Bicuspid Aortic Valve Replacement - Tissue vs. Mechanical for a young guy

[perimeno]

Carlee,
It's great that you can post for your Dad. And good to hear that all is going pretty well. I don't know a lot about this whole thing. My brother had surgery the same day as your Dad but he is in England and I am in Canada. I wish he had found this site before he had his operation but I am finding it very useful and imformative and I hope it will help my brother when he is back home. Not sure how he will use it htough as he is blind. Anyway, I shall be looking for more news of your Dad. I bet you will be relieved when he finally gets home
peri

 

[Karlynn]

Carlee,
Thanks for giving us such a newsie post. We like information! Tell you Dad we are thinking of him and wish him a speedy recovery.

 

[xtremlee]

That sounds great Im right behind him.

 

[Bryan B]

Brian,

Glad to hear you're out of ICU and on the mend. Try to get in as much walking as your back can stand and use your incentive spirometer every hour. That's what will help your lungs fully expanded down near the bottom of them. I had the same problem getting oxygen down to the bottom of my lungs. I hope your roomates behave for you (I was lucky and didn't have any), and thanks Carlee for posting an update on your dad.

 

[SJJ]

Carlee,
Thanks so much for letting us know your Dad is out of surgery and doing well. I'm sorry his back is giving him such a time. They wouldn't approve a heating pad while I was in the hospital but they did dig up some of the chemically heated pads that provided some relief, you might want to ask.
Tell Bryan we're all thinking of him and hope to hear soon that he's on his way home.
Sue

 

[Gemma]

Hi Carlee,
It's great to hear your dad's doing so well. My boyfriend Jim had trouble with his back too, I think it was because of those stupid "orthopedic" beds which are supposed to be more comfortable!!! He even got out of bed 2 nights after his operation to turn the mattress over to the firm side!! So much for taking it easy!!
Maybe somebody could give him a massage, it should help a lot.
Keep the good news coming
Gemma.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Hello Carlee,

It sounds like you are well informed about your dad's surgery and recovery. I'm sure he appreciates your interest and support. He will need a 'little extra help' during the next few weeks and maybe someone to remind him NOT to overdo it because that can cause setbacks.

He should NOT lift more than 5 lbs for the first several weeks (I forgot the exact number) to allow his sternum to 'come together' without being ripped apart again by excess activity. (Turning his own mattress was NOT a good idea...the nurses should take care of that for him).

I too had INTENSE Back Muscle Pain following my AVR. I found that MASSAGE provided BETTER and FASTER Relief than pain pills. Ask if you (or his nurses) can give him a massage to relieve those sore back muscles. A vibrating massage disk works well also and doesn't require a skilled massouse(sp?). He should also take his pain medication on schedule because if he waits until he is feeling pain, there will be an 'uncomfortable delay' before the next dose 'kicks in'.

If his insurance will cover Cardiac Rehabilitation, I highly recommend that as a way to speed up his recovery. They will have him do cardiovascular exercises in a monitored and controlled environment. Each session starts and ends with appropriate STRETCHES which also help those back / chest / shoulder muscles recover.

Best wishes,

'AL'

 

[catwoman]

Carlee:

Tell your dad that the back pain can sometimes be the worst. In 2-3 weeks he shouldn't have much problem with the back pain. At that point, it'll just be a matter of everything regrouping itself back to "normal," whatever that is after open heart surgery.

 

[Brian]

He's comin' home!

He's comin' home!

Hello again everybody! Carlee here...Dad's coming home tomarrow! Mom left sometime this afternoon and she's staying overnight in Calgary...I guess she has a meeting with the doctor or someone to give her some info on the medication and how to take care of him etc at about 930am tomarrow. so he'll be home anytime after that! I guess that means he's doin really well...Mom said his back is still bugging him but he's past the stage of saying "Oh my god that really hurts" to "this is really starting to make me mad" type thing. so I guess he's really working hard to get rid of it and to keep on mending. I'm sure this will be the last you will hear of me since dad will take it from here! so all of you take care and thanks again for your support. Have a good one!

Carlee

 

[Raverlaw]

Carlee,

That's great news. Brian will recover very quickly once he gets to the comfort of your home - just remember: Don't make him laugh! It really hurts to laugh, sneeze or cough at first.

I hope that spring will soon be coming to your part of the plains and that Brian can get outdoors and get active.

Best wishes,

 

[RonP]

Prayers To You All

Prayers To You All

Carlee:

Tell your Dad he and you all are in our prayers. THe hard part is over now and progress will come. It just takes time. He'll be amazed at how much better he'll feel now. After the first six weeks pass, he'll feel like a new man. Wish his my best and let him know he's in my prayers.

RON P.

 

[DANIEL]

Will not forget

Will not forget

Your Dad will do great. Had AVR last July and now back to my old self. However, I will never forget the first sneeze 11 days 12 hours 6 minutes and
42 seconds after my surgery. OUCH !

 

[Brian]

Hey Everyone!!
I R BACK!!!!
It has been a week and a day since my AVR (mechanical) Carbo-Medics valve. I really am totally amazed on how I feel...OMG..I just went through OHS...aren't I supposed to be crawling around..LOL..with out my hands of course..?
I am feeling just awesome, a bit tired, just because of not getting as good of sleeps as I would like, but that is getting better as the days go by. My worst enemy is myscle spasms in my back and still continue to be, but as long as I do stretching excercises I can over come it more or less. Laughing...well that is OK and doesn't hurt and makes me feel great..the sneezes or coughs..LOL..well I think you all know about those little sessions...YOUCH!!
What I am wondering now, on the top of the sternum/collar bone,mine no longer is straight across like it used to be. It protrudes outward a bit, is this normal?
I am having a hard time like many getting the INR level high enough, it was 1.
5, then 1.4 and then yesterday @ 1.3..needless to say it got all the medical professionals a little excited. But my test today came in at 1.9, so I am back up on the right track. Yesterday's dose of Warafin was 10 mg, plus 155 ml of Lovenox injections, plus my 81 mg of Aspirin.
I was beginning to think that I was way over on my thinner, all I had to do was touch my nose and it blead, but that wasn't the case so the results determined. I think it was just a drier environment, cause this past day there has been no more nose bleads...thankfully.
On the whole, i am really impressed on how things have worked out...actually EXTREMELY impressed. I took the dog for a 12 block walk yesterday and had no problems at all the last 1/2 block I had to slow down though.
But I am not going to get too crazy about things...I don't need any set backs.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know all is going well, I hope Eddie has had the same good fortune as myself.

I can hear my valve click though sometimes..
Take care everyone and many thanks for all of the well wishes and prayers. For me this has been a very humbling experience...there has been a whole raft of people whole have just given me many many years hopefully to my life...how can I ever repay them??

See ya later,
Brian

 

[SJJ]

Brian,
I'm so glad to hear that you're home and obviously progressing nicely. You might want to try a heating pad and massage, in addition to the stretching exercises for the back pain. I'm 5 1/2 weeks out now and one of the hardest things for me during my recovery has been to be cautious of how much I'm lifting. I've felt so well and energetic that I found myself picking something up that really was too heavy before I remembered I wasn't supposed to do that. You'll pay for it the next day in chest discomfort if you make the same mistake. Keep us posted and enjoy your new lease on life!
Sue

 

[Brian]

Thanks for the tip Sue,
I have been getting massages, but cold works so much better for my back than the hot does...I've tried them both. Last night was a good night FINALLY. I more or less had 4 or 5 hrs of sleep...that's a switch.
I think the biggest thing for us all, is to get up off of the chair and get back active again...as I said before, I am still completely surprised on the rate of recooperation after OHS. I am lucky, young and was healthy to begin with and yes I am counting my blessings over and over..
Have a good day,

Brian

 

[edjspi]

Hey brian!

Welcome back, and glad to hear your AVR went well. Please keep us updated on how the recovery is going. Mine is one week from today... so the countdown continues

-Eddie

 

[Brian]

Eddie,
Best wishes to you in your surgery, don't let the time clock for the date get to you though...if I can give any advice at all, the mental prep is almost the most important part of this whole ordeal.
I'm still doing very well, still have back aches, but I need to find a better way to get up off the floor so I can get down to stretch out. That helps me the most. If I didn't have a back ache during the day and night, my pain factor would likewly be a rating of a 1. The surgery really isn't the cause of the back problem..LOL..maybe just old age creeping up...LOL..
Have a good one and Oh Yah...get all of those little jobs done around the house that you won't be able to do after the surgery. For me that is the worst....too many jobs....not enough me to do them..LOL..
TTYL,
BA

 

[bvdr]

Hi Brian,

Glad things are going well for you. The worst of my pain post-op was from muscle spasms too.........I really feel for you!

The nosebleeds might be from the Lovenox. Your INR reflects the coumadin only so the Lovenox (regardless of how much you are on) won't be showing up in your INR. I'm glad your INR is coming up and I know you won't mind giving up the Lovenox at all.

 

[Brian]

Betty,
Thanks for the info, that was interesting to hear you say about your back problems too...hmmm...is this something that we can make sure to tell all waiting patients? I was very physically active before the surgery, but that was with my work and was not the same as doing arobic or gym type excercises. Do you think it is possible for new prospective patients to put together a back stretching or strengthening program before they land on the OP table? Hmm..maybe this can be a way to help others out..just by informing them of what could happen. For me it was just the difference of laying flat out on a stretcher or bed that my back wasn't used to. Last night I was able to stretch out on the floor and have an other decent sleep, ..LOL..but then I have a heck of a time getting back up, so it is a double edged sword. My AB muscles are faily good, but a person doesn't realize how they still pull on your sternum as you try to sit up...youchy..

Have a good day,
Brian

 

[SJJ]

Brian,
Oddly enough, I was told by my surgeon that younger people (or those with better muscle tone) tend to suffer more back pain following surgery than older patients whose muscles tend to be weaker. Maybe if the muscles are more flaccid they don't object as much to the weird position they put you for surgery. ??????? I had just gotten a frozen shoulder 90% dealt with prior to my surgery. Well, looks like I've done a little backsliding (pun intended) and I now have full blown frozen shoulder again. Just got a referral for PT today so hopefully they can help me loosen things up....if it ain't one thing it's another, right?
Sue