I am most definitely in as conundrum. I n get my mitral valve repaired, it is prolapsed and regurgitating. I have also had A fib but had my heart shocked back ...Read more
I am most definitely in as conundrum. I n get my mitral valve repaired, it is prolapsed and regurgitating. I have also had A fib but had my heart shocked back t sinus rhythm. Now I have been offered a choice of OH surgery repair and get the Maze procedure done to prevent further AFib occurrences OR having a mitral clip put on my mitral valve. With this, I would have to return for Heart Ablations if the A Fib returned. Meanwhile I am on a heart med to control the heartbeat and frankly it is not a med you want to be on for a long time. It is Amiodarone and it can affect your thyroid, your kidneys and your liver hence no ‘drinking’ is allowed as that would be detrimental to your already challenged liver. Decisions decisions. When I read posts on another heart surgery site, this surgery is not for the faint of heart plus it takes months and months if not for a year or so where you are not yourself and cannot get back to normal living. More than the surgery I fear the week after the surgery as I have done some other medical issues with my bowel and stomach and not sure how they would be affected. Sorry for the long post but if you have had the mitral valve repaired and your week in the hospital was not such a discomforting time, please let me know or just tell me of the challenges you faced. Ps I hate nausea and vomiting and concerned about that too. Thanks for any comments. Your input is appreciated!!!
Richard Munson Sue, it sounds like you are expecting hangnail surgery. As great as heart surgery is in todays world, ... Read more
Richard Munson Sue, it sounds like you are expecting hangnail surgery. As great as heart surgery is in todays world, and i am a good example of success, there is a certain discomfort associated with it, after all, its heart surgery any way you cut it. I had mitral valve repair and maze procedure a year ago january at mass general in boston. One of the keys to a success story is finding a surgeon with a ton of your kind of surgery under his belt. The mitral valve surgery appears to be a success and no a fib since surgery. I just turned 80. Not sure anyone enjoys vomiting but you never know.
sue england Considering I have never had surgery, yes Richard you are dead on. Guess that is why it is so scary ... Read more
sue england Considering I have never had surgery, yes Richard you are dead on. Guess that is why it is so scary to me
Timothy Williams "this surgery is not for the faint of heart plus it takes months and months if ... Read more
Timothy Williams "this surgery is not for the faint of heart plus it takes months and months if not for a year or so where you are not yourself and cannot get back to normal living" - you should do more research here as I think there is good reason to be more optimistic. Every case is different, but I had OHS surgery 8 weeks ago. Had mitral valve prolapse and severe regurgitation. They put in a ring and tightened the chordae tendineae. I left hospital on day 3. By week 7 I felt like my normal self. I had no nausea or vomiting. Find a hospital with this specialty and a surgeon you trust. I highly recommend Univ of Michigan. Best wishes to you on your path forward.
George Gardopee I can confirm both Richard’s and Timothy’s comments. I had a full sternotomy for mitral and tricu ... Read more
George Gardopee I can confirm both Richard’s and Timothy’s comments. I had a full sternotomy for mitral and tricuspid valve repair in mid-November of last year at the Cleveland Clinic. I can honestly say I was never in pain after the surgery. I did have some nausea and big-league constipation from the narcotics afterward for a few days but it was not unbearable. I was out of the hospital 4 days after surgery and within a week I was generally back to normal (except for some fatigue) and by Christmas it was like it never happened - and I am 70. The important thing is to go to a recognized center of excellence for the repair. It is very scary when you are facing this but it is not nearly as bad as our imaginations.
Rose Madura Sue, these guys are right. It's not as bad as you are making it. Yes, it is scary but the success ... Read more
Rose Madura Sue, these guys are right. It's not as bad as you are making it. Yes, it is scary but the success rate for open heart surgeries is very high. There are many options available nowadays. Trust the doctors and get more than one opinion. Do your diligence in research and you'll feel better about it. We are here for you. Let us know if you have any questions.
Louise Moore Hi Sue, Rose is right that the guys are right too, the most important thing is to go to a highly rat... Read more
Louise Moore Hi Sue, Rose is right that the guys are right too, the most important thing is to go to a highly rated hospital in this surgery and have a top surgeon with loads of experience performing your surgery. The body is an amazing machine and will heal so trust in your surgeon/team/hospital will see you through all right. Like Rose said, get a second opinion as well. Go to the best with the most experience. There are meds for nausea and for pain and most likely for any bowel issues as well - the cardiac surgery nursing staff will surely take care of those discomforts. I had OHS for mitral valve replacement along with tricuspid valve repair in Feb. at Cleveland Clinic. It's amazing how quickly tubes are removed and you're out of ICU - even in ICU I was sitting up, getting in a chair and talking away like nothing had happened. I felt remarkably fine and I even had a B.M. in ICU, something the nurses said never happens! Every body is different and I worried most about my own body's odd chemistry or rare medical reaction to things but everything went fine. Whew! Discharged as planned but I did go into Afib when I got home. About 30% of people get that temporarily after surgery. My local (FL) doctor put me on Amiodarone ( I understand your concern with that) in prep for a Cardioversion. I was out of Afib by the third dose but my heart rate was high. Amio stops some electrical activity to get you out of Afib but the Cardioversion is needed to reset the heart into Sinus rhythm - it worked and my heart rate also slowed down to post surgery normal. (There are different types of Afib and mine was classified as a flutter so my Doctor felt Cardioversion was the ticket.) Other types of Afib or patients may be suited to ablation. My EF also returned to normal 60-65% (Yay!) I was on Amio for a little less than a month pre-post Cardioversion. I never felt bad through it all, just scared! Echo and EKG are beautiful and I'm in week two of cardio rehab which I wanted to do to move back into working out without pushing it too much as would be my tendency and it's great, no fears, they monitor you closely and I love it. I never felt pain or nausea, slept in my bed right away making a T shaped pillow for support and my incision is healing right on schedule. The heart will heal in the time it takes to heal so you want to nurture that with rest and good nutrition and remember that the sternum is healing too, so treat yourself with care but recovery is much quicker than you think and you'll feel pretty great all along.
This site will be your friend, we're all here for you, Sue!
Jim Nowicki I am on Amiodarone for 15 days and I agree it's the worst drug imaginable. I am going to the cardiolo ... Read more
Jim Nowicki I am on Amiodarone for 15 days and I agree it's the worst drug imaginable. I am going to the cardiologist Wednesday to plead my case to get off of it. I had AFib 4 days after surgery.
Richard Munson Sue, consider this. I had a good friend who required heart surgery and kept putting it off. Notice i ... Read more
Richard Munson Sue, consider this. I had a good friend who required heart surgery and kept putting it off. Notice i said had a good friend. He died a few years back and i think if he had done the surgery, he might be alive today. Sometimes he or she who hesitates is lost. I just cracked a rib recently. Way worse than heart surgery. Also kidney stone a few years back. Not even close.
I am from: m3b1k8, Canada
There are meds for nausea and for pain and most likely for any bowel issues as well - the cardiac surgery nursing staff will surely take care of those discomforts. I had OHS for mitral valve replacement along with tricuspid valve repair in Feb. at Cleveland Clinic. It's amazing how quickly tubes are removed and you're out of ICU - even in ICU I was sitting up, getting in a chair and talking away like nothing had happened. I felt remarkably fine and I even had a B.M. in ICU, something the nurses said never happens! Every body is different and I worried most about my own body's odd chemistry or rare medical reaction to things but everything went fine. Whew! Discharged as planned but I did go into Afib when I got home. About 30% of people get that temporarily after surgery. My local (FL) doctor put me on Amiodarone ( I understand your concern with that) in prep for a Cardioversion. I was out of Afib by the third dose but my heart rate was high. Amio stops some electrical activity to get you out of Afib but the Cardioversion is needed to reset the heart into Sinus rhythm - it worked and my heart rate also slowed down to post surgery normal. (There are different types of Afib and mine was classified as a flutter so my Doctor felt Cardioversion was the ticket.) Other types of Afib or patients may be suited to ablation. My EF also returned to normal 60-65% (Yay!)
I was on Amio for a little less than a month pre-post Cardioversion. I never felt bad through it all, just scared!
Echo and EKG are beautiful and I'm in week two of cardio rehab which I wanted to do to move back into working out without pushing it too much as would be my tendency and it's great, no fears, they monitor you closely and I love it. I never felt pain or nausea, slept in my bed right away making a T shaped pillow for support and my incision is healing right on schedule. The heart will heal in the time it takes to heal so you want to nurture that with rest and good nutrition and remember that the sternum is healing too, so treat yourself with care but recovery is much quicker than you think and you'll feel pretty great all along.
This site will be your friend, we're all here for you, Sue!