Does Anyone Else Feel Worse After Surgery?

[jag004]

I am coming up on 22 months post surgery with a bovine aortic valve, and my everyday lifestyle is much worse than before surgery. I am very lucky that I did not have any major complications. As a matter of fact, I had no complications, even up until now. What I am talking about is that my quality of everyday quality of life is worse.

First of all, my AI was found by accident, while testing for something else. Soon after they found my aortic aneurysm and my enlarged LV. I had no symptoms. But the doctors said time was of the essence, so 6 months later I had my surgery. Since then I have had PVC's, constant bouts of shortness of breath, pains, and tingles. None of which I had before my surgery. I have been in the ER three times since then, 2 stress tests, and 2 echos. All come back clean. People think I must feel like a million bucks with my new parts....the answer to that is a big fat NO!

I am thankful that my BAV was found in time. I realize that people on here have had major complications. But, how can I feel WORSE than I did before surgery?. I was supposed to feel like the Incredible Hulk, I thought. I honestly think that it has something to do with my valve. I almost can't wait for it to blow out, so I can get a new one. I should have went OnX to begin with, but I chickened out at the last second.

Does anyone else feel worse after their surgery?

 

[pellicle]

Hi

I am coming up on 22 months post surgery with a bovine aortic valve, and my everyday lifestyle is much worse than before surgery... with, but I chickened out at the last second.
...Does anyone else feel worse after their surgery?

that's sad to hear. Yes, I felt my recovery was not doing as well as it could have for about a year, where it took a turn for the worse. However after about mid 2013 it started getting better. I'm now doing OK, and will know more about the infection as time goes by (its still under surveillance and I'm still on antibiotics 500mg 3 times daily).

Sometimes things don't pop back as well as we'd like ... most we can do is make the most of it.

Getting if off your chest here sure helps sometiimes...

 

[ottagal]

I have to admit that I did feel worse after surgery and had a slow recovery. I had a number of issues post-op, including breathing issues for quite a long time and chronic arrhythmia which I didn't have before my surgery. Recovery wasn't linear for me, but rather a series of 2 steps forward, 3 steps back. Eventually, the steps back diminished and then slowly but surely I moved forward in my recovery. We are all different in our length of time for a full recovery. I hope that in time, it will continue to get better for you. Hang in there...

 

[Paleowoman]

People think I must feel like a million bucks with my new parts....the answer to that is a big fat NO!

I am thankful that my BAV was found in time. I realize that people on here have had major complications. But, how can I feel WORSE than I did before surgery?. I was supposed to feel like the Incredible Hulk, I thought. I honestly think that it has something to do with my valve. I almost can't wait for it to blow out, so I can get a new one. I should have went OnX to begin with, but I chickened out at the last second.

Does anyone else feel worse after their surgery?

Yes, yes and a BIG YES ! I've written so many posts about how much worse I have felt since surgery that people on here must be fed up with Paleogirl complaining again.

When I went into surgery I had absolutley no symptoms. The day before I lifted weights (on advice not as heavy as I'd like but still pretty heavy) and I did a six mile walk. Post surgery it took until nearly a year before I got to that level of fitness again - and I've lost it again (come to that in a mo). First of all I stress again how fit I was prior to surgery, my mean pressure gradient was just under 40, my peak gradient 68, my ejection fraction 79% and my valve area size 0.9 and there was no Left veintricular failure - in fact the echo technician asked me if I did weight lifting as my heart muscle looked so strong. Post surgery I could not get back my stamina nor strength, even with cardiac rehab - of course they thought I was strong because they don't expect a 60 year old woman to enjoy lifting weights of any sort. I was getting breathless on exertion and stairs. At about nine months post op my endocrinologist thought maybe the problem was to do with my lungs (they do take a bashing during OHS). I saw my respiratory consultant who did xray which showed my lungs had air trapping which would cause breathlessness etc. I increased my inhaler dose and just before Christmas I felt I had at last got back to pre-surgery levels - nearly a year after surgery.

I'm now back to feeling no good. A tooth problem a couple of weeks after feeling so good - a cracked tooth (letting in bacteria ?). Had root canal treatment - no antibiotic prophylaxsis as I'm in the UK - have got some now for next time as good doctor gave me a prescription, but with the horse already bolting who knows. I developed temporomandibular joint problems as a result of all the dental work and I am now under an oralmaxillofactial consutltant now to add to my list of doctors.

I really don't feel as fit as before surgery again. I do think this surgery really knocked it out of me. PLUS, one morning a few weeks ago I had to go to A&E (ER) as I was having heart palpitations with the dental infection and jaw pain. Doc there said palpitations due to pain and infection and said I had a "stonking" murmur - which is UK colloquiol for "extremely in the extreme". He said that was due to having had heart surgery just a year ago. I contacted Edwards Lifesciences and asked them to comment about the murmur the new valve is making. I knew they would not be able to give medical advice but I wanted a comment. One of their doctors telephoned me !!!! An extremely loud murmur isn't okay and I should get it chceked and echo soon which I am. I know the murmur has always been loud but it's not supposed to be so loud a doctor would describe it as stonking. My GP told me some doctors say stupid things !

Still, yes is the answer to your post jag, but I still try and try and do my best for my health and my heart. Keep on at your doctors until you feel you have an answer that you can then work with which becomes effective.

 

[epstns]

Sorry I don't know much about you, 004, but I can say that after surgery for the first couple of years, I was struggling to get back to where I had been. Prior to surgery at age 63, I had been a runner for over 30 years, did other exercise and was very active. Early on I had afib, got a pacemaker, had all sorts of trouble with meds - just a lot of things holding me back. I wasn't even released to do cardiac rehab until 3 months after surgery.

I am now almost 4 years post-op. I don't think I will ever get back to my pre-surgery athletic ability, but then, I am getting older. I can say, though, that in my every day life, I am now back to being as well as anyone who never needed valve surgery. It just took a while.

 

[tom in MO]

I did not feel worse after surgery. I was told that I may feel better, but I should return to "normal" within about a year. I was 54 when I had mine done. I'd say I have more stamina and less tiredness than before surgery and I started feeling that way at about the 6 month mark. Most other valve replacement patients I know personally are doing as good or better than before surgery.

What do your caregivers say? Did you have an acceptable post-surgery echo? I would suggest pushing back at your general practitioner and cardiologist.

 

[debster913]

As others suggested, I'd keep pressing with your cardiologist if you are feeling really bad.

As for me, I dealt with a measure of post-op depression. Physically, I felt really great for a while. Now that I'm in the beginning stages of valve failure, I feel a little crappy. I can still exercise but the shortness of breath is there, creeping in throughout my daily activities.

I don't know if for me, now 9 years after the first surgery, if my body has been so conditioned to dealing with a bad valve for 30 years and now again as my valve starts to fail, but I think I'm more in tune with my body now since the surgery than before.

I really do hope you can get some answers soon.

 

[jag004]

I feel kind of stupid posting my problems on here, because I know that people have major life threatening complications. This is not my case. Before surgery, I never had chest pain, shortness of breath, problems taking deep breaths, problems laying flat, problems laying on my left side, pvc's, etc, etc. I never had any symptoms at all before surgery. BUT.....the tests showed severe calcification, AI, and aortic aneurysm. So, I had the surgery done. I had my last echo less than 3 months ago. I want to get a copy and post the results on here, because I can not interpret them. Maybe someone on here can. I have been to 2 different cardiologists since surgery. Since I do not know how to read a result, they both say that "everything looks fine". All I can do is walk out of the office at that point. Maybe this is as good as its going to get, but then again.....maybe it isnt. I am only 38, so I am sure to get a new valve someday. I hope that day comes sooner than later.

 

[themalteser]

Hello all - what do you mean by feeling worse after surgery? Do you feel pain, heart beating out of place, breathless or is it more to do mentally like feeling low? .. Could it be that for example, Paleogirl , you seem to have done crossfit? Or maybe some other type of HIIT training. Is it because you cannot get to that level again? Do you feel 'mentally' you cannot or 'physically' ? Is it a matter of pushing the boundaries(mentally) or is it like hitting a brick wall? (Physically)...

 

[Paleowoman]

I didn't do crossfit but high intensity weight lifting - and yes I couldn't get back to the same level of fitness nor had the same level of stamina as before surgery - also breathless on exertion which I never had before surgery. Took a year before I got back to that but am now less fit again due to tooth and jaw problems which I wonder if are worse due to being 'run down' by surgery ? I think this surgery can be tough on us but that if a person had symptoms before surgery they might not notice how hard surgery is on their body ? Since my AVR, both a cardiac nurse and my cardiologist have explained to me that this kind of surgery is as tough on the body as being hit by a car, so perhaps that's why ? It's physical Malteser….though I don't think that we can always separate the physical from the mental when it comes to trauma.