AnemiaI

[HollowMuscle]

I had a persipitous drop in my hemoglobyn from 11.8 to 8.3 within 5 day while in re-hab.
I am now at home a feeling worse than I was in re-hab....feeling breathless with minimum walking.
How much longer can I expect to get back to where I was immediately before surgery.
My Surgery was June 18, 2013
HollowMuscle

 

[ski girl]

Do you have a mechanical valve? I got anemic about two weeks after my op and by a month they were about to give me a transfusion when my Hb started to come up. Anemia is quite common in mech valve recipients because every time tihe valve closes, it smashes any red blood cells in the way.

Eventually the valve leaflets grow a 'slime layer' that prevents smashing of the poor little RBCs, but I could never get a definitive answer on how long that would take because it's so variable. In the meantime, take iron supplements! Once my Hb turned around I think it took a month before I felt good again.

 

[epstns]

. . . And even if you have a tissue valve, anemia is fairly common after valve surgery. I was so anemic after surgery that for over a month, I couldn't get warm. I had to walk around the house wrapped in a blanket. It gradually subsided, though, but it took 6 or 8 weeks.

 

[HollowMuscle]

I have a porcine valve. But now, 11 weeks postop, I'm still experiencing extreme fatigue and breathlessness. Is this normal? The primary care doc also found "significant" blood in my urine, which predated my valve replacement and is now being investigated. I am very frustrated because I felt better with severe aortic stenosis than I do now. Kay