Dena's Posts

I heard minimally invasive procedures are extremely painful. I think 2 weeks is probably too early for the pain to be gone. I know that’s probably not helpful, but maybe a little helpful to know it’s normal? About your heart rate - were you prescribed a beta blocker like metoprolol (or some other -lol)? If you are already on one I will stay on it. I am told the heart rate takes a VERY long time to normalize. Beta blockers lower your BP. So do opioids, if you are still on them for pain management. So do anti-anxiety meds, muscle relaxers, etc. If you are not on any BP lowing drug and BP 94/70 is not normal for you, then you should consult your cardiologist. I was on metoprolol right after the surgery but was taken off of it pretty quickly because my BP was too low. (My BP has always been very low.) When I left the hospital I was not on any beta blocker but HR was always above 100 and was told it is high but normal. It was uncomfortable, though. So I asked my cardiologist if I could go back on propranolol, which I was on before the surgery, and he said yes. I take enough of the beta blocker to keep my HR below 95 and systolic BP above 95. (I sometimes need to take midodrine to bring by BP up.) Not ideal, but it keeps me functional. High HR is exhausting, but you should give cardiac rehab a try. Movement and improved circulation helps reduce inflammation and pain. They monitor your HR and BP to make sure you don’t over extend yourself, which I find helpful. I am still anemic 10.5 weeks post surgery, on too of the highish HR, and find three times a week of rehab too much, but try to go twice a week.

I should add - if BP 94/70 is not normal for you, they probably won’t let you exercise at cardiac rehab, so might as well postpone it until you figure out why it’s low. I think 100-110 for HR is pretty common, so I won’t worry too much about that unless it is wildly fluctuating. No one has remarked about mine when it’s 100+, but I always have to assure them that BP 95/55 is normal for me and that I am not lightheaded or nauseous before they let me exercise.

My heart rate was high for 10-12 weeks. Close to 100, sometimes more just walking around house. I was also told it was normal at that stage while your heart in healing. I wouldn't hesitate to call and check in and ask if you might need an adjustment in meds though. Hope you are feeling better soon ❤️‍🩹

I love this site but one thing was I had unrealistic expectations of the time frame in which I would feel better for me. Many people found great improvement after only 4-6 weeks. Honestly for me it was more like 4 to 6 months. Two weeks is very early days. Give your body time to heal.

If it’s any kind of infection, even if it turns out to be just a cold, you want it checked out. I had a skin rash with a 100 degree fever a week after my surgery. Surgeon told me to see my PCP but of course I couldn’t get a last minute appointment, so I went to urgent care, who promptly sent me to ER. It was a local skin infection but they didn’t want it to go to my heart, so they put me on antibiotics before the infection became systemic.

Sorry guys. My surgery was moved to March 14th. I am new to this page and learning how to find my way around. I had the minimally invasive surgery to repair my mitral valve. Not sure I would call it minimally invasive because woah......It was quite painful. Also, I will check my profile and correct it .