Robert's Journal

Hello everyone, After my AVR surgery in 2012, I started experiencing more frequent ocular migraines and strange seemingly random woozy spells. I was really worried because I thought it was heart related. I told my PCP and cardiologist and they wrote it off as low blood sugar or lack of sleep. A friend of mine is an Airman and drone pilot. I told him about my spells and he very casually said, "Oh yea, digital dizziness.. half the guys in our unit get it from staring down at the computer training simulations." I looked up digital dizziness, which is also referred to as cyber sickness, and it is eerily similar to what I feel and is more prominent among migraine suffers. I am frequently looking down at my phone and watching video for work and play. Just throwing this out there in hopes of relieving someones worry. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/feeling-woozy-it-may-be-cyber-sickness/

Weird Symptoms Hello Everyone, I'm about 8 years out from my surgery (AVR St. Jude Mechanical valve and Aortic graft). I have very few complaints but, once in a great while, I run into some weird sensations that confuse me and my docs. Wondering if any mechanical valve vets have encountered similar symptoms. **These do not seem to be very frequent complaints among other AVR forums. I don't want anyone to think these are common issues for AVR recipients** 1) Temporary (15-30 mins) pain in the lower back area a) Less frequently felt in the traps, neck, shoulder, or upper back b) Pain seems to come in waves that are 30 seconds to a few minutes apart c) Internal constricting sensation d) Usually about a 5 but can be up to 8 in pain e) Doc has said its probably musculoskeletal but stretching doesn't make it worse or help 2) Aching sensation from the general left chest area a) Probably the most frequent of my weird sensations b) No rhythm. Not a beating ache c) Very low on the pain scale barely noticeable d) I don't feel it when I exercise, more present when I am still e) Wondering if its my sternal wires.. 3) Temporary "woozy" sensation (strangest and hardest to explain) a) Happens randomly and lasts for about 20-40 minutes b) Disconnected, delayed, foggy feeling c) I don't feel unbalanced but my equilibrium seems affected d) Feels like I took daytime cold medication or had exactly 2 beers (: 4) Visual disturbance a) Very rare b) Dark cloudy spots appearing in the corner of one eye c) Starts pretty small and grows over a few minutes and then reverses d) Completely occluded one eye one time but went away after a few minutes Again, these don't seem to be common sensations after AVR. I don't want to scare anyone with my freak occurrences. At the very least, it may be comforting to know that you're not crazy if you have had a similar experience.