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[jmstallard]

I had my aortic valve replacement (and root graft) five days ago, and was discharged today. I'm glad I got out so quick, but unconsciously I guess figured that since I'm home, I'm all better, and obviously that's not the case. I only slept little bits in the hospital, and unfortunately that's still true at home so far. Oh well...slow and steady wins the race I guess. At least using the computer isn't a problem, and it's not like I have to get rest for work.

When the wife got me home, this was waiting for me:

 

[kimcdougc]

Welcome to the other side of the mountain. You made it through, now concentrate on getting better. Eat, breath, walk and repeat! You will feel better everyday! I am now almost 10 weeks post op and feeling much better than before surgery! Crazy. I didn't really sleep well for the first (3) weeks at home. Now all is well!

 

[epstns]

Welcome to The Other Side! Your pillow reminds me of the trinket my office friends had for me when I returned to work. I received a sponge rubber heart - fairly anatomically correct, at that. I tell people that they gave it to me so that they at least can say that the boss has a heart. . .

Take it slow, get better. It will all come back in time.

 

[dg_moore]

Congrats! On 7/30 I got home from my 7/26 AVR. Like you, I'm pretty tired, not sleeping great, and have little appetite. I'm doing my prescribed walking and spirometer exercise - I still get quite short of breath walking, but it's getting a little better by the day. One difficulty for me is the fact that historically I am affected more than most by medication - for example, in the past increasing my daily Norvasc dosage from 2.5 mg to 5 mg made it almost impossible for me to function. I'm now on more meds than I can even count, and they have me so fogged up that I can't really gauge how I'm feeling underneath everything. But as they say, one day at a time.

Dave in MD - 70, tissue AVR on 7/26 by Dr. Ammar Bafi at Washington Hospital Center in DC

 

[Heart Of The Sunrise]

Congrats, Now you are in control and it will get better…not necessarily every day.
It took be a couple of weeks before I could sleep well. Initially, only on my back on the family room sofa.
This was tough since I usually sleep on my right side. As for recovery, As my surgeon said…walk, walk, walk. In a week or so I was doing a mile per day…in about 4 walks. Each week I would add a mile per day. Eventually I got up to 4 miles per day. 1 mile at: 8 am, 11 am, 2pm and 5pm. At this point I started walking less and working on simple house projects that there never seemed time for. I am now going on 20 weeks post-op and my last echo was described as perfect.:thumbup:

 

[jmstallard]

On 7/30 I got home from my 7/26 AVR.

Ha, we had ours on the same day, but you got out a day ahead of me. Sorry to hear about all of the extra meds; being foggy has been the worst part (so far) of my recovery.

I always said that I didn't want to be one of those people who has to have a weekly pillbox. Well...that's now me (and all of us?). It's disappointing, but wadda ya gonna do?

 

[AmyR]

Congrats. Sleep would be bad for a few days. Eat well, sleep well and most important walk good. Recovery is not so tough. Just stay positive. Oh that heart is a super nice gift. all the best.

 

[escargome]

Congrats on getting your heart mended. You are all fixed, it's just that you have a little fine tuning to do. Right now you just have to eat, rest, and walk, walk, walk. Before you know it, that 10 feet tall and bullet proof feeing will return . Best Wishes on a speedy and bump free recovery.

 

[jmstallard]

The wrinkle in my story is that I was severely stenotic yet asymptomatic -- apparently I was pretty rare around that hospital -- so, from a practical standpoint, I was trading in zero problems for a whole bushel of problems. Intellectually, I understood why I chose to do this, chiefly that I might bypass simple symptoms and go straight to big stuff like......ohh.....death. However, emotionally, it's still hard to accept that I did it.

 

[big_L]

Wow - I could have written the last post. It describes where I'm at mentally. No symptoms, but here we go. My surgery is a bout 10 days away
.

 

[clawie1]

The wrinkle in my story is that I was severely stenotic yet asymptomatic -- apparently I was pretty rare around that hospital -- so, from a practical standpoint, I was trading in zero problems for a whole bushel of problems. Intellectually, I understood why I chose to do this, chiefly that I might bypass simple symptoms and go straight to big stuff like......ohh.....death. However, emotionally, it's still hard to accept that I did it.

I can relate to your story in fact that was my situation too. Asymptomatic until I entered ER and 5 days later had an AVR. Looking back I could have died asymptomatic but in the grand scale of life, we have been given a second chance - let's embrace this new chapter. Clawie1 aka Nita

Surgery: July 21, 2013, Minimally invasive Aortic Valve Replacement, 21 mm St. Jude porcine valve, septal myomectomy. At home July 29, 2013, Age 73.

 

[jmstallard]

Wow - I could have written the last post. It describes where I'm at mentally. No symptoms, but here we go. My surgery is a bout 10 days away
.

It's a weird place to be, for sure. Just remember that reason trumps emotion. Good luck.

 

[epstns]

Yeah, I hear you all. I am another one who traded in minimal to no symptoms for a near trainwreck of a recovery. As I describe it, I hit almost all the speed bumps on that road - but I'm still here to tell about it. Now almost 2.5 years out and I feel better than I have for years before surgery. I have more energy, more stamina, more strength, and I just feel good. For some of us it takes a bit longer, but for almost all of us, it eventually settles down and we do much better after surgery than before. Hang in there. Your time in the sun will come, too.

 

[Heather Anne]

So great to hear such positive reports. I, too, have minimal symptoms (I have to really pay attention to notice them), yet I have critical stenosis and I'm having AVR tomorrow. I know that I'm in for a few rough days immediately following the surgery and a recovery that will frustrate me with its length, but hearing from people like Steve and Nita is what keeps me going. As jmstallard said, we have to take the long view. We're trading a few unpleasant days for NOT DYING SOON. Not a bad deal when you look at it that way.

 

[Agian]

Heather Anne, this community has provided me with more insight than any of the doctors I've seen. I come here everyday and read people's stories. Just knowing that there are others like me makes me stronger.

 

[Rachel]

The wrinkle in my story is that I was severely stenotic yet asymptomatic -- apparently I was pretty rare around that hospital -- so, from a practical standpoint, I was trading in zero problems for a whole bushel of problems. Intellectually, I understood why I chose to do this, chiefly that I might bypass simple symptoms and go straight to big stuff like......ohh.....death. However, emotionally, it's still hard to accept that I did it.

Yup - I'm going to chime in here as well as another one who also felt this way - in fact before my surgery my surgeon sort of "apologized" in advance to me saying: "in most cases I help people feel better, but you - well....you're going to feel a whole lot worse and then you'll feel the same way you do now"

Hard to get your head around - but like others here have also said - I too know far too well that I was looking at an early death if not for OHS and therefore I now appreciate life a WHOLE LOT more!!!!

Congrats to you too!!!!

 

[AZ Don]

in fact before my surgery my surgeon sort of "apologized" in advance to me saying: "in most cases I help people feel better, but you - well....you're going to feel a whole lot worse and then you'll feel the same way you do now"

The good part in this is that the recovery is easier for people that are healthy and without symptoms. My surgeon and cardiologist both remarked how well I was doing compared to their more "typical" patients. 2.5 months out and I feel about like I did before the surgery.

 

[kimcdougc]

I was in the waiting room for almost 10 years. I had symptoms of breathlessness, tiredness, etc. It took me almost 28 minutes to walk a mile. I am 53. When the time came, it was emotional and a little scary. Only this website and the people on it gave me the courage I needed. I am almost 11 weeks post surgery and am walking a mile in about 19 minutes. My goal is to get to that sweet 16 minute mark. I walk about 3 miles at one time then about another 2 miles throughout the day just living. Life is WAY BETTER for me now. The recovery was so much easier than I thought it would be. I had afib once and I am still dealing with getting my inr stable. Overall, it was the best decision in my life to go ahead and have it done.