John Cook - Heart Valve Journal

Chris Germano Way to go, John. I'm looking forward to my 6-month date in 5 months.

Scott Mills John. I have had very low iron post surgery even though I’m on iron supplements. I was also on 1000 ... Read more

John Cook Yes, naproxen can contribute to low iron anemia. It can cause stomach irritation and blood loss. That’s why they also gave me Pepcid. However, Pepcid inhibits iron absorption because it reduces stomach acid.

To help iron absorption, you want to take your iron supplement with something high in Vitamin C & acidic, such as orange juice. If you take anything else that contributes to your anemia, wait at least an hour before you take that.

I usually use apple juice instead of orange juice. I have an orchard nearby that I can buy a gallon of fresh pressed juice (not concentrate) and it is so delicious. It’s acidic and between it and my multivitamin, I’m getting about the same amount of Vitamin C as orange juice.
... Read more

Kimberly Eisenhut John, I am anemic too almost two weeks post. I'm so sorry you're going through this.
I have burnin ... Read more

Yumiko Ishida My iron level was “critically low” at one point. Can’t remember how many months after surgery. ... Read more

John Cook Yumiko,

I had a lot of bloodwork done today, 9 different panels. My red blood cell, hemoglobi ... Read more

John Cook Kim,

I’m sorry you are having a rough go with recovery.

They could be having a systematic problem with the at-home blood draws that are causing multiple patients to have bad tests. They are probably trying to rule that out.
... Read more

Kimberly Eisenhut Thank you John , hope you get better and things smooth out for you. I'd love to sit on porch and star ... Read more

Robert Miller 5lb of water out of your feet? I am a little bit skeptical about this. 2.2lb of water is a cube of 1d ... Read more

John Cook Edema was a problem for me before surgery because of my arthritis and it was what kept me in ICU for 5 days after surgery. I went into surgery at 242lbs, went up to around 258lbs after surgery, and they made me drop down to 231lbs before they moved me out of ICU. Dropping all that water was the worst 3-days of my life. I don’t really remember the other 2-days.

All my doctors agree the edema problem I have now is 100% heart related.

For diet, I’ve been averaging about 1700mg on my sodium for a month. I’m not as low as I could be but I’m trying to do better.
... Read more

Robert Miller Well, I guess for you it makes sense to be on the water pill. Is the pulse of under 120 when you do t ... Read more

John Cook BP = blood pressure. My surgeon wants it always under 120 unless I’m exercising. If I creep over ... Read more

Robert Miller A pulse of 50 to 55 is excellent. I was there in my teens. Don't really know later on until I had my ... Read more

Marie Myers Congrats on lowering the carvedilol. And yes, the stretching motion was a source of discomfort for me ... Read more

John Cook Cardiac rehab might have me starting with 1lb or 2lb weights this week. Hopefully that will help with ... Read more

Suzette Schear Cardiac rehab will help. Sounds like edema needs to be under control. It could be drinking too much ... Read more

John Cook I’ve been on water pills off and on since my surgery 8 weeks ago.

My first schedule for the first month was on 4-days on in a row. I’d lose 8lbs and then regain it in 3 days. I’d call for a new Rx and repeat the cycle.

Then they changed me to on only Monday & Thursday. My weight stayed the same for the week, but at the +8lbs.
... Read more

Suzette Schear Something sounds off. Did they indicate how much water you should drink. I was always thirsty, they ... Read more

Melinda Donahue You are amazing - it has only been a short time since your surgery ! I would say that is more than o ... Read more

Bonnie Stone-Hope Sounds like you are doing very well in recovery. Take your time, takes a bit before appetite returns ... Read more

John Cook Melinda, thank you. If I had to guess, it was deep cleaning the house Saturday. I didn’t do anythi ... Read more

Rose Madura Slow and steady. You may have the pain because you are pushing yourself too quickly. Just saying... ... Read more

Melinda Donahue John - I find it is about moving a body part in the wrong way - I have costochondritis and its pretty ... Read more

John Cook I did finally figure it out. It was stretching to reach things. I stopped doing that and the pain we ... Read more

Melinda Donahue Great news!!!

Melinda Donahue Are the meds causing your heart rate to be at 110bpm and if so why is they something that is warrante ... Read more

John Cook Thank you for the well wishes.

The medication is limiting my maximum heart rate to around 110bpm when I exercise. That means I’m not hiking, cycling, or running again no matter how much I heal or rehab until my meds change.

It’s a huge blow to my lifestyle. I wanted to be running 1 - 3 miles daily again by the end of the year. I wanted to train for a 10k in October 2026.
... Read more

Richard Munson I wish you the best in your recovery and quest to return to your old self. The end of the year is a l ... Read more

Fidel Martínez Ruiz I don,t understand why you are worry for having limited BPM by medication.

Marie Myers I wonder if you are hoping for too much too soon? 5 weeks is still pretty early to want to push yours ... Read more

Fidel Martínez Ruiz Limitation of maximum heart rate to 110 is good until the heart full recover with time..

Rose Madura John, I have to agree with the others. We all have different recoveries and expectations. I was hopi ... Read more

Scott Mills I’m six weeks out and still have many days where two small meals and a snack is all I get to.

Susan Lynn John - Your appetite will return. Try to make sure you're getting iron rich foods into your diet. ... Read more

Rita Savelis Surgery is hard on yr body. Many things go out of whack for awhile. 2 meals a day is good. Don't over ... Read more

Robert Miller I probably lost like 10lb after surgery and I liked it. It takes a while for appetite to come back bu ... Read more

John Cook Thanks, everyone.

I’m down about 8lbs from pre-surgery but I think all of that is edema I was carrying from PsA.

I’m just used to being a guy who had difficulty staying under 2400 cal/day and now I struggle to get 1600 cal/day. But I’m also not running 1 - 3 miles a day so maybe the calorie loss isn’t as bad as I think it is.
... Read more

Susan Lynn John - If you're worried about calorie intake, but you don't have a big appetite, you may want to tre ... Read more

Deena Z Getting discharged and walking into your home are the two best moments of the whole episode. Sure is ... Read more

Valerie Allen I was 9 days in the hospital too, because I was still on 1 liter of oxygen -a very small amount. When ... Read more

Marie Myers There is no place like home!!

Richard Munson After reading these 2 posts it shows me that when newbees ask questions like how long will i be in th ... Read more

Rose Madura So glad you are home!

John Cook Thank you all. I’m still doing well this morning and I’m about to do my second round of laps aro ... Read more

HOME

ABOUT US

COMMUNITY

LEARNING CENTER

DOCTOR FINDER

HEART HOSPITALS

VIDEOS

ADAM'S BLOG

NEWSLETTER

STORE

CONTACT

JOIN US

SIGN IN

John's Journal

John's Journal

New Patient Posts

The Patient's Guide

Surgeon Spotlight