Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Karen W. on 29/04/2018 15:35:05
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It seems I have came to the end of being able to control my heart valve issues with medicine and I cannot have another open heart surgery due to all my previous ones and co-morbidities. I also have a bicuspid issue that is a culprit here.
My Aorta has two stable aneurysms, but the aorta valve itself has stenosis and is failing, it's regurgitating badly, causing me loads of grief, with breathing issues, and I am totally worn out trying to get from point A to point B.
My angina has escalated again with Blood pressure meds not controlling everything. There is no coronary artery disease which is in my favor..
I take good care of myself, but needless to say my defects have progressed and now my the valves are fouled and narrowing far to fast.. My Doctor does not believe I have another 6 months. The rate of closure has sky rocketed in six months. In a year I jumped from a 17 to 30 on the closure scale and that was november. Between November and March I shot up over 60.
I understand I need to have this procedure to be able to live. I am going down to Stanford again 14th and 15th of May two weeks to be evaluated for this procedure. I am, according to my Doctor, an extremely high risk for open heart surgery so my only alternative is the "TAVR" procedure, if I can pass my evaluation.
So I have watched the procedure but have a few questions. And would like more detailed info before I go down to hospital. I understand that the biological valve either pig or cow or whatever only lasts between 3 to five years before it starts deteriorating. Five year study I read 54 percent of people were dead at 5 year check others were in various states of deterioration and failure... But those patients on average were 74 years and older. I am 57.
Seemed the older folks valves held up longer then the younger folks... So One Of my questions is will they monitor the progression of the valve and if it starts to fail can it be replaced again or can it only be done 1 time? Is it just this procedure can only be done 1time. Can a regular open heart be done at the point of deterioration if co-morbidities are improved?
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I can't tell you about that procedure. However, I was diagnosed
with a moderate leaky aortic valve a couple years ago. I had read
that vitamin K2 had been shown to successfully reduce hardening of
arteries, calcium build up in mice. So I thought I would take it, probably
could not hurt. So I took "Super K" available from life extension
website. I mixed a cut open capsule with a tablespoon of olive
oil or fish oil, daily. I did that for months religiously. Then I was retested
and found to have no aortic leakage. Also pretty soon I read that
tests on people also showed reduction in calcium deposits in people
taking vitamin K. So it would appear that it worked for me. I still take
the vitamin K daily mixed with flax oil. Also I take calcium supplements,
calcium aspertate daily. It is counter intuitive, but Dr Joel Wallach says
that calcium deficiency is the cause of calcium deposits and heart
disease. What is counter intuitive about it, is that lack of calcium
causes the body to rob bone of calcium and it is this calcium that
get deposited, and cause hardening of valves and arteries. Also
according to him, almost everyone is calcium deficient. It probably
can't hurt for you to look into adding vitamin K and calcium to your
diet. It sounds like you have progressed pretty far along the line
of calcium deposits, and will need other measures, but we don't
really know, and it won't hurt you to supplement with these things,
Actually most people are deficient in many minerals, on top
of calcium and vitamin K. If you want to hear more about it,
you can check out "Joel Wallach" on youtube, and you can also
read his books, the most popular of his books is "Dead Doctors
Don't Lie", which you can also find info on, at youtube.com.
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Also I notice you have aneurysms. Wallach did lots of
research in this area, and noted that the cause of
aneurysms is copper deficiency. It was well established
that this was a primary cause of aneurysms. Going
further, it should be no surprise, mineral deficiency is
probably the number one cause of most health problems
today, according to Wallach. A 100 year test of soil
by the dept of Agriculture, 1912 to 2012, showed that
mineral content of soil in the USA has depleted 85% of
the mineral content. This is because minerals taken from
the soil by plants (food) is not replenished to the soil.
There are 60 minerals deemed to be necessary, to proper
health, and only 3 minerals are put back by fertilizing.
Taking mineral supplements, like copper and calcium
could make quite an impact.
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Karen
Very sorry to hear your news. This is probably a question for @chris but I did find summaries of recent studies that suggest valve deterioration is not such an issue. See what you think.
There is no doubt that the procedure is far less invasive than other surgical treatments and offers a substantial increase in quality of life.
Just a point about K vitamins mentioned. K comes from the German for clotting/coagulation and these vitamins can interfere with anticoagulants, which I assume you might be on.
http://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2017/07/19/15/42/fifteen-years-of-tavr-where-are-we-now
http://www.tctmd.com/news/3-years-post-tavr-valve-performance-holds-steady-and-most-mortality-noncardiac-france-2
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I'm sorry to hear about your condition.
I would be careful about Joel Wallach. It seems he is a bit suspect:
https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/colloidalminerals.html
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It seems I have came to the end of being able to control my heart valve issues with medicine and I cannot have another open heart surgery due to all my previous ones and co-morbidities. I also have a bicuspid issue that is a culprit here. My Aorta has two stable aneurysms, but the aorta valve itself has stenosis and is failing, it's regurgitating badly, causing me loads of grief, with breathing issues, and I am totally worn out trying to get from point a to point B. My angina has escalated again with Blood pressure meds not controlling everything. There is no coronary artery disease which is in my favor.. I take good care of myself..but needless to say my defects have progressed and now my the valves are fowled and narrowing far to fast.. My Doctor does not believe I have another 6 months. The rate of closure has sky rocketed in six months. In a year I jumped from a 17 to 30 on the closure scale and that was november. Between November and March I shot up over 60.
I understand I need to have this procedure to be able to live. I am going down to Standford again 14th and 15th of May two weeks to be evaluated for this procedure. I am according to my Doctor an extremely high risk for open heart surgery so my only alternative is the "Tavr" procedure. If I can pass my evaluation.
So I have watched the procedure but have a few questions. And would like more detailed info before I go down to hospital. I understand that the biological valve either pig or cow or whatever only lasts between 3 to five years before it starts deteriorating. Five year study I read 54 percent of people were dead at 5 year check others were in various states of deterioration and failure... But those patients on average were 74 years and older. I am 57. Seemed the older folks valves held up longer then the younger folks... So One Of my questions is will they monitor the progression of the valve and if it starts to fail can it be replaced again or can it only be done 1 time? Is it just this procedure can only be done 1time. Can a regular open heart be done at the point of deterioration if comorbidities are improved?
You need a big hug and don't stop laughing because it keeps you positive.
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Thank you guys. I was born with three congenital heart defects one being my bicuspid valve. All my vitamins seem to be in good order. My cardiologist tells me the failure is due to the aging bicuspid valve. And that it is not due to heart disease as They say my arteries are clean as a whistle.
I am beyond any further medication helping other then what I am already on, according to him. I am in the critical stage on the gradient for valve closure. Thanks for the hugs.
I have just stopped typing for 30 minutes of again.. It's been racing like crazy. With Afib... I really would like to find out about newest studies in UK about how long your valves are holding up in this procedure. You all have been doing this procedure for a lot longer then the Doctors here in the states have been doing it. if anyone has any stats that would be good. I am plenty nervous, but I know it's this or nothing and only 6 months give or take before it goes.
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Nervous! I’m not surprised.
This is the UK health service site which gives the considered, evidence based recommendations for treatments. It’s worth looking at the openings of each main paragraph first as it gives a feel for the risks and expectations. It’s worth noting that the TAVR patients were considered high risk for surgical replacement SAVR. Hope it helps.
Hang on in there, we are all thinking of you and wishing you the best
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ipg586/chapter/4-Efficacy
Also see the next page on safety
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Hi @Karen W. Sorry to hear that your disease has accelerated. Bicuspid aortic valve is reasonably common (1-2% of the population), and one consequence is valvular disease with stenosis and regurgitation along the lines you describe.
Your symptoms are most certainly directly a consequence of the high cardiac workload imposed by the valve incompetence (leakiness) and the restricted outflow. Pushing a higher than normal blood volume (because some is leaking back with each beat) through a narrower than normal valve is greatly increasing the demands on the heart and also leading to an over-full ventricle, which will ultimately (as it progresses) lead to worsening cardiac failure. This is probably going to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation too for various reasons.
You have angina because the heart is having to work so hard to push the blood out through the diseased valve, so its oxygen demand is high, but downstream of the valve the systemic pressure is probably too low to push the blood down the coronary arteries to perfuse the heart adequately. Hence you are in a vicious cycle, because poor coronary flow (despite normal arteries) is starving the heart of oxygen, reducing its pumping capability and making the failure worse.
It sounds to me like you have limited options and should probably bear this intervention in mind. Let's hope that they are willing to do it, because your quality of life will improve enormously if the valve can be replaced. The failure (which is why you feel exhausted) and the angina will immediately improve.
All procedures carry risk, but because this one (TARV) is "endovascular" - conducted from within the blood vessel space itself - it is lower risk than an open-chest procedures and has much improved healing / recovery times.
You - and the valve performance - will be closely monitored non-invasively afterwards. If the valve does deteriorate then that does not count you out of other procedures subsequently. In fact, if your general health improves because cardiac function is better, then you become a better candidate for other interventions. This procedure might therefore be regarded as a bridge to further interventions later. I would ask the team who assess you about this when you see them.
I wish you the best of luck.
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... Dr Joel Wallach ...
is a veterinarian, see ... http://skepdic.com/wallach.html
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Nervous! I’m not surprised.
This is the UK health service site which gives the considered, evidence based recommendations for treatments. It’s worth looking at the openings of each main paragraph first as it gives a feel for the risks and expectations. It’s worth noting that the TAVR patients were considered high risk for surgical replacement SAVR. Hope it helps.
Hang on in there, we are all thinking of you and wishing you the best
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ipg586/chapter/4-Efficacy
Also see the next page on safety
Thanks Colin... I will read those also. I appreciate your sentiment. Thank you all.
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Hi @Karen W. Sorry to hear that your disease has accelerated. Bicuspid aortic valve is reasonably common (1-2% of the population), and one consequence is valvular disease with stenosis and regurgitation along the lines you describe.
Your symptoms are most certainly directly a consequence of the high cardiac workload imposed by the valve incompetence (leakiness) and the restricted outflow. Pushing a higher than normal blood volume (because some is leaking back with each beat) through a narrower than normal valve is greatly increasing the demands on the heart and also leading to an over-full ventricle, which will ultimately (as it progresses) lead to worsening cardiac failure. This is probably going to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation too for various reasons.
You have angina because the heart is having to work so hard to push the blood out through the diseased valve, so its oxygen demand is high, but downstream of the valve the systemic pressure is probably too low to push the blood down the coronary arteries to perfuse the heart adequately. Hence you are in a vicious cycle, because poor coronary flow (despite normal arteries) is starving the heart of oxygen, reducing its pumping capability and making the failure worse.
It sounds to me like you have limited options and should probably bear this intervention in mind. Let's hope that they are willing to do it, because your quality of life will improve enormously if the valve can be replaced. The failure (which is why you feel exhausted) and the angina will immediately improve.
All procedures carry risk, but because this one (TARV) is "endovascular" - conducted from within the blood vessel space itself - it is lower risk than an open-chest procedures and has much improved healing / recovery times.
You - and the valve performance - will be closely monitored non-invasively afterwards. If the valve does deteriorate then that does not count you out of other procedures subsequently. In fact, if your general health improves because cardiac function is better, then you become a better candidate for other interventions. This procedure might therefore be regarded as a bridge to further interventions later. I would ask the team who assess you about this when you see them.
I wish you the best of luck.
Thank you Chris.. You have answered the questions that I have been so worried about. As you stated, patients for this procedure here are generally extremely high risk for undergoing a regular open heart surgery. They mentioned scarring from my previous open heart surgeries, as being one of the issues, as well as my weight, and other health issues. Being diet controlled diabetic, and kidney issues as well as lungs etc. He said that I fall into a critical risk for regular open heart valve replacement. I leave Monday in the early AM, to drive 5 Hours 30 minutes To the city. Palo Alto in order to arrive arrive by 2:00 P.M. , in radiology for the lower body scan. Then, Tuesday early A. M. For blood panels and pulmonary function tests, then meeting with surgical team to see if they will be able to do it. I tried finding answers to my main worries about second replacement after the new valve fails, because I feel young and don't want this to be it.. I have been struggling more then ten years now.. And finally there is a procedure that looks promising if I make it through the procedure. It was how long will the valves have been lasting..I had read things that said it could only be done once but what you say makes more sense, because of it improving my situation..it can potentially improve things and put me into a better position to do the other procedures aneurysms etc...... I was worried about the aneurysms being a problem to pass the catheter through. I was worried that the aorta
was so thin there it could cause a puncture. I am wondering if it will put more pressure on my aortic wall where the two aneurysms are, or if it will help decrease the pressure. Upper aneurysm in arch is 4.6 lower 3.6 approximately. You nailed everything my cardiologist said about current problems.. Not getting enough oxygenated blood to organs etc... Heart is struggling to work. I was able to watch procedure several times, but It was still hard to see what they were actually doing... Would you have a better link to a surgery I could watch. I take it the valve is not stitched in from what I have seen.. Do you know if it's just set in and left or anchored somehow by the metal sheath like piece that is built around the valve.... ?? Thank you Chris... Your answers are very helpful, and ease my mind quite a lot.
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... Dr Joel Wallach ...
is a veterinarian, see ... http://skepdic.com/wallach.html
Thanks Rd,
I saw that also.. Some time ago... Thanks for reminder. I hope your well.
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I can't tell you about that procedure. However, I was diagnosed
with a moderate leaky aortic valve a couple years ago. I had read
that vitamin K2 had been shown to successfully reduce hardening of
arteries, calcium build up in mice. So I thought I would take it, probably
could not hurt. So I took "Super K" available from life extension
website. I mixed a cut open capsule with a tablespoon of olive
oil or fish oil, daily. I did that for months religiously. Then I was retested
and found to have no aortic leakage. Also pretty soon I read that
tests on people also showed reduction in calcium deposits in people
taking vitamin K. So it would appear that it worked for me. I still take
the vitamin K daily mixed with flax oil. Also I take calcium supplements,
calcium aspertate daily. It is counter intuitive, but Dr Joel Wallach says
that calcium deficiency is the cause of calcium deposits and heart
disease. What is counter intuitive about it, is that lack of calcium
causes the body to rob bone of calcium and it is this calcium that
get deposited, and cause hardening of valves and arteries. Also
according to him, almost everyone is calcium deficient. It probably
can't hurt for you to look into adding vitamin K and calcium to your
diet. It sounds like you have progressed pretty far along the line
of calcium deposits, and will need other measures, but we don't
really know, and it won't hurt you to supplement with these things,
Actually most people are deficient in many minerals, on top
of calcium and vitamin K. If you want to hear more about it,
you can check out "Joel Wallach" on youtube, and you can also
read his books, the most popular of his books is "Dead Doctors
Don't Lie", which you can also find info on, at youtube.com.
Thank you for your post. I am glad you are doing better. Do keep an eye on your valves regardless. I have had calcium tests regularly and am fine, I was low once, but they retested me, and it had something to do with my breast Cancer and chemo therapy. I have had new tests since and only been extremely D deficient, but almost all Humboldt county people are. My doctor got me onto massive doses, to get me caught up, and I am now in the good. I am now taking a maintenance dose. I am back up into the good zone as it was almost non existent. Otherwise I am a firm believer in science and Doctors. They have kept me alive since my birth, being born with multiple birth defects in 1960, at a time when I was blessed to have been put on the pretty new heart lung machine, and had major open heart surgery when I was 1 year old and only 9 pounds! I was a very sick baby.. My mom found me not breathing, after I had a heart attack. She scooped me up and slapped me repeatedly on the back... I finally caught my breath, and she said I was totally blue. It scared her because over the 4 previous years she lost both my sister and a brother before me to crib death. She thought it was happening again.... When she got me breathing she climbed in the car, laid me on the seat, and sped to the hospital thumping me sharply on the back everytime I stopped breathing. We live in the boonies and our hospitals were not equipped to handle those kind of issues with heart. still are not. A plane was readied and I was flown about 400 miles to San Francisco, to a children's hospital, where they took me straight into surgery. I was in surgery for over 16 hours initially and I am told that I was pronounced dead three times. The final time the surgery was halted at closure. After the intern or attendant taking me to the basement morgue area, he saw me moving and ran me straight back to the OR. The Doctors hooked me back up to machine and began monitoring my vitals which were now going strong.. Apparently they basically finished the work and we're quite sure I was dead. To the point they had already told my mom I was gone... Since then I have been repeatedly saved by the medical community, and I hold them in high esteem.. And again now they have expected that I would not live these last ten years but through medicine good doctors good friends and family They have kept me alive to this point! Now in front of me again, I am hoping to have this new miraculous procedure that was not previously available to me earlier, to be a possibility for me to continue to live and enjoy my children, and grandchildren, and friends, loved ones. Each time I have been saved by new advances in medicine and extremely skilled surgeons and Doctors who put their careers out there and are constantly dedicating their lives to keeping people like me and you alive... I am so grateful for them. Thank you for your post, and I wish you all the best also.
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OK. BIG GOOD NEWS! MY ASSESSMENT WENT WELL AND YESTERDAY I RECIEVED MY ADMISSION DATE FOR The "TAVR" procedure. JUNE 7TH WITH SURGERY ON JUNE 8TH. AT 10:00 AM...looks like I will be in for 4 or 5 days. He said usually two but he wants me to stay until they are quite sure there are no issues with all the other problems and that will be doing well enough for a 6 hour drive back home. I am still nervous but very hopeful!
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Excellent news. Hope all goes well
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Excellent news - although we, of course, expect a trivial think like heart surgery not to keep you from your forum duties at all over this time ;)
Do keep us updated on how things go...
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....... of course, expect a trivial think like heart surgery not to keep you from your forum duties at all over this time ;)
That’s rather heartless of you ;)
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Not considering I have been so lazy on my duties! Lol... Thanks you guys.. They did tell me to bring in something to keep busy for 4 days... Lol... I will let you know how it goes.
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Moooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mooooooooooo!!!!!
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Hello to my most delicious forum of scientific fact finding technological and biological information.. I am now 3 days out on my new bovine heart aortic valve.. My bicuspid valve was not as oval in shape as some bicuspid valves but more rounded then expected..so my new valve has fit like a glove and is not leaking as expected.... Everything is looking great and I am going to be discharged today going to stay and celebrate my new lease on life here in bay area one more day then travel home tomorrow 6 hour drive. Stopping every hour to walk and stretch legs... Amazing... I have color in my face again and have already walked more in 1 day then I have in a week prior to the surgery. I feel way more oxygenated and am feeling pretty chipper.... thank you all for the support..... Will post again later........ YAYYYYYYYYYYYY for my new valve I am so thank full to be alive...... Xxxxxxx
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Mazeltov and best wishes for a long and healthy enjoyment of your new component! You have provided the ultimate argument against vegetarianism - why waste the rest of the cow?
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Congratulations, delighted to hear it went so well. You are obviously feeling sooo much better.
Are you going to drive yourself?? Wow, big improvement
Keep well
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Congratulations, delighted to hear it went so well. You are obviously feeling sooo much better.
Are you going to drive yourself?? Wow, big improvement
Keep well
Hi sorry they released me got so excited and emotional it set my heart into a tizzy.. They told me to relax.. Don't get over excited.. Try not to cry cause my heart was racing up over 150 pulse rate...... So the said I best check the excitement for a few weeks till everything stabilized. I am assuming it will get better and the fast flutter and breathless thing will get better.. But I will watch it. My Daughter is driving me home.. I can't drive for at least a week then they want to recheck me before. Thank you guys very much. Xxx
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Mazeltov and best wishes for a long and healthy enjoyment of your new component! You have provided the ultimate argument against vegetarianism - why waste the rest of the cow?
Yes indeedy....Thank you Alan very much!
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When you feel better and able, do please tell us about the procedure, what happened and what it was like. It would be really interesting to hear about it and how they do the procedure.
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My Daughter is driving me home.
So how many bovine jokes did you have to endure?
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When you feel better and able, do please tell us about the procedure, what happened and what it was like. It would be really interesting to hear about it and how they do the procedure.
I will do just that. the transcatheter or TAVR team were incredible.... I understood that they would not do bicuspid patients but I am assuming when they checked my valve it was not as oval as had been expected so they accepted me as a good candidate for the surgery...... I am incredibly humbled and very grateful... I can't talk a lot about it today cause It keeps making me cry but give me a couple weeks when my heart can handle the emotional stuff without flipping out on me. Lol.... My pulse rate skyrockets when I cry or get over excited too happy or too teary.....xxx
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My Daughter is driving me home.
So how many bovine jokes did you have to endure?
Have not been bombarded with any except my own.... Lol... Alan and I have kinda the same mindset in regards to the bovine Donation.. I am extremely grateful to the animal but find myself wondering if they are harvested during butchering or are they taken from bovine cadavers? Not sure if after or before?
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I am assured that the donors are killed with kindness. Indeed we prefer "harvested",with connotations of sunny afternoons in the hay, buxom wenches and beery suppers, to "butchered".
I have yet to meet a colleague wandering the supermarket shelves with a shopping list and a micrometer, muttering "Apparently they never have 14 mm bovine tricuspids on Friday, dear. How about a nice porcine mitral and some goat saphenous?" into his phone. But it's only a matter of time.
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It's all rather amazing to me sad.... But I am very grateful to be here in this case.
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Way off topic, but the problem with consuming dairy products is that half the offspring of dairy cows are slaughtered very young as they will never produce milk or grow enough muscle for beef. Oddly, many people refuse to eat veal "because it's cruel" and most male calves are discarded as worthless. So if you eat cheese, it seems entirely ethical to use the male calves for something sensible, like replacement bits for humans.
Whilst Queen Elizabeth I rallied the troops at Tilbury with a famous speech beginning "I have the body of a weak and feeble woman..." you can continue "....but I have the heart of a bull". Go get 'em, Karen!
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THANKS ALLAN!
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1. Normally aortic valve has 3 leaflets; when it is having 2 leaflets then it is known as bicuspid aortic valve; when having one leaflet then known as unicuspid aortic valve.
2. Subvalvular aortic stenosis can be due to fibrous ridge, membrane below aortic valve etc. Besides obstruction below the aortic valve, the most common issue that occurs with this variety of aortic stenosis is that it damages the aortic valve leaflets also.
3. Supravalvar aortic stenosis generally occurs with a syndrome known as ‘Williams’s syndrome’. It can be in the form of hourglass shape or funnel shaped type of obstruction.
Diagnosis of Aortic Stenosis
It can be suspected on examining the child but best modality for detection of aortic stenosis is by Pediatric Echocardiography.
Management of Aortic Stenosis
- Treatment of aortic stenosis (AS) depends on severity of obstruction.
In mild to moderate obstruction, patient needs medical follow-up at periodic intervals most of the time.
In severe obstruction, patient needs immediate intervention for resolving the obstruction.
In Valvular aortic stenosis, treatment of choice is by doing balloon dilatation of Aortic valve’’.
<LET'S GET RID OF THAT SPAMMY NAME-DROP FOR YOU>
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OK I'm just over one year on my new valve. I am excited to say that I am feeling much better! I have built up more stamina although it feels like it's slow going I recover quicker when getting out of breath and I'm having a lot less issues with the arrhythmia and a lot less of the angina, although I still have an occasion bout of it and occasionaly with the arrhythmia. Seems to hit when I am a little late taking my morning meds like if I'm an hour or two off. So I have to be really careful about taking my meds same time daily, and on time, otherwise they end up with a little round of arrhythmia. I also feel better mentally, and I know thats from the surgery, oxygenation being back circulating throughout my body helps all. I feel like I'm looking forward to getting up in the mornings, I feel like I've got more energy, and I feel like I want to do things more than I did, not that I didn't want to do anything, but that I just didn't feel good and I just lost all desire and energy to do things. My body was just in a real down position. I had gotten to feeling so bad, so I don't know how to explain that, but the surgery has certainly improved everything. I still can't get too far and long distance is still in a wheelchair but I'm walking more I'm on my feet more around the house and I'm healing slow but sure still have issues with my hips and shoulders and those are coming along.. I am being evaluated for a barriatric surgery because my valve is now in as pristine of shape as it will be, so right now We believe that might be the time to do the surgery, to try to get rid of some of this weight so I'll be able to take off some of the weight since I can't exercise well yet. Doesn't look like I will ever be able to do a whole lot of exercise but I can still try to get this weight off, so that's my next goal, is to try to get the weight down I am about to send in my paperwork for that to be evaluated, so we'll see how that goes. I wanted to thank you guys for all the information that you provided and making me feel so much better. I am sorry that I was unable to talk a whole lot about the procedure the day or 2 after, as I was feeling really emotional and it was a big no no as it was sending me into arrythmia. On the day that I checked into the hospital, was the day before the surgery, and they prepped me and did all the stuff that they have to do, running all the tests etc, as they got me ready for surgery the next morning in the AM. They prepped me then I sat in a surgical line up area where I laid awaiting my turn in the pre-op Room for the surgery. There I kissed my family and said my good byes and hellos and I'll see you laters and the next thing I knew we were inside the surgery unit and I was introduced to my surgical team again. In all their garb and each 1 of them showed me all their equipment and what they would be doing on all the monitors and explained their jobs to me, and they explained what they were going to do and and how they were going to put me out and within just a few minutes I was talking and they said they were going to transfer me to surgical table by turning on a hovercraft mattress that raised me up and lifted me as they took hold of the little loops to guide me onto the table..it was way cool ride...lol...The next thing I knew they were taking my arm to I think give me a general anesthetic and knocking me out and I woke up lying flat in my bed in the recovery, actually not in my Room! I was in a position where I was given with that same lift by without a Hover craft mattress,lol type craft mattress that actually raised up and help them shift me on to another table to go to my bed in a flat position. I am a large lady and it just kind of floated me across the table they just guided it and it floated me over to the table and stopped it back on the other bed. Then they took me straight to my Room, where I laid flat for what I think was 6 to 8 hours. It's been a year ago So my memory is a little mushy. I do recall that that was really a difficult time that lain flat for 6 to 8 hours the only pain that I felt was not in my chest was not incisions but it was the actual it may have been just the incisions that were in my neck for the monitors to go in and so the 3 tubes to monitor heart rate, internal valve pressure and cannot remember 3rd tube duty..looked like a pig tail. I don't know if you call it a pig tail of monitor cords that went into my neck and were pressed in and the single end went into the juggler that was measuring the inside pressure of the valve. That part was the most painful of all. Having that removed the day I left was also very painful. It was the most uncomfortable part about the whole time in the in the hospital. The 2nd day and my 1st night was my was a little bit hard, could not sleep as I had a little bit of restless leg syndrome and had trouble sleeping that night. By the next day, in the afternoon, I began to sleep during the afternoon, in between them waking me for things and giving
me medicine and all that. I continued to to improve that day but was still having a lot of the arrhythmia on the day that they were to release me. The 10th of June I believe. They monitored me for half the day, had me practicing being calm...and not getting too excited...That day had me up but not as active In the morning, as arrhythmia was to high... I was up and walking around the room then by around noon and even walking around the cardiac unit. Afternoon visits from my Doctors and respiratory therapist who by the way looked like Robin Williams. They all gave me home instructions and..prompted me to stay calm not get too excited. Anyway all the doctors wish me well they all come in and say good-bye and and that they were very excited for the surgery that it went so well and they were very happy to see how well I was doing and they sent me home the 1st night we stayed at a motel because I want to be there for another 24 hours and make sure nothing else was going to happen because I was 400 miles away if I went home so after that is next 24 hours in in town we decided to drive home stopping to rest and stretch my legs and got home and must say I was a bit anxious being a home and a little nervous because I was a little frightened about having heart surgery and being here by myself and so I was here at the house by myself and my ex come and helped with making food and then he would then leave and my kids all work, they were all doing their own jobs once we were home. They all went down with me for the surgery so I had family around me for the 4 days there. The 1st few weeks were a little rough I would say that I didn't feel as good as I felt the day after the surgery, but mostly it was the arrhythmia that was kicking my butt, I was having a ton of arrhythmia and it was over nothing more than just standing up and it would it would kick in and not stop for long periods of time, then finally stop. That kind of threw me a little bit, but after keeping in touch with the doctors and them explaining what was happening I was assured that it would get better and it did it's gotten a lot better but we also had to increase my blood pressure meds, because it seems that my blood pressure meds were not controlling the blood pressure properly and they believe that was part of the arrhythmia because my blood pressure was getting too high. So we encreased one of my blood pressure meds that they had actually taken me off from after surgery, and apparently they should'nt have taken me off that much of the medication after the surgery, because I have high blood pressure. Though they were thinking that they could decrease some of the blood pressure medications and I'd be good with the new valve but apparently that wasn't the case. They had to keep the blood pressure medication in place so the arrhythmia has gotten way way better. I have very few rounds of it now, and my stamina is better. I have increased energy and the actual desire to be doing things, I feel like I want to do things again... like motivation to do them things I was missing doing. mentally in my head is feeling way less foggy, completely different. I feel more vibrant and alive like I did years ago before I got real sick. I'm starting to feel a little like my old self again, felt like a been living in a fog for a long long long time and so that has really improved and just having more stamina is amazing and to be able to walk to the loo which is about 20' away and walk all the way back to my chair without having to stop in between. It's been amazing to get all the way back to the living Room. I might be a little tiny bit winded but I'll sit down in the chair and my recovery time is like nothing.. I mean now I just sit and breathe a couple breaths and it is like I'm able to catch my my air backup in like 10 seconds or so, and I feel like I can breathe again without strain. So the rest will come in time, so it's just gonna be slow. They've got me doing real slow stuff. I'm doing senior water aerobics at the pool but that's helping my stamina. I can feel it getting better daily, so that's really nice, and I have noticed I can do more each day so I'm just trying to take it real slow like they told me. They told me not to over do it and so I'm taking it slow and trying to build it up as I go but over all my 1 year check up is wonderful I got an all clear From the doctor's office and from the heart team at my one year check. He said my heart is in pristine condition as far as the new valve goes, and that right now is the time for us to move on. So we're going to try to do the bariatric procedure 1st so I can take off some of this weight before we consider a surgery for my hips or my shoulders. We figure having the weight off will put a lot less pressure on everything and increase my recovery for my valve also so that's the next plan as filling out the paperwork and getting it all fit back in haven't done that yet that's what I'm working on right now and so it's got me dragging my feet a little bit because nobody wants to have surgery to conform make your stomach eat the proper foods even though I try to eat the proper foods and I just can't keep the weight off with the non activity so that's kind of a combination problem, so I've opted for the barriatric surgery to try to help, so we'll see if it'll be a good tool to use to help me keep the weight down. Anyway I'm feeling better and I wanted to repost a to make sure you guys know that I got through my 1 year check up and I'm doing much better and I'll update and and tell you more as it goes thank you guys very much.