Corliss Johnson - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

2137 days ago

Corliss Johnson I finally had aortic valve replacement Nov 7th 2018 at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Unfortunately I had complications due to having asthma, ...Read more

Corliss Johnson I finally had aortic valve replacement Nov 7th 2018 at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Unfortunately I had complications due to having asthma, copd and having taken prednisone to clear up bronchitis episodes. I knew prednisone was a drug with many side affects but it also caused a tear on the backside of my heart and my throat to be restrictive when they were intubating me. I ended up going back into surgery 3 times because of the lung issues. I hesitated to even post this because my surgery was not the usual. But now I'm almost 3 months post op. I was in the hospital 3 weeks and then rehab just under 3 weeks. I'm doing better all the time. Trying to build up endurance because I do wear out easily. I started this post a month ago. My energy level has not improved hardly at all. I am anemic, have been taking iron for 2 weeks. I'm having in home pt 2x a week. Have been for 3 weeks. I want to go to cardiac rehab soon, but I worry about how weak I feel. Anyone else experience anything like this? Also, my cardiologist said I suffered symptoms of psychotic anesthesia the first 3-4 days after surgery. The hallucinating was terrifying. Due to that my Dr has recommended treatment for ptsd. I think these symptoms are unusual, but would sure like to know if anyone else had anything like this. The hear surgery was successful, but I didnt expect the side effects.

Valerie Herndon-Vitarella Sorry to hear you had so many complications. Your body has been through so much! Hoping you get your ... Read more

Valerie Herndon-Vitarella Sorry to hear you had so many complications. Your body has been through so much! Hoping you get your strength back soon!

Shannon Gray I am so sorry about the complications... but thankful there has been improvement. Day by day, week by ... Read more

Shannon Gray I am so sorry about the complications... but thankful there has been improvement. Day by day, week by week. I had a difficult recovery, as well. Sometimes reading posts about others who jumped back in and experienced no set backs can be difficult to read, but you are on your path and need to do what’s important for you.

Susan Lynn Corliss - You truly are a warrior! I am sorry you had to endure so much. Feeling exhausted is comp ... Read more

Susan Lynn Corliss - You truly are a warrior! I am sorry you had to endure so much. Feeling exhausted is completely normal after surgery, but you will slowly get stronger. You've been through many complications, but you will start to see improvement in recovery. When you are able, go to cardiac rehab, the emotional support can be as helpful as the physical workout. Don't lose your enthusiasm. There are so many wonderful experiences ahead. ❤

Vicki Zimbric I’m so sorry the side affect kind of blind sided you!! I have the same symptoms! The exhaustion ... Read more

Vicki Zimbric I’m so sorry the side affect kind of blind sided you!! I have the same symptoms! The exhaustion is indescribable!! I knew I’d be tired, but this is ‘stop in your tracks’ exhaustion!! Keep going.....they say it is temporary! I guess we have to trust the experts!

Dan Baltazor Hopefully your hard complications are behind you and you can start to heal. One day at a time.

Corliss Johnsonposted an update

2302 days ago

I haven't had my aortic valve replacement surgery yet but I did have a question. If all goes smoothly, how long would I need someone at my house to help me? ...Read more

I haven't had my aortic valve replacement surgery yet but I did have a question. If all goes smoothly, how long would I need someone at my house to help me? I'm assuming right at first you do need some help. Thank you.

Judy Shaw Hi Corliss. My husband is retired so he was here with me everyday. He did all the cleaning, cooking a ... Read more

Judy Shaw Hi Corliss. My husband is retired so he was here with me everyday. He did all the cleaning, cooking and laundry. I needed help with just opening a water bottle. The first 6 weeks you will have a weight limit. Mine was no lifting over 10 pounds. Personally I would think depending on your progress you would need someone to fix meals for you and light housework more the first couple weeks. At 4 weeks I was driving but still had discomfort.
Your cardiology staff will help answer this for you. There are people on here who have had been in this situation and can answer better than me. I hope you get some answers.

Rose Madura Hi Corliss. I agree with Judy to discuss with your doctors. My husband was with me the whole time s ... Read more

Rose Madura Hi Corliss. I agree with Judy to discuss with your doctors. My husband was with me the whole time so thankfully, I didn't have to worry about this. I would say to have someone stay with you at all times until you are confident you'll be ok. Think of your own comfort level and try to pre-plan as well. Freeze meals for later, stock up on non perishable food - some Insure to get your protein. Move things that are high reaching to a lower place temporarily. You will also be offered home health care so I'd take advantage of that if your insurance will cover it. Best wishes for a great outcome.

Anita Edmonds Hi Corliss. You will probably need someone to help you the first 2-3 weeks at least part time and lik ... Read more

Anita Edmonds Hi Corliss. You will probably need someone to help you the first 2-3 weeks at least part time and like Rose said until you feel confident about being alone. You will be very tired in the beginning and take a lot of naps. Things I needed help with were: driving to appointments, lifting items, taking out the garbage, fix meals and stock the freezer with light meals for later, running to the store for milk, getting the mail and other errands. Using a hand held shower worked well from the beginning and there were no issues with the bathroom. I requested home health from my case manager and PA but was told I did not qualify, due to my care was considered custodial I was not sick enough. My insurance company would have approved the service but not without a Dr s order. Thank god, my daughter was willing to travel from Europe on her vacation to help out. AZ is a hard sell in the summertime... If you have more questions please ask, the aftercare was my biggest worry. Good luck to you!

Corliss Johnson Here it is approx 6 months since I first logged into this website at a friend's recommendation. I fin ... Read more

Corliss Johnson Here it is approx 6 months since I first logged into this website at a friend's recommendation. I finally had aortic valve replacement Nov 7th 2018 at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Unfortunately I had complications due to having asthma, copd and having taken prednisone to clear up bronchitis episodes. I knew prednisone was a drug with many side affects but it also caused a tear on the backside of my heart and my throat to be restrictive when they were intubating me. I ended up going back into surgery 3 times because of the lung issues.
I hesitated to even post this because my surgery was not the usual. But now I'm almost 2 months post op. I was in the hospital 3 weeks and then rehab just under 3 weeks. I'm doing better all the time. Trying to build up endurance because I do wear out easily. The worst side effect is I can't get more than 3 hours of sleep a night. It's very broken sleep. Anyone else experience that? I look forward to getting stronger.