Surgery is behind me...home, alive, grateful

[Juliemoon]

Hi. Just had AVR on Friday, Feb 17, and wondering if anyone could help me with a couple questions. First, my heart is pounding much harder and faster than before. My heat rate before surgery was about 65-70. Now it's about 92, and if I walk around about 110-120. Sometimes 130. I'm wondering if this big of a difference is normal.
Question 2: Has anyone had trouble with Lopressor/metoprolol? Every time I take it I get dizzy/light headed/pounding heart rate/nausea/weak. Also trouble sleeping. They are giving me 25 mg twice a day. I have always had a very low BP, and never could take anything which lowered it. It happens about an hour and a half after I take it and lasts for about 20-40 minutes.

 

[Paleowoman]

I'm glad you are at home now ! Do make sure you see your GP to get your meds adjusted. When I got home from surgery I had an appointment with my GP who took me off some meds and who changed others. He also did blood tests - my sodium levels were going too low which was affecting my BP and other things. He and another doctor were life savers for me. All the best, Anne

 

[pellicle]

Hi

welcome to this side

First, my heart is pounding much harder and faster than before. My heat rate before surgery was about 65-70. Now it's about 92, and if I walk around about 110-120. Sometimes 130. I'm wondering if this big of a difference is normal.

can't say if its "normal" but its what I experienced ... I have read that "the heart does not like to be touched" and that it takes time to settle down.


I started traiing my heart by deep breathing. I found that by breathing in as deep as possible and holding it my HR would slow down. I'd hold it for a few more beats (so that the heart would get the message) and after a while I found it was going down.

I think I was something like 120 just after surgery ... I also found that for the first year after that any booze would send my HR higher ... it was depressing because I was worried that I'd be unable to enjoy the red wines that I had been all my adult life before.

Happily I can report that after some years its returned to pretty much what it was before surgery.

Do walks, and do the stuff you need to. Takes time for your heart to realised it's not needed to work as hard to push that blood around anymore.

Mine is currently around 60 when I wake up ...

Question 2: Has anyone had trouble with Lopressor/metoprolol? Every time I take it I get dizzy/light headed/pounding heart rate/nausea/weak.

hated it ... couldn't wait to be off it.

Sending good thoughts your way ... remember ... steps ... not leaps ... small steps all the time and you'll get there.

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its a journey not a race ;-)

 

[cldlhd]

My resting heart rate is normally in the high 50's to low 60's. Post surgery it was often in the high 80's. I'm 2 years out and it's been back to normal longer than I remember. Glad you made it through. The tough parts over , things should start to settle out over time.

 

[bugchucker]

Hi Juliemoon, congraulations on a successful surgery and welcome to your next journey! What an exciting time, though I understand the apprehension that comes with it. My recovery was similar, at times it felt as if my heart were beating out of my chest. I'd panic, and of course make it worse, call the doc...I understand that opening the pericardium kind of removes one layer of "insulation" making the heart beat seem more intense or loud. I'm probably butchering the science here, but it makes sense to me. You will get used to it, 9 years later I still get the pounding sensation. I monitor my heart rate and BP pretty close and since it stabilized both have been fairly consistent. My resting heart rate right after surgery was in the 90's like you described and would increase very rapidly during my walks. I bought a heart rate monitor to use during my walks and learned what my body felt like at different rates so that I don't really need it anymore. Very normal, but probably alarming for us all at first. Good luck on a speedy recovery.

Phil

 

[Heart Of The Sunrise]

Juliemoon: I had the same issue with metoprolol... the dosage was cut in half and I now take 25 mg twice a day. It was 50mg.

 

[George in Denver]

Congratulations, JulieMoon. Am guessing about now you're feeling like you have the flu (weak, general discomfort, achy all over---my back was the worst, very easily winded). But those symptoms melt away gradually, one by one, so that you will find yourself thinking, "Hey, I haven't had that pain/symptom for a few days now..." You just have to be patient--and reach out to folks on this forum whenever something is bothering you. For me, the post-surgery anxiety over symptoms was worse than the symptoms themselves. Re: lopressor--I had a bad bronchial reaction, coughing uncontrollably (not pleasant right after heart surgery). I told my docs, and they took me off it. If you google the drug, you'll find many similar reports. Good luck!

 

[DachsieMom]

I have low blood pressure. It was 100/60 before surgery. After surgery, on 25 mg metraprolol, it was down to 70/50 sometimes, and never seemed to get much above 80. My hands also peeled horribly and were very painful, so they took me off of it.

 

[Juliemoon]

Thanks so much everyone. Finally heard word back from the hospital, and they cut the dose in half. That helped tremendously. My INR was also being checked every 2 days, and my cardiologist wanted a specific range. It was 2.2, and they wanted it higher. Then they disappeared on me. Called the hospital, but it's Mardi Gras holiday here in LA, so not even the home health nurses are around. It's pretty funny that they were so adamant about the time frame, but now I can go 6 days b/c it's Carnival time!
George, yes, the back pain is no fun at all. Nor is the chest pain. I had refused most of the pain meds in the hospital, so I only came home with Ultram. I take it only once a day b/c it keeps me up at night. So it's just Tylenol, which never did much for me, and honestly isn't cutting it lately. Pain gets worse at night. (I came home after 5 days and went straight to my bed, no recliner...) But I've admittedly done too much too fast.
Paleowoman, I didn't know how to delete, and so I edited to this. I'll repost it for you. Yes, it was sounding negative and I have been a bit blue.

 

[jwinter]

Juliemoon, it is good to see your post. Boy did I ever have the same problems you had with metoprolol! I took no pain meds until 3 or 4 days post surgery when the surgical drugs must have worn off. Codeine irritates my stomach also and was the only thing that helped. I tried tramadol and others with no relief. It was a roller coaster for awhile.

By the time I went home I was begging them to get off the metoprolol but had to take a few more days so I rode home in our pickup, never stopped for anything but fueling up, and dragged my vomiting butt in the door! They finally got me some patch that I put behind my ear that stopped the retching! I was so glad when I got off it a few days later.

I am one that has low blood pressure and pulse so did not have any problems with either. I did have hair loss for awhile and my skin peeled just about all over.

Good news is that most of these issues eventually subside but always remember you are your own best advocate and get on the phone if you have to and don't stop until you get the answers you need.

Take care and better days ahead.

 

[Paleowoman]

Paleowoman, I didn't know how to delete, and so I edited to this. I'll repost it for you. Yes, it was sounding negative and I have been a bit blue.

I see you have reposted it now as a new thread. I'll edit my post above and repost what I wrote in your new thread as my post above doesn't make sense to anyone who didn't read your original post !