11 weeks post-op & have some question

[Shirley Dickey]

Hello everyone

I wanted to ask how long does it take for your valve to quieten down ?
Like I said I am 11 weeks postop ( mitrial valve & dbl bypass)and it seems to be getting louder :frown2:
I thought it was suppose to be getting quiter ,
This is my 2nd OHS (Aortic valve replaced with tissue 2 yrs prior)
Has anyone else had this problem ?
Does it have anything to do with the INR levels ? I average 2.9-3.2 and i am on 7.5 5days wk and 10mg on 2 days a wk
I also have been getting slight nose bleeds from time to time :confused2:
When my heart speeds up it is even louder ?
I still sleep on my back proped up, when I sleep on my side I hear it a whole lot more ( and cant sleep) and my heart still feels like it is pounding out of my chest :mad2 I am normally a side sleeper due to back problems)
Does the heat have anything to do with it?
Sometimes i can hear it in my neck and jaw area before I hear it from my chest...
the sound kind of reminds me of the poprocks candy when I was a kid.:rolleyes2:
Sometimes it is very annoying but for the most part it dont bother me much till now...
Has anyone else dealt with this and what did you do for relief and should I see dr or is this all pert of the norm :frown2:
Sorry for all the questions just wanted others opinion before I start to worry and freak out...Still trying to figure out & learn to cope with all this heart stuff ,:eek2: not doing so good with it..
Thanks in advance for your responses
Shirley

 

[Cooker]

Time, it takes time. I don't know when I did not notice my valve but it is now not an issue. It has nothing to do with INR. Your INR sounds perfect to me. Minor nose bleeds can be anything, I get them from time to time. I had the same issue with sleep. I now sleep like a baby on my side. Everything you are dealing with will fade with time, I promise.

 

[Optimus]

Shirley,

I too, can hear my AV....clicking, or similar sound. My heart also beats very strong, more with exersion or stress. I am 5+ weeks out and I was thinking the same thing as you, does this get ne better?? Sometimes I put a pillow over my chest up by my neck to give it some "sound proofing"....so to speak. That helps, especially when I am reclined and reading or watching tv and just can't take it. I would imagine as Cooker said, it is something we will just deal with eventually. Better than PACs, PVC's, A-Fib and worse...right?

Pros: We don't have to check our pulse at our wrists, we can hear and feel it in our throats and ears!!!! HA!

You could always ask the member that loves the On-X valve, and see what he has to say....he seems to know a LOT about them. Can't remember his name...he had some posts in a thread that dealt with a man deciding which way to go...tissue or mechanical. He had the On-X rep come to his town and introduce it so he could get one. I think he has some inside tracks...hit him up for info.

Take good care,

Susan.

 

[dick0236]

Time, it takes time. I don't know when I did not notice my valve but it is now not an issue. It has nothing to do with INR. Your INR sounds perfect to me. Minor nose bleeds can be anything, I get them from time to time. I had the same issue with sleep. I now sleep like a baby on my side. Everything you are dealing with will fade with time, I promise.

I second all that Cooker posted. Body acoustics may play a role in how loud, or quiet, the valve seems to sound and the valve sound will subside as you heal and get used to the sound. I remember mine being very loud at first, but now I can't hear it at all. My new PCP commented recently that it was one of the quietest valves he has ever heard. Minor nose bleeds are normally due to small blood vessels that are close to the surface and hot or cold "dry" weather conditions will aggrevate these small vessels and the "blood thinner" makes the chance of small bleeds more likely. I normally notice this in the dead of winter....a little finger pressure for a minute or two will help clotting. Warfarin and your INR level has NOTHING to do with valve sound.

 

[normofthenorth]

I think there are probably a few things going on. Of course, the On-X is louder than your tissue AVR, or than either of your native valves. That may fade, and you'll also get more used to it.

The other thing is that MANY of us have various forms of "heart beating out of my chest" post OHS/HVR surgery. If you completely escaped this after your AVR, you lucked out! Most of these phenomena are "normal" -- i.e., post-OHS/HVR normal!! That doesn't mean they shouldn't prompt questions to your Cardiologist, or even follow-up examination, but they're probably "nothing", and will resolve with time.

Of course, put the two things together, and super-strong beats through a mech valve will naturally make a bit of a racket.

 

[AgilityDog]

I'd say give it 6 to 12 months. I've done it twice now, one with a St Jude's mitral, and the 2nd with the On-x aortic.
When I first got the Mitral done, I swore I sounded like the crocodile in Peter Pan that swallowed the clock - you could hear me coming! I swore to one of our estate planning clients, who's a doctor, that I was gonna dress all in green for Halloween, just because of the ticking.
Now I almost don't hear it at all, except in certain situations (like that little tiny closet where the toilet is).
Then when I got my On-x last year, I was a tad disappointed that I could hear it. I can still hear it after 12 months, but less and less. Of course, the aortic position is louder than mitral, so over all the On-x is more quiet than my St. Jude's.

As for sleeping on your side again, that takes TIME. Your heart is still pumping too hard, like it was before surgery. It takes several months for your heart to remodel, and just plain get used the fact that it doesn't have to work as hard as before. As your heart remodels, you'll be more and more comfortable sleeping on your side.