4 Weeks Post Op - Im new here

[Freddie]

I just wanted to pop in and say "Hi" and Welcome to you Tim

 

[timmyup7]

Hi, Tim and welcome!
I had surgery 10 days before you- 1/13/2011. I'm 46 years old, but was diagnosed with a bad valve when I was 33. It wasn't bad enough to replace until this year. I got a mechanical valve, too (OnX brand). I'm on metroprolol as well, so I know what you mean. They give it to you to keep your pressure down so your heart doesn't have to work so hard while it is healing so think of it as temporary and helping you heal faster. Later, if you still have HBP, you can probably switch to something else.

I got afib at 2 weeks, so I'm on a lot more drugs that make me feel funky, but I know it is temporary while my heart is adjusting to hte new valve and healing.

You are not normal--you are BETTER than normal. You are the proud owner of one of the greatest life extending medical devices there is. Now that you have had this surgery, the truth is that you have a normal life expectancy again. Before the surgery, you surely would have died prematurely. You will meet many on this forum who have been living with a valve replacement for 20plus years. There is even a guy (RBC)on another similar website who is the oldest living child recipient of a mechanical valve. He got his first one in 1960, I believe. He has had them replaced as techonology improved over the years, but he has had a mechanical valve 50ish years and is still going strong!

You are probably on warfarin since you have a mechanical valve. You might want to read some of the info onthe anti-coagulation forum. Those of us here on warfarin are big believers in self testing if you are on long-term warfarin therapy. Studies show that those who self monitor and self test have fewer complications long term with the anti-coagulation therapy.

The ticking and thumping will likely get better with time. Your heart is used to pumping with your bad valve and it will take time for it to adjust to the new valve, so don't worry about that too much.

Everyone is different, but I've read that most start feeling really good at 6 mos and are fully recovered 100% at 1 year.

Welcome!

Thank you Drivetopless's, I feel alot better for all the information etc. Sorry to hear you had a bad valve. Glad to hear you are sounding better now.
Hmm I wonder what brand mechanical valve I got. Wish I knew. Im sure I can find out. Is there alot brands? Poor ones? Or hopefully they are all good.
Ya Im on the warfarin, I go every two weeks to my doctor to check my blood level. If a self monitor is better, maybe I may start doing that for the future very soon.
and i got a little pamphlet from my doctor what to eat etc.. .
..I knew the major ones..like no spinach and broccoli etc...still felt lost what good foods to get... I ended up buying this book I saw online http://www.drgourmet.com/pt-inr/index.shtml it helps me..but hopefully its a good book

and very good to know more about the thumping etc on my heart

Thanks again for all the helpful information, best wishes and a good happy recovery

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Thank you Drivetopless's, I feel alot better for all the information etc. Sorry to hear you had a bad valve. Glad to hear you are sounding better now.
Hmm I wonder what brand mechanical valve I got. Wish I knew. Im sure I can find out. Is there alot brands? Poor ones? Or hopefully they are all good.
Ya Im on the warfarin, I go every two weeks to my doctor to check my blood level. If a self monitor is better, maybe I may start doing that for the future very soon.
and i got a little pamphlet from my doctor what to eat etc.. .
..I knew the major ones..like no spinach and broccoli etc...still felt lost what good foods to get... I ended up buying this book I saw online http://www.drgourmet.com/pt-inr/index.shtml it helps me..but hopefully its a good book

and very good to know more about the thumping etc on my heart

Thanks again for all the helpful information, best wishes and a good happy recovery

AARGH !

It is going to take decades before the OLD WIVES TALES about avoiding Green Vegetables fade away.

Studies have PROVEN that a Consistent Intake* of Vitamin K (or Vitamin K containing foods) makes it EASIER to maintain a Stable INR. Whoever told you otherwise is OUT OF DATE and NOT in compliance with the latest recommended protocols for managing anticoagulated patients.

*MY definition of a Consistent Intake is to eat Something Green (or 2 Something's Green) every day.
NO measuring. NO Counting. NO Problem.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[timmyup7]

Where did you find that NON-Sense about only living to age 50 with a mechanical heart valve?

Member Nancy's husband had multiple heart and lung issues and several surgeries.
Some of this Doctor's told him he probably would not live past age 50.
He died not too long ago at age 75 of Multiple Organ Failure with BOTH of his Mechanical Heart Valves still clicking away to the very end.

We have another member, Dick0236, who has had an 'ancient' mechanical heart valve that was discontinued years ago for 43 years and counting.

Bi-Leaflet Mechanical Heart Valves were introduced in the 80's? and are designed not to 'wear out' for multiple lifetimes. New ways of monitoring and managing anticoagulation (Coumadin / Warfarin) were invented in the early 1990's which greatly reduced the 'bad outcomes' which were more prevelent before then due to variations in the testing reagents used and misunderstandings in how anticoagulents worked. The most stable INR results typically come from Home Testing (and Self Dosing if you teach yourself the proper protocols) with weekly or bi-monthly testing. The next best results come from going to a Dedicated Coumadin Clinic where their nurses are trained in the latest management techniques and test monthly for stable patients. See the Anti-Coagulaton Forum for more real-life experiences living with / on Coumadin.

'AL Capshaw'

May have been medtv,however I could be wrong..if i find the exact site i read it ...more than happy to post it..

As i said...after all the replies..I read on here etc..Im convinced its bad info..

Thanks for all the information..

 

[timmyup7]

I just wanted to pop in and say "Hi" and Welcome to you Tim

Thank you for the welcome.

 

[drivetopless]

Hmm I wonder what brand mechanical valve I got. Wish I knew. Im sure I can find out. Is there alot brands? Poor ones? Or hopefully they are all good.

You can ask your surgeon what type and size valve you received. I got a little card for my wallet with the info when I checked out of the hospital.

There are several manufacturer's. All of them are better than the valve you replaced. St. Judes valve seems to be the most common mechanical one installed.

Let us know what type of valve you got when you find out.

 

[Mentu]

Tim, welcome to VR. I'm approaching a year and a half since my valve replacement and have read a lot and spoken with my surgeon extensively about what I can expect in the future. My surgeon says that very, very few people who have heart valve replacements will die because of the replacement and every reputable report I've read says the same thing. Read the story of the first person to receive a heart valve.

21 September, 2010 is the 50th Anniversary of First Successful Heart Valve!
On 21 September, 1960, Dr Albert Starr implanted the first successful artificial heart valve to replace Philip Amundson's failing mitral valve. Mr Amundson, as many of you know, was near death at the time but that first cage in ball valve restored his health and he lived for another 15 years when he died after falling from a ladder.

The surgery was performed at the University of Oregon Medical School in Portland. Mr Amundson was a 52 year old farmer dying from a scarred and deformed heart valve as a result of childhood rheumatic fever. The procedure went well and newspapers throughout the world reported the success of the “miraculous” heart surgery. By all accounts, Mr Amundson enjoyed a healthy and productive life until his sudden death when 15 years later he fell off a ladder while painting his house. That first valve was designed by Dr Starr working with Mr Lowell Edwards, an electrical engineer interested in building an artificial heart. I think it is always good to know where we came from and what we are apart of, so, 21 September, 1960; the birth of our community!

Tim, you should also read some of the posts written by Dick0236 who is one of the people who has had an artificial heart valve for over 40 years. Dick's valve is the same one Mr Amundson recieved in 1960 and it is still working well. Your valve is the result of decades of improvements and should probably last many decades. Plan on living a normal life, Tim.

Also, Tim, in your discharge papers, you probably have a sheet that describes your valve. Failing that, as you have already been told, you can call up your surgeons office and they will tell you the modle and serial number. Your surgeon's office should have registered your heart valve with the company that made it. If so, you should receive a card in the mail from the company. It is a good idea to have the valve registered so you will receive any follow on information. In a case where your surgeon's office did not register the valve, you can do it yourself with the information your surgeon can provide. You can telephone the company or sometimes register your valve at their website. You will need the:

Valve Name/Type
Valve Modle
Valve Serial Number
Surgeon's name
Date of Surgery
Place where surgery was performed

Take care, Tim.

Larry

 

[timmyup7]

You can ask your surgeon what type and size valve you received. I got a little card for my wallet with the info when I checked out of the hospital.

There are several manufacturer's. All of them are better than the valve you replaced. St. Judes valve seems to be the most common mechanical one installed.

Let us know what type of valve you got when you find out.

I talked to my surgeon, he gave me St. Jude valve B- leafet.
Now I remember I got a temp card from my hospital, with the serial number.
I called St. Jude just now, I am registered. Will get my ID card very soon.
Just now seeing the St. Jude website, Im feeling better seeing it.

 

[timmyup7]

Tim, welcome to VR. I'm approaching a year and a half since my valve replacement and have read a lot and spoken with my surgeon extensively about what I can expect in the future. My surgeon says that very, very few people who have heart valve replacements will die because of the replacement and every reputable report I've read says the same thing. Read the story of the first person to receive a heart valve.

21 September, 2010 is the 50th Anniversary of First Successful Heart Valve!
On 21 September, 1960, Dr Albert Starr implanted the first successful artificial heart valve to replace Philip Amundson's failing mitral valve. Mr Amundson, as many of you know, was near death at the time but that first cage in ball valve restored his health and he lived for another 15 years when he died after falling from a ladder.

The surgery was performed at the University of Oregon Medical School in Portland. Mr Amundson was a 52 year old farmer dying from a scarred and deformed heart valve as a result of childhood rheumatic fever. The procedure went well and newspapers throughout the world reported the success of the “miraculous” heart surgery. By all accounts, Mr Amundson enjoyed a healthy and productive life until his sudden death when 15 years later he fell off a ladder while painting his house. That first valve was designed by Dr Starr working with Mr Lowell Edwards, an electrical engineer interested in building an artificial heart. I think it is always good to know where we came from and what we are apart of, so, 21 September, 1960; the birth of our community!

Tim, you should also read some of the posts written by Dick0236 who is one of the people who has had an artificial heart valve for over 40 years. Dick's valve is the same one Mr Amundson recieved in 1960 and it is still working well. Your valve is the result of decades of improvements and should probably last many decades. Plan on living a normal life, Tim.

Also, Tim, in your discharge papers, you probably have a sheet that describes your valve. Failing that, as you have already been told, you can call up your surgeons office and they will tell you the modle and serial number. Your surgeon's office should have registered your heart valve with the company that made it. If so, you should receive a card in the mail from the company. It is a good idea to have the valve registered so you will receive any follow on information. In a case where your surgeon's office did not register the valve, you can do it yourself with the information your surgeon can provide. You can telephone the company or sometimes register your valve at their website. You will need the:

Valve Name/Type
Valve Modle
Valve Serial Number
Surgeon's name
Date of Surgery
Place where surgery was performed

Take care, Tim.

Larry

Hi Larry
Thank you for the welcome.
Thank you for all the information. Yep I located my temp card with all the info. Lol just now remembering like on the 5th day out of surgery they gave me the card. Possibly not the best for them to give me that information at my state. Since I was a bit disoriented and weak still from the surgery. But its okay.

 

[timmyup7]

Just a heads up. I mentioned earlier in this thread how much I hated Metoprolol. Im starting to get used it. Not hating it as much. Starting to tolerate a bit better. Sadly yesterday they had to bump my Metoprolol from 25 to 50 . But had to be done. Bring down my high blood pressure.

 

[normofthenorth]

Welcome, Tim. You found a great group. +1 to all the comments about your life expectancy. The mechanical valve itself should outlast all of us! In addition to staying positive, eating well, staying active and following a reasonable rehab protocol -- and yes, it does take a while for your heart to "forgive you" for the trauma of surgery, even though it was a FAVOR!! -- the most important thing you can do is to maintain a stable, in-range INR. That generally means you SHOULD eat greens that contain Vitamin K, but try to be reasonably consistent about it. And getting hooked up with home testing for INR is also a good thing, so you can check your levels and adjust your Warfarin/Coumadin dose appropriately to stay in range.

I'm also on Metoprolol (25mg twice/day), almost 3 months post-op -- in my case, just to keep my heart-rate down. It's quite normal to have a much higher resting HR after a "valve job" than you had before. And weird and noisy, even withOUT a mechanical valve doing some new clicking! Mine's finally WAY less weird and noisy, but it took a while. I may be able to drop my drugs next week -- hope so, though the Metoprolol hasn't been bugging me much. I get dizzy when I bend over and stand up fast, but not much else for me.

 

[nngbwh]

Hey Tim, I just wanted say Hi and welcome you aboard. Don't believe what you read on the internet. Stay positive and keep healthy you will live to be 100.

 

[Mentu]

Tim, I'm glad you found your card. It is comforting to know something about the valve and to know that should there be any problem, the company will have your contact information. I agree with you that it seems unwise to actually believe that a patient just three or four days out of heart surgery will remember much. That first day out of the ICU, I made a couple telephone calls of which I have no memory now at all. It was the week after surgery before I felt that the drugs were finally out of my system and my memory was trustworthy.

Larry

 

[hook]

Thanks Todd. I can take any knowledge to help lower my high blood pressure...really appreciate it...I hate those Metoprolol..Im counting the days..I dont have to take those anymore.

Ask your doctor about L-Arginine. Don't be shocked if he shrugs, as some Docs have no clue about such things. Also do your own research. There are many things that can help your heart that do not come out of the pharmacy. My only warning about supplements is to be careful of the source. Claims from sites trying to sell you something are tainted; only place value in words from reputable sites and respected researchers.

Here is a good piece

http://www.webmd.com/heart/arginine-heart-benefits-and-side-effects

 

[CATDOG]

Welcome Tim. When/if you get serious about different supplements, please check with your doctor AND your pharmacist for any interactions with your meds. You also might like to ask for assistance with scheduling what to take when, and what not to take at the same time.

 

[timmyup7]

Welcome, Tim. You found a great group. +1 to all the comments about your life expectancy. The mechanical valve itself should outlast all of us! In addition to staying positive, eating well, staying active and following a reasonable rehab protocol -- and yes, it does take a while for your heart to "forgive you" for the trauma of surgery, even though it was a FAVOR!! -- the most important thing you can do is to maintain a stable, in-range INR. That generally means you SHOULD eat greens that contain Vitamin K, but try to be reasonably consistent about it. And getting hooked up with home testing for INR is also a good thing, so you can check your levels and adjust your Warfarin/Coumadin dose appropriately to stay in range.

I'm also on Metoprolol (25mg twice/day), almost 3 months post-op -- in my case, just to keep my heart-rate down. It's quite normal to have a much higher resting HR after a "valve job" than you had before. And weird and noisy, even withOUT a mechanical valve doing some new clicking! Mine's finally WAY less weird and noisy, but it took a while. I may be able to drop my drugs next week -- hope so, though the Metoprolol hasn't been bugging me much. I get dizzy when I bend over and stand up fast, but not much else for me.

Thank you normofthenorth for the welcome. Good meeting you. Thank you helpful info.

Best regards
Tim

 

[timmyup7]

Welcome, Tim. You found a great group. +1 to all the comments about your life expectancy. The mechanical valve itself should outlast all of us! In addition to staying positive, eating well, staying active and following a reasonable rehab protocol -- and yes, it does take a while for your heart to "forgive you" for the trauma of surgery, even though it was a FAVOR!! -- the most important thing you can do is to maintain a stable, in-range INR. That generally means you SHOULD eat greens that contain Vitamin K, but try to be reasonably consistent about it. And getting hooked up with home testing for INR is also a good thing, so you can check your levels and adjust your Warfarin/Coumadin dose appropriately to stay in range.

I'm also on Metoprolol (25mg twice/day), almost 3 months post-op -- in my case, just to keep my heart-rate down. It's quite normal to have a much higher resting HR after a "valve job" than you had before. And weird and noisy, even withOUT a mechanical valve doing some new clicking! Mine's finally WAY less weird and noisy, but it took a while. I may be able to drop my drugs next week -- hope so, though the Metoprolol hasn't been bugging me much. I get dizzy when I bend over and stand up fast, but not much else for me.

Thank you normofthenorth for the welcome. Good meeting you. Thank you helpful info.

Best regards
Tim

 

[timmyup7]

Hey Tim, I just wanted say Hi and welcome you aboard. Don't believe what you read on the internet. Stay positive and keep healthy you will live to be 100.

Thank you. Good meeting you...thx for the welcome and good info...you too

 

[timmyup7]

Ask your doctor about L-Arginine. Don't be shocked if he shrugs, as some Docs have no clue about such things. Also do your own research. There are many things that can help your heart that do not come out of the pharmacy. My only warning about supplements is to be careful of the source. Claims from sites trying to sell you something are tainted; only place value in words from reputable sites and respected researchers.

Here is a good piece

http://www.webmd.com/heart/arginine-heart-benefits-and-side-effects

Thanks, much appreciated

 

[timmyup7]

Welcome Tim. When/if you get serious about different supplements, please check with your doctor AND your pharmacist for any interactions with your meds. You also might like to ask for assistance with scheduling what to take when, and what not to take at the same time.

Thank you.