Success story

[clay_from_nj]

It's okay Pellicle, you're probably just getting out of balance from working your pecs so much and not doing enough for your lats and rotator cuffs. Do more rows and YTLW flys along with your hundreds of pushups and you should be okay. Just keep working those pecs so that you can be like this guy:

 

[Deborah C]

My valve choice

My valve choice

clay_from_nj: after a lot of back and forth, I've decided on the tissue valve. While I am not fond of the idea of going through surgery again, my cardiologist and surgeon both seem pretty confident that by the time I need another that it will be percutaneously (catheter replacement), especially at the age of 55 or 60 when that happens. Granted, the odd thing is that the younger you are, the shorter your tissue valve will last, so I do have replacement (at least 2 most likely) in my future.

My cardiologist, who I like very much and trust, said she'd choose a tissue valve herself. She, and my aunt, who is an ER doctor, both feel that while yes you can manage warfarin, it is VERY potent and my aunt said as a doctor she hates when people come through the ER on warfarin, because it complicates treatment by a lot. She said she would not want anyone to have to be on warfarin and if I have a choice I should avoid it, especially at the 'young' age of 45. I am very active - I workout, ballroom dance, hike, love the outdoors. I mentioned to her that people seem to manage it okay - and her reply was "sure it can be managed, but so can shingles, and I wouldn't want either one!"

I am trusting that the future holds better options and believe a tissue valve is the right choice for me, especially with my age and active lifestyle.

 

[bluefields409]

I just wanted to say that apart from all the great details in this one thing stood out


for ages the tendency to stoop had to be fought at a conscious level. I put it down to the way my scar "settled" into a shape created by sitting or lying, and you need to stretch it (or the rest of your body will suffer).

After my debridement surgeries I still find (yes, more than a year later) that if I sit for a while I have to stretch straight or I'll stoop a bit.

Like the lady says "Stand up Straight"

Greaaaattttt...now I have the Paula Abdul song "Straight Up" on the brain......:biggrin2:

 

[Deborah C]

Where I am having surgery

Where I am having surgery

My choice of a mechanical valve was for reasons similar to MrsBray's. I have been through CHF, dealt with the decline and the drugs, and absolutely did not want to go through that again. I'm sure that many people get some warning of their bio valve nearing the end of its useful service without suffering, but I did not want to take my chances with that route: just fix it once and for all. My advice would be that whatever valve is the best for you, don't wait too long to get it done.

Deborah C - Where are you going?

clay_from_nj: sorry, I just realized your "where are you going" question probably pertained to my doc and hospital, not my valve choice. :smile2: my surgeon, who is quite highly rated (thank goodness) is Dr. John Mehall; my surgery will be at Penrose/St. Francis Hospital in Colorado Springs. I understand they have a great heart team there. I have a co-worker who just had mitral valve surgery and repair of his aortic root; he is two weeks out and was very impressed and pleased by both Dr. Mehall and the entire Penrose team. Good news for me as my surgery is July 11th.

 

[MrsBray]

DAY 365!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No restrictions, no negative lifestyle changes, no issues. Happy, healthy, thankful, grateful. This has been the longest, and shortest, year of my life. I feel very comfortable on these forums, that I can ask ANYTHING (and I have!) and get reasonable answers from others who have already been through the whole process. I asked questions here I was apprehensive of asking my doctor, or worried about bothering my husband with. This was my 'safe place' for clinical advice without all the touchy-feely emotional garbage.

Thank you!

Cake & ice cream for everyone!

 

[pellicle]

Glad to hear its all going well (to plan) MrsBray

Best Wishes

 

[themalteser]

Beautiful, really enjoyed reading your post, so positive!

 

[camgough]

Great to hear and great, detailed post!

 

[DebbyA]

How nice of you to come back and post that update! It doesn't seem like a year to me that you were pretty worried about upcoming surgery. It's good to read how well it turned out.

 

[MrsBray]

I've been browsing other threads, and thought I'd give an update. I'm about 15 months post-op. Last night I was laying in bead reading a book. At the end of the chapter, I laid the book down, took off my (ridiculously thick) glasses, turned out the light, and rolled over. *INSTANTLY* I was wide awake, heartbeat rising, shoving my husband, Honey, HONEY! Guess what??!?!?!!?!"
He sat up real fast (quite the sight with his cPap mask hanging off lop-sided).

"I can lay down, roll over, and go to sleep without any twinges or using any pillows! This is better than Christmas!"

Cue the massive eye-roll. I got a kiss on the forehead, I love you, and he was asleep in about 8 seconds.

This is a big deal to me! Even though I started side-sleeping about a month after surgery, I've had to sue a pillow or my extra-firm Heart Bear to keep my shoulders from curling inward while sleeping. I wasn't having any pain, it just wasn't comfortable. The same for rolling over - I wasn't in any pain, I just felt cumbersome and awkward, like my muscles wouldn't let me easily switch sides. In retrospect, I guess I've been sleeping this "new" old way for a few weeks, but I just realized it last night.

Yesterday I unloaded a pallet of paper reams. The day before I moved 6 cases of binders from the top warehouse shelf to a flatbed, and then into a van. The day before that I carried 3 cases of milk instead of hassling with the hand-truck. NOT A SINGLE TWINGE.

Dr Rovin said it would be about a year before I was healed. I scoffed at about 9 months, "I'm all better now!" And I kept the contrary information inside my head - the twinges I'd feel when picking up one case of milk, the ache in the center of my sternum after sitting in the recliner for an entire movie. The little occasional heart flutters. But now, all that stuff doesn't happen so often anymore. It's been a few months since I rubbed my incision and said, "Wow, my bone in really bothering me today."

The scar still has the ability to itch like a son-of-a-gun every so often, but even that sensation is fading.

So yeah, it's been a year or so for me to settle in to a new normal. I'll never be like I was pre-surgery, THANK GOD! I'm new and improved. Here's the biggest differences pre vs post op:

BEFORE
1. Didn't like kale
2. Don't know how to scuba dive
3. Black out during rollercoasters
4. Too tired to cook dinner
5. Easy to sleep 12 hours at a time
6. Love broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, asperagus
7. Sedentary
8. Bleed when I get a cut, what's PT/INR?
9. Flub-whoooooooshizzle heartbeat 53-58 beats per minute.
10. Atorvastatin, low dose aspirin

AFTER
1. Can't eat kale every day
2. Still can't scuba dive
3. Wide awake, laughing and screaming for multiple rides on my favorite coasters
4. Plenty of energy to cook dinner, but get home too late because I'm working extra jobs and swimming laps before/after work. Eating healthier.
5. Sleep about 5-6 hours a night of good, solid, uninterrupted sleep. Leaves more waking hours for LIFE
6. Eating all the good green stuff several times a week, warfarin be damned! LOL
7. Active. I've worn out 2 pair of sneakers and 2 bathing suits in the past 9 months. I've got this thing called a second chance.
8. Bleed when I get a cut. Don't carry a stopwatch to see if I bleed longer. INR stable at 2.5-3.5, just received letter from On-X reducing range to 1.5-2.5
9. Flub-Dub-TICK 72-78 beats per minute
10. Atorvastatin, low-dose aspirin, warfarin, multivitamin, folic acid.

Each day I get a little bit stronger. This site was invaluable to me. I hope I can pay it forward.

 

[Agian]

Hey, that's great.

 

[MurmurSinceForever]

Hey MrsBray, that's awesome to hear! Thanks for sharing your continued success story. You were an inspiration to me last fall when I was preparing for my surgery, same gender, similar age etc. I am now 6 months past (to the day!) my surgery and in my final week of cardio rehab. I am feeling incredible with my mechanical aortic valve and would call myself healed. But is very good to know that the next 6 months still hold promise of working through these final minor annoyances (itchy incision, minor tenderness of the breastbone, straining chest and armpit muscles after lifting and using arms for gardening, shoveling etc.).
Best wishes for a long and healthy life!