Dawn's Journal

I had my aortic valve replacement in May of 2019. I opted for a mechanical valve due the fact that I'm in my 40's. Since the surgery I feel like my body has not gotten back to normal. I feel like I am still having swelling all over my body. I do not eat hardly any salt. My blood pressure is always around 120/70. The only medication that I take is warfin 5mg and hydroclorothiazide 25mg. Has anyone else had issues with fluid retention like this?

I had my surgery on 5-28-19. There was such a calm over me as I was getting ready to go back. I was at peace with everything and gave my fears over to God with prayers being said for my surgical team and my family. I remember being wheeled back around 1230pm. I had the anointing of the sick from a priest. My family prayed with me before this. The next thing I can remember is waking up in the ICU with the breathing tube in. I was relieved to be waking up but panicked and uncomfortable with the breathing tube. I prayed to take these anxieties away from me so I could calm down until they took the tube out. Thankfully around 11pm they did just that. I remember my husband coming to see me for a minute after they took the breathing tube out. After they took it out all I wanted was ice - I made deals with everyone coming to check my vitals, draw blood, respitory therapy, family, ect. Early the next morning the nurses tried to get me up to the chair. I say tried because unfortunately my blood pressure dropped to 60 so this was a no go. They finally had to give me 2 pints of blood to get my pressure back up. A few hours later they got me up and I wanted to walk. I made it a lap around the ICU and that was my ticket to my own regular room (and finally ice and water)! I spent less than 24 hours in ICU. The wheelchair ride to my own room was very freeing. I also was able to get the catheter out of my bladder and the tube out of my carotid artery - the bandage was pretty annoying but not as much as the tube. At this point I still had 2 chest tubes, a pace maker and a heart monitor all in me or on me. Comfort was NOT an option but it was still manageable. Getting in and out of bed was a little bit of a struggle but I did it. I walked 2 more times (each time further). It got easier each time. I was hoping to get the chest tubes out Thursday but it was a no go due to my platelets being too low. Luckily by Friday the tubes and the pacemaker came out - this was a little scary but it was not really bad. I will say I felt so good after the chest tubes came out (I could breath)! Getting up without the pacemaker and the chest tubes were a lot easier. Next they took me off of the oxygen. My next hurdle was to get my INR levels between 2 - 3. This didn't happen Saturday but thankfully it did on Sunday and I was released. Tge drive home wasn't too bad- I hugged my pillow for dear life. Now i am 8 days post op. I feel really good. My chest is unforgettable and I don't get a lot of sleep at one time. I will say my buttocks hurts from all of the sitting, my back hurts because of the size of my breast (DD) - this puts a lot of pressure on the incision and my shoulders. I would suggest you get a specialty bra beforehand to fit you so it will properly support you if you are like me. I am having to get my INR levels checked week to make sure it regulates - I will have to be on coumadin the rest of my life because of the mechanical valve. A day after surgery I finally found out what issues I really had with my heart. I always thought I had aortic stenosis with a bicuspid valve. However once my surgeon opened me up he found that yes I did have aortic stenosis but I DID NOT have a bicuspid valve. I was actually born with 3 leaflets. Strangely enough at some point in my life I had rhuematic fever that caused serious damage to my leaflets. This was a shock to him because this is not seen very often. I read up that there are about 20,000 cases reported in the US. THAT WAS A SHOCK TO ME!!!

I had my surgery on 5-28-19. There was such a calm over me as I was getting ready to go back. I was at peace with everything and gave my fears over to God with prayers being said for my surgical team and my family. I remember being wheeled back around 1230pm. I had the anointing of the sick from a priest. My family prayed with me before this. The next thing I can remember is waking up in the ICU with the breathing tube in. I was relieved to be waking up but panicked and uncomfortable with the breathing tube. I prayed to take these anxieties away from me so I could calm down until they took the tube out. Thankfully around 11pm they did just that. I remember my husband coming to see me for a minute after they took the breathing tube out. After they took it out all I wanted was ice - I made deals with everyone coming to check my vitals, draw blood, respitory therapy, family, ect. Early the next morning the nurses tried to get me up to the chair. I say tried because unfortunately my blood pressure dropped to 60 so this was a no go. They finally had to give me 2 pints of blood to get my pressure back up. A few hours later they got me up and I wanted to walk. I made it a lap around the ICU and that was my ticket to my own regular room (and finally ice and water)! I spent less than 24 hours in ICU. The wheelchair ride to my own room was very freeing. I also was able to get the catheter out of my bladder and the tube out of my carotid artery - the bandage was pretty annoying but not as much as the tube. At this point I still had 2 chest tubes, a pace maker and a heart monitor all in me or on me. Comfort was NOT an option but it was still manageable. Getting in and out of bed was a little bit of a struggle but I did it. I walked 2 more times (each time further). It got easier each time. I was hoping to get the chest tubes out Thursday but it was a no go due to my platelets being too low. Luckily by Friday the tubes and the pacemaker came out - this was a little scary but it was not really bad. I will say I felt so good after the chest tubes came out (I could breath)! Getting up without the pacemaker and the chest tubes were a lot easier. Next they took me off of the oxygen. My next hurdle was to get my INR levels between 2 - 3. This didn't happen Saturday but thankfully it did on Sunday and I was released. Tge drive home wasn't too bad- I hugged my pillow for dear life. Now i am 8 days post op. I feel really good. My chest is unforgettable and I don't get a lot of sleep at one time. I will say my buttocks hurts from all of the sitting, my back hurts because of the size of my breast (DD) - this puts a lot of pressure on the incision and my shoulders. I would suggest you get a specialty bra beforehand to fit you so it will properly support you if you are like me. I am having to get my INR levels checked week to make sure it regulates - I will have to be on coumadin the rest of my life because of the mechanical valve. A day after surgery I finally found out what issues I really had with my heart. I always thought I had aortic stenosis with a bicuspid valve. However once my surgeon opened me up he found that yes I did have aortic stenosis but I DID NOT have a bicuspid valve. I was actually born with 3 leaflets. Strangely enough at some point in my life I had rhuematic fever that caused serious damage to my leaflets. This was a shock to him because this is not seen very often. I read up that there are about 20,000 cases reported in the US. THAT WAS A SHOCK TO ME!!!