Rich's Journal

Hi Everyone. Been a while since I last updated this page.  I'm doing well and want to encourage anyone having to go through this.  This is me, 4 days shy of my one year anniversary.  Yes there is life after Valve replacement. 

Hey Ya'll, tomorrow it will be 6 months since getting my new "Pig" valve.
 
I feel very good, everything seems to be back to a pre surgery state.  Since I was pretty much asymptomatic before surgery, this is a good thing.  I'm able to jog and lift weights again, which is great.  
The only lingering issue I have from surgery is the bottom 2" of my scar is still not healing like the upper portion.  I finally had my PC doc check it out, he said I need to see a dermatologist. I have that scheduled for 2 weeks from now.  Hopefully they can get this resolved. 

 I am really Thankful for how this has played out. I pray that everyone on this site will have at least as good of an outcome as I have had.  Hopefully this new valve (and I)  are good for at least ten years now.... The Good LORD Willing.


   


 

Question for the group. I'm now just about 5 months out from surgery. I feel pretty good. been jogging on a treadmill and lifting weights again at the gym. No real problems other than the bottom two inches of my scar are still really raw (red and tender) the upper portion is completely healed and even starting to fade. Has anyone else dealt with this ? Any suggestions

Hi everybody. It's been about a month since my last post and I'm 4 months post op.

I'm feel pretty darn good.  Still some soreness around the chest and solar plexus region, especially first thing in the morning.  The bottom of my scar is still rather raw but other than that no real issues related to the surgery that I can tell.  My cardiologist says I'm doing great. my numbers are steady, though I'm still not totally sure my meds are where I want them.  I'm on Atenolol and Amlodipine, not sure I need to be on both of them.  We'll see.   Still enjoying my afternoon nap ! 

I joined a gym 2 weeks ago and have been doing a lot of treadmill since the weather here has been cold and wet. I've also started doing some weight stuff. So far so good, everything seems to be holding together.  

Hope everyone else is having a good New Year 

God Bless

11 weeks.   All is well.

Did a stress test last Friday.  Everything went very well, my cardio capacity was rated as excellent. Good rhythm the whole time.   
Based on this my cardiologist says I do not need to do rehab. According to him I'm already past what they would have me do. I'm not sure how I feel about that....  Thinking I may join the local gym and do my own rehab for the winter months.  Other than that, my scar is still tender and my chest and back muscles are still a little stiff and sore. My energy levels are pretty good, I'm able to do most everything around the house including projects, as long as I'm careful about how I lift and push. 

It's good to be here for the Christmas Season !


 

TEN WEEKS... Hard to believe.

Feeling really good overall.

BP and Heart rate holding steady 

Energy level is much better. Naps are still welcome, but not as necessary as they were.

Still some soreness around my solar Plexus area and my scar is still pretty tender but other than that no complaints. 

Felt good enough to jog almost a mile on Monday and have started catching up on the "honey do" list around the house.  

Friday I go for a stress test and then hopefully "supervised" rehab.   

Hope you are all having a very Happy Holiday Season.

Nine Weeks ( I know, I totally missed 8. Too much going on with Thanksgiving and house guests) I hope everyone had a Great Holiday.  Those of us post op have a lot to be thankful for.  

Biggest news is my cough has gone away !!! WOO-HOO !

I'm very sore around my solar plexus area. I'm guessing that must be where alot of the muscles tie in and there seems to be some scar tissue that I'm pulling apart. My incision scar is also very tender this last couple weeks, no idea why. Could it be that the nerves are just now coming back to life ? 

I'm doing a lot more stuff around the house. I put up some Christmas lights yesterday and carried in a 50 pound bag of dog food today. It tired me out pretty quickly but everything seems to be healing solidly. I may try a couple push ups this week.  

Lifted a lot of Grandkids last week, lower back sore from that. Man I'm out of shape  

Seven Weeks with my new Piggy valve. 

Feeling pretty good this week. 

My chest is still a little sore, especially around my solar plexus area. I think it's muscle pain  from all the coughing I've been doing.   

My BP & Heart rate are holding steady. 

Still doing at least 2 miles everyday.  This morning I took the dogs with me for the first time since surgery. Since one of them weighs as much as I do, I've been holding off walking him until my chest felt better.   

We all had a good walk, but they were tired when we were done.

I also got to do a little fooling around in my forge this week.  I Still can't swing a hammer yet but I did a little sanding and file work.  It felt good. 

The biggest thing to report this week is I FEEL NORMAL.  I can't really explain it, but mentally I don't have the mental fog or light headedness I've had.  It's subtle but real. 

Next big thing is a stress test on Dec 8th then hopefully rehab.  

SIX WEEKS !

Last week was rough. got a full blown cold (or flu or whatever it's called these days post covid.) Coughing , sneezing , runny nose, feeling run down. (even more run down than normal) . and on top of all that, I got stung by a wasp, on the eyelid, on Halloween. As you can see on the picture, I don't respond well to wasp stings . Hopefully this week will be less eventful.
I'm still coughing a lot, which is keeping my chest sore.
BP is holding steady around 120/ 78, Heart rate is still bouncing around with a resting rate in the 70s.
Still walking 2 miles every day at a sub 18 minute mile pace without getting out of breath. I'm assuming that means my lungs are still clear.


Friday I go see my normal cardiologist, so we'll see what he thinks of all this. Hopefully he clears me for rehab. 


The picture below is the day after the sting, so the swelling has gone down just a little from the night before. I think I looked better coming out of surgery.

5 weeks post, Not much to report

 I think I hit a plateau. feel about the same as last week.  Cough is back.... 

Chest feels pretty good.  Still walking 2+ miles everyday.  Been napping  hard in the afternoon. 

BP down, heart rate up. My "heavy heart beat" is much less than last week.

 Cardiologist appointment next Friday, hopefully rehab after that. 

I had my 1 month follow up with the surgeon on Thursday.  He said everything looks great.  Best part is I can drive again !  

 He also gave me the go ahead to push myself as hard as I want to on my walks... I love this guy !

4 weeks out, hard to believe.

Feeling very good overall.
My cough seems to be getting better.
Appetite is back. I've been eating a lot of protein.  (and sweets...) 
Walked 3 miles yesterday. The weather here in Atlanta is beautiful. Every day is a gift.

Chest is  sore. I've been sleeping more on my side which probably isn't as good as on the back, but I sleep way better on my side, so it's a trade I'm willing to make.  

 BP is down a bit since going back on the Amlodipine.  Heart rate has been pretty stable this week.  
Energy level is still all over the place, but a good hour long nap does wonders. 


I have my follow up appointment with the surgeon on Thursday, I don't anticipate any surprises.

This next couple of weeks is going to be hard. I feel good enough to do things I probably shouldn't, so
I'm going to have to be very careful to not overwork my sternum.  A good problem to have, all things considered.  

Praying for everyone else on this site.  











  

3 Weeks since the big cut.  Feeling really good.

Still have the cough, but got a chest x-ray and the lungs are clear. Primary Doc thinks it's a cold, but put me on Prednisone just in case. 

I walked 2 miles in 39 minutes this morning.  Could have done another but trying not to over do things.  

Food is starting to taste better, so I'm eating more. 

Slept in the bed last two nights. still waking up several times a night but I can usually fall right back to sleep.  

Totally off any pain med. Chest is still tender, especially when I cough, but otherwise pretty good.

Only issues now are my BP is starting to climb. and my heart rate will drop below 40 sometimes when I'm just sitting around.  Still feel fine even when it gets this low, and it picks right up if I get up and move around. Doc thinks it's due to the Beta blocker they have me on.  They had stopped my normal BP meds when I went in to the hospital and gave me the beta blocker instead. I think it's not doing the job on my BP.  Talked to PA this morning and will be restarting my Amlodipine tomorrow along with the Beta Blocker.  We'll see what happens.  

I'm keeping this journal because it helps me organize my thoughts and track my progress, and hopefully it may help someone else who is going through something similar.  If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away.  If you want to chat privately I'm good with that too. I truly consider it a Blessing if I can do anything to help someone else on this site.  

2 Weeks post Op. Feeling OK. I've been able to eliminate all pain meds except Tylenol. I have a nagging dry cough so I'm still sleeping in the recliner for now. I'm still waiting on that first glorious 8 hour sleep night. My apatite is still very light and food just tends to taste weird. Is this common? Hot shower is my favorite time of the day at this point. Looking forward to getting out in this beautiful Fall weather and walking some today. Hope all my fellow travelers are doing at least as well as I am !

Day 5, finally got my shower ! Now I'm trying to come up with a routine for meds and exercising and such. This next 8 weeks is going to be Hard. I'm not one to sit around and take it easy. I know I'm going to want to do more than I'm supposed to. It's going to take some serious self control and a lot of oversight from my wife to keep me in check

Day 4.  I’m Home.  Physically I feel surprisingly good.  Mentally I’m a little bit overwhelmed. So much has happened in the last 5 days, it’s hard to wrap my head around it.  It’s going to take a little time to process it all.  Thank you all for your prayers and support, they have been a huge blessing throughout this process