jpattillo
Well-known member
I had a mechanical AVR on Tuesday. It's now Friday evening and I'm nearly pain free, eating full meals and back to work (albeit from the hospital bed). I think the biggest difference lies in the fact that I had a right anterior thoracotomy instead of a mini-strernotomy. Dr. Clifton Lewis here in Birmingham is the only doc here doing this procedure. Oh, and the incision is only 2 inches or so with no broken bones.
I'm also starting to sleep pretty well too. My biggest fear was being bothered by the click. While I definitely hear it, it isn't bothersome at all.
The worst part about the recovery has been the back pain I've had from the posterior chest tube on the right side. That cause some major pain for a while. The percocet really helped but it made me nauseated. I've finally gotten past that after about 48 hours. I ate some good ole Birmingham BBQ tonight and didn't leave a single bite on my plate.
I'm also starting to sleep pretty well too. My biggest fear was being bothered by the click. While I definitely hear it, it isn't bothersome at all.
The worst part about the recovery has been the back pain I've had from the posterior chest tube on the right side. That cause some major pain for a while. The percocet really helped but it made me nauseated. I've finally gotten past that after about 48 hours. I ate some good ole Birmingham BBQ tonight and didn't leave a single bite on my plate.
