Hi All - Today is 1-year from my Mitral Valve Replacement (mechanical). I’m ticking like a watch but have more energy and stamina than before the operation. ...Read more
Hi All - Today is 1-year from my Mitral Valve Replacement (mechanical). I’m ticking like a watch but have more energy and stamina than before the operation. Good luck to all! It’s a long strange road back to “normal” but you’ll get there. You will find it’s truly amazing what you’re able to endure. I wish you all nothing but the best. Kudos to Adam for starting this site! It was so helpful for me last year!! And today I walked 18-holes of golf and hardly thought about my heart. Much love to everyone!
Diane Esposito Great post, thanks! That’s what I’m hoping for!
Happy 1 year Anniversary Adam!
Glad you're doing well.
Peace and blessings to you and your family!
Stay positive all! It’s not always easy but it will get better over time. Just focus on getting better every day. Happy to share my experience with anyone ...Read more
Stay positive all! It’s not always easy but it will get better over time. Just focus on getting better every day. Happy to share my experience with anyone that wants to talk through any of it. I’m 16-week post-op mechanical mitral valve. 36 years old. I for sure have youth on my side but having life-changing surgery is never without it’s challenges. I feel fortunate. Absolute best wishes to all of you in this journey. You will be surprised at what you can handle. Humans are naturally resilient. Process it all one day at a time and be patient with your recovery. And massive thanks to Adam Pick for building this community. It’s been a huge help for me. Take Care All!
Still on the recovery road but starting to feel a little closer to normal. Had a run of Tachycardia (SVT 200+ bpm) 10-days ago that put me in the ER. Not fun ...Read more
Still on the recovery road but starting to feel a little closer to normal. Had a run of Tachycardia (SVT 200+ bpm) 10-days ago that put me in the ER. Not fun but evidently not life threatening. They put me on metropolol finally and that seems to stabilize my rate. My heart rate at rest is slowly coming down currently in the low 80s. Hoping to get it back down to my original rate of 68. All in all I’m feeling pretty fortunate at the 6-week mark. I tend to walk 7-10k steps per day. Can now play golf again and pick-up my kids thanks to the minimally invasive procedure. I tend to sleep a decent 7-hours a night and can finally sleep on my side again!!!! I’m saying all this not to brag but just to let all of you know that time really does heal. Whether your recovery time is 6-weeks or 12-weeks or more you really will feel better and “back to normal” with time. Im still waiting for “normal” but now at least I can see glimpses of what normal will look like. Life will be different forever but not so different that I won’t be able to do the things I enjoy. My cardiologist cleared me to play golf again, go camping again, pick up my kids, etc. Light at the end of the tunnel!! Hope the best for all of you in this process. Please reach out if needed.
Readmitted to the hospital with a low INR. Basically hanging out here for 2-3 days. INRs are tricky especially in the beginning. Since I was here they did an ...Read more
Readmitted to the hospital with a low INR. Basically hanging out here for 2-3 days. INRs are tricky especially in the beginning. Since I was here they did an echocardiogram and a CT scan to make sure the low INR didn’t create any problems with the new valve. Waiting on those results. Watching a lot of Netflix today. I am still having regular (but manageable) light headedness when walking...like I just stepped off a boat. I’m only on Tylenol and an evening Adivan to help with sleeping. The clicking of the valve is loud and constant but less irritating than I thought it would be.
Anna Jones Feel better, Adam. I'm sure your INR will be at the right level soon
Nikki Escue Hi Adam. Welcome to the battle of the INR levels. That seems to be a big topic on here right now. ... Read more
Nikki Escue Hi Adam. Welcome to the battle of the INR levels. That seems to be a big topic on here right now. I, myself am dealing with low levels 2 months after AR & MR surgery. Sorry to hear they put you back in the hospital because it. I sincerely hope that your tests come back ok and your INR comes up so you can go home. The clicking is loud but over time you won't pay attention to it. Hang in there. God Bless 🙏🏻
Rita Savelis Sorry to hear of your troubles Adam. INR is tricky and alas it can take time (weeks, months) for some ... Read more
Rita Savelis Sorry to hear of your troubles Adam. INR is tricky and alas it can take time (weeks, months) for some to get their levels stable. This is normal, but a pain.
I was in hospital for a month after OHS and I think it took that amount of time for my INR to get where it needed to be.
The last time I had surgery (non heart related) I had to stop anticoagulants for a few days and then it took 2 weeks to get my level back up. I hung around in hospital for those 2 weeks on an IV of heparin. What a drag! But now that's the past.
So I hear you. It's all hard. So enjoy Netflix while you're there....! And put a pillow on your chest when the ticking bugs you.
Phyllis Petersen Hopefully, they can get you leveled out and on your way to full recovery.
Kelly Stoll Hi Adam. Hang in there and sit back/enjoy some Netflix. Sorry you have to go back in but good to know ... Read more
Kelly Stoll Hi Adam. Hang in there and sit back/enjoy some Netflix. Sorry you have to go back in but good to know they are keeping a close eye on you. You'll get there with the INR and the ticking will get quieter in time. Keep your chin up and happy healing.
Adam Boyadjis Home now. Thanks for the support. The light headedness is still there but the tests all came back ste ... Read more
Adam Boyadjis Home now. Thanks for the support. The light headedness is still there but the tests all came back stellar so I would guess it’s just my body getting used to the new rhythm / flow of everything. I was told I may have been pushing myself too hard.
I’ve been home for 4-days after my mechanical mitral valve replacement and am just using Tylenol now for pain control. More than 48-hours without opiates. ...Read more
I’ve been home for 4-days after my mechanical mitral valve replacement and am just using Tylenol now for pain control. More than 48-hours without opiates. However I’m only sleeping 4-5 hours / night and have a heartbeat that is steadily rising each day. Resting rate today is 99 bpm. I also have a wobbly light-headed feeling when I’m up walking around. No shortness of breath, still managing 4,000 - 5,000 steps / day but not a great feeling. Does anyone have suggestions for this? Is this normal? When can I expect it to subside? My docs seem unconcerned. They did not put me on Metoporol post-op due to a minor 1st degree AV block. Wish you all the best. This is not easy but I feel fortunate for where I’m at. Any info on the above is helpful. Thank - Adam
Adam Boyadjis Also having occasional ocular migraines.
Marie Myers Wondering if your heart beats seems irregular. Any chance you are in Afib? That could account for th ... Read more
Marie Myers Wondering if your heart beats seems irregular. Any chance you are in Afib? That could account for the lousy feeling. If you checked in with your docs, then you are probably okay. My heart rate was high for a week or so, but gradually came down. I was pretty tired and fairly short of breath for a week to ten days after surgery. I felt better as my hemoglobin (blood count) came up. As far as sleeping goes, I did not sleep well for months. Once I started feeling better and napping less in the day, my nighttime sleep improved. I had ocular migraines every day for months after surgery. They gradually subsided, but it took months to improve. Hoping you start to feel better soon. It is a huge surgery, so be patient with yourself. Recovery is a slow process.
Rita Savelis It is still so very very early for you. It's a rare person who feels great after surgery. Most of us ... Read more
Rita Savelis It is still so very very early for you. It's a rare person who feels great after surgery. Most of us don't sleep well and feel weak and tired and our hearts beat faster for awhile. This is due to the trauma the heart and body experienced during surgery. It can take days or weeks or months to feel more energy and feel less weak and have your heart beat stabilise. This is all normal and I'm sorry you have to go through this. It's hard. Doctors will tell you that you are okay because your surgery has been a success even if these after effects are the norm that you have to go through.
Wishing you some rest and more strength in the weeks to come.
Rose Madura Hope you feel better soon. Take your time getting well. It will take time to feel better. And don' ... Read more
Rose Madura Hope you feel better soon. Take your time getting well. It will take time to feel better. And don't try to do too much. Sleeping will get better with time.
Adam Boyadjis Thank you all for the words of encouragement. I really appreciate it. I am not a patient person so th ... Read more
Adam Boyadjis Thank you all for the words of encouragement. I really appreciate it. I am not a patient person so this will be a struggle for me. It’s great to hear how ‘normal’ my symptoms are. I took an Adivan last night and slept 8-hours. Was in a better mindset today but still weak and wobbly. I imagine the equilibrium challenge is just my body readjusting to a better heartbeat. I have a sinus rhythm with tachycardia. No A-Fib which I’m thankful for. I’m still hoping that it starts getting in the next few days. Thanks again for the encouragement - Adam
Glad you're doing well.
Peace and blessings to you and your family!