Lisa's Journal

Today is my 2-year anniversary! I still get regular echoes, My mitral repair looks great but I have learned my tricuspid valve has started to leak a little more, but I feel great! My scar is a little pinker than I'd like but I think that's just my skin pigment. To all of you awaiting surgery--I wish you the best of luck. Seems like mine was only yesterday. Stay safe and healthy everyone!

I had my surgery 18 months ago. My scar developed a keloid. It was a dark pink ridge. I just visited my dermatologist recently. She treated it with a steroid injection, and it’s already reduced it significantly. Just thought I’d put that out there in case others didn’t know about this option.

Just had my 18 month echo today post mitral valve repair. Good news is the repair looks great. Not so good news is my tricuspid valve has gone from mild regurgitation to moderate regurgitation in a year’s time. My doctor said not to worry. By the time I need it repaired there will probably be a cath procedure in place. He told me to watch for bloated belly, shortness of breath or swollen ankles. Seems like I just got done watching for symptoms and here we go again. (And who doesn’t have a bloated belly these days?😊)

Today is the one year anniversary of my mitral repair. My how time flies. No more irregular heartbeats for me. My blood pressure is also at normal levels now. I wasn’t really experiencing fatigue before surgery, do there’s not really a change there. I’m still exercising regularly. My scar gets better every day. There’s still a bit of a ridge there. Luckily, I gave up m swimsuit modeling career years ago. To those of you facing an upcoming surgery—you can do it! The wait is much worse than the actual surgery. I’ll also always remember how wonderful the ice chips were when I woke up.

I’m approaching my 7 month post-op mark. I completed my phase 3 rehab and weekly BP checks had my systolic around 118. I went for my 6 month echo last week and systolic was 107. Cardiologists did say my interior pressure was borderline high but he thought that would right itself. Checking my BP this week and systolic is mid to upper 90s. I feel fine but wonder why my BP keeps dropping. Maybe my heart is still adjusting to the new norm? Echo did show that the mitral repair job was great-not too tight.

I had my mitral valve repaired 12 weeks ago. Funny how I used to keep track of time in months and since surgery everything is measured in weeks. I'm back to work full-time and halfway through my cardiac rehab. They let me start on weight machines today since I no longer have lifting restrictions. I'm no longer on any meds other than what I took before surgery. My nurse let me quit taking my Warfarin a little early because my hair was falling out. Sleeping has returned to normal. I do feel some discomfort after I've done some lifting but nothing big. My knots at the top and bottom of my sternum are almost gone. The bottom does feel different than before. Not sure if that'll go away or not--it may be the wires. Scar is healing nicely. I did use Mederma and Vitamin E oil. I didn't have any noticeable symptoms before surgery. People ask if I can tell a difference in my energy level since surgery. I was hoping climbing stairs might be easier than before but if anything, it's a little more difficult. It may still be a little soon to notice an improvement if there will be one. To all you out there waiting for your surgery, that's the toughest part. Recovery takes time but I've been fortunate enough to not have any setbacks. Thanks to all of you who encouraged me ahead of surgery and after.

I went to get my hair cut today. My hairdresser said I’m losing hair at my temples. Checked out Dr. Google and it says that can be a side effect of Warfarin. Has anybody else had this happen? I hope it grows back. I should get to stop taking it in about 3 weeks.

Those of you who had a mitral repair, how long did your dr wait until your first post-surgery echo? Mine waits 6 months but just curious if other drs do it sooner.

Busy week for me so far. Had my follow-up with my surgeon yesterday. Had 2 chest x-rays and everything looked good. Incision looks good-have 2 sutures slightly sticking out but he said they’ll go away. Resting heart rate is still in the low 90s. Surgeon didn’t seem concerned. Cardiologist PA wants me to go on beta blocker if it doesn’t get below 90. I’m not too wild about that. Got to stop taking the Lasix and had my lifting restrictions raised to 20 lbs. Had a little trouble getting my rehab scheduled. Had my orientation visit today and start tomorrow bright and early at 8:30. Glad they’ll be monitoring my HR and BP.

Had my first follow-up with the cardiologist today. EKG showed normal sinus rhythm. My heart rate is still in the 90s. She sent me home with a 24-hr. holter monitor. There’s still a chance my heart rate will go down on its own (I was at 107 a week ago). If it stays in the 90s, we’ll have to find a beta blocker dosage that doesn’t lower my BP too much. She also commented on how good my incision looks. Luckily my surgeon has plastic surgeon abilities too. I’m 3 weeks post mitral repair.

Here’s a link to a video that’s been shared in the past. I found it very helpful (particularly the part about the vent tube). https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRd22xoRmEi7i7-hIkrVUSg

Hard to believe 2 weeks ago now I was on the table. I’m still finding and removing sticky stuff from the medical tape. My surgeon used Dermabond tape on my incision. I removed that yesterday and incision looks great. I’m off pain meds and am just taking a Tylenol from time to time. I’m still sleeping in my recliner. I just can’t seem to get comfortable lying down. I’m doing about a mile a day on the treadmill. My resting heart rate was averaging around 105 last week but has been down to 96 for two days in a row. BP is also about 10 points lower than before surgery. Guess my heart is getting used to it’s new functionality. Waiting now for a ride to meet a group of friends for a pre-holiday lunch. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving, I sure have a lot to be thankful for this year.🙏

Heart rate has been in the 90s since I got home. Was 107 this morning. Guess I’ll be calling the dr. Sure hope it isn’t AFIB. I should listen to my dr and stay away from internet research.

Everything is going like it should. Had a couple very short bouts with SVT. Just got a letter that my cardiologist is going to Northwestern 😥. Waiting for them to tell me when I can go home. Thanks for all your support.

I’ve been having problems with my sinuses. Drainage leads to nausea. I’ve been taking Claratin which takes care of it but I was afraid to take my 24-hr dose before surgery so I waited and asked at my pre-opp appointment today. Well I waited too late and ended up getting sick. Might be a little bit of nerves too. Don’t think I’ll have trouble meeting my no eating after midnight deadline. Nothing but ginger ale right now.

Those of you who had MVP--did you have an irregular heartbeat before surgery and did it rectify itself after surgery? I'm not in AFIB but my beat is irregular. Drs. don't seem to worry about it but am wondering if I might be more at risk for AFIB after surgery.

One of my concerns is waking up while I'm still intubated. I know that some patients wake up before their lungs do. I have a pretty strong gag reflex. Anybody have experiences or advice to share?