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Heart Valve Replacement

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by MitchellCooley, 2014/06/06.

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  1. 2014/06/06
    MitchellCooley Lifetime Subscription

    MitchellCooley Inactive Thread Starter

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    I am going in the hospital next week to have my Aortic Valve and Mitral Valve replaced with mechanical valves.

    Anyone have or know someone with a mechanical valve that might be willing to tell me how they felt afterwards?

    Mitch
     
    MitchellCooley,
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  2. 2014/06/06
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    Wish you well.
     
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  4. 2014/06/06
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    MitchellCooley Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks
     
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  5. 2014/06/06
    antik

    antik Well-Known Member

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    antik,
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  6. 2014/06/06
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    MitchellCooley Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks antik
     
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  7. 2014/06/06
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    Mitch,
    three years ago, I went through almost the same procedure. My Aortic Valve had been defect since birth. It was bicuspid rather than the normal tricuspid. (The Mitral Valve is normally bicuspid.) I lived 54 years without knowing and it took that long to wear out. Since I am a pilot, a mecanical valve was not an option because they require life long medication with Warfarin which is not accepted by the air-medics. I have a biological valve which require no medication (apart from beta blocker which has nothing to do with the valve itself) and I can still fly. If I hadn't consulted the chief air-medic, who is a friend of mine, I would be sitting here with a mecanical valve but no pilots license. My advice is to check if you hold a license of any kind, not only pilots but drivers license or any other professional license which may be affected: ask before and not after!

    I can't hear my bilological valve but I have been told that a mecanical valve ticks away audibly in a quiet environment, such as a bedroom. Some say that it is reassuring. The drawback of my biological valve is that it has a limited life expectancy, anything from 5-25 years which means that sooner or later, I will have it done again. Maybe I no longer want to fly at that time and will go mecanical. Time will tell.

    I wish you well and have one more advice for you. Don't catch a cold during recovery because that cut open sternum hurts like hell when you cough or sneeze.

    (By the way, a bicuspid Aortic Valve is accepted for a pilot.)
     
    Christer,
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  8. 2014/06/06
    Steve R Jones

    Steve R Jones SuperGeek Staff

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    Mitchell - hope everything goes OK.

    I always thought that a Cardiologist was a specialist... But the one I went to sent me to a specialist... He was a Cardiac Electrophysiologist...

    My heart ended up to be basically fine... But ended up seeing a Gastro doc who got to the bottom of my occasional chest pains.
     
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  9. 2014/06/06
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    MitchellCooley Inactive Thread Starter

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    Chister: I'm glad your surgery seems to have been a success. As for me, I will be getting mechanical valves - I don't want to go through the surgery again. I don't have any professional licenses although I am a pressman and prone to cuts and scrapes at work (cut myself almost on a daily basis) so I may have to go into another line of work :(
    But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

    Steve: I thought that too..I guess heart surgeons are a subspecialty of Cardiology... :\

    Thanks to both of you.

    Mitch
     
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  10. 2014/06/06
    Budo

    Budo Inactive

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    Interesting reading. Christer after your surgery what was your recovery like ?
    I have been told by my cartiologist that I need the same type of surgery and it involves an extended period of recovery.
    Budo
     
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  11. 2014/06/06
    Admin.

    Admin. Administrator Administrator Staff

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    I have no advice, just wishing you the best & speedy recovery after the procedure.
     
    Admin.,
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  12. 2014/06/06
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    Well, Budo, I'm an idiot and got back to work too soon.

    I was in hospital from 20110626 (emergency by ambulance) to 20110711 and started doing some work, not too physical but still work, towards the end of the week. That did me no good and I readmitted myself to the hospital with arrhythmia on 20110719. I believe they had reduced the dosis of beta blocker to quickly but working too soon may have "assisted ". The dayly dosis was doubled from 50 mg to 100 mg Metoprolol. In the beginning, lying in bed on my right side was okey but lying on my left side caused arrhythmia. Now, there is no dependance on how the heart and other intestines "fall upon eachother ".

    The first planned checkup was on 20110912 and everything was okey. The air-medics required a work load test which I did on 20111004 (cykling on a stationary test bike) and reached 94 % of expected ability and 79 % of expected pulse which was normal with my medication. (Between the two of us, I didn't take myself to the limit.) By then, I had felt fully recovered for some time.

    I have since reduced the dosis of Metoprolol. A test bike is one thing but real life is different. I always keep at least one foot on the ground. I never run but like taking quick walks. After 5-10 minutes, there was a barrier but if I kept walking, I got past it and could walk "for ever ". I didn't like that barrier and generally, I felt kind of like a zoombie. A year ago, a cardiologist advised against a reduction, warning me for an increased risk of arrhythmia but a few months ago, I was fed up feeling zoombiefied. I reduced the dayly dosis Metoprolol from 100 mg to 50 mg and then to 25 mg. With each step, I had tendencies to arrhythmia for a day or two but the system adjusted itself. The barrier is still there but not as high as before and I feel more "awake ".

    In general, I hate medication. I rather suffer a headache than taking pain killers. Now, I'm on a dayly dosis of 2,5 mg Bisoprolol. The dosis can not be compared to Metoprolol. There's a "conversion factor" of 1:5 or 1:10 depending on who you ask. No matter what, I feel better now than a year ago.

    Edited: I forgot to mention that the operation was performed on 20110705 which means that I was "kicked out" from the hospital six days later. I also corrected some spelling ...
     
    Christer,
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  13. 2014/06/06
    MrBill

    MrBill SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    Good luck on your surgery and Prayers sent your way.
     
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  14. 2014/06/06
    Budo

    Budo Inactive

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    Christer quite a time you had.
    I am over 80 now and wondered if that was past an age to have something like this done however several well known surgeons indicated many of their patients were over this age and have done very well with a nice recovery.
    They advised me that recovery would involve several months of PT. Thats why I wondered if this was part of your recovery procedure.
    Thanks for answering. Budo
     
    Budo,
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  15. 2014/06/06
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    MitchellCooley Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers.

    Chister: I do hope to be able to get back to the treadmill at the gym. Right now I am tired all the time and out of breath bending over to tie my shoes. If I get some energy and can breath I'll be happy.

    Budo: When I was talking to my surgeon, she said she did a tissue replacement of an Aortic Valve on a 95 year old who did quite well.....

    Mitch
     
    MitchellCooley,
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  16. 2014/06/06
    retiredlearner

    retiredlearner SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    Hi Mitch, All very interesting reading - My experience is only from a quintuple heart bypass performed via heart lung machine. I had to sleep on my back after the op as the bones from the sternum up took 3½ weeks to knit back.
    I went to bed on the particular night that the bones started to join back and I swear I felt lot easier with sleeping from that night on.
    There is no way you will want to sleep on your sides until that joining of the bones occurs. I had the old fibrilation happen 4 nights after the op (heart beat took off due to better blood flow) and that was brought under control with a 24 hour drip feed of a drug.
    The most mind blowing part during recovery for me - was all the different emotions I went through. I had no taste for food or the desire to eat as the body clock gets knocked out of kilter for some 3 to 4 weeks (for me). Due to the trauma on your body, I fad a 10 minute crying jag one morning for no apparent reason.
    I had been shown a video which was filmed from a number of heart op patients who explained various effects they had been through after their operations and I was very thankful to get that insight beforehand. It helped me understand what the body was going through during recovery.
    I wish you all the best with your operation and recovery and I might add for myself that I have never felt fitter at age 78. (op was Sept 2005). Neil.
     
    retiredlearner,
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  17. 2014/06/07
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    MitchellCooley Inactive Thread Starter

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    Neil, thanks for sharing. I found a few after surgery testamonials online to get a better idea of what to expect but I find yours closer to what I wanted to know. I am a side sleeper so I'll have to get used to being on my back for a while. I have had a few "broken bones" but the sternum is a whole different ball game.

    All I can say is thank God for technology.

    Mitch
     
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  18. 2014/06/07
    SpywareDr

    SpywareDr SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    Wishing you a very speedy and full recovery Mitch.
     
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  19. 2014/06/07
    retiredlearner

    retiredlearner SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    Mitch see if you get more info on trauma and recovery. The video I saw was prepared by a number of Australian survivors who really shared their emotions and problems.
    I personally always like to know the bottom line and what is outside the square so that I'm fully prepared. One Aussie said he cried uncontrollably for 2 days!
    I thought no way would that happen to me. Yet I had my 10 minutes of release and felt better for it.
    You will find that support staff have seen it all before and will no doubt be of great help to you during recovery.
    I was originally going to have "pumping heart surgery ", so I Googled that and it showed small paddles being used to stop the heart muscle while the bypass was stitched in. The X-rays taken the night before the operation showed more blockages than could be handled by the "Pumping heart" method.
    My surgery took place in September and I was back playing golf in January. I was able to walk the hilly course and carry on conversing with my fellow players without huffing and puffing.
    Hooray for modern technology!
    I'm drug free except for the Statin to control cholesterol (keeps the Docs happy). No Warfarin or blood pressure pills - just Vitamins and Enzyme CO Q10 capsules daily to lubricate the muscles and the heart is the ONE muscle you need to lubricate.
    Hope I haven't over-loaded you with my experiences and once again All the Best. Neil.
     
    retiredlearner,
    #18
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  20. 2014/06/07
    ThomasJK

    ThomasJK Well-Known Member

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    Hi Mitch, wishing you good luck for the operation, and get well soon.
     
    ThomasJK,
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  21. 2014/06/07
    MitchellCooley Lifetime Subscription

    MitchellCooley Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thomas: Thanks.

    Neil: I need all the information I can get. I am one who likes to know the whole process ahead of time so I can mentally prepare. I'll look up some information related to Trauma and Recovery. I've been researching info on Coumadin and the "dos and don'ts" also.

    Mitch
     
    MitchellCooley,
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