Permanent diminished immune system after OHS?

[Guest]

Hello everyone! I had OHS to correct a bicuspid aortic valve back in January of 2014, where I was given an ON-X valve and a graft. For the most part I'm 100% again, but I noticed the frequency of my heading a headcold since the surgery has gone up tremendously. Previously, I'd get approximately two colds every three years. Now I get 3-4 colds per year. Right now I"m fighting off my third cold in two months, which is ridiculous.

Can a compromised immune system be a permanent after affect of major surgery? I'm more active then I was pre surgery, eat a bit better as well, and I get (for me) an acceptable level of sleep. HOWEVER, the other thing the coincides quite nicely with my uptick in colds is my little one. He was seven months old when I had my surgery (so still very much insulated from major socialization). Now he's 3.5, in preschool, and always seems to be fighting something off. I literally get every cold he brings home.

My wife tells me it's our son who keeps getting me sick, and I'm sure he's the one who introduces the germs into our home, but I feel like my ability to resist getting sick has all but evaporated, and the smallest exposure to anything guarantees I get it too.

Just curious what others thoughts are.

 

[mikestorm]

This was posted by me. Not sure how I was able to post as guest!

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Mike,

I had my aortic valve replacement in January 2014 too. I've had some problems since then but none of them related to my immune system. I've visual disturbances, that is migraine aura without headache, double vision, bright sparkles in vision, ever since the day after surgery, I've had two injuries in my left foot which have had me off my feet for some time, and I've had severe neuropathic pain for several months following a root canal treatment in January 2015 which still has some effects. But I haven't had any colds nor any kind of infection at all ! I was just thinking the other day how good my immune system is - it was good before surgery and has stayed good since. Your wife might be right that it's your son bringing home colds from pre-school, that's very common, but why you're getting them and not your wife is the issue. Certainly stress, including post traumatic stress which can happen after major surgery, can affect the immune system negatively but it doesn't affect everyone's immune system negatively.

 

[marc_kowal]

Kids bring home the nastiest of colds from daycare and the daycare facility itself can be a little incubator. Both of my kids went to daycare, and they were always bringing something home. So probably the first year after surgery, I was always getting little colds. But as the kids got older and moved out of daycare, the colds stopped.

I would think that daycare plus your body still healing are giving you a one-two punch.

 

[almost_hectic]

Hi Mike,

I had my aortic valve replacement in January 2014 too. I've had some problems since then but none of them related to my immune system. I've visual disturbances, that is migraine aura without headache, double vision, bright sparkles in vision, ever since the day after surgery

Those symptoms all sound familiar to me. Ive experienced them both before surgery and since. They are most common when Im having upper cervical issues as I have osteoarthritis in my neck. When my neck is not bothering me those problems go away. The connection or root cause I dont know for sure, because no doctor has ever been able to tell me.

 

[Protimenow]

I personally don't recall any changes in immunity after my OHS 25 years ago. What I'm guessing may be the case (or contributing to your issues) is that you may have grown up a bit more 'sheltered' from all these nasty infections than your wife may have been -- she may have immunities that you haven't developed. I suspect that as time goes by, and you and your son develop a resistance to this nasty stuff, your frequency of infection will also go down. (There are a lot of historical reports how European colonizers killed off much of the native populations by bringing diseases that they had developed immunities to, but the 'natives' didn't. And remember that in War of the Worlds, it wasn't technology that killed the Martians - it was (if I recall correctly) the 'common' cold. You may not have been as exposed to these things at an early age as your wife or others were).

 

[LondonAndy]

I'm an insulin dependent diabetic, so I know I have a weakened immune system but I have to say I have had fewer colds since my OHS, which admittedly was only two years ago. My theory is that this has been because of improved hygiene, which was a habit I got into immediately after surgery, washing my hands at the beginning and end of a journey on the underground etc etc once I returned to work etc. In fact I was feeling quite smug until about 3 weeks ago, when I got hit by what I am pretty sure was just the common cold, doubtless from somebody on the tube who sneezed next to me without a tissue - lovely. After 10 days went to the doc thinking I had a chest infection I was coughing so much. If there were a commercial market for snot I think I would be close to being a millionaire by now ...

So my instinct is that you are right, and that it is your child bringing lots of unwanted little friends home (bugs/viruses),