A-fib/flutter

[ETC908]

I 100% agree with what you said. Physically I am getting much better, but mentally I worry about all aspects of this. There have been several bumps in the road post-op, the most recent one being the run of a-flutter, and I worry every day about having a recurrence, another setback, etc. Constantly stressing over INR, HR, etc. Hopefully that will start to calm down...but I totally understand your sentiments.

 

[NorthWoods]

I had a couple of flutters or light A-fib when I came-off the Metoprolol. I was taking 25mg once daily and it was like magic. I had my cardiologist keep me on it for 6 months post-op, and towards the end (the last 3 weeks), I weened myself down to 12.5mg daily, then nothing. Since then, I haven't had any issues.

 

[Mister_James]

Another complication to throw in is ectopic rhythms.
Now that you can hear your heart you may sense that the drummer in your chest may play a snare hit before the base drum.
Dee dum dee dum dee dum diddle Dum.
Mostly stress related, over caffeinated but generally harmless.

 

[AZATADINE]

Met my surgeon for the 6 week follow up yesterday. He reviewed the Holter data and was very happy indeed with it. He said there were only 8 skipped beats throughout the entire 24 hours and that this was not concerning at all. He said this would be very common even for the general public.

I thought I felt dozens and dozens but some of them were obviously in my head....or maybe just a particular period of awareness of my heartbeat. Not sure but either way, looks like everything is fine.

He suggested I get another Holter test in about 6 weeks and if that's still OK (which he suspects it will be), he will take me off warfarin. I had no episodes if Afib since the operation and have a Magna Ease tissue valve.

He was not concerned about the Gamma GT results either. He said that the trauma of the operation and the medications used can irritate the liver and that the next time my blood is tested, he expects the results to be well in the way to normal.

I had some other queries such as a bit of a lack of long term concentration/fuzzy brain and again, he reassured me this is common and will improve as well.

My BP is on the low side so he reduced my dose of Bisoprolol to 1.25mg per day (from 2.5mg).

It's pretty much my last meeting with the surgeon I think and I'll be handed back to my cardiologist now. We joked as I left that we "hopefully" won't see each other for another 15 years. We both commented that that's certainly the hope but there is always the chance that we may meet sooner....which I was well aware of when choosing my valve.

 

[ETC908]

That's great news! I have not gotten my monitor results back yet, but I'm guessing there was nothing major or else I would have received a call while I had it on. I definitely think there is an element of anxiety and "hyperawareness" that contributes to things. It's been 2.5 weeks since I had my bout of a-flutter, and other than the fear/anxiety of an issue, and the occasional palpitation, there has been nothing major. Hoping it stays that way, and that you continue to do well also.

 

[ETC908]

Thought I'd provide an update here. The results of my loop monitor were normal. I had a follow-up with the cardiologist last week. My EKG is now normal/back to baseline again and no longer showing signs of pericarditis. He said the odds of another round of atrial flutter would be low, but not impossible. He gave a ballpark of 3-6 months post-op during which the risk is still there. He decreased my metoprolol from 75mg to 50 mg and said that hopefully I'll eventually be able to come off of it. He said I could have caffeine. I had one half- cup of coffee last weekend without issues, then had a full cup this past Tuesday. Didn't feel quite right throughout the day and had a quick run of PVCs later that evening. Probably just a coincidence, but I'm going to hold off on it for now. Otherwise, knock on wood, no major issues right now. Hope the rest of you continue to do well.

 

[AZATADINE]

I've had the PVC thing going on every now and then too. Luckily, less and less but it only takes one to make me "tune in" to them and then it's a slippery slope , particularly at night time.

I hate them.....I dont care what the surgeons or cardiologists say, even if they are harmless, they feel really awful and they are frightening.

 

[KLS39]

I am now 10 months post op. I came home with low blood pressure and a resting heart rate of 104. I was on 25mg metoprolol but at my two-week checkup the cardiologist increased it to 25mg in the morning and another 25mg in the evening. She also said no caffeine. The visiting nurse had me walking 2 minutes at a time, six times a day at first. The goal was to work up to 15 minutes at a time and eventually 30 minutes. We live in an area full of hills so I would rely on someone to drive me to a flatter area until I could drive myself. ETC908 I am impressed you were walking 2-3 miles so soon after surgery. I feel like it took me forever. Starting rehab 3 months post op gave me the boost I needed to get back to being active. I was having some dizziness in August and the cardiologist weaned me off the metoprolol. Once I saw my heart rate was staying in a good range, I added back one cup of caffeine a day. I was throwing pvc's during my stress test after I finished the cardiac rehab program. The cardiologist said not to worry about it. Easier said than done. I do feel a flutter every now and then both at rest and after being active. Only twice have I felt my heart race and only for a matter of seconds. Checkup is next month so I'll mention it to the cardiologist.

 

[Mister_James]

If you don't get a good night sleep and then add a cup o' joe...you will be throwing PVC like you paid for them.

 

[pellicle]

If you don't get a good night sleep and then add a cup o' joe...you will be throwing PVC like you paid for them.

tip in some brandy for good measure ...

 

[ETC908]

I've had the PVC thing going on every now and then too. Luckily, less and less but it only takes one to make me "tune in" to them and then it's a slippery slope , particularly at night time.

I hate them.....I dont care what the surgeons or cardiologists say, even if they are harmless, they feel really awful and they are frightening.

I totally agree. I know they are technically not a big deal, but it's disconcerting when it occurs.

KLS, I appreciate the sentiments. I think everyone's situation is different, and I'm still fascinated by the different complications, side effects, and recovery pathways that everyone has.
My situation is that I am 42, and had no symptoms at all before surgery. My aortic jet velocity had increased to critical range, and that prompted the recommendation for surgery now. I was very physically active before my surgery, working out pretty vigorously almost every day. I scaled down a bit during the few weeks before surgery, but was still working out up until the day prior to surgery. I'm not a triathlete or anything hardcore like that, but I try to stay in shape. I also had/have no other medical issues.
I think my age/situation "hurt" me early on, because I found out afterward that younger patients, especially males, tend to have more post-op pain and inflammation. Hence the pericarditis. So my first month was pretty tough. After about week 4, and my episode of flutter, I noticed a substantial turnaround physically. So now I think (at the risk of jinxing it) that my pre-surgery situation is helping me. I'm still going by what my body tells me and scaling things back if it doesn't feel right. I agree, cardiac rehab has been a great way to get that feedback and reassurance. I started in December and will continue it until early April.

 

[AZATADINE]

Thanks.

Got blood results and GGT is through the roof for some reason. Something else for me to worry about and keep my mind occupied I suppose .

Just a quick update on this for anyone who is worried about high liver enzymes post surgery. After 6 weeks, my GGT was 350 U/L and my upper limit should be 71 U/L....have to admit, it concerned me.... especially when I did what I shouldn't have done and Googled it....

Anyway, I gave a blood sample a couple of days ago when I was giving a blood sample for my INR and the GGT is down to 130 U/L. Still out of range but should be back to normal in a few weeks I'd say. A search I did back in December didn't show much so this might pop up if anyone ever does a similar search in future.

My statin dose was halved to 20mg from 40mg per day about 6 weeks ago. Apparently, statins can cause high GGT. I'm not sure whether it was the station reduction or natural healing post op but anyway.