Looking for feedback...

[Guest]

Hey all, I went in for my AVR and had an aneurysm repaired with a homograft on October 18th of last year. Everything went very smooth and I was out on October 21st. I did well at home although probably pushed myself too hard a few times. Anyway, went back to work about 4 weeks later and worked a few hours each day before going home to get some rest. I was back full time at about 6 weeks. Things continued to progress from there and I completed cardiac rehab and could feel my energy getting better. I then had a set back and ended up at the ER because I got lightheaded and had some rhythm problems that had me pretty anxious. EKG at the ER looked normal and they put me on a monitor for 48 hours that showed everything was good as well. I was able to go off of my metoprolol as I complained of feeling dizzy and foggy all the time with little to no energy after completing cardiac rehab. I wasn't walking like I was supposed to and I think my blood pressure went too low. Within a couple days of going off of metoprolol I could tell a difference and was back to feeling better. Now, within the last week I have had some tightness in my shoulders and under my left armpit. At one point I would have some really quick pains on my left side (around my armpit) and I couldn't tell if it was muscle related or something with my heart. Those have dissipated but I'm still having some slight pressure on my left side around my shoulder, armpit, and rib. Has anyone had this experience? I haven't felt bad, short of breath, dizzy, etc. but my anxiety has me pretty ramped up so I'm just looking for some feedback. I have some pain on my right side at times as well. I should also say that this came on after I hauled 5 bags of clothes that were around 50lbs a piece and pushing myself pretty hard around the house. The physical symptoms are getting better but it has been a full week... my anxiety is running the show here. Sorry for the long post...

 

[steviedee]

Sorry, forgot to sign in. This was my post... Also, I should say that the pressure isn't painful, just annoying and fuels my anxiety.

 

[honeybunny]

I can share one experience I had months after surgery with chest pain. I had sharp pains running along the left side of my chest. This continued for a few days and, like you, I was concerned something might be wrong. I calmed myself with the reminder that my six month echo showed everything was fine, but still.... Then one evening as I was reading in bed, my small Poodle mix plopped down across my chest, something he is prone to doing without me paying any attention. This time he landed in such a way as to make me realize that his belly flops were irritating my incision areas, outside and in, and that was why I had those pains; things were still tender inside and the sudden pressure of his weight (about 15 lbs.) directly atop my chest added to the soreness. I kept him at bay after that and the paid went away. 16 months later I can handle a bit more pressure.

Not saying your case is similar, but that was my experience.

 

[steviedee]

Thanks! I've been doing the same in regards to reminding myself that my echo 3 months ago and CTA scan about 4 weeks ago were all good. This anxiety is something else. I have days where I feel good and then I push myself (without really thinking about it) doing things around the house and come up tired, sore, frustrated, etc. I really think that I'm just impatient and need to remember that I should still push myself, just within appropriate limits. Now that I think about it, I had to pick my 5 year old daughter up from the car (she fell asleep) and take her to her bed. So, picked up my 45 lb daughter and hauled a whole bunch of heavy bags of donated clothes.
Do you guys feel that sore muscles recover a little bit more slowly than prior to surgery? I would imagine so...

 

[AZ Don]

Can't say for sure what it is but you are only 3 months out. After surgery you can't lift and so your muscles are going to atrophy somewhat. So now when you lift weight it is harder on your muscles and soreness is likely to be worse than pre-surgery. I started working out as soon as I could but I eased into it and don't recall any unusual or unexpected soreness, but I had some occasional pain or discomfort for up to 6 months.

 

[Paleowoman]

Have you had any cardiac rehab sessions ? I started cardiac rehab two months after surgery and that helped me get my strength and fitness back.

 

[steviedee]

Thanks for the responses. Paleowoman, yes, I completed cardiac rehab. I started two weeks after my surgery and used up my authorized sessions... however, I was only able to life weights on a couple of those sessions at the very end. I remember being somewhat sore. However, I obviously wasn't lifting anything close to what I did last weekend... Its strange... I feel good and, at times, completely forget that I'm only a few months out... until the next day. Thanks for the feedback everyone!

 

[Zoltania]

steviedee, anxiety can be a big issue. There have been a couple of good discussions on the topic here:

http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/forum/post-surgery/853373-post-surgery-anxiety

http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...3214-avr-and-anxiety-panic-an-open-discussion​

It's really hard not knowing whether a symptom is real or just due to anxiety. I found it helpful to learn more about the surprisingly large number of physical symptoms that can be caused by anxiety and panic.

 

[Freddie]

Three steps forwards and two steps back.......
it all sounds familiar me; you feel good and you do things, then you do more things then the next day you feel crapy and sore. It happens, try not to worry. If you can pin point the pain it's the muscles and your bound to have some muscle spams too as you heal. You should be able to take a Tylenol for these pains, but please check with your doctor first.

 

[epstns]

Stevie - It sounds to me (and I am NOT a doctor) that you are experiencing the symptoms of "I'm fine, I can do it all" syndrome. You feel good, so you aren't watching what you're doing, and before you know it you have done something you probably shouldn't have done. This can be a long-term issue, especially as we get older. I had my pacemaker replaced last July, and then in December I did something - don't know what - that hurt a muscle in my left shoulder/pectoral area. I was deeply scared that I was having some sort of heart issue, but like you, I thought back to the echo and angiogram I had prior to the pacemaker procedure, when they said that all is now just as it was when my valve was replaced almost 6 years ago. That calmed me and gave me the confidence to just dial it back a bit and wait it out. The pain was soon gone.

BTW, the other way I knew it wasn't something serious was that over-the-counter pain meds like ibuprofen or Aspercreme relieved the pain for hours at a time. That wouldn't work for a true cardiac issue.