Bad days and good?

[JodyC]

I have more bad days than good anymore but these last two have been really bad, today especially. My chest is soooo tight and crampy. I am just exhusted and feel really out of breath. My face feels cold and I have a headache. I called the cardio about this a week or so ago after my visit and they said I would have bad days and good days. I have not called and set an exact date for my surgery but I know it will be in a few weeks. I have to go to the dentist first. I guess I just wondered if anyone else had really bad days before thier surgeries too.


Jody
Waiting for AVR. Severe stenosis with regurg.

 

[Susan BAV]

I had some pre-op days where I felt much worse, and seemed more symptomatic, than other days also. I never really figured out the cause but wonder if some days perhaps I was retaining a bit of fluid, causing more drag for my defective valve. Hang in there. Hope all goes well for you. Take care .

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Are your feet, ankles, or lower leg(s) swollen or 'puffy'?

That is a sign that your are retaining fluid. Take your thumb and push on your shin just above your ankle. If the 'dent' takes more than a few seconds to fill in, that is an indication of fluid retention.

A diuretic will help drain off excess fluid. You will need a prescription from your Cardiologist or PCP to get this (after he checks you out for himself).

Another thing to watch for is an irregular or rapid heartbeat at rest. There are medications that can help those issues.

Have you interviewed and selected a surgeon?
If not, it sounds like that is the next logical step.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Bina]

Pre-Surgery I had shortness of breath, dizzy spells, exhaustion, palpitations, etc.
I was in denial and delaying my surgery, I hope you don't do that. Get it done.

 

[Dawn-Marie]

I'm still awaiting surgery for AVR. I retain fluid in my legs and ankles sometimes, and sometimes my heartbeat is irregular. Mostly, i'm just so tired all the time, even when i've had a good night's sleep. By Noon, i'll be sitting at the computer and starting to nod off. This has just been happening since i went into congestive heart failure in November...i never had problems falling asleep during the day until then.

I hope everything goes well for you.

 

[Curtsmum]

Jody, sorry you are feeling so bad, hope things get better for you soon, best of luck. Let us know when you get a date and good luck with the dentist too.

 

[hensylee]

pre-surgery, we are sick so we feel bad. Hopefully you can get your dental work done quickly and get on the list and soon be 'next'. Prayers for a really good day thrown in now and again. Blessins.............

 

[Susan BAV]

I was thinking again about your post and about my reply in regard to possible fluid retention. And I also recall that pre-op, I also felt much worse when I was physically taxed--whether it was from excessive heat, or exhaustion, or excessive exertion--and eventually everything tired me out. But it was such a strange kind of tiredness. It was overwhelming and unnatural. Vacuuming the house or washing our windows didn't just make me want to sit and rest for 10 minutes; I would have to spend the rest of the day resting and the next day also, recovering from such simple chores.

Right now, with this new valve, I run like a top. I hope you'll be able to feel that well too. Best wishes .

 

[marie]

I was thinking again about your post and about my reply in regard to possible fluid retention. And I also recall that pre-op, I also felt much worse when I was physically taxed--whether it was from excessive heat, or exhaustion, or excessive exertion--and eventually everything tired me out. But it was such a strange kind of tiredness. It was overwhelming and unnatural. Vacuuming the house or washing our windows didn't just make me want to sit and rest for 10 minutes; I would have to spend the rest of the day resting and the next day also, recovering from such simple chores.

Right now, with this new valve, I run like a top. I hope you'll be able to feel that well too. Best wishes .

I do hope that one day i can run like a top too. I am 11 plus weeks post op but running like a top I'm not. So tired
Earline

 

[Bryan B]

I definitely experienced more symptoms after I found out I needed surgery than before I found out. Part of that was because I had just recovered from endocarditis and had incurred (further) damage to my aortic leaflets. But IMO a big part of it was that I had actually been symptomatic for quite awhile before I found out I needed surgery, and once I found out that my heart condition was serious enough to warrent valve replacement surgery I became more attuned to symptoms I had previously dismissed as working long hours, not getting enough sleep, or the old "I'm getting older" reasoning. I don't know if there is a pyschological aspect to this phenomenon that many of us have experienced or not. I think it's a combination of all of the above.

 

[DebbyA]

Hi Jody,
I recall waking up tired for several months before surgery. I'm retired, so could cut back activity, but an unavoidably long day of effort usually made me no good the following day.
I came to realize that some of the things I felt that you also mention: chest tightness, headache, shortness of breath, were also caused by anxiety. It is certainly an anxious time! Some of them were also caused by catching or fighting off colds. This is meant to be comforting, not to dismiss your heart-related symptoms.
Take care and get that surgery scheduled soon!

 

[HeartPart2]

My solution was....

My solution was....

I know that this isn't always the solution but, I went for the drugs. See if your doc might prescribe you something like ativan, it calms you down so much and at least you get to sleep once and a while. Lets just say that you will finally get to turn your brain off.

 

[ruth]

Hey there Jody, welcome. I hope you are able to get your surgery done soon. I noticed you are in Ohio, I'm down in DC. I noticed that right around the time the Cherry bossoms come out here (now) my allergies act up. For some totally strange reason, they bother me much less now post-op. But, that aside, they drag everyone down. I did notice that pre-op the "good" days were the ones with no extra things to drag me down, no allergies, no fluid from a salty dinner the night before, nothing psychologically straining (other than impending OHS ). But, add one matchstick to the ole' camel's back and boom, bad day.

Take it easy on your self. Be very choosy about what you do and don't do until you can get past the surgery. Try when you can to conserve your strength. That said, exercise within reason is of course fine. As they said in the Desiderata, be gentle with yourself.

It took me a whole year to "run like a top" again. We're all different. It's OK.

I wish you the best in your upcoming surgery and recovery.

Peace,
Ruth

 

[Cooker]

Jody...Sorry you are having a tough time....No words of wisdom but I want to wish you well and welcome you to VR....There are many here than have loads of knowledge.... We will do our best to walk with you each step of your journey up and over the mountain.

 

[Bonzo Dog]

Don't dwell on the bad days now, they are to be expected, you are ill. Look forward to the good days post op when energy returns.

 

[pamela]

Don't dwell on the bad days now, they are to be expected, you are ill. Look forward to the good days post op when energy returns.

I think we tend to forget that we are ill since this isn't like a bug we catch that lays us low for a while until our immune system fights it off, valve disease is progressive and sneaky. So much so that by the time most people are ill enough to have symptoms, not just signs, it usually means that they are ill enough to require the surgery to repair their broken hearts sooner than later.

Remember that by the time things are bad, things will get worse faster. Like a soapbox cart on a steep hill... they start off slow but by the time they hit the bottom they're at terminal velocity. Acceleration does that and that's what valve disease progression does, too; change in the degree of symptoms over time means the longer we are sick the sicker we get. I hope you have your date soon. See the dentist as early as you can.

Take Heart, this mountain is never so high as one we can't climb over.

 

[JodyC]

thanks

thanks

Thanks for all the replies. I am still working full time and as I am on the sales floor I walk a couple of miles a day. Nights and weekends are the worst and I think it is just a build up of exhustion. I am calling the dentist first thing in the morning. I told my surgeon I needed to get a couple of wisdom teeth pulled but he didnt say much. Do I need to have everything done cavities etc. before I have surgery?

Thanks

Jody

 

[Gusdog]

Jody,

My surgeon insisted that I have dental work done for everything that could lead to infection, which meant cavities and all for me. I hadn't been to the dentist for a while, so I went to a sedation dentist and had a ton of work done at once (and got to sleep through it as a bonus). The only problem was, it cost a lot of money.

A word of warning to those who are putting off surgery: this is my story. My aneurysm was over 6cm (TEE said 6.7, CT said 6.2) when it was diagnosed, and with the BAV, there was no question immediate surgery was recommended. Still, it wasn't an emergency. Had the TEE on Jan. 30, and met w/ the surgeon and had the CT done on Feb. 8. There was no dissection, so we scheduled the surgery. I wanted to get it done quickly, and they had a cancellation, so my surgery was scheduled for Feb. 20, exactly 3 weeks after the TEE and the knowledge that surgery was required.

According to the op note (which my ICU nurse read for my wife and me), when they got inside, my aorta was dissected and very thin. I have to think that if I hadn't been able to get in sooner due to cancellation, I wouldn't be alive today. Went back and read the CT report, and there was no dissection on the 8th.

Anyway, I don't guess the aorta issue applies to you, Jody, and my situation seems to be pretty unusual, but I just want to encourage anyone who has been recommended to have surgery and is symptomatic to get to it. Don't let mundane things get in the way. I worked full time as long as I could, and considered delaying surgery because of work; I thank God that I didn't. I lost my job because of my temporary disability, but at least I'm alive to find a new job.

Anyway, apologies for the long, somewhat off-subject post. Jody, I wish you nothing but the best. I'm 7+ weeks post op, and I still have some bad days, but I already feel better than I did prior to surgery.

Adam

 

[billiejo]

New to the site...

New to the site...

Hey Jodi!

I am waiting to have my aortic valve replacement the first week of june, and I am a nervous wreck! Sounds to me that we have the exact same issue with our aortic valve, except I am feeling no symptoms, besides wanting an occasional nap from time to time. I am so worried about going through with this, at night when Im lying in bed, and its all quiet,..thats when it is the worst. I hate to hear that anyone else is feeling down, but its also a comfort to know Im not alone. I am a 26 year old wife, and mother of three. Just looking forward to having this over!

 

[WayneGM]

Welcome to VR, Billiejo. Being a nervous wreck is normal. I didn't have any noticeable symptoms either. None-the-less I am glad I had my mitral valve repaired and get on with my life. OHS wasn't nearly as bad as I was fearing. Best wishes and good luck.