I had an aortic valve, and the ascending and aorta arch replaced.

[veltr001]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone else has had this done too? I know many have had valve replacement, but it seems I'm a rare case. I'm a healthy guy and no history of marfan disease. Also its been 4 weeks postop, when does it get better????

Thanks,

Greg

 

[Ross]

Greg welcome to the insane asylum. Many have had the arch replaced. When does it get better? Figure 6 to 12 months. Your body has been through major trauma and it's resetting all of it's run parameters. It's like a computer reboot or a car that had the battery disconnected long enough to erase the memory in the engine control computer. It'll get there, but it comes in baby steps.

 

[veltr001]

Thanks Ross for the welcome and the info. Its hard, I was active and had no cares in the world about my health. Then 4 weeks before the surgery all the symptoms developed and here I am.

 

[Ross]

It takes a long time to recover. I kid you not. This is the next worst thing to brain surgery, so expect to have great days and then a few down days too.

 

[Philip B]

Better?

Better?

Hi Greg,

Ross speaks the truth; many of us have had a major chunk of our aorta replaced along with AVR surgery. My aorta was in worse shape than my valve. I had no symptoms right up to the time they rolled me into surgery and knocked me out.

The recovery & rehab stuff varies from individual to individual. I only took five days off work for my surgery. I returned to work and normal pre-op activities faster than most of the members here. Please don't interpret my experience as any kind of advice; it's simply how things went for me.

You may want to visit with your surgeon and cardiologist about where you're at and work with them to set reasonable recovery & rehab goals. They can evaluate where you're at more accurately than anyone here can. They can also advise you about a recovery & rehab program that will fit your situation better than anyone here.

The general concensus here has been that overdoing things is not a good thing. Your body will let you know if you try to go too far too fast.

-Philip

 

[heyrebekah]

Yep, I had the same surgery 4 weeks ago tomorrow, except that I had only part of the arch replaced.

It seems like my 2nd and most of the 3rd week post surgery were surprisingly easy and pain free, but now it is starting to be more painful again. Probably because I have been more active. I even went to a friend's wedding on Friday and did a (very) little dancing. I am in no hurry to get back to work though.

 

[veltr001]

Thanks for the feedback. It does seem as I cut the pain med back some days seem harder than others. I'm 40 yrs old and I think the docs expectations are that those younger than 60 will recover quite quickly. But like you have all said they played with your heart and it really doesn't like that.

 

[MissMelis]

Hi Greg,

Welcome to VR, lots of folks here who can relate to what you're going through!
Don't try to rush your recovery. You will very likely return to your pre-surgery self...but it'll just take a while. So relax and take care of yourself!

Glad you've found us. I can't tell you how helpful everyone is!
Except Ross. OH! I mean, especially Ross.

Good luck with your recovery - hope it continues to go smoothly!
Melissa

 

[Superbob]

I had a similar operation at age 63 -- Bentall's, replaced aortic root and valve. I don't think our recovery time is significantly different than other VRs, but everyone is different. I am very active now. Walk dog 2-3 miles a day, workout, swim. I took cardiac rehab a few months after surgery and benefitted from that.

Best of wishes to you for a good, smooth recovery.

 

[Ross]

I'm 40 yrs old and I think the docs expectations are that those younger than 60 will recover quite quickly.

Their expectations are often way wrong. I haven't found it to be true concerning age and recovery. For some people, they snap right back into sync and for others, it's day to day thing. All age ranges from babies to 80 year olds. I want so badly for some of these Doctors with these so called expectations to have this surgery and find out what it's really all about. Textbook learning doesn't come close.

 

[David L]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone else has had this done too? I know many have had valve replacement, but it seems I'm a rare case. I'm a healthy guy and no history of marfan disease. Also its been 4 weeks postop, when does it get better????

Thanks,

Greg

I had the same surgery, except for the arch replacement. I'm 69 years young at 6' 1" and 189 #. It took me about 9 months to really feel normal again. Of course I workout with weights (light, high reps) areobics, and walk ing 1.5 to 3 miles a day. It just takes time, more than I thought it would, so just hang in there and take what your body gives you!

 

[MIKE69]

Aortic replacement

Aortic replacement

Greg, I am 7 weeks since my operation.I has a similair operation
I had Aortic valve repair and aortic anrism replacement.
am getting better.
I am working out with weight light weights and walking about 4 miles a day in one excercise period.

example I did 10 miles on a stationary bike and walk 2 miles on a incline jogged about 7 minutes of it.

It is a slow go but coming along.
the people on ths site will help you.
they are very well informed and are a great support system.
I am 41 yrs old going to be 42 in a week.

It is a tough situaion to deal with
medicine high heart rates, pain and thumping in the sternum but you begin to feel like yourself.
I am about 70% and expect to be 100% by the end of the year.
I went back to wrk about 5 weeks after surgery

 

[veltr001]

Thanks everyone. Anyone deal with the chills?

 

[Superbob]

Thanks everyone. Anyone deal with the chills?

Chills can be related to a multitude of conditions, some of them linked to the heart, many others not. Since you are just a few weeks post-op, I wouldn't delay in telling my doctor if I were persistently having those symptoms. May be nothing, but as the wisdom is often repeated here, "When in doubt, check it out."

 

[KAJ]

Hi Greg,

Welcome to the group! I had chills in the hospital. I was freezing while my wife was hot. Usually is was the other way around. Back pain and left side chest pain were very constant for several weeks. Things will gradually improve. Take advantage of cardiac rehab if you can. It will be well worth it.

Karl

 

[bugchucker]

Hi and welcome Greg! I'm 37 and had the same surgery as you. It will be 5 weeks tomorrow. My recovery has been better than text book. Some minor hiccups along the way. Sorry your having challenges. I had bad chills in the hospital and my hands get cold real easy now...hoping things improve for you!

 

[veltr001]

Thanks for the support everyone!

 

[njean]

OHS is a very big & serious surgery & it can take a huge toll on our bodies. While some can recover rather quickly, others are not so lucky. So try not to get too frustrated ..... you've been thru an awful lot; give yourself time to heal!

Best wishes!

 

[ccummins]

Hi Greg and welcome!! As you will see, the valve and aorta replacement are actually quite common among VR members.

I know before and right after my surgery I really wanted someone to give me exact days as to when I could do what and feel a certain way. However, as you can already tell, the recovery times can vary hugely. Age and physical condition before surgery undoubtedly play a part, but you just can't tell. As for me, I was walking several miles at 3 weeks and feeling pretty much back to normal at 6 weeks. I'm at 10 weeks now and there is very little that I don't do any longer. Just listen to your body and don't push yourself too much.

 

[mattwisconsin]

It is tough to know how to push yourself while taking it easy. I am 6 weeks post-op with a valve and aortic root replacement and a Maze procedure. I am 31 and this is my 3rd surgery and 2nd valve replacement. Things for me seem to be going more slowly than I would like. The display on my treadmill is broken so I don't know how fast or far I am going but I am up to a normal pace for 30 min twice a day. I wish I felt better, but really have been trying to follow what my body wants to do. I was in relatively good health before the surgery. I was in good health in October, but then started to be symptomatic with endocarditis. At that point, I started to limit my exercise and walking. I don't know if it helps but I know what you mean wishing recovery was going faster.