Mary Jean's Posts

I am now 5 weeks out from having a mitral valve repair (August 13) by way of a full sternotomy. I was in the hospital for 8 days due to some complications. First, my surgeon realized that I had an undiagnosed bleeding disorder, which required 2 blood transfusions (one during surgery and the other 2 days later). I've had other surgical procedures where I did not have a bleeding problem. So, this is new and I will be seeing a hematologist once I'm fully recovered. Second, my two drainage tubes were not adequate. My left lung had too much fluid in it, which required another tube (pigtail) to be inserted in my back using local anesthesia. Needless to say, the experience was somewhat painful, but I was still hooked up to a pain pump, which definitely helped. Lastly, because of my bleeding disorder, I had been given platelets, plasma and a drug to increase clotting. Later, it was noticed that I was developing clots in my drainage tubes, which required the tubes to be cleaned out (another uncomfortable experience) and then the tubes tapped on with the handle of a pair of scissors every 2 hours round the clock. Fortunately, this lasted about 24 hours and then tubes were permanently removed. Thank goodness. On the day I was released, my nighttime oxygen levels were still registering low so they sent oxygen home with me. Looking back, I had no idea that I would run into the complications that I did. My mitral valve repair was uneventful with the exception of finding a ruptured chordae that neither the TTE or TEE found. In fact, the valve base was tight so the surgeon felt no need to insert an annuloplasty ring, which I've read happens with mist repairs. I feel very fortunate that at my age of 67, the valve could be repaired leaving me with a mild prolapse. I have been home for one month and am currently walking a mile each day. My incision is looking very good; however, for a couple of weeks I was having an allergic reaction (dermatitis) to the dressing, but once I removed the dressing, everything improved. I visit my cardiologist tomorrow for my my 2nd 2-week follow up. I'm hopeful we can extend my next visit even longer. I'm so happy that I'm on the other side and all my energy is now going to recovery. 😊