John's Journal

Lilly Black  Really? I was just thinking about posting a Post to ask if anyone has ever heard of a person going beyond 15 yrs or so with their valve. 20 years is great! Mine is supposed to last at least 18 yrs. Hope Arnold has a quick recovery :) How about you? doing ok?

Leslie Bakos  https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/arnold-schwarzenegger-undergoes-emergency-open-heart-surgery-report-161405477.html

John Clough  I am doing fine 7 monts post opp, I am also looking at vitamin K2 which is suppose to steer calcium away from the valve. I sent Adam a note about it and he said he is going to be doing further research on it.

Lilly Black  Interesting! Haven’t heard of that. I’ll look out for updates. Glad to hear you are doing well 👍✌️

Vivien Appleby   Hi John. Yes, I’m taking vitamin K2 -7 since end of last year. My bicuspid aortic valve replacement three weeks ago.. vivienappleby@gmail.com
Would like to share notes.

John Clough  Good to know Vivien, I have yet to get on a regime I thought i would try to do it naturally through eating more fermented foods and drinking things like Kefir and Kombucha, is your cardiologist ok with you taking K2 so soon after surgery? I hope you are feeling better after surgery, I had a bicupsid valve as well.

Vivien Appleby   It is vitamin that in conjunction with vitamin D3 helps move calcium from arteries etc where it doesn’t belong to the bones and teeth. Benefits to cardio /vascular and osteoporosis. Source : supplements or fermented foods - some cheese but easily the highest is Natto - a fermented soya bean food eaten in part of Japan where the incidence of osteoporosis is virtually zero. It is a relatively newer vitamin. Wealth of information on YouTube

Do not confuse with Vitamin K1 which in spite of a similar name is a different vitamin with benefits in coagulation.

John Clough  I went there a couple of years ago loved it, I would highly recommend heading to Peru not only to check out Machu Pichu but do the rain forest and yes go to Lima and do a food tour because it houses 2 of the top five restaurants in South America,

Bonnie Stone-Hope  Hi John, Have not had surgery yet, but just read the chapter in Adam's book where he states that the product mederma is helpful.

Gerald Poulton  Hi John, I had a quick one day hit at the hospital and then another one day after I got out. AFib is a common pesky complication of OHS and it can hang on for a while. Your Dr will probably leave you on meds for a while longer and hopefully that will solve the problem, if not they have other options they may try.

Rose Madura  I had two issues of Afib - all a result of the surgery. Mine was actually triggered by excess fluid around my heart which required a 2nd surgery. Then, I had one more issue with Aflutter. My surgeon said that "in most cases" it will go away after about six weeks. A lot of people experience this as a result of trauma to the heart. Hopefully, your's will get better soon. Keep us posted.

John Clough  thanks all, trying to figure it my Cardiologist says it is showing up about 8 percent of the time, I have been wearing my fit bit and will monitor it, seems like it started to kick in when I went back to work, keeping off the caffeine, sorry not giving up the wine have to have a couple vices.

Gerald Poulton  Lol John, it does tend to come on as a result of stress to the body, but sorry to say that wine / alcoholcan bring it on as well. That was the first thing that my interal medicine specialist asked me when mine started. The best way is to start the drinking slowly, when I first started it brought on irregular heart and skipped beats but in time that went away. Cheers 🍻

Ellen Leng  You can have "post-op" afib for up to 6 weeks and it is more common in those with enlarged left atrium prior to surgery. Reportedly nearly 50% of those having valve surgery have this complication. I had the fun experience of having fib/flutter for more than the 6 weeks, but calmed about 8 weeks and has not returned (I'm nearly 14 months post-op) and my repeat ECHO's show a normal LA at this time. You'll need to stay on anti-coagulation until it is clear that the AFib is gone. I ended up seeing a cardiac electrophysiologist and he recommended an app/monitor for my smartphone called AliveCor from Kardia. It costs about $100 and will give you a heart monitor strip anytime you are concerned about your rhythm. It's great peace of mind for me and cheaper than an ER or office trip!
Take care,
Ellen

Gerald Poulton  Good for you John' your surgery was almost 3 weeks later than mine. I started at one glass of wine a night and it was fine, after the meds were finished. I also found a good wine that was lower in alcohol and calories but taste good, it is called skinny grape. My son came To visit from out of town so the family got together, I drank more and than noticed the effects. Back to one a night and all good, than increased a bit with tome on some nights and okay.
Cheers 🍷

Marie Myers  I got back to non-Bikram yoga 6 weeks after my surgery. I started out real easy, and worked back to where I was prior to surgery...

John Clough  I actually thrive in the heat, I am going back one way or another will stay hydrated and wear a fit bit to gauge my heart rate.

Gerald Poulton  John are you on beta blockers or medication? I am 3 months post op and my pulse is still a bit elevated compared to my pre surgery of high 140s to low 150s, even though I am jogging etc.

John Clough  Gerald on a Beta Blocker Metropol and lisinopril which is a Ace inhibitor. I wear my fitbit all the time while not sleeping constantly looking at my pulse. I actually like Metropol it makes me take deep breaths several times in the day. While typing here right now my fitbit has my pulse at 56.

Kenneth Hart  ...cross fit can be as easy or as strenuous as you choose. Work with a fitness coach that understands your recent surgery and have them prepare a program that will gauge your level of readiness for the more strenuous strength training or cardio. For me the best post op come back was walking then long walks then fast walking then one minute run and two minute walk intervals to increase my lung capacity and to exercise my heart through short intervals.

Artie Hall  I've been walking 2-3 miles a day for weeks, began immediately and that distance at approx week 3. Post Op 5 weeks, began gym again, no lifting yet, but cardio, i.e. elliptical 3 times per week.

Gerald Poulton  Hi John and congrats, I am about 6 weeks post opp now and walking 5plus miles most days. I had been doing about 6 miles pre opp and at 4 weeks post was doing about 4. Walking is in my opinion the best you can do, it not only works the heart but also increases the blood flow which aids in the healing process. Other than that I do the post surgery exercises recommended in my surgery book and also some squats, with no weight and knee bends.
Just resist the urge to overdo it, especially with the lifting. 👍

John Clough  Thnx guys been walking shooting for 10,000 steps a day I got a fitbit. Thinking of employing the stationary bike because I have a hip that needs to be replaced. He also does not want me to do any resistance exercise till I hit my 3 month marker.

Civita Fahey  Hi John.. I worked at Mount Auburn Hospital for 18 years..and my kids were born at MAH., its a great hospital.. I didn't realize they were doing AVRs.. I had mine at the Brigham 5 months ago. At four weeks I was walking about a couple of miles a day. Do what is comfortable for you. I over did a couple of times because I thought I had to do walk a certain amount, so , if you tired, then rest. The important thing is to keep active even its 10 minutes 2-3 a day.. At 5 weeks I started cardiac rehab which helped my stamina a lot.. I'm not sure if you are looking into that but it was very helpful for me. take care.

Laura Jacobs  Hi John, I was walking 3 to 4 miles a day around four weeks out, but not all at once. I generally take a good walk in the morning, and track my overall steps for the day with a fitness bracelet. Whatever is right for you is the best. I thought that I was a little slow and cautious in the beginning. After a few more weeks I suddenly realized that I was not as tired after my morning walk as I had previously felt so I started pushing myself a little more.