post-op and the AF wouldn't go away so went in for a quick 200 joules across the chest to reset everything and just like that, back to normal ...Read more
Well, 2.5 months post-op and the AF wouldn't go away so went in for a quick 200 joules across the chest to reset everything and just like that, back to normal sinus rhythm! Later this month have a consult regarding possible ablation to make sure we don't pop back into AF. Activity has increased by leaps and bounds...it feels so good to be able to walk, hike and work on my property without being completely gassed and unable to breath! Just reduced my Metoprolol from 50mg/2x daily to a single dose in the evening. Doing ok...BP is awesome but pulse rate hangs up around 90-100 as I get towards pill time....prior to surgery my resitng rate was in the 60's-70's - like many others, post op resting rate is higher, 80-100. That was a bit worrisome - until I found that is quite normal and should correct over time (Thanks again Adam, as I found that information on this site).
Marie Myers Keep on the recovery road! Glad the cardioversion worked.
03/05/2020 - Update
6 Weeks post-op and doing reasonably well.....developed a case of Aflutter a few weeks (Pulse Rate stays around 120-130 all of the time) ...Read more
03/05/2020 - Update
6 Weeks post-op and doing reasonably well.....developed a case of Aflutter a few weeks (Pulse Rate stays around 120-130 all of the time) back that has yet to convert itself to a NSR. Rehab is going well, walking distance and speed are up, although they've been reminding me that I need to not push "Too" hard...guess I'm not being a very patient patient! So we're going to give this Aflutter a couple more weeks and if it doesn't convert on it's own then we'll go cardiovert it and move one! I've got a Spring bear tag and need to be out in the woods in April and May.....
Simon Leon Keep up the good work! And here's hoping the Aflutter sorts itself out. Keep us informed
Marie Myers Congratulations on your recovery! Hope the flutter quits on it’s own.
Hard to be patient in recovery. Do your best. Hope the flutter goes away. Keep us posted.
Jennifer Winslow Glad you are in rehab and being monitored if you are pushing things! Bear tag?
Well, so that irritating increase in heart rate did turn in to a case of atrial flutter. As we've seen in many posts here not uncommon for AFIB or Atrial Flutter ...Read more
Well, so that irritating increase in heart rate did turn in to a case of atrial flutter. As we've seen in many posts here not uncommon for AFIB or Atrial Flutter to develop during the healing phase. Doesn't make it any easier, having your heart pounding away constantly...very weird and unsettling. Upped the Metoprolol to 50mg 2x a day and added a precautionary Xarelto (now there was a Rx sticker shock!). After a couple of days I will admit that it seems to be working well...managed almost 1.5 mile walk yesterday morning with my grandson and daughter and start cardiac rehab this morning. Just a little bump in the road....slow and steady baby! I can't thank all of the people who are supporting me enough...this would be an impossible task without them!
Rose Madura Glad the Aflutter didn't set you back too much. I was so symptomatic that I had to be hospitalized e ... Read more
Rose Madura Glad the Aflutter didn't set you back too much. I was so symptomatic that I had to be hospitalized each time. At one point I was taking 200 mg of Metoprolol and 400 of Amiodadrone twice a day just to try to keep it at bay. . In about six weeks though, it all cleared up. Keep up the walking!
Jim Wilson Wow...thanks Rose...so far we seem to be able to control it with 50mg of Metoprolol 2x daily and neve ... Read more
Jim Wilson Wow...thanks Rose...so far we seem to be able to control it with 50mg of Metoprolol 2x daily and never goes above 140'ish... look forward to getting going everyday....
Jennifer Winslow I don’t feel like mine races but definitely beats good and hard. I’m not on any blood thinner or ... Read more
Jennifer Winslow I don’t feel like mine races but definitely beats good and hard. I’m not on any blood thinner or beta blockers. I see my regular cardiologist next Thursday.
Jim Wilson Jennifer - it seems that the node it is connecting across must max out at 140 but never the less it i ... Read more
Jim Wilson Jennifer - it seems that the node it is connecting across must max out at 140 but never the less it is irritating...well controlled and good vitals with the meds but I do look forward to see that this is just a healing artifact as some have suggested. Started Cardiac Rehab (M-W-F) so that's a nice distraction and addition to my already scheduled daily walks.
Little over 2 weeks post-op from AVR today - all things considered it's going well! I'm not very good at being a patient and I did try a little too hard on ...Read more
Little over 2 weeks post-op from AVR today - all things considered it's going well! I'm not very good at being a patient and I did try a little too hard on one of my walks last week and the body let me know I may have pushed it a little too hard...LOL. The only difficulty I've noticed is an occasional increased heart rate - not AFIB by any stretch but noticeable. Keep on keeping and let the healing happen!
Rose Madura Take your time recovering. You a re e in recovery mode. All in all, sounds like you are doing prett ... Read more
Rose Madura Take your time recovering. You a re e in recovery mode. All in all, sounds like you are doing pretty good.
Jim Wilson Thank You Rose....I agree...the only thing that bothers me is the occasional increased heart rate - e ... Read more
Jim Wilson Thank You Rose....I agree...the only thing that bothers me is the occasional increased heart rate - even though I know it is an artifact of the surgery and healing process and at 135-140 is just a number that causes anxiety....Thank you again...it does represent a huge relief from the years I spent worrying about IF the surgery would ever need to be performed...Now I'm really ready to get healed up, get back in shape and hit back country hunting with my son in law - I really missed that the last couple of years as I subconsciously limited my activities...no more.
Frank Giovanniello Please don't over do it. Your body is really freaky, some things it will let you slide, sometimes the ... Read more
Frank Giovanniello Please don't over do it. Your body is really freaky, some things it will let you slide, sometimes the same thing it will put you on your ass. Take it slow, it is a long road back. All things Good!
Herb Greenberg Jim, very encouraging to read that 2 weeks out you're antsy.
Adam Pick Go Jim! Go! You're not alone. I've heard from several patients about a higher heart rate after surg ... Read more
I just received a great question from Pete about high heart rates after open heart surgery. Pete writes, "Hi Adam, I had an aortic valve replacement procedur
Jim Wilson Thank You everyone. I found this website back when I was first diagnosed and had 10,000 unanswered qu ... Read more
Jim Wilson Thank You everyone. I found this website back when I was first diagnosed and had 10,000 unanswered questions and also felt that I'd "Never" need to have that surgery (which I eagerly admit scared the daylights out of me)...fast forward those years and surgery and the feeling is so much better.....I had no frame of reference as I had never spent a day in a hospital in my life....the relief and hope is hard to express. Adam, Thanks again for starting and maintaining this website....invaluable information and maybe even more critical, support! How's that go? "Keep on Ticking?"
Jim Wilson Darn resting heart rate still up to 145'ish....Noticed that the BP also started to rise at rest...cal ... Read more
Jim Wilson Darn resting heart rate still up to 145'ish....Noticed that the BP also started to rise at rest...called my surgeon...cautious of AFIB, upped the Metoprolol from 12.5mg to 25mg...hope that brings it back....will follow-up with them i the AM....just another bump...great periods of excercise today...
Rose Madura It's common to have afib or Aflutter after surgery. Can last for about 6 weeks. It did for me. Gl ... Read more
Rose Madura It's common to have afib or Aflutter after surgery. Can last for about 6 weeks. It did for me. Glad you seem to be tolerating it.