Victoria's Journal

Adam Pick  Woo-Whoo!!! Congrats!!! https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery-blog/2021/06/10/alex-toussaint/

Victoria Baker  Adam, you may have formerly posted something about this but I am curious if anyone has been a part of this type of treatment to prevent Afib post surgery.

Lynn Loudermilk  Yes I loved it! And yes connected with it.
I didn't have regurgitation but I felt bad for her. I am into archaeology.

Susan Lynn  Victoria - I also had mv repair surgery - Class of 2017. I agree, you should not disclose this medical condition unless you need Family and Medical Leave or an ADA accommodation. Discrimination in the workplace comes in many forms - some are subtle, others are more blatant. With a good repair, your employer will likely never need to know about your condition. I wish I could tell you that even in your industry, you could be absolutely forthcoming, but sadly, you can't. I've witnessed the repercussions of employees who provided too much information. It's not pretty. If possible, you'll want to keep this to yourself.

Victoria Baker  Thankyou, Susan Lynn. I hope to hear others' chime in as well. My biggest concern is the need to attend doctors appointments moving forward. How are you doing, health wise, Susan?

Susan Lynn  Victoria - I am doing well. Thank you for asking. Unfortunately, i had to start medication almost 3 years after my surgery due to premature atrial contractions and elevated bp. I attribute that more to my job than my heart condition, though....😉 I will say, I've had very minimal post-op appointments. That's the great thing about mitral valve repair - you're literally as good as new once you've had it done. There are more pre-op appointments for tests, but if you have time to schedule them in advance, it's possible to minimize your absences.

You'll do just fine. Think positive thoughts and plan something fun to do when you're recovered. This whole experience will be a distant memory before you know it. I wish you the best! ❤

Joseph Heinzmann  Just read your story and journal and you are my new best friend ;)

I am not the athlete you are so I'm starting from a much lower baseline. At 60 days post-surgery I feel good and I'm walking two miles/day. What I can't yet do is jog for more than 400-500 yards. Any speed causes my HR to go up very quickly. Maybe I'm being impatient, maybe I'm out of shape, or maybe I'm not recovering as fast as I hoped.

How long did it take you to get more achievement in your early workouts?

Adam Pick  Woo-Whoo! Another Peloton'er. Fyi, I'm HeartValveGuy. Shoot me a friend request so that we can stay in connected. As you may know, I'm #AddictedToPeloton. Such a great fitness app and machine. Also, there is #HeartValveCrew if you want to join us. Here's a great shout-out from Robyn Arzon to our community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXyLJv8ERl0

Adam Pick  And... Jess King offered an empowering shout out to Heart Valve patients. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6TaJB1kmCc

Herb Greenberg  Both Moderna. A few hours of chills after the second one. Overnight. Then woke up feeling crummy with a fever. Took a Tylenol and within 10 minutes I was back to myself.

Victoria Baker  I did well with the 2nd shot of Pfizer. Zero symptoms. Not even a sore arm. Makes me wonder if I even got the real thing! LOL

Fathiya Nasser Said   Hey guys, imagine I had just thrown out a question to Adam about who took the Covid vaccine and how they felt. Well am very scared, I have stupid but serious reactions to most medications, so taking this vaccine means a big deal to me.

john roland  I donated the double red cell 10 months post op and I was fine. They would not let me donate until I was 9 months post op then I had a hard time getting an appointment. I was fine afterwards.

Marie Myers  I would first check with your cardiologist/primary doc and get their input. God Bless you for donating regularly!

Thomas Brusstar  I have been a regular blood donor for the past 40 years. Once I felt comfortable after my MV repair, I started giving again. The blood clinic is happy for the blood. I forget what their time limit is, maybe 6 or 9 months? You can find that out. I've given several times now. My cardiologist /primary care doc don't mind, they say it's all fine. Which reminds me, I'm just over 2 months again, so I'm due....

Susan Lynn  Victoria - i didn't have that pain after my mini-thoracotomy, but many people on this site have reported similar discomfort. Apparently, we were placed in a rather precarious position during surgery that could result in this type of pain. It's also possible the nerves in your chest are regenerating and the tenderness is more evident than it was immediately after your procedure. Hope it subsides soon! ❤

Rose Madura  I experienced terrible shoulder pain. It was where I had the most pain. They said it was from the position on the operating table. Plus, where the main line went in. That was sore for months. But it will go away eventually. Tylenol and heating pad helped.

  Victoria, I have experience pain on my left shoulder and breast after surgery. It was never severe and sometimes it comes back. My PCP told me it was to be expected as we are placed with our arms extended during the surgery over five hours for me. As Susan Lynn states our nerves are regenerating and the area becomes tender. For me times has helped and as I said it comes back sometimes I assumed depending on how I slept. I do hope it goes away soon and you won’t even remember it. God bless you

Arthur Greenspan   It is probably from the position they had you in. Get an MRI. I had bad pain in my left shoulder around to my scapula and left pectoral. I had an MRI and it turned out that the position they had me in during the operation, aggravated the sever stenosis in my c5 and c6 of my neck, which pinched the nerves that go to my shoulder and chest. One med -ral pack and some mild traction and I was and have been good to go. Now I pay attention to and treat my neck pain more often.

Victoria Baker  Wow.....learning so much from all of you. I wish I could see detailed notes on how I was placed in surgery. I asked for them but I don't see any details at all. So many things to know about. Who would think to ask these questions prior to surgery. It would have been helpful for me to read this site prior to surgery.

Victoria Baker  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone on this wonderful community. I am so very thankful for your support and for Adam, for creating this space for us all. Bless you all!

stephanie arnold  I also learned, too, that the resting hr does lower in time. interesting about athletes. I'm older than 45, but have been athletic all my life. my HR was in the high 90s, low 100s for the first month or so. it's now getting to the 70s and 80s. my original rate was low 60s. I'm 3.5 months post avs. I am glad it's lowering .

Jarrod Psutka  Yeah this is true. I’m 27 and was athletic before my mitral valve repair. Following surgery my HR was always in the 90s, I’m about 5 months out and it’s only finally back in the 80s and is seeming to slow down a bit. I had the same frustrations as you but just takes time!

Victoria Baker  I really appreciate you both chiming in. My PCP told me on Friday that I am causing it and that I could control it. I never have felt so frustrated as I did with this comment.

Pat Bluemel  Your heart is really ticked off that it was messed with, it's just letting you know, your HR will come down once your heart is done protesting what you put it through:-).

Tracy Fallu  Your heart went through major trauma and will take time to get back to it’s pre surgery heart rate. At a year, there were times I was in the mid 80s. It takes time for your heart to reacclimate.

Victoria Baker  I am so appreciative of your support. I happen to be fit and always have enjoyed exercise and yoga and eating well. I cannot imagine what I might feel like had I not been in decent shape. I am glad to hear that you think it will return to it's normal .

Marie Myers  Just curious why you are against taking a beta blocker. Did you have a bad experience with one? I was not on meds until my AVR 3 yrs ago. At that time, I started on metoprolol twice a day. Beta blockers have some positive effects on heart rate, arrhythmias ,BP, and therefore possibly improve Biovalve lifespan. So i was perfectly happy to be on them. I never had any side effects from metoprolol, but I know some people do. My cardiologist recently switched me to bisoprolol, which is only once a day. Once again, I have no side effects, and my heart rate is a delightful 58. This is Just my experience, but was curious why you don’t want to try them?