Adam's Posts

IT'S NORMAL TO FEEL NOT NORMAL. The following are some things I've learned can be normal to feel or experience after an Aortic Valve replacement (or open-heart surgery in general). Things that my amazing doctors and nurses have explained to me, and told me will pass in time, and they are! (I had my surgery on 10/23) THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE! Always talk to your doctors ASAP about any "weirdnesses" you experience (as my surgeon called them). This is my own experience, and since learning some of these things helped me feel better about my recovery, I hope it can do the same for someone else. I encourage everyone to add their own positive learnings and experiences in the comments! THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A PLACE FOR US TO SHARE A COLLECTION OF ALARMING COMPLICATIONS. Save those for another post, thank you. OK let's get to it... 1. The body's ability to regulate temperature goes out of whack. I spent 2 weeks shivering and sweating through the nights. Changing sheets and clothes on a regular basis. It passed on its own. 2. The pericardium (think of it as a protective sack of fluid around the heart that everyone has) has to rebuild after open heart surgery, and until it does, you could (I do) FEEL your heart beats like a thumping in your chest. Especially when taking a deep breath. This passes after 8-10 weeks I am told. 3. You can often hear/feel this valve (On-X valve) "ticking". Not always, and I'm already getting used to it, 4.5 weeks out. 4. Dialing in your IRN can take time and patience. But you'll get there. After 4 weeks I finally have enough testing data to feel confident about my dose and where I am between tests. (Working with a Coumadin clinic nurse has been enormously helpful) 5. Nerve damage can occur (since you're...cutting through some nerves) and can have a number of effects. I personally felt a lot of my pain across the shoulders because of this, and occasionally felt nerve-related numbness in my fingers a few weeks out of surgery. Using a stress ball helped this resolve in minutes the few times it happened. (Obviously do not mess around with numbness. This was what I learned from my experience, but I actually went to the ER when this happened, as advised by my doctors). 6. My resting heart rate was elevated after surgery. This is normal. Mine is just starting to come back down, but I've heard this can take up to 3 months to really settle down. Again, CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR when anything feels off as you recover. I spoke to my surgeon or cardiologist about all of the above! But learning that these things were somewhat "normal" helped me. And I hope this can help someone else feel a little comfort too.