Post Op effects.

[AmyR]

Hello people. I went in and the doc repaired my valve instead of a replacement cause he found that to b a better option. I am satisfied with that though, I just wanted t0 know post op i am having some crazy effects. I feel i have just no energy, I feel pukish, Food is something i never ate post op and 0nce in a while when i lie down i can feel my pulse in my head and my breathing feels a little labored. Was it normal for you all to have all this? i am just 2 days outta op. My PR is around 100 and Bp around 120/70. All looks good but for a few of these symptoms.

 

[scott.eitman]

I believe a some of this can be expected. The pain meds can make you nauseous and therefor no energy. I was nauseous for about 4 days. Luckily for the rest, this does not happen to everyone.

Stay Well
Scott

 

[Jkm7]

Anesthesia drugs remain in our system a long time post op and they can make us feel not so well for varying lengths of time. Trust your surgeon and the nurses and caregivers. They do this everyday of the week and are likely watching you closely. If any questions and concerns, by all means speak to them. You are very early post op and really should be expecting to have considerable tiredness and lack of appetite is very common.

Best Wishes.

 

[sood]

Welcome to the other side! All your symptoms sound normal. I didn't eat for about 48+ hours after my surgery. That is excellent they were able to repair your valve. Stay patient, the energy thing comes with time. I am almost 7 weeks post op and still not at peak energy wise.

 

[Oilman]

Glad to hear your on the other side now, and that the surgeon was able to repair your valve. Everything you are feeling is for sure normal, I felt the same. I couldn't get out of bed until day 3 due to my 20 lbs of water retention and hemoglobin dropping so low that I needed 2 units of blood to gather my strength back. Spent the next 3 days passing 20 lbs of water after that, without the catheter. Far as fine dinning for my 7 day stay, it was not great, I tried to eat as much as possible to gain more strength, cause I really wanted out of there, I didn't sleep hardly at all. Feeling a strong heart beat through the body happens for lots. Like others have said, you are early after surgery and the body is dealing with lots. Hope all goes well for you and your on your way home soon. Take care.

 

[Agian]

Glad to hear you're doing OK.

 

[epstns]

AmyR, as the others have said, your issues are among the most common post-op complaints. I had to force myself to eat for the first month or so after surgery. I just didn't have my normal appetite. Trust me, though, it will come back in full when your body is ready for the fuel. Also, for the first month or so, absolutely nothing tasted right. Some foods I could tolerate, others, whether I used to like them or not, I just could not choke down if my life depended on it. Eventually and gradually, it all slipped back to normal.

 

[kimcdougc]

Welcome to the other side. Everything you are experiencing sounds normal to me. Glad you are here to tell us about it. Take care.

 

[AmyR]

Thanks for the replies guys. Feeling better today. As you as said everyday is a new and a better day. Now i started up with some digestive mess and unstoppable hiccups. M sure this wouldn be common but has any1 faced the unstoppable hiccups? If yes How long did it take to stop?

 

[Agian]

Has anyone thrown a rubber spider at you? They say this is the cure for hiccups.

 

[AmyR]

@again Lol people came up with that idea but me being post op with a disturbed heart they put that idea down the drain.

 

[epstns]

A couple of things that sometimes help when I have hiccups -- try sipping a glass of cool (not cold) water. Take small sips, and try to "make the drink last." This may break up the cycle of spasms. Also, I sometimes get hiccups when I am just very tired. In this case, I try to lie down flat on my back for 10 or 15 minutes, just relaxing. This may relax the diaphragm muscles, reducing the spasms.

Hiccups are really annoying, and they make it hard to do anything else. Plus, I find them tiring.

 

[Adrienne]

This may sound crazy, but what works for me 90% of the time is drinking water out of the other side of the glass with my head over the sink so I don't make a mess!!! I don't know if it's the concentrating on drinking that way that stops it or what, but it seems to work.

 

[ejc61]

The repair is great Amy. I didn't notice a change in appetite. Just remember to keep walking.

 

[Bryan B]

Amy,

Actually hiccups are quite common after OHS. There can be several different causes. Vagus nerves or phrenic nerves can be irritated during surgery, anesthesia can cause it, and stress and/or anxiety can cause it.

 

[AmyR]

Thanks for the replies guys. Also is it normal to feel those harder beats at times and a little hazy vision? I get the hazy vision after watching TV or sitting on the laptop for long. Wat else are the common post op symptoms?

 

[Jkm7]

Are you still in the hospital, Amy?

 

[JimH]

I had a somewhat fast pulse (100) for several weeks. I also felt more noticeable heartbeats especially when I was trying to sleep (maybe because I was thinking about it). I had some PVCs which are described as missed heartbeats and apparently are harmless but can be noticeable. I did have some vision issues as well - about 2 weeks post-op I actually lost partial vision in my left eye for a short time and when that happened a day later I called and that led to an ER visit and lots of tests but no problem found and chalked up to ocular migraines (which I never had before). Anyway, I'm roughly 15 weeks post op (full sternotomy for mitral repair and aortic replace) and all of that has cleared up. Certainly you should discuss concerns with your doc but what you describe was certainly part of my experience going through it.

Good luck.

 

[AmyR]

Jkm7 yes i am still in the hosp will b discharged by monday morning.

JimH ya thats wat every1 says my Bp is normal and pulse around 97-98. Docs say its normal but was just anxious to know so asked you guys.

 

[Rachel]

Glad to hear that you're on your way! Yes, your symptoms post-surgery sound normal to me. Right after my surgery my heart would beat so hard that I swear my heart was shaking my entire body! My resting pulse rate was in the 90's and it didn't take much for it to get to 120 - I also had bright flashing lights in my vision from time to time similar to an ocular migraine without headache.

Took a while, maybe 6 months for my pulse rate to settle down but I was not on betas.

Wishing you a smooth recovery - you're going to like being out of the hospital for sure!!!!