Recovery advice needed- heart thumping

[Junior]

This site lends reassurance and peace of mind, I'm very happy to be a new member. 6 weeks ago, I received a new aortic root (Modified David's) and St Jude's mechanical aortic valve. From other posts, I've read that feeling my heart thumping is normal, but I wanted to seek advice from other members.

Feels like my heart is touching my sternum and with each beat, I can feel the reverberations through my chest. My point of maximal impulse is where my collarbone bisects the top of my sternum, and if you put your hand here, you can actually feel my heart beat. When I take a deep breathe, the pounding becomes more intense. Is this normal for my stage of recovery and how long until my body becomes used to it?

Echo 3 weeks ago shows a normal heart size again and normal ejection fraction, and BP is right on at 120/70. Currently I'm on 17.5mg of Coreg twice daily. I'm a 29 year old who used to love lifting weights, rowing and running marathons, so I'm ultra-anxious to return to a normal active lifestyle. Thank you!

 

[Bina]

Junior, welcome.....and yes, you are normal.
I used to think that my heart was trying to escape from my chest. I could also see the pounding and it scared the heck out of me. It does get better. You are fit and young, and should progress quite quickly.

 

[DebbyA]

Welcome, Junior! It sounds like you're recovering well and are in good spirits.

The heart thumping is probably normal, but if you've been reading here, you know we're all going to tell you the call the doctor.. There's no reason you should be able to interpret all your body's responses to this serious surgery, and it's their job.

Where was your surgery and who was the surgeon?

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Welcome Junior,

Many Surgeons have a nurse or Physician's Assistant whose responsibilities include fielding Questions from patients. I suggesting calling your Surgeon's office to report your concern and ask the same questions.

You should also make a report to your Cardiologist so that he is aware and it becomes a part of your record for tracking purposes.

You should have been advised to AVOID lifting Heavy Weights. Most patients are told to reduce the weight and increase repetitions. For the first several weeks / months, you should have been advised to limit any lifting / pulling / pushing to 5 or 10 lbs MAXIMUM with a schedule for SLOWLY increasing your allowable loads after 6 weeks.

 

[Karlynn]

Welcome - it sounds like your normal. But don't ever hesitate to call your doctor with questions. That helps them earn the big sum they're paid.