mspinder

[Lily]

Mark, some A-fib/A-flutter (cardio said I was having both) began a week after my valve replacement. I was put on a temporary regimen of a med called Sotalol (which required brief rehospitalization) and 3 months of Coumadin but they also gave me IVs of magnesium. Mineral balance is evidently important with arrhythmias.

Hope you're feeling better soon and your sleep issues resolve and arrhythmias too .

 

[mspinder]

Lilly and Louise, what do you know about this procedure calle abalation (sp)? This flutter keeps my heart pounding in my chest. I am on 150mg metoprolol for about week now and nothing has really changed. Also what is flecanide and what is it supposed to do?

Thanks, Mark

 

[Lily]

Lilly and Louise, what do you know about this procedure calle abalation (sp)? This flutter keeps my heart pounding in my chest. I am on 150mg metoprolol for about week now and nothing has really changed. Also what is flecanide and what is it supposed to do?

Thanks, Mark

Hi Mark -

I don't have personal experience with either that med or that procedure; but I once read a person should be hospitalized to begin the flecanide and I found this interesting link about ablation: http://www.hrspatients.org/Patients/treatments/cardiac_ablation.asp

Hope it helps .

 

[Mileena46]

Hi Mark,

Believe me I understand your worry about the A-flutter or A-Fib..(they are different). I don't think it's uncommon for the heart to do this right after surgery. I had it happen to me, then I became sooo upset because I was already home and my HR went so high I had to go back in the hospital. I had a Cardio conversion which is no big deal....they put you out for a min or so and you wake up in sinus rhythm! Its great!

I also had an ablation during my valve replacement. I was in A-Fib when I went into surgery....they couldn't convert me before because I had a blood clot develope in my heart. (I was NOT on coumadin!). Anyway, I think they can also do an ablation by going through the groin like they do with a cath! If I am wrong about that...someone will correct me. Since I had my own during my surgery...I don't know..

BUT here is why I posted....my surgeon told me that sometimes the EKG machine will read A-flutter right after surgery when it is really A-Fib. (mine was reading a-flutter too). I asked him what difference it made and he said none except A-flutter was a bit harder to control. Once I had the Cardio done I have had no other trouble with a-fib. I am a little over 5 months out and counting.....!!! I hope things go well for you! Somtimes your heart just needs to jump up and bitch about what has happened to it!!

Mileena

 

[kfay]

Lilly and Louise, what do you know about this procedure calle abalation (sp)? This flutter keeps my heart pounding in my chest. I am on 150mg metoprolol for about week now and nothing has really changed. Also what is flecanide and what is it supposed to do?

Thanks, Mark

Mark, An ablation is where they insert a cath usually through your groin area and sometimes your neck as well and then they can map out the electrical impluses in your heart and when they hopefully find where the a-flutter is coming from, they basically burn that area so that it doesn't send that signal anymore. In theory, it would be a permanent solution. However, you can develop other areas in your heart that can send these out. At only 6 weeks post op, I would be very surprised if your EP Dr. recommended doing an ablation. If he does, I would run! Your heart is not anywhere near being healed at this point. You need to let it heal before you undergo another cardiac procedure. My EP Dr.'s said they wouldn't even consider doing an ablation until I was at least 6 MONTHS post op and would really prefer a year. I waited 14 months before I had my first one at the Mayo clinic.

Flecainide is an anti-arrhythmic drug. It is usually recommended that you go into the hospital to start the drug to make sure it doesn't cause any more serious rhythms.

A lot of times, these kinds of rhythm issues are short lived. They may recommend putting you on a med for a short period of time and may even cardiovert you. Hopefully, that will be all you need and it will take care of the problem.

Kim

 

[Guest]

Lilly and Louise, what do you know about this procedure calle abalation (sp)? This flutter keeps my heart pounding in my chest. I am on 150mg metoprolol for about week now and nothing has really changed. Also what is flecanide and what is it supposed to do?

Thanks, Mark

Mark,
I don't know anything about ablation, there are members here who have had them.

I was not hospitalized when starting flecainide because I was already on the beta blocker since my surgery. Check this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flecainide

 

[mspinder]

I want to thank everyone for your very helpful replies. On Jan 15th ( my anniversary #38) I will be having a cardioversion to try and shock my heart back into rythm. I will be 9 weeks post op by then. I hope it works. Next he will try ablation.

Now, get this.....

My wife found out today that she needs the same op I just had!!!!
He wants her to have it done by the end of March.

Her problem is not only the aortic but also the mitrol valve needs to be replaced. She is worried sick. Is a double valve replacement that much more problematic than one?

Any advice would be helpful.

Mark

 

[Lily]

Wow, you two must just be shocked! But hopefully by this summer you will both be feeling fantastic.

Best wishes to you both .

 

[catwoman]

I want to thank everyone for your very helpful replies. On Jan 15th ( my anniversary #38) I will be having a cardioversion to try and shock my heart back into rythm. I will be 9 weeks post op by then. I hope it works. Next he will try ablation.

Now, get this.....

My wife found out today that she needs the same op I just had!!!!
He wants her to have it done by the end of March.

Her problem is not only the aortic but also the mitrol valve needs to be replaced. She is worried sick. Is a double valve replacement that much more problematic than one?

Any advice would be helpful.

Mark

Mark:

What I've gleaned here is TYPICALLY (not always, though) if you need both valves replaced at the same time, the surgeon usually puts in mechanicals. However, it would depend on the patient's age. Putting in 2 mechanicals would reduce potential for up to 2 more OHS. People who go tissue choose to go with the probability of needing at least one more valve re-do in their lives, but when you're replacing two valves at the same time, that probability could be increased.
My FIL needed a 2nd MVR 10 years after his first one. He also needed an AVR (plus 4 CABG + my guess an aortic aneurysm or dissection repaired). He was 74, so the surgeon replaced the first porcine mitral valve with another and also put a porcine in for the AV. That was in Dec. 1989; he passed away in Aug. 1994 from cancer, so he didn't have live long enough afterward to find out whether he'd have needed a 3rd or 4th VR.
This is something you'll need to discuss with a surgeon. Not sure if a double replacement is something that all surgeons are proficient with, or if some surgeons are more specialized with it. That's another thing to discuss.

 

[neil]

mark best wishes to both of you.

 

[Mileena46]

Wow! BOTH of you! I wonder if thats a first? Try not worry about this while you are still recovering. Stress could cause the A-Fib....not sure about that, but it certainly couldn't help things.

Good Luck to you both!!

Mileena

 

[Ross]

The heart fairy doesn't like you people?

As far as double valve replacement, of course it's going to put more stress on the heart and certainly a little longer on the bypass machine, so the whole body will have a bit of added stress, but it's been done before. There are a couple of double valvers running loose in here some place.

 

[AgilityDog]

Oh Geeze, that black cloud is following you around, isn't it?

Y'all may need some household help for a while 'cause you may not have the stamina to look after your wife. Stock the freezer with homemade meals as soon as you can, it will make life easier.

I was talking with a dog-show acquaintance who had AVR followed by pneumonia and TIA 14 weeks ago. She's still got brain fog and fatigue issues (and was glad to hear I'd had similar for months post-op). I'll bet you're just starting to feel perky for short periods these days.

I hope all goes smoothly for you both.

 

[catwoman]

Mark:

Forgot to mention:
Be prepared for lots of good-natured ribbing, with you having had VR & your wife needing it too.
I got lots of that when people heard that my husband had had MV surgery. Never mind that it was a repair required due to a car accident. People were just floored -- kept asking if it was "in the water."

One good thing: I had more empathy for what John was going through than had I not had MVR. I was able to help him dodge the chugholes in the road to recovery.