Michael's Journal

Marie Myers  Just wondering.. What was the dose of metoprolol that you were on? I have heard that same story from others, but I am still on 12.5 mg twice a day and don't seem to have any problem with it. Maybe the dose was just too high?

Craig Air  This is an interesting post. I am 2+ years post-surgery for a AVR. From the day I got home from hospital I have barely been able to stay awake beyond 6pm. Prior to surgery I could always power through to 10pm-ish. I have always assumed the tiredness was related to the surgery, but had never associated it with my medication (not that I researched it at all). I take Metoprolol 50mg twice daily (it was 3 times daily when I first got out of hospital). I might investigate further. I miss not watching the 6pm news.

Elaine Cutri  I can't go without the Metoprolol, but 25mg/day made me feel so lethargic. I'm taking a half of tablet, 12.5 mg, and I still feel the benefit without the lethargic feeling.

Barbara Wood  I take 12.5 mg/ day & have for about a year & 1/2...I sometimes feel slightly foggy, but have adapted to it I think. It took me 3-4 weeks after I started it to be okay...not a zombie... on it, which I've read is typical. Seems to work well for me.

Rose Madura  I've been on so many different doses of Metoprolol it's not funny. At one point I was on 100 mg twice a day. That was when I was still having aflutter issues. When I was hospitalized the fourth time, I discussed with the cardiologist about a lower dose because my heart rate was resting at low 50s and high 40s. And I wouldn't drive because I'd have terrible bouts of vertigo that would come with no warning. So they lowered it to 25 mg twice daily and I've done fine with that dose other than occasional dizziness. I don't seem to be tired from it. I'm hoping i can eventually get off of it. I guess we all react differently.

Vanessa Corwin  I Had exactly the same reaction to metropolol. I had Mitral valve repair surgery and according to my surgeon and my cardiologist some people just don't tolerate beta blockers. So they switched me to cardizem (a calcium blocker) that did the trick and also helped with the ocular migraines I was experiencing. I haven't had one of those since August!

Cathy Zuber  Hi Michael, I've also had trouble with Metropolol. At 50mg twice a day, I couldn't even drive anymore!! I kept falling asleep!! Docs lowered it to 25mg twice daily..now I'm functioning pretty well. But I'd still like to lower it!! Hang in there!! Let yr Docs know how you felt!!

Joan Davenport  I was on 25 mg. of metoprolol and had to drop to 12.5 mg. and soon after just stopped taking it altogether...I don't think I can tolerate beta blockers at all.

Denise Kirchner  What dosage did they have you on? I have been on split dose of 25 mg for years. After my first surgery in 2012 they had me on 100 mg per day split dose and I had the same thing with no appetite and feeling very lethargic and foggy brained. They lowered the dose back to what I was on pre-surgery and that did the trick. After my second surgery in 2016 they kept me on the 25 mg split dosecagter surgery and I had s much better post surgery experience. They may have had you on too high of a dose. I hope this helps. God bless!

J H Mattingly  Yes...on 25mg/day. I take it in the evening, as when I took in the morning, it really seemed to cause some foggy-mindedness (is that a word?), especially since I drink coffee in the morning. Now, really don't have any issues...I guess I have gotten used to it over the past 6 years.

Linda Richards  I am 54 now, surgery will be 2 years March 3. I have taken 25mg of metro ... my new cardiologist told me to cut in half and see how I feel. I feel fine. Never felt bad before. after surgery it was 25mg a day ... I might have felt a little drowsy ... I'm 54, 120 pounds, and normally active ... gym, 3/5 times a week. the only thing I take now is a low dose aspirin.

Lisa Ferguson  I just spoke to my cardiologist today about this! I was wondering why doctors don't suggest other beta blockers when folks have reactions like you did. I finally asked to change several months ago - calcium channel meds made me feel horrible and then I tried bisoprolol which really does the job. It agrees with me and I feel so much better on it - no drowsiness. There are at least 5 different commonly prescribed beta blockers and although the differences are small, they all chemically react differently with everyone. Since you can easily switch between them, it's not a big deal to try another. I would encourage anyone who is having trouble with metoprolol to ask about another med f cutting the dose doesn't work.

Michael Kohring  Thanks so much! While I was in the hospital one of the nurses tried to tell me that there are no side effects. Made me feel like I was the only one. I am in good shape and the blood pressure has returned to normal. Doctors never mentioned calcium blockers. At the moment only on baby aspirin. Thanks again, nice to know that I am not alone!

B.J. Dewey  Another comment abiut the meds. I was in 25mg Metoprolol. The one thing I have had was walking. I can walk but it looks weird. I explained it as if my feet were drunk and my mind was just not there. Dizzy, not focused, just weird. Hard to walk a straight line.
Anyone have this kind of reaction????

Linda Richards  Its a drug thing, Im sure you don't need the metoprolol after a year of surgery.... i wasn't foggy from it but I clearly didn't need it. If you go to a good Cardiologist, he will take you off it.

Linda Richards  My first cardiologist after surgery i asked for Ambian ( so i could sleep) but he gave me 5 refills. After my 2scripts for the hard stuff (from surgen), I only took Alive, I knew i was going to be in pain but was wanted to sleep at night. i never needed 5 refills for Ambian. i would not go to this doctor again.

Jennifer Barnett  I had some of the nausea also and didn't eat much at all for the first 3 days or so after surgery. It was from the anesthetics but also for me the morphine make me sick so I stopped taking that and continued with panadol and felt better. It takes some time to get back to your usual appetite, I lost quite a bit of weight post op but have now gained it all back and some at five months post op.
Best of luck with your recovery you will just keep improving from now on.

Catie B  Sorry you experienced the nausea. I know whereof you speak. It doesn't help that hospital food is hideous and smells nasty.

So glad you found Boost!

They had to medicate me for nausea constantly in the hospital and I fought it off and on for several weeks after discharge. Temperature and position affected me much.

Wishing you the best!

Rose Madura  I'm sorry you had so much nausea! I told the anesthesiologist before hand that I typically have nausea after any kind of procedure so they gave me something for it. Since being home, certain smells that never bothered me before make me nauseous. It is so strange how our body reacts. Best wishes as you continue your recovery.

Barbara Wood  I completely agree with you! The nausea was the worst thing for me too. It was only really bad the first day, but I just could not eat the hospital food. Something those going in should know- there will be a stocked kitchen on your floor & aids will be happy to bring you crackers, popsicles, ensure, ginger ale, tea, ice cream etc- mine even made me smoothies & shakes. That really got me through my hospital stay. Best recovery wishes Michael!

  I too, have had bouts of nausea since my surgery eleven weeks ago. And symptoms of stomach upset/gastric reflux. That's new for me.
I used strong pain meds in the ICU but have only needed extra strength Tylenol to control pain. I was expecting a lot more pain with the sternum ... the pain after having a pacemaker inserted, was much worse.
But one of the most surprising aspects for me is losing my taste buds for sweetness. Everything sweet it over the top! The nurses in ICU said some folks have this happen, although it's not necessarily the sweet taste buds. It can be with sour, bitter, etc and can last for months.
I won't mind if my sweet tooth is fixed, lol.

Cathleen Weed  Agreed. For me it turned out to be the pain meds causing the nausea. I flat out refused them and I was able to finally regain my appetite.

Craig Irving  Never lost my appetite, and was able to eat breakfast the next day after my surgery. I ate about half of it, but the pain from using my arms to cut and eat it was too much. After that, I made sure I was medicated when my meals came.

Gerald Poulton  I was hungry from the time I woke up and still am,
😀 however OHS and the heart and lung bypass machine can cause what I got, duodenitis or gastritis. I am also fortunate in that I have no physical reaction to a anesthetics.

Gerald Poulton  Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining. Duodenitis is inflammation of the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine), which is located just below your stomach. Both gastritis and duodenitis have the same causes and treatments.
Less common causes include,
being placed on a breathing machine
extreme stress caused by major surgery, severe body trauma, or shock

Rose Madura  Yes I think we all go through denial plus some of the other grief emotions. How are you coming along with your recovery?

Michael Kohring  Thanks Rose, as for the recovery I am +6 weeks and feeling great! It has been gradual but each day is getting better. I am excited to start rehab next week!

Lilly Black  Michael, (my son's name too) to clarify, you had a stent 8 yrs ago, then 6 weeks ago your aortic valve was replaced? What type of valve?And is the stent still intact? I wish you a successful recovery!

Michael Kohring  Thanks Leslie! The surgery went very well. I had some minor complications with medications afterwards which stalled me for a few days. (I hope to blog about it as soon as I can), Other than that I can say that I have been progressing as planned.

Michael Kohring  Lilly, yes I had a stent placed at the point of coarctation of the aorta. It is on the descending side of the aorta as it passes through the middle of my body but above the abdomen. I was somewhat of an oddity for the surgeons as they said coarctation is usually diagnosed earlier in life (I was 43 at the time). So, it was installed 8 years ago and it is still doing its job today - it is permanent. 6 weeks ago for the aortic valve replacement, I received the Edwards valve (bovine tissue) and a tube graft to replace the aneurysm on the ascending aorta. Thanks for the well wishes Lilly!

Lilly Black  Yes familiar with descending aorta. Very interesting! I had my entire ascending aorta replaced with Dacron and my aortic valve replaced with Edwards 23mm bovine valve.....doing great today! Good luck ✌️😊

Lilly Black  My first surgery was in 2007 and second in 2014. If you click on my name, and then click on my story, it's all there. My journal also has some info. I was one of the lucky ones. I had symptoms and took myself in to get checked out. I was at 4.6cm when they found the aneurysm. Almost 3 years since my last surgery :)

Michael Kohring  Congratulations Lily! 0ver 33 months and feeling strong. I am impressed with the journey you had, having to go through two surgeries. And now feeling so strong. We both have the same valve and I have a gel weave graft just above the root to replace the aneurysm. One surgeon asked me about the mechanical valve, but I didn't want the blood thinners. I will be happy with a valve over valve replacement in the future. Any reason they couldn't have performed the AVR at the same time as the aneurysm repair?

Lilly Black  Michael, when Stanford hospital discovered the aneurysm, they gave me a choice to either just fix the aneurysm and/or to fix the aneurysm and to replace the valve. However my native valve was functioning well and they said I could wait for the valve replacement, if I wanted to. The urgent need was to fix the aneurysm now (2007) by replacing the entire ascending aorta with Dacron.

If I chose to replace the valve at the same time, they recommended St. Jude's mechanical heart valve. I was 56 yrs old at the time. I did NOT want a mechanical valve and chose to decline the valve replacement. They predicted my native valve would last another 15 years, and by then technology would have progressed so far that I would only require minimal surgery. Yeah right! ......it only lasted 7 years, and technology did not progress that quickly. I required open heart surgery again, because I was not a candidate for TAVR. I began declining very rapidly after 6 years. Chest pain and shortness of breath, migraines with seizure and always feeling tired. I went back to Stanford to discuss my alternatives in 2014. They didn't know why I declined so rapidly, but they confirmed I need the valve replacement asap! They recommended St. Jude's mechanical heart valve....again. I said, What? where's the progressive technology? I'm 63 years old why a mechanical valve? They said, it was to eliminate more surgery and a mechanical valve would last for life....Yeah sure!

I chose to seek a second opinion. I contacted the Bicuspid Aortic Foundation, whom I had kept in touch with through the years. The heart surgeon that was recommended was excellent and a pioneer in the field of thoracic surgery and BAV. His name is Dr. Sharo Raissi. The valve is 23mm in diameter and was strategically sized and placed for a future valve-in-valve procedure, or TAVR. When the bovine valve begins to fail, they can do the valve-in-valve procedure. I will live forever!!.......kidding aside....it all worked out for the best! Dr. Raissi did the 2nd surgery and he was even better than the one at Stanford. I credit his excellent judgment, skills and the care he provided to my excellent recovery! The surgery was 12 hours because of the years of scar tissue, which caused bleeding. In hind site, I have no regrets because this bovine valve that I received in 2014 will last about 17-18 years. :)