Weight Gain and Arthritis After Valve Replacement

[rich01]

I had TAVR, so the antibiotics I was given are probably different than those given to surgical patients, but I'm thinking there is likely a similarity of results.

Has anyone gained significant weight after valve replacement? About 2 weeks after my valve replacement, I suddenly became hungry all the time. I would get a sensation in my stomach that was similar to hunger and if I ate a lot of food, it would go away, for a little while.

I thought it was from Plavix, as I didn't have the problem before Plavix. After 6 months I was able to stop Plavix, but I still get the feeling in my stomach. My weight has crept up 35 lbs since last November. I have tried repeatedly to lose weight and been unsuccessful. I am 2 days into my diet and need to stick to it this time, but don't have any reason to think it will be any different from the last several tries.

This morning I had an idea. Could it be that the antibiotics used could have "messed up" my gut biome? I also found an article that showed heparin caused weight gain in rats. So I'm curious if others have experienced stomach problems or weight gain after valve replacement. I'm going to try rebuilding my gut biome and see if that makes a difference.

Another thing that happened coincidentally is severe arthritic pain in knees and hips. Again, I thought it was related to Plavix, but the pain didn't go away after stopping it. I had also stopped taking fish oil during the time I was on Plavix and restarted after I stopped Plavix. It helped slightly, but the arthritic pain is severe now and only mild discomfort before valve replacement.

Anyone have a similar experience?

 

[tom in MO]

I have had no similar experience. My weight did not rise after surgery. It dropped a little due to more activity and cardio rehab.

However, I would suggest that gaining weight in response to trauma is a pretty typical human response, especially when the trauma reduces your activity.

More problems with arthritis after gaining 35lbs is to be expected especially with knees and hips. If you are less active, this also exacerbates arthritis.

I find the more I move, the more it hurts, but the more I can move. Sitting more and being less active due to your heart surgery can be bad for you especially the hips and back. I found that certain chairs are worse than others. I do my cardio rehab exercises in the morning and this helps my agility throughout the day. Stretching routinely to address certain problems (e.g. back) can be helpful too. I try to move at least every 60 min for about 5 min.

 

[rich01]

I am just as active now as before valve replacement, so it's not activity. And the arthritis started within a few weeks of TAVR. Antibiotics was one idea, but with TAVR a catheter is inserted into femoral artery. Maybe that has something to do with it. Or maybe the Plavix and aspirin caused a stomach problem.

 

[user 16827]

I think you might be on the right track with your gut.

your leptin and ghrelin hormones could be out of whack, look into how and where they are produced

If you are getting hunger signals but have eaten then something is affecting the signalling

 

[rich01]

About 3 weeks after my OP, my stomach problem went away along with the incessant hunger. I was able to get back on the diet I was following last year with no problem - no cravings, no hunger.

The problem started right after I had TAVR and lasted for 9 months. It was very noticeable when the problem went away because I suddenly had to tell myself when it was time to eat. All I came up with was possibly the vagus nerve was affected by the TAVR procedure or Plavix caused the stomach problem and it took a few months after stopping it for my stomach to heal.

 

[Amy]

I’m 2 years post-op and have had daily constant arthritis-like pains for 4 months, in bones of the pelvis, (front & back) arms, hands, feet, toes, hips... They seem to be increasing, and are especially triggered by certain foods, like cheese or sugar. I’m only 42, and was perfectly healthy pre-op... I didn’t sustain any injuries immediately prior to the pain starting.

Could the damage of sawing through the sternum and ribs have caused this? Has anyone else experienced something similar post-op?

I haven’t gained any weight, and am pretty active - at least I’m the only person in my neighborhood who ventures outside for a walk a couple times a day. Is aiming for 10,000 steps a day not ambitious enough?

I plan to be more consistent about yoga/Pilates/load-bearing exercises from now on. My diet now is basically romaine, roasted carrots or zucchini, blueberries lemon juice, chicken (I even stopped being a vegetarian because of this!!) - just trying not to eat anything inflammatory... Any other suggestions/thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[oo0My_Valve0oo]

Hi Amy,

Short version: You might have other unrelated health issues.

Long version: I was healthy all my life. I had some early stage arthritis in my fingers and toes I had been aware of it for maybe 10 years but overall I was feeling good and youthful. Then my heart gave out. 1.5 years later an MRI done for a back injury showed arthritis in my spine. I had lingering symptoms heart surgery didn't eliminate. Thought it felt like heart vascular sourced to me and these were the same symptoms which lead me to OHS. But that was just coincidence. I happened to have overlapping symptoms and there was an urgent need to address my heart. However, my initial cardiologist and PCP were not very good. I received new ones in 2023. My new cardiologist said the lingering symptoms do not have traits which would accompany cardiovascular and it sounds like it is nerve related. He did not know I had arthritis in my spine because that was all discovered through my employer's medical team and I did not see the association with my ongoing symptoms.