finally recovering after a long year of sickness and subsequent surgery. For eight months I was fatigued and did not have much energy, I went to my cardiologist ...Read more
finally recovering after a long year of sickness and subsequent surgery. For eight months I was fatigued and did not have much energy, I went to my cardiologist but everything was fine (or at least he claimed). Eventually I developed 104 fever, rigors, chills, and dizziness went to one ER and was sent out the same day after getting blood cultures and fluids. The next night I was in a different ER and this hospital admitted me to a room since my vitals (mainly blood pressure) was off and I barely could move. After a few days they found strep viridans to be the factor causing all of this and told me that I had endocarditis. They inserted a picc line and said I would need antibiotic for 6 weeks but I wouldn't need a surgery. After a week I was discharged and flew back home to recover. A few days after being home I developed symptoms again and went to a third hospital. They also admitted me as they found my WBC count was elevated. I stayed overnight and the next day there was much discussion and eventually the hospital told me they didn't know what to do with me so they transferred me to another hospital (my 4th hospital). In this hospital they realized that I needed urgent open heart surgery since my heart was in really bad shaped (ex. it was enlarged plus inflammation). I also realized that I was allergic to one of the antibiotic which turned out the way that G-D saved me since my reaction caused me to be in the hospital where they realized I needed open heart surgery urgently. After a week I went home and came back the next week for surgery and was in the hospital for nine days post op, some of the extra days were due to cardiac arrest. This heart surgery is my 5th surgery following surgery at 14 days old due to aortic stenosis and coarctation of the aorta, at 7 years old when I had the Ross technique, getting reopened due to a mistake, and a non-invasive heart surgery at 14 years old. Now I am 4 months post op but I still done feel 100%. the doc said it is going to take a long time since I had an infection for a long time besides the surgery. Anyone out there with a similar situation (sub-acute endocariditis) that can offer me some advice and the length of time it took them to recover from this long ordeal?