Philip Feo - Heart Valve Journal

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Philip Feoposted a journal

3239 days ago

Tuesday, September 20, 2016 After experiencing unusual difficulty breathing for a few weeks I contacted my cardiologist. Had a couple of xrays and a Fluoro ...Read more

Tuesday, September 20, 2016 After experiencing unusual difficulty breathing for a few weeks I contacted my cardiologist. Had a couple of xrays and a Fluoro Sniff test to check my lungs (video xray of my lung function). It appears my left lung and diaphragm are not working completely which is very likely the cause of the problems I am experiencing. I understand the nerve that sends the signal to the diaphragm can be compromised or damaged during surgery. Currently, I am wheezing, coughing, a rumbling in my lungs, and the feeling of not being able to take a full and complete breath. Has anyone experienced this? Does it improve over time or am I looking at some other procedure to fix this?....I sure hope not. Thank you. Phil Feo

Corey Sines Phil, Sorry your experiencing issues after surgery. I haven't heard of that complication, so I don' ... Read more

Corey Sines Phil, Sorry your experiencing issues after surgery. I haven't heard of that complication, so I don't have any advise to offer. Did your cardiologist offer any suggestions or what to expect going forward?

Barbara Laurie Philip, I just had the floro sniff test on Monday and my left diaphragm is compromised as well! I Goo ... Read more

Barbara Laurie Philip, I just had the floro sniff test on Monday and my left diaphragm is compromised as well! I Googled the problem. This is a problem in about 17% of OHS patients! So, the Web MD wrote that it can be helped with therapy. I imagine breathing exercises. I hope you will be back on track soon. I am still on O2 since April. I am going for other lung function tests this coming week.
Best Regards❤️

Philip Feo Thank you for your comments. I am still having discomfort with my breathing and am now experiencing c ... Read more

Philip Feo Thank you for your comments. I am still having discomfort with my breathing and am now experiencing chronic pain in my upper left back that just does not go away. I hope this improves but so far nothing has changed. This is quite the disappointment!

Philip Feoposted an update

3248 days ago

Robert D'Aurora, Elaine Cutri reacted to this

Hello....... I am new to Heart Valve Surgery.com I had mitral valve repair surgery on August 2nd in Chicago at Northwestern University Medical Center with ...Read more

Hello....... I am new to Heart Valve Surgery.com I had mitral valve repair surgery on August 2nd in Chicago at Northwestern University Medical Center with Dr. Patrick McCarthy. Everything went very well and basically I feel great, however, after over a month of recovery I am still noticing I have some shortness of breath. It's not debilitating but it is a bit frustrating. Is this common after 5+ weeks? I make my living as a professional trumpet player and I have a very keen sense of how my lungs should feel in order to play the instrument. It's just not there yet. Am I too anxious and need to be more patient with my breathing recovery time? Any other accomplished professional musicians out there I can connect with? Would welcome some feedback. Thank you! Phil Feo

Robert D'Aurora Good luck, God bless, praying for you!

Robert D'Aurora Sorry, I'm new too, I posted to wrong person, hope you get your questions answered

Elaine Cutri It will come back. It just may take longer than you expect. I assume the surgeon went through your st ... Read more

Elaine Cutri It will come back. It just may take longer than you expect. I assume the surgeon went through your sternum. It takes 8-10 weeks for the bone to heal and another month for the muscles and nerves to heal to about 95%. The last 5% seems to take a few months more for some people. It did for me, but my sister commented on how much energy I have now, 15 months post op. She's right. Best wishes.

Rita Savelis Five weeks is still very early. I understand your frustration. Healing can take a long time. And you ... Read more

Rita Savelis Five weeks is still very early. I understand your frustration. Healing can take a long time. And you, as a professional musician, are more aware than most about how your lungs should feel.
Take care.

Philip Feo Thank you all for your comments and words of encouragement.