How Long Until Back To Normal

[Nancy]

HI Greg-

I've been reading all your posts for quite a while now. Your symptoms seem very real to me. I think it's time you started pushing your doctors to find the actual cause. As you might have been reading lately in some of the posts, it is possible to have something go wrong with any surgery, and valves are not immune from that. My husband had a small leak that had to be repaired, there are others who've had such things also. It may turn out to be not even related to your heart, but I think they really have to rule out these things for you in a definite way so you can go on with your life and have peace of mind. If there's a problem, then fix it, and if they don't find anything, then get a second opinion. There must be some reason for these things, especially the dizziness.

Medical mysteries aren't something I'm terribly fond of. I think scientifically, there's a reason for everything.

Good luck, and try to do it before too much more time has gone by. Unfortunately, you're the guy who's gonna have to light the fire, so get your matches out.

Take care and be well,

 

[John Cochran]

Greg,
I "second" Nancy's advice. In addition, have you read up on the known side effects of any meds you are on?

Sometimes doctors are unwilling or unable to pursue the answers you need. If that's the case, get new doctors. I really hate the excuse that "medicine is an art" because it is almost always used by people who don't really want to deal with the complexities of multiple causes or read the research and studies.

One other thing occurred to me, and that is to read the bottom of Nancy's posts relating to Joe's many surgeries. You'll note that he had an AVR in 1977 when the technology was not nearly as good. 25 years later he's still doing OK (albeit with Nancy's help!).

Hang in there, and even though you've encountered some bumps in the road, I'm betting you are going to get this solved and be just fine.

--John

 

[greggo32]

I called a friend of the family who happens to be a cardiologist. We discussed my symptoms and he felt that it is still too early and that since they did an echo at 1month post-op, everything is fine with the valve. So, I guess I have to wait. I am conitinuing rehab. and will have to deal with the fatigue at the end of the day. I will probably have another echo in September and will see what is up then. I did call my doctor and spoke with his nurse.

As far as the replies, it helps to know what others have experienced as I can put the whole experience in a better context. It doesn't feel like there is anything acute going on with me. It is more of the day-to-day coping that gets to be difficult (when things are going bad).

Thank

 

[ALCapshaw]

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the informative description of your Rehab exercises.

I'm about 4 weeks behind you and just had 2 episodes of A-fib. I was home alone when my HR shot up to 150 with skipped beats, extra beats, and irregular intervals between beats. I called 911 to get someone out with a EKG recorder to produce a record of what was going on. Then we called for a nurse at my cardiologist's office but after an hour without resolution, I told them to just take me to the ER where I laid in a room until my HR 'converted' (3-4 hours total elapsed time) and they sent me home with an appointment to see a cardiologist the next day.

I was told A-fib is a 'random' event but pointed out that most of my experiences ALL came after exertion or stress (within 1 to 12 hours). An internist friend of mine confirmed the 'random theory' but also reminded me that doctors don't always know everything when I pointed out the correlation between exertion and my A-fib events.

After my second event, the 'on call' doc covering for my PCP told me I could 'ride it out' to see if it converts by morning and if not, then to go to the ER. Sure enough, I took another (low dose) of Toprol XL Beta Blocker and it converted to a regular rhythm after 2.5 hours elapsed time.

My PCP gave me an Rx for Cardiac Rehab after 8 weeks. Now I have to wait 2 more weeks (after 2 weeks to get insurance clearance) just to get in for the intake interview. Sure would have been nice to start this process about 4 weeks earlier to accomodate all the delays ..... ARGH !

Recovery is going slower than I would like and I'm still having 'difficulties' with my lungs / chest. I'd sure like and opportunity to insert a chest tube in the guy who inserted mine !

Sorry I can't offer much more Greg. I remember my recovery from CABG 3 years ago also went slower than I would have liked. That doesn't make the waiting to feel better any easier. So it goes.

Hang in there. Some of us just need more time than others. I get really jealous reading about the the guys who are playing baseball at 6 weeks.

'AL'

 

[Nancy]

You know, we are all brought up to be nice and polite and not make any waves, and not to disagree with other people's learned opinions. That's all very nice, and if your running for the Miss or Mr. Congeniality prize, it works out just fine, and you'll probably win it.

But you only have one house for your spirit to live in, and that is your body. When it's ailing, you have to fight like mad to keep it from doing you in. You have to keep your eyes on the prize and never deviate from the goal. That's all that matters, that you end up surviving.

As you go on with your life, you will find that medical conditions will be more complicated. It's true what John said, not everyone wants to read ALL the chart, maybe just what's on the front page, if even that. It's much easier to just postpone the decision making, or even pass it along to the next specialist. But eventually, the buck stops, and that's when you, the patient, decide that you've had enough. You (and I'm speaking of the general you) are the only one who can determine when enough is enough.

Being a quiet and compliant patient is nice, but may not always be in your best interest. The patient is part of the team also, and that part should be heard loud and clear. After all, you are the only one who can express how your body feels, right?

 

[Marty]

Hang in there, Greg!

Hang in there, Greg!

Greg, I've been following your posts and I can't emphasize enough that you have to stay with the rehab until they kick you out and then you need to join a club and continue on your own. I had a real cool cardiologist post op who told me my PVC's, atrial flutter afib etc.were all part of the deal. they screw up your conduction system when they muck around in your heart. But it gets better for most folks. He treated me, reassured me and told me to get on the treadmill 3-4 times a week for 45'. For 20 minutes he wanted my heart rate over 120. My resting pulse rate for weeks after surgery was over 100. Today my pulse is regular 55 to 65 and my BP is 130/80. I can barely get the heart rate to 120 now going 4 mph at 3% grade. Work hard and in a year or so you will be a new man!

 

[gary]

Greg: One surgeon told me if I wanted

Greg: One surgeon told me if I wanted

to be able to figure out when I would genuinely feel 'recovered', at least as good or better than pre-op he said,

"Gary, open heart surgery is quite similar to a controlled car wreck".


(Heart surgeons, our gods, can sometimes display a very odd sense of humor)

 

[Greg T]

Ocular Migraine ?

Ocular Migraine ?

Hi Jennifer:

What are the symptoms of this "ocular migraine"? My wife used to get regular migraines and they were pretty severe at times.

 

[JenniferO]

An ocular migraine for me includes the kind of reverberating light effects with geometric or triangular flash images that tend to essentially "blank out" your vision in one or both eyes. When I am having an ocular migraine I can look in the mirror and because my vision is partially "blank", i.e. a kind of white light absence of vision, I often can't see half of my face. This description always sends the doctors into a tizzy thinking I'm having a stroke, but it's just a migraine. (It's interesting how many doctors have never themselves experienced a migraine and it's hard to explain in terms that don't send them off into MRI's and other expensive tests to rule out stroke activity).

The visual symptoms can give one a sense of disorientation and dizziness. If you are used to experiencing them, you just say "oh well, I need to lay down and close my eyes for a little while, " and that usually takes care of it. In addition to the ibuprofen and sometimes caffeine, I also often take the herbal remedy feverfew, which is widely used in Europe for migraines.

It's an "ocular" migraine in that it is confined to visual symptoms and doesn't progress to the pain and nausea stage of a full-blown migraine headache.

Right after my surgery, I had a really severe bout with the ocular migraine symptoms plus severe dizziness and blurred vision, and was hospitalized a second time two weeks after my surgery for two days for possible TIAs. It turned out to be a side effect of the drug Coreg which was prescribed for me as part of the post-op discharge battery. As soon as I was weaned off the Coreg, the neurologic symptoms for the most part disappeared, except that I do have these occasional residual episodes of the ocular migraines.

I should note that I am not currently on any prescription medication.

 

[John Cochran]

Jennifer,
Strangely, I had ocular migraines for several years before surgery, but have had none since my surgery. Go figure.

--John

 

[Igor]

Greg,

I am about 10 weeks post op and also go back and forth in terms of my physical condition. I still feel like s*** some times and sometimes I feel that I can do so many things for hours (not so often though). In one of these good days about two weeks ago I spent one hour doing some garden stuff and then one hour practicing at the golf range. It was really most stupid idea. Next day I felt like it was about a week after the surgery. I could not move my left arm nor I could even seat without pain in my back. Things happen. It took me about 10 days to recover after that.
Overall if I am looking back to compare where I was two days after my surgery and now I see a lot of progress. I do have the same concerns once in a while and I think it?s completely normal. Just stay focused and think positive.
It does help me, when it does not I just take a magic xanax at night time.
I do not want to repeat everybody here, but can?t resist, I guess it sure takes time to get back to feel good again. Good luck.

 

[Granbonny]

Stopping walking for awhile

Stopping walking for awhile

I backed off my daily morning walks a month ago when my grandson was here..did not won't to leave him asleep..then started back this past Monday...boy do I ache all over..back, behind right leg, ect..Even tho, we, two, played all day, pool, ect. it is not the same as a good brisk walk.....so out the door I'm going now..Bonnie