11 weeks out, feeling fatigue and lightheaded

[Lauberth]

Hello everyone, i wanna first thank all of u for making this great site possible...it's helped me a lot before and after my surgery. I had my bicuspid aortic valve replaced with an on-X mechanical 11 weeks ago, with severe regurgitacion.

about 3 days ago i started feeling fatigued, achy and lightheaded and i also feel a slight pressure on my chest that almost makes me wanna cough, and when i get up from say the couch or the floor i feel my chest tighten a bit and like a forceful heart beat and my heart seems to slow down..and i feel like crap for like 3 seconds..dizzy and almost like my head isnt getting enough blood or something..then the feeling goes away and my heart regulates...the achyness and numbness i feel is in my fore arms and hands, and lower legs and feet...but it kinda comes and goes...is not a permanent pain. This has been going on for 3 days and is tough cuz even though im not working yet i take care of my one year old daughter everyday. I should mention that i started cardiac rehab a week ago and it seems to be going well..last week i felt fine with it and m6 numers were great there...good blood preasure and my heart beats were stable...in the 70s ar rest. But yesterday i went and even before i started working out my heart was at 100 bpm...and then go down to 92 all of the sudden and i was just stading there. i didnt seem to have any problems with the actual work out... but after it my heart took a little longer than my usual to come back down to a more regular rate. I thought maybe it could be sleep apnea since im over weight (31 y/o, 5'6, 225 lbs) but my wife says i havent really been snoring..so i dont know what it could be .....if anyone has had a similar experience or any inside on this i really apreciate it!...thank u all so much in advance !anif ...c

 

[Oilman]

Sorry to hear you are hitting a few speed bumps, you should let your Cardio and GP doctor know whats going on with the dizzy and lightheaded events. I did have some of these events too, at the same period of recovery as you, but they seemed to come and go and get less frequent as recovery trudged on. Hope this gets better for you soon.

As for the funny heart rate at rehab, I also had that, one day I just peaked at 140 bpm with only 5 min on the treadmill. I find that I get PVC's now and then, but don't seem to last long, couple seconds at best. When I was released from hospital I had a resting HR rate of 85 bpm, with some good exercise, re-hab and cycling on my own, my resting HR at month 4 came down to 65 bpm. The heart is still remodelling I'm sure. So no worries, keep working at rehab and on your own, things will get better with more time. Take care.

When in doubt, call the doctors.

 

[Lauberth]

thank you so much oilman, your words have helped me deal with it all. i appreciatte you taken the time to write. best of luck to you.

 

[kimcdougc]

Lauberth, I have been having some of the same symptoms you have. I am 7 days post AVR. I have been playing around what time of day I take my meds and the heart beat issue. Learning a lot. Seems like all adjusts over time from all the posts I have read here. Keep taking care of yourself. Kim

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AVR May 23, 2013, Swedish Hospital, Cherry Hill location, Seattle, Dr. Barnhart, 21mm On-x valve. 53 year old female.

 

[Lauberth]

kim--good to hear u made it through!....yes for you is still very early on. were u just discharged? how long were u in the hospital after surgery? you will soon start feeling better...good luck to u and keep us posted