Beating making me crazy and sad - HELP!!!

[Michelle D]

Michele,

I thought I saw that you live in Florida, I'm only iPhone so it is hard for me to check. I live in Port Saint Lucie. If we aren't too far or we can meet half way we I'd like to meet you when we are both comfortable with driving. We can bring our stetscopes and compare. I just woke up with pain in my left collar bone, ribs and behind my heart. I'm going to take a pain pill and hope it's not new plueral effusion.

Well I hope you slept better last night. Remember, you've been fixed, and you'll be okay. Every click and pound means you are alive.

 

[Cherie']

Michelle,

I live in Tarpon Springs, which is north of Clearwater. Not too far from Port St Lucie. We should get together when we are both feeling up to it. You had your surgery 4 days before me. I looked at doing mine at Cleveland with Dr. Roselli, but then found an amazing surgeon at UF that has had tons of experience with replacing the aorta and the root. SO I decided to go there. I figured this would be easier on my family too, rather than have them travelling to Cleveland.

Thinking I am going to ask Dr. for Ambien - hopefully it helps the sleeping. I am hoping that you feel better and that this is not new pleural effusion.

Cherie'

 

[Kathy McCain]

Cherie,

You have alot of very caring individuals that have spoken the truth here. That is what we are all here for. ANYTIME you need support, we are here for you.

Please keep us updated on your recovery, and keep on moving forward! I know it may not seem like it right now, but it DEFINITELY does get better!

Take care

 

[Lynlw]

One of the Cardiologist put it to me like this for the A-Fib and the Heavy HArd pounding Heart beat. Rob, your aortic valve has been resitrciting your blood flow for so long that your heart muscle has had to compensate and has grown very strong. Especially the ??Bottom?? Part (dont remember which is which). At this point I was injected with Versed and was given a Tee and Cardioversion.

Bascially he told my family that it would eventually even out in time.

The bottom chamber is the left or right Ventricle. If it is part of a name it is Ventricular, like Ventricular fibrillation, or Ventricular Septum -the wall between the ventricles, (which to be even more confusing, a hole in that septum is a Ventricular Septal Defect )
The upper chamber is called the right or left Atrium. It's kind of confusing, since if it is used as part of the name of another thing it is Atrial, like Atrial fib or Atrial septum.

 

[Michelle D]

Hi, it's been a few days so I'm hoping that means you are starting to get accustomed to your beats. I hope so. I have started ignoring them or the are subsiding somewhat. I mostly only feel them in my chest now.

 

[Cherie']

Hey all-

Still here, still pounding away. Went to primary care dr. on Tuesday and she put stethoscope on my back and announced that she could feel my heart through my back - I said "so I have been told" - and she is like - "my stethoscope is vibrating" - so this is my life. I decided a couple of days ago that I had to rally. I need to try and figure out a way to deal with this. SOmehow I have to try not to focus on this. Not sure how that is going to happen, but I am trying!!

 

[Kathy McCain]

Hi Cherie,

That good! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give up!! You have a life to live, and some how, some way, this will get better.

 

[james]

I had some serious POUNDING after surgery too. Not just noise, POUNDING inside. It has pretty much gone away now and all I hear is the click resonating in my body.
You will get no sympathy from the Docs and no they can not do anything about it but, it will get quieter as your body adjusts. I know that as I get in better shape it seems to have gone away though when I work out too hard I feel an occasional thump.
I wish you the best. This is stressful and has brought me to tears a couple of times. At 8 months out I really do not notice it much anymore because it has gone away. Just breath and focus on health.

 

[Michelle D]

I just wanted to mention something. I gain ten pounds last week in the hospital, all fluid, and I had a few good days of only feeling the beating when I'd have a PVC or a PAC, I've lost all the water and now the constant pounding. So being more hydrated helped me. But it's not as bad, before I felt it in my stomach, the back of my head, my sinuses, etc. It's settling down. I hope it settles for you soon.

 

[Country]

Hi Cherie,

we had identical surgeries! but you were able to get a few more years out of your parts..... im only 23! the pounding can be a bit much at times but i have found that i almost enjoy hearing it. i am about 10 weeks post op and the click/pound is a constant thing for me, thankfully! after my surgery my resting heart rate was 120 bpm and they put me on betta blockers which i have moved up to taking 150mg per day!! which has brought my hr down to about 80bpm which is a little bit higher then the 70bpm that i was at just before surgery. i have also noticed that it is sometimes hard for the nurses and that to take my blood presure... because the valve is so loud they cant hear the blood!! haha! i understand that it may be difficult but try to embrace the pounding and know that not many people around you can take there heart rate just by looking up at a clock!!

 

[Cherie']

Hey Country,
Only 23! Wow! I know that is hard and I am sorry. I think one thing that is bothering me (besides not being able to sleep due to feeling the pounding from my back on the bed) is that everyday I get a headache/nausea from the vibration in my head. All the nurses say it is very hard to take my blood pressure too! Yes I can take my heart too just by looking at the clock. I don't really hear any clicking...I just hear and feel the pounding 80 times per minute! Has the pounding gotten any less? Do you have any problem sleeping? I have heard from many people that they "hear" the valve, but dont "feel" it. I am being told it is the water hammer effect.

 

[Country]

Hi Cherie

Yeah 23 is really young but i am just glad that i stumbled onto this issue and had the surgery! i remember that for several weeks after surgery it was very difficult to sleep. i would just lay there and my mind would race about everything under the sun and the thumping was very obvious! i usually sleep on my sides and so it was really uncomfortable to only sleep on my back. the presure of my incision and the pain that came with it was also always on my mind for many weeks. i also took lots of naps and that helped me get over the long nights. i am sorry to hear about your headaches and such. i have not noticed any issue with a vibration bugging me. although i have been having a bunch of pvc palipatations that are my issue right now! they just keep coming at all times of the day! but i am ok with those as long as nothing gets worse! i hope that this helps you to keep positive! i know that this site has helped me a lot!!

 

[Michelle D]

Is it getting less noticeable? Mine just started acting up again, I'm getting off of prednisone and I think partly withdrawal is causing a PVC every third beat so I feel it throughout my body. I hope you are feeling better or learning to ignore it.