Colin's Journal

This is my one week anniversary. My surgery was on Feb 13, 2018. I am back at home after my mitral valve repair. I also ended up with a bypass (CABG +1) as well. I feel very well, just tired & fatigued, and very little anxiety, It was not completely smooth. I developed Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) 2 days after surgery. The drugs to get my heart rate down from the AFib left me feeling faint when I stood up. Tweaking the drugs has worked well. My heart rate and blood pressure are back in the normal range now. Diarrhea verses constipation was an issue for me. My message for people going into surgery is that there maybe some tough days when you take a step backwards in order to move forward. Stay positive! Since being home, every day has been an improvement. I am expecting more days when I will have a day(s) when I will have a step back. But with a lot of support from family and friends, I am trying to commit to being positive. MIsc: Pain has not been bad for me. I have been very lucky in that reguard. Also my taste buds had been changed after the surgery, but has slowly come back. Things that should taste sweet mainly taste different, and not in a good way. I think that the nasal ointment used per op and post op might be the reason. Stay as positive as you can. You will get through this! Thanks Colin

I am 56 years old, and having a my mitral valve repaired Feb 13, 2018. (Hopefully it will be a repair and not a replacement.) A murmur was detected about 2 years ago. The echo showed it to be mild to moderate MVR. So I was given no restrictions at that time. I went back for my annual echo in Nov 2017 and the MVR had become severe. I had a TEE to confirm. Prior to the Nov echo, since Sept 2017 I was feeling a lot of anxiety, fatigue, and light headiness. These were (are) my symptoms. I have gotten a lot of hope and comfort from reading other patients posts. So I wanted to start posting hoping I can do the same for someone else.