Still Ticking
Member
Greetings All.
Background
I am a 68 year old male who has always stayed in very good physical condition and managed my weight. What initially sent me to the hospital was an AFIB event (elevated and erratic heart rate), after playing a leisurely round of golf. After testing they discovered I was suffering from severe mitral valve prolapse as well as some tricuspid valve regurgitation.
Nine weeks ago I had minimally invasive open heart surgery (OHS) to fix the mitral valve problem and my surgeon was able to repair the valve in lieu of replacing it. At the same time he also repaired the tricuspid valve. My recovery has been slow but steady and now I would say I am about 70% back to normal from a physical strength and fatigue perspective. I credit my progress with a focus on exercise, getting plenty of sleep and eating right. These were things that weren’t always easy to do after this surgery.
Finally
I know from personal experience that making the decision to have OHS can be a daunting prospect and not without some very challenging days. For me at least the potential benefits so outweighed the potential risks and discomfort that going forward with the surgery was an obvious choice and now I am very glad I did. I wish the very best of luck for all of you who are about to go through this or any other heart procedure.
Background
I am a 68 year old male who has always stayed in very good physical condition and managed my weight. What initially sent me to the hospital was an AFIB event (elevated and erratic heart rate), after playing a leisurely round of golf. After testing they discovered I was suffering from severe mitral valve prolapse as well as some tricuspid valve regurgitation.
Nine weeks ago I had minimally invasive open heart surgery (OHS) to fix the mitral valve problem and my surgeon was able to repair the valve in lieu of replacing it. At the same time he also repaired the tricuspid valve. My recovery has been slow but steady and now I would say I am about 70% back to normal from a physical strength and fatigue perspective. I credit my progress with a focus on exercise, getting plenty of sleep and eating right. These were things that weren’t always easy to do after this surgery.
Finally
I know from personal experience that making the decision to have OHS can be a daunting prospect and not without some very challenging days. For me at least the potential benefits so outweighed the potential risks and discomfort that going forward with the surgery was an obvious choice and now I am very glad I did. I wish the very best of luck for all of you who are about to go through this or any other heart procedure.
