3 months after AVR surgery

[youppi69]

Hello, everyone

I'm posting to let everyone know how it went and to offer support to others.
My Aortic Valve replacement surgery was on May 3/07 at the Ottawa Heart Institute and everything went well.
I was admitted to hospital on May 1/07 because I had to have an Angiogram before the surgery to see if there was any damage to the Aorta which it was fine, they had to re-inforce the walls of the aorta only.I was more scared for the angiogram than I was for the Open Heart surgery, probably because I was awake for it.
They took me down for surgery around 1pm on May 3/07 and the surgery lasted 6 hours, they replaced my valve with a pig valve.
I dont remember much at all, which is a good thing, I went right to recovery after the surgery and then to my room, no ICU , they said I was doing extremely well, except my family tells me I'm not good on drugs.I was a little mean to the nurses and tried to get out of bed in recovery and wanted to go home.
I'm on lasix and aspirin only for another month only.I'm still off work till I see my cardiologist in September.
Im still tired alot and my chest is still sore and uncomfortable, i cant seem to straighten up, but I'm going to try physio.
Sorry it took so long for me to post , but I will keep in touch.
Take care and thanks to everyone on this forum, you're amazing.
Karen in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada

 

[Bina]

Welcome back, Karen
The worst is over and you have a long, bright future ahead of you.
When you have a crappy day, it's usually because a really great day is just around the corner.
The great days will soon become the norm.
Big (((hugs)))
Your buddy, Bina

 

[Carolyn Russo]

Welcome back Karen - I hope you keep improving. I just had my aortic valve replaced on 7/12 but I chose mechanical due to my age and I wanted to take the least possible choice to NOT having to go thru this open heart surgery again. I don't remember much - the team I had was great. It sounds like you had a fantastic team working on you too. I really hope I'm in good spirits like you are a couple of months from now. They seem to think I'll be able to go back to work 22 August - I don't think so. I do believe I will need more time. It sounds like you have 5-6 months to recoup? Take good care of yourself and keep in touch with this wonderful group - they are a fantastic support group.
Carolyn

 

[Praline]

Karen,
Welcome to this side of the mountain. You will keep improving. It just takes such a long time to feel normal again. But you will get there.It has been barely 2 months.
I was told to take care of myself. They told me to walk every day, even if it was just in the house. I was also told to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.
I started walking just a few minutes at a time and adding some minutes every day. Did you go to cardiac rehab? That helped me too.
I just got off the chat on this site. You may want to join us next Sunday.
Take care and post again to let us know how you are doing. We care.

 

[Blanche]

Better days are coming

Better days are coming

It sounds to me like you have had a difficult time, but you are now taking steps to make things easier for you. For some people, it takes a long time to recover from surgery and get back to a great new state. The idea of physical therapy is a good one. When my husband had his surgery in 1990, we had a much better time with everything as soon as he started cardiac rehab, which involves physical therapy.

I wish you the very best for a more speedy recovery in the very near future.

Kind regards,
Blanche

 

[Phyllis]

Thanks so much for posting on your recovery, Karen. Hope that things improve every day and that you keep us up to date. Best Wishes!

 

[WayneGM]

Welcome to this side of the mountain. Thanks for sharing your story. Best wishes with your recovery.

 

[Ross]

You must be my twin sister. I don't play well with their drugs either. We cannot be held responsible for our actions under the drugs either. A few in my family think I should be, but they have never had any kind of major surgery, so they know not what they talk about.

 

[njean]

Hello Karen,
I am so glad to hear that you are doing well after your AVR in May. I hope that you continue to do well & the best of luck to you! God Bless!