George's Posts

Paul and I share our one year anniversary today. I had my mitral and tricuspid valves repaired at the Cleveland Clinic by Dr Gillinov. I feel enormous gratitude for the care I received at the CC and especially for my pain- and complication-free recovery. I am also extremely grateful for the knowledge and support this community provided. Without it the lead-up to my surgery would have been a much more distressing experience. Adam and the heart warriors on this site have created the best resource and support system in the world for us all.

Hello Heart Valve Community. Today marks 6 months since my mitral and tricuspid valve repair surgery by Dr. Gillinov at the Cleveland Clinic (full sternotomy). I have been extremely fortunate in that I recovered quickly and have had nearly nothing in terms of after effects. No Afib, no pain, little (and short lasting) fatigue. I did not find the actual surgery and recovery to be as traumatic as the anticipation and fear before surgery. I did notice an increase in my rest heart rate after surgery per my Fitbit. I did 18 sessions of cardiac rehab in January and February and between that and upping the Metoprolol dose things mostly settled down to pre-surgery levels. I don’t believe I am suffering from any side effects from the Metoprolol, but I would still like to be weaned off the pills eventually. A stress echo in March showed good heart function with an EF of 50-55%. I was able to do the treadmill for longer than predicted, so my stamina is somewhat better than average for my age (70). I am walking 3-5 miles a day and I have restarted light weight training. I can honestly say that the surgery is now only a surreal memory. We did travel recently and my sternal wires did trigger the scanner. They asked if I was wearing a necklace. I proudly started to show them my sternotomy scar but they really, really didn’t want to see it. In retrospect I’m sure people often try to show them even less savory sights.

I’m now 9 weeks post mitral and tricuspid valve repair surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. I can report that the fatigue has long since abated. At this point in time I am only suffering from slight itching around the incision. My Fitbit tells me my rest heart rate has increased by 10 - 15 bpm versus pre-surgery, but the people at the CC tell me this will likely decrease with time. I started cardiac rehab about a week ago but I think I may have to get them to increase the intensity. All is good so far. Thanks to everyone for your support.