Tom's Posts

Hi Tom, I also had surgery October 2022 for aortic valve and root. It has improved a lot but, when I get my heart pounding I feel a weird "discomfort" in my neck. Everything looks ok and it has gotten a lot better. No one seems to know why? My theory is that they said my blood flow was not very good before surgery and maybe arteries are expanding with exertion? As long as heart is pumping properly I can deal with it❤️

Thats a great question. I assume you get an annual echo which would i hope scan your repair for any minor leak causing a murmur. Mine is next week and i would hope it shows if my repair is repaired fully. Else why have it. If my doctor says a have a slight murmur after ohs i won't be a happy camper. If i hire a plumber to fix a leak and he says after completion, i fixed most of it but it still has a slight leak is that acceptable ? Maybe i am being overly simplistic and thats a bad analogy.

Hi, it depends on the repair. If after the surgery there still is a bit of regurgitation left (which is to some extent tolerated, and it doesn't mean the repair was unsuccessful), there could be murmur left after the surgery. I had such a small jet of regurgitation left after the repair that it didn't produce any murmur after surgery. But now after the exertion I mentioned, murmur appeared and regurgitation on echo got sworse. I am now waiting for second opinion.... So, you need echo and cardiologist opinion, preferably the one who saw you after the surgery...

Rich, sometimes leaflets are just unable to be 100% fixed so minor leak after the repair is tolerated by the surgical team. If it is significant, then ofcourse replacement would be more viable option. It is difficult to set the boundary... And it is on the surgeon to decide during the surgery. Human body unfortunately although very similar to plumbing isn't so straightforward...

I agree klara as you are smarter than me for sure but from a mental point of view, i expect perfection and if i had a murmur after seemingly successful ohs i would be a little agitated. But thats me. When i go to visit my doctors i am locked and loaded. I put their feet to the fire. Maybe they hate to see me coming. Lol.

Haha... That is just what medicine is like sometimes. It isn't mathematics or some egsact science. My posterior leaflet was somewhat stiff, shortened, unusual, so I should probably be happy to have got the repair even if 100% closure of leaflets wasn't possible... Leakage before and after the surgery is significantly less and my atrium which was enlarged is now in normal range. So that shows hemodynamics is improved. But of course I was also little disappointed when I woke up and was told it was a bit regurgitation left, we all want perfection so I understand you completely :) It wasn't easy to hear....

Found this on this website from Dr, Castro Doctor Castro: A murmur is very common. A murmur is just a little sign that there may be a little bit of turbulence or abnormal flow through a valve. That is the first signal that you need an echocardiogram (https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/echocardiogram-stress-doppler-tee.php). The echocardiogram needs to explain what that murmur might be. In patients who've had valves, the valve prosthesis, if you will, meaning either mechanical heart valve (https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/mechanical-prosthetic-heart-valve.php), or pig, or bovine or cow is an abnormal tissue that is suspended within a stent, within a frame. That in itself produces a sound that we interpret is a murmur. The most important thing about that patient is that he does need follow up because a murmur is just a murmur, the images on the echocardiogram determining whether or not that murmur is pathologic, meaning the valve is getting narrowed or is leaking are more important. So I am sure that valve is fine.

Hi Tom, my repair was 4 months ago, I have no pain in my arms, but I am tired. The thing I can completely relate to is chest discomfort, like pins and needles multiple times a day, couldn't describe it as a pain exactly but it is no fun when I feel it, it is just above the left side of the chest and ofcourse I think of repair failure all the time, especially since my murmur and regurgitation got back....now I wait for my echo to see (confirm) what's going on. Hope it is all in my head (the discomfort) and it is consequence of the stress and lack of sleep (got three little ones under 6 at home to take care of 24/7). As for libido, be cool with that being "paused" right now, you probably need more time to recover! I am sure eventually it will go back. I definitely overdid myself and now it is all coming back to me. Give yourself time and try to relax, see your GP (PCP), maybe find some mental support if all medical findings are ok ... Good luck mate

Thanks for the reply Do you think that you overdid it and did damage. I'm not sure if you can damage a valve repair. Just the past week or so I feel very tired and some discomfort in my mid chest area. Im thinking all sorts like yourself When are you having the echo.

13 weeks is nothing. Heart surgery is a major event for your body. Expect to be tired for awhile, normal. I had chest discomfort for a year even minimally invasive. Light work duties sounds normal. Not sure being 80 about going from super stud to super dud but hang in there. Should i rephrase that?

Haha Richard! I am about 13 weeks out also. Have some chest pain, on and off headache, and ringing in my ears. Not all the time but I also recently started back to work part time and it has definitely affected me. You are in good company with worrying that you did something to your valve. I have been worried but the consensus is that I am overdoing it❤️

Tom, your body has been through a lot and you have been through a lot mentally. Heart surgery is no easy task! It's still very soon for you to feel back to normal. Plus, I think we are super sensitive to everything body related because of our surgeries. Give it time, everything will be back to normal soon. Talk it over with your family doctor or cardiologist. They will set you at ease

Did you return to work after 13 weeks or long before? My surgeons didn't tell me this directly but basically it seems your heart should be fine after some 4 weeks. Don't push it to the very limit. You don't seem to do that so I very much doubt that anything you tell us you did would have caused any damage. Bones take a bit longer to heal. 20 lbs after 4 weeks. Lifting weights and skiing after 6 weeks. Golfing (which I don't do) after 12 weeks. Again, I don't think you did anything wrong. I didn't really have any pain after my surgeries. The incision was itchy for a couple of months. After my first surgery I had some almost constant discomfort on the right side of my chest. It felt kind of like needles. It never really went away until maybe a month after my second surgery. The pain in your arm might be from the way you sleep and/or do things. Maybe acupuncture might help. Check with your doctor if you can do it at this time (often they also do cupping and massages which is the bigger concern than the actual acupuncture). As for libido, I had changes probably about half a year before my first surgery. My wife blamed it on my heart condition but it didn't improve after the first surgery and neither after the second. But the second surgery is just 6 weeks ago so there is some hope. I don't count much on it, though.

"Do you think that you overdid it and did damage. I'm not sure if you can damage a valve repair." A million dollar questions :))) I was definitely lifting my kids (14kilos), was having chronic lack of sleep almost every night and being under stress (we had mold in our apartment and had to do major changes, pros came to handle it, my youngest had bronchitis, this one time and I carried him to the ER as we was breathing heavily and medications didn't help, it was such a difficult period) I mentioned already I could write a novel only based on these 4 months...all that WHILE healing - that word sounds funny in my situation. It wasn't healing. So if your PCP and cardiologist say everything is fine with your heart, I would focus on finding any sort of mental support...whichever suits you. It can be a tremendous help in our situation. I truly believe your heart is fine and it will be fine :) keep us posted

I am also taking bisoprolol 2,5 mg, which is beta blocker :) reduce in potency, low blood pressure and possible tiredness are all amongst possible side affect, probably that's why Greg asked... But be careful when considering reducing your dosage, always consult your doctor, beta blocker is doing important job for our healing hearts at the moment! I was talking to my cardiologist about reducing the dose, but in autumn we can just start to consider it, he said, for now it stays ...

If you went back to work after Christmas then I guess it was about 8-9 weeks after your surgery. And even then it was light work. Hence, I don't think you did anything that could have caused any issues. As for being tired, check on your blood pressure, medicine could make you tired, your sleep quality might have changed, etc. You should discuss this with your cardiologist, though.