Dwight's Journal

I live at aprox 4500ft elevation. I am 12 weeks post op. I have not experience any issues until this weekend when I went up to aprox 8000'. I climbed 100 stairs twice at that elevation and It took me a day and a halve to recover. I was out of breath and fatigued. I completed my rehab program today and stats were normal. Change in elevation certainly should be a major consideration friends.

Hi friends, I am just curious what others have been told regarding preventative measures and protocols to follow after valve replacement surgery. I know the protocol to follow for all dental procedures as I have been pre medicating for these for the last 10 years. It would seem there should be some common "use and care" guidelines that should be followed to help promote the health and longevity of a prosthetic valve. My AVR valve is a bovine tissue valve. I am 6 weeks post op and feel great except for a possible sinus infection setting in. I normally get these twice a year and usually can get over them with fluids, over the counter meds, and rest. Sometimes I have required a Z-Pack to help me get over them. I know I should have asked my cardiologist or surgeon about this, but who can keep track of all the questions that go thru our minds during this journey. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

5 weeks post op and my cardio rehab started today. I am excited to get this part of recovery started with the monitoring as I was concerned I was over-doing it on my own and will be more comfortable being supervised. I Had follow-ups yesterday and the day before with my cardiologist and primary care physician and blood work and EKG all showed normal. My post op ECHO is scheduled for February. I finished all my post op meds yesterday with nothing being refilled by my cardiologist. I was expecting to have to take Metoprolol for a while longer, but the cardiologist didn't feel it was necessary (I was taking 12.5mg once a day). My diastolic pressure did run high today at rehab and the nurses will evaluate this to determine if the Metoprolol RX needs to be reconsidered.

Sorry for the delay. Surgery went very well. Valve repair resulted in aortic stenosis, so the valve was replaced. 2 days in ICU, 3 days in telemetry then discharged. Pain level was not as bad as I expected. I was off all narcotic pain meds prior to discharge. I was considered indepenant in telemetry, able to walk and move around on my own with one chest tube still in. H and H was low when discharged and bowels are pretty much back to normal. Today was my surgical follow-up and everyone is impressed with my recovery (including me). I can't thank everyone enough for your prayers and support. I will continue to update and pray for everyone taking this journey.

I found out just over a month ago It is time to fix my bicuspid Aortic valve. My heart shows signs of growth. I have always looked for swelling in my feet and signs of fatigue. Swelling was never a problem. I probably have been in denial about fatigue, but who can blame me. I am a parent of twin sons age 17, and my job demands 55-60 hours of my time during the week. Nontheless, I am scheduled for surgery next week 11/2/16. I feel I am mentally and physically ready to take care of this.