[GOAT490]

I am having surgery in a couple of weeks and was curious what others have experienced as far as recovery time and would also like any tips you may have.

Thanks,
Phil

[salem1912]

Good Luck with your surgery,I have minor mitral valve regurgitation. Thankfully doctor say probably won't need surgery been monitoring it for ten years now and hasn't gotten worse. What kind of valve? Done with a scope I presume?

[68greenbird]

Been told it is 4 -6 weeks , I have a bad aorta valve and done some research on it .Go on Web MD a lot info there .

[GTO JOHN]

Phil,

I had open heart surgery to repair my mitral valve 11-18-15. The chord that holds one of the valve flaps broke so they went in there and reattached the chord and installed a ring implant to support the valve itself. I still have my original valve although it is not 100% it is good enough to function without replacement so with any luck I will not need further surgery on the valve or blood thinner (Coumadin) medication. This surgery could not be done with a scope yet although they are starting to do it in California I heard.

Pre-op they did an angiogram to determine if I had any blockage in arteries prior to surgery so they could be ready to fix any problems I might have had while they had me open. Also they did an echocardiogram to check my heart function. It took nearly 45 minutes to completely shave my chest, belly, and groin area. That was a trip.

I am 49 years old and in reasonably good health so the recovery for me was probably quicker than most. Despite that the first week sucked big time. I was on major drugs in recovery the first 48 hours so don't remember much there but the pain/discomfort for the next 3-5 days after that was worst when you had to get up to use the bathroom. The physical therapy and breathing drills they have you do will help you out in about 2 weeks. Doing them right away you might not want to push through but in 2 weeks you will be glad you gutted it out.

Once I was discharged 6 days after surgery going home I was moving really slow and a lot of sitting around. Walking is about the only exercise you can do but it is a must. Getting in and out of bed and sleeping comfortably was the toughest part. They give you a pillow to hold against your chest if you cough or sneeze. Use it. The first time I sneezed was about 2 weeks after surgery and boy did that hurt!!

I ended up going into afib which is kind of normal for heart surgery patients (40%) so back to the hospital for another 3 days to get zapped into sinus rhythm.

Keeping my INR level between 2.0-3.0 proved a challenge with the Coumadin and they were constantly monitoring it because you don't want a blood clot to cause a stroke. I had a couple nose bleeds due to the thin blood.

They allowed me to go back to work part time after about 3 weeks and wouldn't let me drive for a month after surgery. Didn't want an airbag popping on my chest! So I returned to work full time 12-22-15 with a 10 pound lifting restriction. After another month they raised it to 20 pounds, then 40 pounds after 3 months. Finally March 3rd I got full clearance saying I was 100% so it was almost 14-15 weeks from start to finish.

Once you get past the first 2 weeks without complications your out of the woods I'd say. Just a long return to normal as your body heals. My doctor said it takes 12 weeks for the breastbone to heal back to 80% and up to 6 months for 100%. The nerve regrowth can take up to a year and at times the incision gets really itchy as the nerves heal back together. So the first 2 weeks are the toughest but after that you start to be feeling pretty good. Looking back on the whole ordeal I don't think it was that bad a process but still it puts life in perspective and on hold for a bit.

Best of luck with your surgery and recovery. I turned to Isaiah 41:10 as I faced this challenge and was able to leave my worries with the Lord. I can honestly say I had no thought of fear when I went into surgery that day.

[GOAT490]

Thanks for the encouragement! I am having the chest split open, the mitral valve has severe regurgitation and I am going with cow if my valve cannot be repaired. Isaiah 41:10 is a good one, thanks. Hope I will be able to drive school bus by end of August when school starts. If not and I could be driving my GTO in Sept/Oct would be awesome! I am looking forward to the surgery and hoping for the best! I have a neighbor who is a nurse and she will probably make sure I do my rehab.

Phil

[salem1912]

Phil what were your symptoms?

[jww]

Good Luck, Phil...............good friend of mine had valve repair in December of '14 and today he is the picture of good health!

He also said that first couple days was the worst then the slow but sure recovery. It was nearly 9 months before he could get back to shooting sporting clays with a 12 ga. but, hey, look at the alternative...!

You'll do just fine and please keep us posted ASAP.

Pullin' for ya!..............Jerry

[cdrookie]

i'm not exactly sure what valve it was or anything, but my mom had surgery to repair a valve about 7-8yrs ago. DR said it was routine and didn't need to be done now, but would eventually. she decided to have it done sooner than later. after the surgery her speech was slurred, and she lost full control of her left arm, like she had a stroke. DR said in a couple weeks she would be fine. well it wasn't. DR kept avoiding her. finally he agreed to see her after a few months. my parents went to his office and they said he would see them soon. they waited, and waited, and waited... HE RAN OUT THE FREAKING BACK DOOR!!!!

they tried to contact an attorney but none wanted the case, couldn't figure out why, and my parents new nothing about the medical industry. turns out the DR wouldn't release her full medical history, just a small part of it, so the lawyers couldn't find anything to base a case off of.

she use to mow grass, drive, walk up and down stairs, carry stuff, just like every other normal human being. since then she can't/shouldn't walk without a walker or help, hard to understand what she's saying, has fallen down several times(through walls and broken bones).

i guess they didn't monitor correctly the amount of gas they used to put her under and it affected part of her brain.

[68greenbird]

Originally Posted by 68greenbird

Been told it is 4 -6 weeks , I have a bad aorta valve and done some research on it .Go on Web MD a lot info there .

I posted this on the idea you were going to be scoped, Yeah if they have to actually open you up it is 6-9 months,everyone's different . Go into it with the thought that God is in complete control , and everything will be fine . Have faith, trust in Him.

[GOAT490]

Originally Posted by salem1912

Phil what were your symptoms?

My symptoms were getting tired quicker than I thought I should, shortness of breath when trying to sing, overall laziness all over the last 5 to 10 years. Not until my NEW Dr. listened to my heart was anything ever mentioned about the murmur. Immediately had it checked and it showed severe regurgitation! Thanks for NOTHING previous Dr. of 20yrs!

[salem1912]

Well that new doctor saved your life! I until a few years ago never had a need to visit the doctors much thank LORD,I did go for a few stitches and my doctor gave my a quick physical and noticed mine. Like I said very minor but now I go once a year for a echo and a office visit. My cardiologist is a car/motorcycle guy and told me I basically have a intake valve that just doesn't have a perfect seal and I am kicking a little back into the intake manifold LOL. Good Luck with the surgery and post us a update.

BTW I had a red '65 my first GTO bought for $50

[drtracer58]

I had Open Heart / Bypass on Easter 2015, Just don't push it, I tried to sneak a quick drive to the store, wrong ....... The next days were Hell ..... Chest Muscles hurt soooooo bad ...... Don't slack on the Breathing Exercises, I refused Rehab /Therapy my biggest Regret .... If it helps ...

[drtracer58]

Squeeze the Pillow as Hard as you can and try to Cough as best you can, It is gonna hurt at first but 1 good one beats a few smaller ones .....

[GOAT490]

Recovery is going well. I was surprised that things didn't hurt much worse, OK, when a sneeze sneaks up on you THAT HURTS! I am going to rehab three times a week and each session I feel stronger. I have sneaked a drive or two after I stopped taking the Percocet so I didn't have to bother friends and was just very careful.
Thanks for your support and at this point I would definitely recommend getting the surgery and just follow instructions, it wasn't anywhere as bad as I imagined it would be!

Phil

P.S. I also got a pacemaker installed as my heart would run excessively slow some times. That wasn't planned, but the Doc thought it was necessary.

[salem1912]

Glad to hear everything went well Phil. Take your time and you'll be good as a fresh rebuild LOL. If you don't mind what did they do repair or replace?

[GOAT490]

Made new valve from cow membrane.

[68greenbird]

Nice to hear your doing well , and you didn't think it was to bad . How long has it been from surgery ?

[drtracer58]

Glad to hear you are doing well ....