Steven's Posts

Hi-this is a fabulous website for those that have had or are contemplating heart surgery. I only wish that I knew about it PRIOR to my surgery. I'm 3.5 months post op from an ascending aortic aneurism replacement and a bi-cuspid aorta repair. The recovery has been tough both mentally/physically as I had complications (heart block - Pacemaker and AFIB) I'm aware that the topic of having a loud, pounding heart beat has been covered briefly on this site but there hasn't really been an in depth professional explanation as to why it occurs-I have heard numerous explanations-it's due to fluid in the heart. My surgeon speculated that it's due to your body getting used to the new blood flow, etc. My Q - is it possible to get a professional explanation as to why the pounding occurs and if there is anything that can be done to reduce the pounding sensation. For me, it's maddening. Grateful for the heart to beat but tough to get used to. Also, it would be great to cover post operation depression and anxiety. Maybe a topic for a therapist but wondering about others experiences and if there are therapists that focus specifically on cardiac surgery recovery. Thank you