mtb-charlie
Member
HI Dan. I will be having the same procedure next month. How did the procedure go? Did the surgeon do the procedure to fix your valve?
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Hi mtb-Charlie , I had the David’s procedure but unfortunately it failed a few months later due to prolapse of the right coronary cusp on my natural valve,so 10 months later I had a mechanical valve fitted. I was just unlucky I suppose as my surgeon is highly regarded. All the best for your surgery Paul
mtb-charlie
Member
Thank you Paul for the response. I am hoping that in my case the Davids procedure will be a success and I won't have to be cracked open again.
It will be a success mate and all the best for the future
Still Ticking
Member
I am now over 8 months out since minimally invasive OHS to repair mitral and tricuspid valves and thought I would add some data to this. First, the only new med I am on since surgery is 12.5 mg of metoprolol per day, other than that nothing has changed since before surgery.
Years before surgery: Experienced very occasional migraine with aura, maybe once every few years starting in my 40's. Auras always started with a small blind spot in my vision, followed by crescent shaped ring of flashing geometric lights well illustrated in an earlier post. This lasts about 20 minutes followed by nausea and sometime confusion and headache lasting for a few hours.
More Recently in my 60s before OHS: Started to have more frequent events, maybe monthly or more. I am wondering now if this is somehow related to my deteriorating heart valve performance? After keeping a diary and eliminating different possible causes - sleep, diet, activity, etc. I am now convinced my "trigger" for these events is light - and in particular blue light.
Since having OHS at age 68: Since having OHS, I now have auras much more frequently (as often as twice a week), but the good news is they don't seem to manifest themselves into the nausea / headache phase. I have stopped taking medications for them, and usually just sit them out if need be depending on what I am doing for about 20 minutes and they pass. I believe the severity of the actual auras themselves seem to be diminishing with time (not so visually dramatic), and they are bilateral as I can close either eye and the aura image is still there. I have golfed, lifted weights, etc while having them which gives you an idea that they are not so severe. Hopefully they will continue to diminish, and the trigger again seems to be blue light.
Years before surgery: Experienced very occasional migraine with aura, maybe once every few years starting in my 40's. Auras always started with a small blind spot in my vision, followed by crescent shaped ring of flashing geometric lights well illustrated in an earlier post. This lasts about 20 minutes followed by nausea and sometime confusion and headache lasting for a few hours.
More Recently in my 60s before OHS: Started to have more frequent events, maybe monthly or more. I am wondering now if this is somehow related to my deteriorating heart valve performance? After keeping a diary and eliminating different possible causes - sleep, diet, activity, etc. I am now convinced my "trigger" for these events is light - and in particular blue light.
Since having OHS at age 68: Since having OHS, I now have auras much more frequently (as often as twice a week), but the good news is they don't seem to manifest themselves into the nausea / headache phase. I have stopped taking medications for them, and usually just sit them out if need be depending on what I am doing for about 20 minutes and they pass. I believe the severity of the actual auras themselves seem to be diminishing with time (not so visually dramatic), and they are bilateral as I can close either eye and the aura image is still there. I have golfed, lifted weights, etc while having them which gives you an idea that they are not so severe. Hopefully they will continue to diminish, and the trigger again seems to be blue light.
My surgery was similar: minimally invasive mitral valve repair (though not tricuspid). Starting 18 years before my surgery, I had optical migraines as @Still Ticking describes, but just the 20-minute visual disturbance, with no nausea or headache. These occurred once or twice a year.
Since my surgery (over nine years ago), the frequency has increased to once or twice a month. Still no nausea or headache, so I'm grateful.
Since my surgery (over nine years ago), the frequency has increased to once or twice a month. Still no nausea or headache, so I'm grateful.
I am just over 3 weeks post AVR surgery, my 3rd replacement and this time is mechanical - St Jude. While in the hospital I started having very small migraines with the vision aura and very minor headache’s to follow. Since being home, I have been getting up to several a day again, very mild and short lasting. Prior to surgery I was taking 80mg of propranolol. After surgery while in the hospital I was taking 20mg of propranolol daily, it was changed due to bp being low, I think that’s what they said. Anyway, when I got home my cardiologist started me on 60mg and for about 2 weeks I have been continuing getting the migraines and he said go back to 80 mg of propranolol, he thought this might help and also said they are not familiar with migraines after heart valve surgery. So today is 1st day back on 80mg and yes, 1 migraine so far. I hope this passes because this is getting frustrating. Besides this craziness, I feel great and recovering just fine !
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
just wondering, are you taking Aspirin? Because that helped me with significantly reducing those visual disturbances
Me too. In fact when I was only on aspirin, pre surgery (325 mg a day) I could often tell if I missed a dose because I would get an aura.
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
So far I'm doing ok on half a 300mg every other day.
In the past if I had an aura coming on (usually started just out of the center of vision and would evolve outwards in one direction or another) I found a a nip of spirits would help ... of course I can't do that at work ;-)
My sister (who does get the migraine pain and nausea sadly) takes an aspirin and downs a Coke for the caffeine. Little more work friendly.
