oo0My_Valve0oo
Well-known member
Hi all,
Coincidentally I am finally posting here again a nagging question and it is the anniversary of my surgery (June 14, 2021).
Short version:
After 5 months is this common and shared by anyone else here? I have the same symptoms that initially drew me to see a doctor and lead to an aortic valve replacement. I get exhausted quickly. The sensation in my body feels like it is a lack of adequate flow of oxygenated blood. I must pause to catch my breath. Sometimes I can only go 10-15 steps. Sometimes just rising from bed rest I am exhausted.
Longer version:
I believe I am beyond getting over the physical impact of the surgery process itself. I am also as far as I can achieve getting my work sea legs back in shape having been on LOA 2.5 months and this was no vacation. That leaves me freed up to assess the results. Unfortunately I still have all of the symptoms which lead me to see a doctor in the first place. The surgery does not appear to have benefited me with regards to those symptoms. Of course, if the Aortic valve was deteriorating and in such bad condition that it hardly allowed 25% of the blood to flow I have warded off some future consequence like a stroke or heart attack. However given this description of the pre-surgical valve condition I expected to feel a great boost. Instead I feel like I did before the surgery. I still feel exhausted easily, sometimes just walking 15 steps or even rising from bed rest. There is a limit to what I can do before I must stop at catch my breath. It feels like a lack of adequate blood flow of oxygenated blood. I only say "oxygenated" because it ties in with breathing. But I do not feel tingling like you would when you cut off circulation and a limb "falls asleep." I feel a pulsation as though every pump to a limb is felt because it is not enough. If I continue I am past my limit similar to when you hold out an arm long enough that you have to rest it. The ache can feel like a charley horse coming on. I never feel vertigo at least, that is good.
I returned to work a month before the doctors had initially recommended because I was out of time. We are only allowed to miss a certain number of days. My position at work was in jeopardy. I set up an echocardiogram and stress test so the doctors could evaluate my readiness to resume work. This was the 9th week post surgery. I returned the 10th week. The job is physical and I stepped into extremely busy and heatwave conditions. However I was seeing exponential advancement daily. I was amazed at what I could do. But that progress has plateaued. I cannot advance further getting up to speed in my work routine because of the exhaustion and limit before I must pause to catch my breath.
Also, I doubt these lingering symptoms have anything to do with returning to work sooner than initially expected. I had a green light after the tests. My job is physical and the doctors were considerate and perhaps generous releasing me early but once I got used to the pains of intense physical activity after open heart surgery's cuts into flesh and bone it soon became more a matter of stamina and blood supply meeting my needs. I knew I wasn't going to break the healing bone or tear the healing muscle or skin. They were past that vulnerable stage. These symptoms are not pains in muscles or bones. It can hurt but it is the pain of no strength or air and blood circulating when needed. This evening after merely folding laundry I feel exhaustion and pain in my chest. The chest pain is more a matter of what you feel when you cannot get enough air in your lungs. My lungs feel tired and ache.
I presented this to my surgeon and cardiologist. The surgeon said it can take some people as long as a year but to discuss this with the cardiologist. The cardiologist said he does not know what is going on and to go to my regular doctor. The echo and stress test both seem to focus on the heart alone. I get the impression the cardiologist does not connect dots beyond the heart. I know the surgeon is focused on the surgical aspect alone but I thought he would have a wider idea of recovery. The surgeon's head nurse seemed to know more than the cardiologist and surgeon in this regard. I do not have that much faith in my regular doctor. Initially my regular had told me that they are no longer advising people with heart murmurs to take antibiotics every time you have a dental procedure. That was contradicted by everyone from nurses to the cardiologist and surgeon as well as my dentist who had the scope to seek direct communication with my doctors before allowing me to see him again years ago when I just had a heart murmur. The dentist reaching out to my doctors took place back in 2015 when the heart murmur was discovered and I was under a different medical plan. That first cardiologist had said I could climb Mount Everest if I wanted to yet he never warned me of the dangers of infection from merely having your teeth cleaned. All of the doctors involved in the heart surgery are new to me this year as I switched medical plans in 2021.
So it has now been maybe 2-3+ months of no further advancement towards the anticipated "normal." I could probably narrow it down more precisely but I pretty much hit the plateau within a few weeks after returning to work. Everyday is a struggle at work. I had a reserve that I could call upon and easily recover from tapping into. I need that. I must be able to increase my pace. This is not something exercise would remedy. I believe need to be able to do regular normal everyday things like walking 20 steps and moving about swiftly before using exercise to expand that ability.
Note: the work I do is very physical and I work 10-13 hour days and rarely as little as 9 hours. I could use more sleep but I have managed this schedule for years only needing more than 4-5 hours rest when stressed excessively. One of the symptoms that lead me to seek a doctor was that these extra rest days no longer had an effect remedying the tired conditions I was experiencing.
Coincidentally I am finally posting here again a nagging question and it is the anniversary of my surgery (June 14, 2021).
Short version:
After 5 months is this common and shared by anyone else here? I have the same symptoms that initially drew me to see a doctor and lead to an aortic valve replacement. I get exhausted quickly. The sensation in my body feels like it is a lack of adequate flow of oxygenated blood. I must pause to catch my breath. Sometimes I can only go 10-15 steps. Sometimes just rising from bed rest I am exhausted.
Longer version:
I believe I am beyond getting over the physical impact of the surgery process itself. I am also as far as I can achieve getting my work sea legs back in shape having been on LOA 2.5 months and this was no vacation. That leaves me freed up to assess the results. Unfortunately I still have all of the symptoms which lead me to see a doctor in the first place. The surgery does not appear to have benefited me with regards to those symptoms. Of course, if the Aortic valve was deteriorating and in such bad condition that it hardly allowed 25% of the blood to flow I have warded off some future consequence like a stroke or heart attack. However given this description of the pre-surgical valve condition I expected to feel a great boost. Instead I feel like I did before the surgery. I still feel exhausted easily, sometimes just walking 15 steps or even rising from bed rest. There is a limit to what I can do before I must stop at catch my breath. It feels like a lack of adequate blood flow of oxygenated blood. I only say "oxygenated" because it ties in with breathing. But I do not feel tingling like you would when you cut off circulation and a limb "falls asleep." I feel a pulsation as though every pump to a limb is felt because it is not enough. If I continue I am past my limit similar to when you hold out an arm long enough that you have to rest it. The ache can feel like a charley horse coming on. I never feel vertigo at least, that is good.
I returned to work a month before the doctors had initially recommended because I was out of time. We are only allowed to miss a certain number of days. My position at work was in jeopardy. I set up an echocardiogram and stress test so the doctors could evaluate my readiness to resume work. This was the 9th week post surgery. I returned the 10th week. The job is physical and I stepped into extremely busy and heatwave conditions. However I was seeing exponential advancement daily. I was amazed at what I could do. But that progress has plateaued. I cannot advance further getting up to speed in my work routine because of the exhaustion and limit before I must pause to catch my breath.
Also, I doubt these lingering symptoms have anything to do with returning to work sooner than initially expected. I had a green light after the tests. My job is physical and the doctors were considerate and perhaps generous releasing me early but once I got used to the pains of intense physical activity after open heart surgery's cuts into flesh and bone it soon became more a matter of stamina and blood supply meeting my needs. I knew I wasn't going to break the healing bone or tear the healing muscle or skin. They were past that vulnerable stage. These symptoms are not pains in muscles or bones. It can hurt but it is the pain of no strength or air and blood circulating when needed. This evening after merely folding laundry I feel exhaustion and pain in my chest. The chest pain is more a matter of what you feel when you cannot get enough air in your lungs. My lungs feel tired and ache.
I presented this to my surgeon and cardiologist. The surgeon said it can take some people as long as a year but to discuss this with the cardiologist. The cardiologist said he does not know what is going on and to go to my regular doctor. The echo and stress test both seem to focus on the heart alone. I get the impression the cardiologist does not connect dots beyond the heart. I know the surgeon is focused on the surgical aspect alone but I thought he would have a wider idea of recovery. The surgeon's head nurse seemed to know more than the cardiologist and surgeon in this regard. I do not have that much faith in my regular doctor. Initially my regular had told me that they are no longer advising people with heart murmurs to take antibiotics every time you have a dental procedure. That was contradicted by everyone from nurses to the cardiologist and surgeon as well as my dentist who had the scope to seek direct communication with my doctors before allowing me to see him again years ago when I just had a heart murmur. The dentist reaching out to my doctors took place back in 2015 when the heart murmur was discovered and I was under a different medical plan. That first cardiologist had said I could climb Mount Everest if I wanted to yet he never warned me of the dangers of infection from merely having your teeth cleaned. All of the doctors involved in the heart surgery are new to me this year as I switched medical plans in 2021.
So it has now been maybe 2-3+ months of no further advancement towards the anticipated "normal." I could probably narrow it down more precisely but I pretty much hit the plateau within a few weeks after returning to work. Everyday is a struggle at work. I had a reserve that I could call upon and easily recover from tapping into. I need that. I must be able to increase my pace. This is not something exercise would remedy. I believe need to be able to do regular normal everyday things like walking 20 steps and moving about swiftly before using exercise to expand that ability.
Note: the work I do is very physical and I work 10-13 hour days and rarely as little as 9 hours. I could use more sleep but I have managed this schedule for years only needing more than 4-5 hours rest when stressed excessively. One of the symptoms that lead me to seek a doctor was that these extra rest days no longer had an effect remedying the tired conditions I was experiencing.
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