Diana's Posts

Before my surgery I was taking a combination of midodrine (raises BP), propranolol (lowers BP but not as much as metoprolol), and digoxin (does not affect BP). That helped control the runaway heart rate I had from persistent afib. After surgery I was on metoprolol but they quickly took me off of it because of my low BP. They even restricted my pain med dose because of the BP. I kept complaining about my heart rate, but they said 100-110 is high normal, and they discharged me without any meds to control my HR. At the follow up with my cardiologist I asked if I can go back on my pre-surgery routine, and they said yes to midodrine and propranolol but not digoxin. Propranolol alone is not doing it, though. I’m only 20 days post surgery, so I’m sure it needs more tweaking. That being said, I think you should look for an electrophysiologist, Diana. It does sound like you might be having afib (enlarged atrium, HR and BP all over the place, etc). My cardiologist led me down a long cumbersome path when it came to dealing with my afib, and I wish I saw my electrophysiologist sooner. I try not to dwell on it, but it could have spared me some unnecessary procedures and months of discomfort.

@Marie Myers, @Yumiko Ishida, @Rose Madura Thank you for your responses. I just wore a holter monitor for 48 hours but haven't seen the cardiologist yet for the results. I wear an Apple watch which gives me readings all day long. Never says I am in Afib, but always Sinus rhythm, except at times when I use the ECG and 3-4 times in a row says Poor Recording. I think at those times it may be not able to get a reading because or electrical issues. I did have a lot of PVC's in the first year following surgeries but the cardiologist says I am having fewer now.

You will get a million different responses to your questions. I don’t say answers because we all heal at our own rate. I imagine age, previous to surgery health and many other factors including the surgeon that performed the surgery, contribute to how fast we regain our strength. If i read you correctly, you had surgery last september. 6 months is not a long time to reach 100%. I had minimally invasive in january of 2021. Am i 100%? Maybe not. Maybe close. In my view after joining adams site after my surgery and reading about full zippers, minimally invasive and robotic i still think the less invasive anything is better. I have had 5 knee surgeries in my life. 2 zippers and 3 arthroscopic. I can say they all hurt but the recovery from the less invasive arthroscopic was far better. Yes, there is pain. More or less or a different kind, who knows.

I am not convinced dizziness and double vision is normal. Are you sure you might not be experiencing “auras”, (sparking lights, jagged lines) that are often common after open heart surgery? I had dozens of them in the weeks after surgery, and they gradually decreased with time. I remember you also had low BP, which can cause dizziness. What does your PCP or cardiologist say?

@Marie Myers and @Ana Brusso I am not having auras just double vision from time to time along with dizziness. I had my eyes checked as advised by my cardiologist and was told los BP will cause double vision because the eyes are not getting enough blood to them. As for continued low BP my PCG and Cardiologist told me to up my salt intake and drink more water.🤷🏼‍♀️No one seems concerned. The 12mg a day of metropolol seem to be keeping my heart rate below 100 now but that is also keeping BP low. Thanks everyone for your kind concern and comments.