5 weeks post op a couple of comments/questions

[Gustav]

Hi all. New here with my first post. As per title its 5 weeks since I had part of my aortic root replaced together with my aortic valve which is of the On-x type all caused by my ex bicuspid valve.

I'm a 37yr old male 6ft2 who always led a very healthy life style both diet wise and activity wise. I'm currently walking around 4km daily at one stretch and actually feeling pretty easy to achieve it. I'm currently aiming to keep my INR at around 2.5 since thats whats suggested for the first 3 months which I'm managing to do with 5mg of warfarin a day which has luckily never varied for now. I'm also on 75mg aspirin and also on 12.5mg beta blockers (Carvedilol). Pain is close to none and have stopped pain killers with an occasional paracetamol intake. I'm hoping to start some post op rehab next week hoping to improve my stretching capabilities.

- I still find it difficult to take initial deep breaths due to pressure I feel at top part of my chest however once I get going I'm fine and manage to breath deeply without issues. Has anyone experienced this?

- My On-x valve tends to beat pretty hard (often) when in an up right position on a sofa, whilst eating or going to the loo always at a constant beat but i can feel thump in my chest. Thumping stops completely when lying down face up or on my right hand side, all I hear is a very mild ticking noise which really doesn't bother me at all. Lying on the left it would start thumping again. I realised that when I exhale completely it stops thumping. Cardiologists told me that its something that will stop over time but wanted to see if anyone had experienced this.

- Had a thumping sensation in my head when laying down flat which would actually move my head slightly. This has decreased a lot but not completely yet. Again I was told my body is getting used to the higher blood flow it missed out on over these years since it was used to a highly regurgitating valve. Asked another patient who told me felt the same thing. Anyone passed through this ?

Apart from these 3 issues I must say everything is going pretty well and being on warfarin for the time being is no big deal at all. As long as its kept under check and your diet is constant with no major spikes in vitamin k I don't see any difficulties cropping up. Alcohol intake is a daily beer or 2 or a couple of glasses of wine which haven't seen to effect INR levels to date.

If anyone has any questions feel free to reach out.

Thank you for the great info this forum contains.

Gustav.

 

[cldlhd]

I still get a little pain on the left side of my rib cage when I breathe real seep at a year and a half. I feel the heavy beating sometimes when I lay on my side. I still have my bicuspid valve but my aneurysm was replaced with a graft.

 

[AZ Don]

There have been some reports and discussions of people feeling a thumping in their chest. I think this was associated more to aneurysm repair than to valve replacement. I had a valve sparing aneurysm repair and feel a thumping whenever I breath deeply or in certain positions. My Dr's didn't seem to know much about it. What I've learned about this, mostly from this forum, is that it often goes away within the first few months to one year, but sometimes it doesn't - mine never did. I imagine that my aortic graft is close enough to my sternum that it transmits my heartbeat in some situations, but don't know for sure.

 

[Gustav]

Thank you for the replies. Makes sense re relation to aneurysm since its depends on position. I really do hope it stops in the near future.

 

[Agian]

I'm eleven weeks post op. I also have an On-X. Mine sounds like a cricket. Not sure whether it's quieter or I just don't care anymore. When I'm lying down I can almost always hear it, but it doesn't interfere with my sleep. Sometimes a sense a mild thump, but it's minor.

 

[almost_hectic]

Only 5 weeks from surgery i think you will find things will continue to improve greatly over the next few months. Its hard but be patient with your body. I was amazed at how much better things felt every week even after 6 months of recovery! My heartbeat calmed down and to a softer beat without the pounding sensation. My pulse slowed down and my blood pressure settled in right where it should be. Recovery was amazing. Keep exercising. Are you doing a hospital rehab program? If not I recommend it.

 

[Gustav]

Only 5 weeks from surgery i think you will find things will continue to improve greatly over the next few months. Its hard but be patient with your body. I was amazed at how much better things felt every week even after 6 months of recovery! My heartbeat calmed down and to a softer beat without the pounding sensation. My pulse slowed down and my blood pressure settled in right where it should be. Recovery was amazing. Keep exercising. Are you doing a hospital rehab program? If not I recommend it.

Thanks for the insight feel much more positive reading this. Im hoping to start rehab next week just waiting for the hospital to contact me.

 

[Gustav]

I'm eleven weeks post op. I also have an On-X. Mine sounds like a cricket. Not sure whether it's quieter or I just don't care anymore. When I'm lying down I can almost always hear it, but it doesn't interfere with my sleep. Sometimes a sense a mild thump, but it's minor.

You've nailed it with the cricket sound ;-) Same here its not interfering with my sleep at all hoping my thump will soften out as time passes. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Eva]

Gustav,

You're doing great at 5-weeks. Complete healing takes 12 weeks! Meanwhile, here are my 2-cents advice:

- Try to keep your posture/back very straight while eating or using the loo! That softened my thumps .. standing or sitting very straight.
- When you take deep breath, breathe the air into your lungs not chest. The pressure will gradually go away.

Keep up the good work.

 

[Agian]

You've nailed it with the cricket sound ;-)

I get sexually harassed when I'm in the garden for too long.

 

[Gustav]

Gustav,

You're doing great at 5-weeks. Complete healing takes 12 weeks! Meanwhile, here are my 2-cents advice:

- Try to keep your posture/back very straight while eating or using the loo! That softened my thumps .. standing or sitting very straight.
- When you take deep breath, breathe the air into your lungs not chest. The pressure will gradually go away.

Keep up the good work.

Thank you for the great tips Eva appreciate it

 

[Agian]

My pulse slowed down and my blood pressure settled in right where it should be. Recovery was amazing. Keep exercising. Are you doing a hospital rehab program? If not I recommend it.

Hmm, my blood pressure has been a bit funny the past week. Nothing dramatic. Was yours unsettled for a while post-op as well? I'm 11 weeks out. Before the operation it didn't budge. Now if I do stuff it goes up and drops when I rest. I assume that this is normal, now that I don't have stenosis. Did yours stabilise at a lower level? I have this fear, probably irrational, that I'll pop something if it goes too high, even though it hasn't gone over 145/90. Usually sits between 115-130/70-80, depending on my activity and when I took my BP tablets. Just my body adjusting, I guess.

 

[almost_hectic]

Hmm, my blood pressure has been a bit funny the past week. Nothing dramatic. Was yours unsettled for a while post-op as well? I'm 11 weeks out. Before the operation it didn't budge. Now if I do stuff it goes up and drops when I rest. I assume that this is normal, now that I don't have stenosis. Did yours stabilise at a lower level? I have this fear, probably irrational, that I'll pop something if it goes too high, even though it hasn't gone over 145/90. Usually sits between 115-130/70-80, depending on my activity and when I took my BP tablets. Just my body adjusting, I guess.

Yeah I had similar situation, even like you say with standing or sitting. I can't remember how long it took but yes it totally settled in and evened out. I think its just your heart and your body getting reacquainted again with the new working relationship they have.

 

[Eva]

You're welcome!