Tatjana Seizova-Cajic - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

468 days ago

Hello fellow heart travellers, it’s week 9 post my mitral valve repair (minimally invasive) and I have travelled rather well until about 10 days ago, when ...Read more

Hello fellow heart travellers, it’s week 9 post my mitral valve repair (minimally invasive) and I have travelled rather well until about 10 days ago, when I had left sided chest discomfort that developed into a clearly localized pain, especially on inhalation; I also felt very tired. Got worried of course. Several consults later, the conclusion is that the pain is inflammatory, musculoskeletal (not the lungs although that is a possibility too for pain triggered by inhalation). It fluctuates but is always there when I breath in deeply. I can still exercise etc. My GP said it might come and go, like back pain does, while the surgeon suggested to get in touch if it doesn’t go away, they’ll do a CT scan. No clear answer on how long to wait for, and they don’t seem worried.
Wondering if others had a similar issue and how it evolved? Thanks :)

Robert Miller I am going out on a limb here. Being tired can be caused by many things. But it sounds like the main ... Read more

Robert Miller I am going out on a limb here. Being tired can be caused by many things. But it sounds like the main issue is pain (which can cause fatigue). As muscles heal they can emit pain signals that you didn't feel before. Eventually, this pain should go away but there are cases where it persists. Inflammation should be visible in a blood test. An ultrasound might also be called for to see how well your heart is functioning which can give clues to feelings of fatigue.

Kathy Ozio Sorry to hear about the pain. I hope it's just part of your healing. I had issues that I figured out ... Read more

Kathy Ozio Sorry to hear about the pain. I hope it's just part of your healing. I had issues that I figured out was from my lung. Being deflated for the minimally invasive surgery, it took a while to heal and caused some breathing difficulty . Nothing major, just some slight pain and breathing (could breathe deeply only when bent over ). Keep us posted!

Tatjana Seizova-Cajic Thanks a lot, Robert and Kathy! Indeed, the inflammation marker was elevated in a blood test. I feel ... Read more

Tatjana Seizova-Cajic Thanks a lot, Robert and Kathy! Indeed, the inflammation marker was elevated in a blood test. I feel less pain atm, hopefully it fades away

Tatjana Seizova-Cajicposted an update

504 days ago

James Holcomb reacted to this

It was 4 weeks post my mitral valve repair surgery yesterday. I have been stable, mostly without heart symptoms (palpitations or similar). I have been... Read more

It was 4 weeks post my mitral valve repair surgery yesterday. I have been stable, mostly without heart symptoms (palpitations or similar). I have been walking between 2500 and 3800 steps per day lately, and I rest a lot in the afternoon. Some days I am quite active around the house and enjoy cooking.

I had an unpleasant surprise today - lying awake in darkness around 6 pm, I remembered the ICU (rather traumatic it was) and teared up. It happened once or twice before but it passed quickly. Today I started talking about it to my husband, and was flooded with tears. I don't know how common these memories and flashbacks are in this community but it wasn't hard to find an article about PTSD and, simply, trauma of being in the ICU. The link is below if anyone is interested.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(19)30203-6/fulltext
To end on a more positive note

I do feel quite well during the day and enjoy being with family, the absence of work and other pressures, and my two cats. I also sleep much better now. Since mine was a minimally invasive surgery, I can almost sleep on the side (half tilted, back supported by a pillow).

Just a moment...

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600

Klara Čičić Dear Tatjana, this sound so familiar :) you are definitely not alone and emotional overwhelming afte... Read more

Klara Čičić Dear Tatjana, this sound so familiar :) you are definitely not alone and emotional overwhelming after surgery was often mentioned here, lot of heart warriors experienced it! Just cry those tears out, it gets better with time... Your body has Beet through a lot. It is nice to have a supporting family or friends around you that you can talk to. We are also here for you and can understand first hand how you feel!

George Gardopee Hi Tatjana. I suspect the memories and flashbacks you are experiencing are very common among those of ... Read more

George Gardopee Hi Tatjana. I suspect the memories and flashbacks you are experiencing are very common among those of us who have had OHS. The trauma of the surgery and ICU comes immediately after what for many of us is a very high-anxiety period leading up to the procedure and the unknowns of recovery - the article you posted mentions the higher incidence of PTSD in people who have anxiety to begin with.

I found it was helpful for me to write down as much as I could remember about the whole experience. That seemed to remove some of the sting out of the memories and to some extent prevented the memories from morphing into something more distressing than they already were. I find that I go back and re-read the journal surprisingly often. It feels like that helps to cement what happened as “in the past” rather than a constant and current trauma. It seems to help me be able to say to myself “Huh. I did that and I am apparently tougher than I thought.” In any event, you already know that there are people here that understand what you have been through like no one else can and we are ready to listen and empathize.

Tatjana Seizova-Cajic Thanks Klara and George!I also find that writing about it helps. Posting it here helped me.
Thanks f... Read more

Tatjana Seizova-Cajic Thanks Klara and George!I also find that writing about it helps. Posting it here helped me.
Thanks for sharing about your use of the journal and what effect it has on you, very thoughtful. I used diaries in the past but not for a long time.
Like you said, it's not just the surgery and its aftermath but a long, anxious period before it that leave a deep trace. I may well be healthier than before (don't feel like it yet) but my old life and its priorities have been drifting away for a long time.
A lot to process