Hello All

[nngbwh]

Welcome aboard Heartman. I have a St. Jude mechanical valve and I hear it ticking all the time. Does bother me at all.
Good luck with surgery next week.

 

[Bina]

Mike, you are on the calendar for June 9th, keep us posted.

 

[heartman77]

Thank you so much Bina...I'll be sure to let all my Heart Brothers and Sisters know Im still kicking Michael

 

[Nancy]

Best of luck with your surgery this coming week. We'll all be waiting to hear from you afterwards.

 

[ARGreenMN]

Best wishes Mike! We're baking your cookies right now Looking forward to updates from ya once you get on the other side and feel up to posting!

 

[jax]

Heartman:

I had a st. Jude implanted a year ago. There was a period of time that I could hear it a lot. Even over all the machines at work ( if I tilted my head a certain way). It never bothered me while I was trying to get to sleep. I was 34 when I had my valve replaced so mechanical was the only way for me to go. I didn't want a re-op unless I absolutely had to. Give me my two pills of coumadin every day. Of course a re-op can never be completely ruled out. But if I can get a certain kind of valve that would prolong it, I was all for it. Anyhow best of luck with your surgery.

 

[heartman77]

Thanks all...you're a GREAT group of terrific people Mike

 

[tprice54]

Mike, I got an Edwards Bovine tissue at age 52. As a former Buffalonian, I wish you good luck!

 

[Penny]

. My other concern, altho it may seem trivial, is that i am one of those people who needs quiet to be able to sleep.

Reading this trivial part as you refer to brought a smile to my face..
This question of noise hits home with me. I am a very light sleeper so this is a concern for me too!
3 more days and you will be a new person! You are in my thoughts!

 

[pat45750]

Hi Heartman

I want to wish you good luck with your upcoming surgery. I am new too and have to wait until Aug 9 for my AVR with a tissue valve if possible - I will be 66. Interesting about your eye problem. It is amazing, the more you read - the more you learn. I would never have thought about something like that. I will be following your story closely so I can learn. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Could someone talk a bit more about the possiblility of a fib with a tissue valve? It this just the heart trying to learn to get along with the new valve or from the heart being overworked for a long time. I read over 40% of people with OHS get it.

Pat

 

[heartman77]

Thanks for your prayers Pat.....and I am glad you asked about the fib....i was curious about that also. Michael

 

[ottagal]

Michael,

Sending positive thoughts, my best wishes and prayers for a successful surgery and smooth recovery. Before you know it, you will be posting from 'the other side'.

 

[Luana]

Hi Heartman

I want to wish you good luck with your upcoming surgery. I am new too and have to wait until Aug 9 for my AVR with a tissue valve if possible - I will be 66. Interesting about your eye problem. It is amazing, the more you read - the more you learn. I would never have thought about something like that. I will be following your story closely so I can learn. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Could someone talk a bit more about the possiblility of a fib with a tissue valve? It this just the heart trying to learn to get along with the new valve or from the heart being overworked for a long time. I read over 40% of people with OHS get it.

Pat

Hi Pat and Michael,
A-fib is fairly common after surgery, but it doesn't happen to everyone, in those who do have it, it can vary from a day or so in the hospital to something that becomes ongoing -- so there are a lot of possibilities. It kind of comes down to this: you may or may not get it. I had it in the hospital and it extended my stay a day or so. I took amiodarone for about 6 weeks and I've pretty much been fine since.

Wishing you both all the best!

 

[neil]

wishing you all the best

 

[Jkm7]

Hi Pat,

Just want to pipe in that I have tissue valve and MOST GRATEFULLY have not had any a-fib issues. I'm a little over 2 years post op. (Don't want to jinx myself. )

Best Wishes.

 

[Lily]

. . . Could someone talk a bit more about the possiblility of a fib with a tissue valve? It this just the heart trying to learn to get along with the new valve or from the heart being overworked for a long time. I read over 40% of people with OHS get it . . .

Pat, first my disclaimer: I'm only a patient. While I hope this will be helpful, you'll no doubt want to research this yourself further, for accuracy.

That said, I'm not sure of the statistics, though there has been at least one poll conducted here about it, which you may want to search. (If I recall correctly, there were very few -- I actually think there was one who posted -- who had continuing post-op A-fib.)

From what I've read here over the past seven years, however, it does not seem to be an unusual post-op development while it does frequently seem to be a temporary situation. Also, there may be some different results seen in regard to how much of the heart needs work, which valve or valves are involved (aortic, mitral, etc.), whether the coronary arteries are involved, etcetera. Some patients end up with pacemakers after getting their new valves. I have no experience with that, nor knowledge of possible contributing issues.

I recall too reading something once about post-op A-fib being seen more commonly when there has been pre-OHS beta blocker use. And a lot of us were on beta blockers pre-op.

 

[pat45750]

jkm7 - Thanks for your note. Glad to hear you are doing so well. Don't want to jinx you either!

Lily - Thank You for the explanation. I am not going to worry about it, but it is good to know what things happen sometimes. I haven't been on any meds and didn't know I had much of a problem until several weeks ago. So I hope that goes in my favor. The nurse told me that since I was in really good health otherwise, things should go well. 4 days in the hospital after surgery day if I get minimally invasive. I am going to plan on that - and know that other things can happen. I will be alone, so it won't make any differnce. No one will have to count the days until I get released. Already been thru that in the past with my ex and my Mom. Day after day went by and you just didn't know when they would be ready to go home.

Thanks again to everyone for their information. I appreciate it.

Pat

 

[ARGreenMN]

Pat, with all the same disclaimers above (not a doc, just a patient) as someone who just recently had some a-fib, the biggest thing I learned was to not get too anxious about it. Even if it does happen, (which it very well may not), as long as you're properly anti-coagulated, it is not life-threatening (as scary as it may sound and feel). And anxiety (which is pretty normal when you're having it) only makes it worse. The first time I got it (which for me wasn't until about 2 wks after surgery), I was freaking out pretty bad and it lasted 4 hrs. By the 2nd time, I knew it wasn't gonna kill me so just tried to relax and it went away in 10 min. I was told over and over that it is fairly normal (I was quoted 30%-50% of people get it) to have a-fib and/or significant irregular beats after OHS. The good news is it's usually temporary. I believe mine is almost completely gone now, although for a couple weeks there it was really bothering me. PS - I have a mechanical valve, but I don't think it matters what type of valve - as I understand it, the surgery itself and subsequent healing is what irritates things and causes it.