Observation not my imagination

[harrietW]

I am 5 weeks post surgery and will say not recovering very well or quick enough pain level brought me to tears yesterday but more than that l notice about two week post op while still in hospital while brushing my teeth one day how grey my teeth and smile looked. Now natural my teeth have always been white white with an amazing smile. Looking in the mirror that day l kind of shake my head thinking it was my imagination and because l was looking very weak and grey and old. Fast forward 3 weeks my teeth have gone from a Brite white to a dull grey and l wanna cry. . Has anyone else experienced yellowing or grey ing post surgery. ???

 

[tsanjose]

haven't noticed this myself. here's some questions, could it be lighting? do you feel or see a change with your vision? i know that one of the drugs i was on, amioderone, is super powerful and has been known to cause eye issues. i noticed that i became very sensitive to light and felt my vision was a little off. cardio discontinued it for me and my vision is slowly coming back to what i feel as normal. i see an opthamologist next week.

another thing is our circulation is just not as good right after surgery. i was told my "color" was a little off but after a couple weeks and regular exercises (walks) my color started to come back. maybe this is related? sorry i dont have any concrete answers, just sharing my experiences.

 

[harrietW]

Thank you tsanjose for your response. No l don't believe it's lighting and l can say that with curtainty as l actually have a partial plate that was an exact match in A color chart .. being the whitest white it is quite clear no longer a match.
Yes l was experiencing alot of vision issue up to 3 weeks post op but it is now a none issue.
However l am now experiencing a lot of ringing in my ears. Not to mention my heartbeat gets very very loud and l hear that in my ears as well .. almost takes over everything or noises around me it is so strong and powerful. . And scary be honest.
I see my dentist in march but absolutely will be bringing it to the attention of my Doctors as l do no medication or drugs can absolutely effect teeth.

 

[JulienDu]

Hello HarrietW

I went through your previous topics, I just wanted to tell you that you seem very brave with a very difficult situation. Hope you carry on hoping for the best.

First thing that would look at is the medication like you said, all those chemicals could have an effect but you already know it

Also, you might be through a little depression and my wife told me that during depression time every time you look yourself in the mirror you find yourself ugly.

I read in a previous topic of yours that your surgeons did predict a long and hard recovery, so maybe what you are going through is perfectly normal.

I am also in Alberta, I was operated in Edmonton at the Mazankowski Heart Institute by Dr Roderick Macarthur. Where was your operation and who was your surgeon ? Can you call his office or your cardio office to enquire about your situation ?

I wish you the best, it is not easy but you are tough woman from Alberta

 

[harrietW]

Uh JulienDu yes good Ole Alberta blood !! Born and raised Calgarian however my journey has taken me south to Magrath just 20 minutes from lethbridge. My surgery was at the Libinn Center Foothills Medical Centre Dr.Andrew Maitland a brilliant man and amazing surgeon. I have a follow up with him next Wednesday if l can make the trip it's 3 hrs from my home and of course 3 hrs back .. l don't know yesterday l had to go into lethbridge and of course by the time up showered dressed and my ride came l was in tears for pain. I literally called my family doctor on the highway to call in a prescription for pain med's for me to pick up when l got back to town. My sturnem arms and and shoulders hurt so desperately l was in tears all day and most of the night. I am weak and feel like my legs are going to buckle everytime l stand and constantly nauseas.
I am miserable absolutely miserable and have great regrets for undergoing OHS particularly valve both mitral and aortic with root repair. I woke up on the fight as did you. And haven't stopped. I honestly woke up and l don't know who l am anymore. Most curtainly not the positive grateful it's Gunna take more than OHS to get me down and keep me there but l gotta tell you l'm feeling pretty defeated about now. On one hand l feel like l have made no progress and on the other my heart would have been back to work 2 or 3 weeks ago.
I know a great deal about depression but l gotta tell you l'm mad as Hell. Can't tell you why just am. I have great professionals around me and we're trying to sort it out.

 

[Paleowoman]

Dear Harriet,
I've been reading your messages and wondering how you were getting on. Really this OHS is very tough and I feel for you as you have other health issues too. I remember that towards the end of last year you were disappointed that you couldn't have surgery just before Christmas - they postponed your surgery - and I wrote that it's better not to have it just before Christmas and that the new year was better - you see now why I wrote that - this OHS is just awful. Anyone who says it's fine and everything will be fine is, well, I don't know what to say, but I know that it isn't fully true. I was in better shape than you prior to surgery but it took a long, long time to recover, nearly a full year before I felt back to what I'd been before....and maybe even that isn't true.

I do hope you make the journey to see your surgeon next Wednesday. I understand why you feel angry too.

I'm wishing that you find some comfort soon, and some relief from the pain and weakness. You will feel better but it is a slow process.

 

[harrietW]

Paliogirl
I wanna hug you lol. I'm really not looking for sympathy but l couldn't agree with you more toughest thing l've ever had to face and l don't say that loosely l have spent my entire life fighting for survival and have over come much in my lifetime. And yes besides being mad or angry l may very well be depressed as l have just spent the last couple of years building a little business for myself that l miss desperately and in such a fast growing industry feel like l may get lost in the shuffle. I cannot believe the changes just in the last five weeks and the competition that l will face going back. Wow !!
I totally understand Paliogirl why after Christmas was a much better bet and l am a fighter so l'm not giving up just impatient and want my life back. I want this all behind. But having said all that l also know God's got a plan and a sence of humor. . Lol !
Xx ❤

P.S. why doesn't my stats ie; PhysicianS surgeon and other info show on the bottom of my posts my history .. what am l doing wrong . I am sure l say public

 

[Zoltania]

Fast forward 3 weeks my teeth have gone from a Brite white to a dull grey and l wanna cry. . Has anyone else experienced yellowing or grey ing post surgery. ???

In the first three months after my surgery I noticed that I was getting a lot more staining on my teeth than usual. They were extra yellow with brown spots. My dental hygienist couldn't figure it out since I was actually consuming less of the foods/beverages that tend to cause staining, like green tea and red wine. Of course I was on some medications including Coumadin at that time, but none of them were known to cause this.

Fortunately the staining came off beautifully with my regular dental cleaning, and it isn't coming back any faster than its pre-surgery rate. My theory is that I didn't use a manual toothbrush at all during the first three months, just my Sonicare at home, and now that I'm back at work I brush after lunch every weekday with a manual toothbrush, so maybe that's making the difference. Seems far-fetched since that's only five brushings a week, but I don't know how else to explain it, unless it really was one of the medications that I no longer take.

 

[harrietW]

Zoltania thank you for your input also makes perfect sense although no real hard fact explanation. Hopefully l will find the same that it like everything else will even itself out. I see my dentist in march and a few doctors in between. So congrats to you Zoltania for having this not be a permanent problem. I will update as l go here.