Mended Hearts Open Forum

Hi Joe,

The first thing to keep in mind is that everything you're experiencing is unique to you and that each patient experiences different symptoms/reactions to their surgery. If the cardiologists aren't concerned and you trust them, then you can rest assure that you're on track for a successful recovery. Remember, your body went through a rough ride but now you need to give yourself time to recover. The breastbone itself can take up to a year to fully heal. See your primary if you're concerned about your BP and maybe the dose can be adjusted or the medication be changed. My cardiologist took me off of Metoprolol and put me on Antenolol a few months after my surgery and my BP is normal but remember that everyone's BP flucuates so try not to obsess about it. The best part is, you're young and strong and you'll be fine. 

Best regards,

terry t. 

Mitral Valve repair (2010) and re-repair (2022)

Hi Joe, thank you for posting! I am 22 months post quadruple bypass just after my 50th birthday. I am sorry you're experiencing the bad days. The good news is that we are here with a new lease on life. I am not a medical doctor, but I am more than happy share the experiences I had early on after my bypass surgery. I remember having a lot of crazy high fluctuations with my BP, even as high as 184/120. The cardiologist and nurses explained that it's normal to have post operative fluctuations as your body is healing. To be honest, my BP is still all over the place. I get up at 4 am and work out 6 days a week and still have fluctuations. I know that my anxiety has a lot to do with it. They say it takes 3 months to a year to get back to 100%. I'm confident you will get there. Are you going to cardiac rehab yet? That was really helpful and reassuring for me. Just take things one day at a time! You got this! 

All the best!
Brad

Hi Joe, thank you for posting! I am 22 months post quadruple bypass just after my 50th birthday. I am sorry you're experiencing the bad days. The good news is that we are here with a new lease on life. I am not a medical doctor, but I am more than happy share the experiences I had early on after my bypass surgery. I remember having a lot of crazy high fluctuations with my BP, even as high as 184/120. The cardiologist and nurses explained that it's normal to have post operative fluctuations as your body is healing. To be honest, my BP is still all over the place. I get up at 4 am and work out 6 days a week and still have fluctuations. I know that my anxiety has a lot to do with it. They say it takes 3 months to a year to get back to 100%. I'm confident you will get there. Are you going to cardiac rehab yet? That was really helpful and reassuring for me. Just take things one day at a time! You got this! 

All the best!
Brad

Did anyone else experience burping? I go through these burping fits, I'm not sure if certain food starts it or what but it's almost like reverse burping where I don't burp out, I'm burping in. If that makes sense ha!

Went to my primary yesterday and he upped my metropolol and my losartan. Now on 100mg of metropolol and 50 losartan because my heart rate and bp are still high 6 weeks after cabg. These numbers are worse than they were before surgery which is really discouraging. I keep hearing to give your body time and you need to heal and all this but my numbers tell a different story and I feel like I am going through all this for no reason. I thought I'd at least come out of this with lower bp or something. I'm trying to remain calm and listen to people's advice but it's tough! And through all this the last several days I've been burping a lot too. I stopped taking Tylenol because it didn't seem to help anymore with the chest incision which isn't in a lot of pain but it's definitely noticeable pain. 

I know every person is different but has anyone experienced high bp and heart rate this far out after surgery?!

Went to my primary yesterday and he upped my metropolol and my losartan. Now on 100mg of metropolol and 50 losartan because my heart rate and bp are still high 6 weeks after cabg. These numbers are worse than they were before surgery which is really discouraging. I keep hearing to give your body time and you need to heal and all this but my numbers tell a different story and I feel like I am going through all this for no reason. I thought I'd at least come out of this with lower bp or something. I'm trying to remain calm and listen to people's advice but it's tough! And through all this the last several days I've been burping a lot too. I stopped taking Tylenol because it didn't seem to help anymore with the chest incision which isn't in a lot of pain but it's definitely noticeable pain. 

I know every person is different but has anyone experienced high bp and heart rate this far out after surgery?!

Did anyone else experience burping? I go through these burping fits, I'm not sure if certain food starts it or what but it's almost like reverse burping where I don't burp out, I'm burping in. If that makes sense ha!

Went to my primary yesterday and he upped my metropolol and my losartan. Now on 100mg of metropolol and 50 losartan because my heart rate and bp are still high 6 weeks after cabg. These numbers are worse than they were before surgery which is really discouraging. I keep hearing to give your body time and you need to heal and all this but my numbers tell a different story and I feel like I am going through all this for no reason. I thought I'd at least come out of this with lower bp or something. I'm trying to remain calm and listen to people's advice but it's tough! And through all this the last several days I've been burping a lot too. I stopped taking Tylenol because it didn't seem to help anymore with the chest incision which isn't in a lot of pain but it's definitely noticeable pain. 

I know every person is different but has anyone experienced high bp and heart rate this far out after surgery?!

Did anyone else experience burping? I go through these burping fits, I'm not sure if certain food starts it or what but it's almost like reverse burping where I don't burp out, I'm burping in. If that makes sense ha!

My BP is often high at a doctors office at the beginning of a visit.  My primary now takes it twice, again at the end of the visit and that is now the one that she records as it is usually a good bit lower.

When doing cardiac rehab, the starting BP was typically high but then something was noticed, if I got involved in a casual conversation a few minutes prior to taking the BP, it would be normal.

My cardiologist had me log BP at home twice a day for a week and the numbers were normal and thus he relies on those numbers more than the number at the office at the start of a visit.

Do you record home numbers?  And, are they also high? 

Went to my primary yesterday and he upped my metropolol and my losartan. Now on 100mg of metropolol and 50 losartan because my heart rate and bp are still high 6 weeks after cabg. These numbers are worse than they were before surgery which is really discouraging. I keep hearing to give your body time and you need to heal and all this but my numbers tell a different story and I feel like I am going through all this for no reason. I thought I'd at least come out of this with lower bp or something. I'm trying to remain calm and listen to people's advice but it's tough! And through all this the last several days I've been burping a lot too. I stopped taking Tylenol because it didn't seem to help anymore with the chest incision which isn't in a lot of pain but it's definitely noticeable pain. 

I know every person is different but has anyone experienced high bp and heart rate this far out after surgery?!

Did anyone else experience burping? I go through these burping fits, I'm not sure if certain food starts it or what but it's almost like reverse burping where I don't burp out, I'm burping in. If that makes sense ha!

My BP is often high at a doctors office at the beginning of a visit.  My primary now takes it twice, again at the end of the visit and that is now the one that she records as it is usually a good bit lower.

When doing cardiac rehab, the starting BP was typically high but then something was noticed, if I got involved in a casual conversation a few minutes prior to taking the BP, it would be normal.

My cardiologist had me log BP at home twice a day for a week and the numbers were normal and thus he relies on those numbers more than the number at the office at the start of a visit.

Do you record home numbers?  And, are they also high? 

Went to my primary yesterday and he upped my metropolol and my losartan. Now on 100mg of metropolol and 50 losartan because my heart rate and bp are still high 6 weeks after cabg. These numbers are worse than they were before surgery which is really discouraging. I keep hearing to give your body time and you need to heal and all this but my numbers tell a different story and I feel like I am going through all this for no reason. I thought I'd at least come out of this with lower bp or something. I'm trying to remain calm and listen to people's advice but it's tough! And through all this the last several days I've been burping a lot too. I stopped taking Tylenol because it didn't seem to help anymore with the chest incision which isn't in a lot of pain but it's definitely noticeable pain. 

I know every person is different but has anyone experienced high bp and heart rate this far out after surgery?!

My BP is often high at a doctors office at the beginning of a visit.  My primary now takes it twice, again at the end of the visit and that is now the one that she records as it is usually a good bit lower.

When doing cardiac rehab, the starting BP was typically high but then something was noticed, if I got involved in a casual conversation a few minutes prior to taking the BP, it would be normal.

My cardiologist had me log BP at home twice a day for a week and the numbers were normal and thus he relies on those numbers more than the number at the office at the start of a visit.

Do you record home numbers?  And, are they also high? 

Hi Joe, 

I'm 6 years post OHS, CABG x2. I still experience significant pain in the sternotomy area. I don't recall having any issues regulating my bp or hr after surgery. Finding the right dosage or mix of drugs can take time.

My pain sucks, but I'm grateful to be alive to feel this pain. You'll get there Joe, you got this!

Hi Joe,

Congratulations on completing your OHS. I had OHS three years ago to replace my aortic root and valve due to aneurysm. As you said earlier, recovery is a marathon rather than a sprint and it takes a while to hit your stride. It's tough to suddenly not be able to do things you were able to do mere days before and aches and pains that you wouldn't have thought twice about are suddenly scary for you and those around you. It's perfectly natural to be concerned and have bad days along with the good ones. Be patient with yourself and celebrate all of the small victories while you get better. I walked 6-10 miles a day before surgery and was very excited when I could walk to the end of our driveway without getting winded after surgery. Speaking from personal experience, cardiac rehab did wonders to improve my physical condition after surgery and, just as importantly, boost my confidence in my health. I'm back to walking 6-10 miles a day but couldn't have gotten there without the small victories along the way!

You mentioned several other topics in your original post that sounded similar to my experience…

Burping. You said they go in rather than out. Are they more like hiccups? I started having hiccups in ICU the day after surgery and have them to this day. They come in ones and twos every so often throughout the day and night, even when I'm asleep. At first they thought the hiccups were caused by my drain tubes lying on my diaphragm. When it became clear the hiccups were not going away, my doctors suggested that the tissue or nerves around my diaphragm was disturbed during surgery and this is my new normal. It's a small tradeoff, in my opinion, so I don't mind.

Metoprolol. I eventually worked up to 75mg a day but my cardiologist has never had me take it all at once. I take three 25mg tablets a day, 1.5 in the morning and 1.5 at night. The 25mg tablets are scored so they're easy to break. Good job telling your cardiologist you felt like a zombie after taking 75mg all at once. Maybe talk to your cardiologist about a different dosing schedule? (I also saw you said that your cardiologist wants you to talk to your primary care doctor about your heart meds?? My cardiac surgeon explained that I'd continue seeing him and my cardiologist for follow-ups until I was healed. Then, I would continue to see my cardiologist for ongoing care and all my heart meds. My primary care doctor and dentist both confer with my cardiologist before prescribing me anything, get antibiotics before dental cleanings, etc.)

Pain. You said that pain around your incision was going down and then increased. Have you had a chance to talk to your surgeon about the increase in pain? It might be a good idea to have a follow up just to make sure you haven't strained anything while you're healing. I went in for a follow up after hearing a pop during recovery. It turned out to be nothing but you want to make sure everything is on track while you're on the mend.

BP. Now that I think back, my BP started to creep up a couple of weeks after surgery. It could be due to any number of things including post-surgery healing, the type of med you're taking, or environmental factors. In my case, I was still on restricted water intake. My cardiologist lifted my water restrictions when he felt confident I was not retaining water around my heart. He explained that limiting water can thicken the blood, which makes the heart work harder to circulate it. If you haven't started already, write your numbers down (or log them on your phone's health app) so your cardiologist can see how you're doing throughout the day.

All that being said, if you're concerned about something, call your cardiologist (or surgeon) and ask to be seen. That's what they're there for and most doctors dig when a patient is taking an active role in their recovery. I'm guessing you'll love rehab when you go, and that's a great place to ask questions too.

Hope you're having a good day,

Scott

Thanks Scott for the response. The last two days I've been a zombie again because of the 100 mg of metoprolol I'm guessing. My primary told me to split up when I take both metoprolol and lorsartan so my bp doesn't drop too low. Which yesterday I had taken both in the morning before I spoke with him and by 3pm I was in the ER because I was so weak. They did blood work and chest X-rays. Only thing that showed up was high WBC count which I'm guessing is because I'm still healing. 

My right boob hurts more than it did but I started laying off the Tylenol constantly. I'm going to follow up about this when I go on Tuesday to see my Cardiologist. As well as the burping. 

It's kind of like you described your symptoms as with burping but I don't have an answer as to why I do it. I know spicy food and citrus kicks it up more which stinks because I love those two things. 

I have my numbers in my phone and questions I want to ask written down and also emailed them some items I'd like to discuss considering I'm not completely happy with how my post op care has been going.

I'm hoping to find out about when I can start rehab and ask for a good amount more time at work as I'm a chef and on my feet 9-11 hours straight and have to constantly lift more than 10 lbs.

I'm really looking forward to rehab because I need that someone to talk to about my anxiety of it all and get the extra exercise and whatever else it brings. My sleep has been terrible the last week which makes me even more weak and miserable when my numbers are already stressing me out. 

Thank you for your detailed response and hope you're feeling and doing well!

Hi Joe,

Congratulations on completing your OHS. I had OHS three years ago to replace my aortic root and valve due to aneurysm. As you said earlier, recovery is a marathon rather than a sprint and it takes a while to hit your stride. It's tough to suddenly not be able to do things you were able to do mere days before and aches and pains that you wouldn't have thought twice about are suddenly scary for you and those around you. It's perfectly natural to be concerned and have bad days along with the good ones. Be patient with yourself and celebrate all of the small victories while you get better. I walked 6-10 miles a day before surgery and was very excited when I could walk to the end of our driveway without getting winded after surgery. Speaking from personal experience, cardiac rehab did wonders to improve my physical condition after surgery and, just as importantly, boost my confidence in my health. I'm back to walking 6-10 miles a day but couldn't have gotten there without the small victories along the way!

You mentioned several other topics in your original post that sounded similar to my experience…

Burping. You said they go in rather than out. Are they more like hiccups? I started having hiccups in ICU the day after surgery and have them to this day. They come in ones and twos every so often throughout the day and night, even when I'm asleep. At first they thought the hiccups were caused by my drain tubes lying on my diaphragm. When it became clear the hiccups were not going away, my doctors suggested that the tissue or nerves around my diaphragm was disturbed during surgery and this is my new normal. It's a small tradeoff, in my opinion, so I don't mind.

Metoprolol. I eventually worked up to 75mg a day but my cardiologist has never had me take it all at once. I take three 25mg tablets a day, 1.5 in the morning and 1.5 at night. The 25mg tablets are scored so they're easy to break. Good job telling your cardiologist you felt like a zombie after taking 75mg all at once. Maybe talk to your cardiologist about a different dosing schedule? (I also saw you said that your cardiologist wants you to talk to your primary care doctor about your heart meds?? My cardiac surgeon explained that I'd continue seeing him and my cardiologist for follow-ups until I was healed. Then, I would continue to see my cardiologist for ongoing care and all my heart meds. My primary care doctor and dentist both confer with my cardiologist before prescribing me anything, get antibiotics before dental cleanings, etc.)

Pain. You said that pain around your incision was going down and then increased. Have you had a chance to talk to your surgeon about the increase in pain? It might be a good idea to have a follow up just to make sure you haven't strained anything while you're healing. I went in for a follow up after hearing a pop during recovery. It turned out to be nothing but you want to make sure everything is on track while you're on the mend.

BP. Now that I think back, my BP started to creep up a couple of weeks after surgery. It could be due to any number of things including post-surgery healing, the type of med you're taking, or environmental factors. In my case, I was still on restricted water intake. My cardiologist lifted my water restrictions when he felt confident I was not retaining water around my heart. He explained that limiting water can thicken the blood, which makes the heart work harder to circulate it. If you haven't started already, write your numbers down (or log them on your phone's health app) so your cardiologist can see how you're doing throughout the day.

All that being said, if you're concerned about something, call your cardiologist (or surgeon) and ask to be seen. That's what they're there for and most doctors dig when a patient is taking an active role in their recovery. I'm guessing you'll love rehab when you go, and that's a great place to ask questions too.

Hope you're having a good day,

Scott

Hi Joe,

Congratulations on completing your OHS. I had OHS three years ago to replace my aortic root and valve due to aneurysm. As you said earlier, recovery is a marathon rather than a sprint and it takes a while to hit your stride. It's tough to suddenly not be able to do things you were able to do mere days before and aches and pains that you wouldn't have thought twice about are suddenly scary for you and those around you. It's perfectly natural to be concerned and have bad days along with the good ones. Be patient with yourself and celebrate all of the small victories while you get better. I walked 6-10 miles a day before surgery and was very excited when I could walk to the end of our driveway without getting winded after surgery. Speaking from personal experience, cardiac rehab did wonders to improve my physical condition after surgery and, just as importantly, boost my confidence in my health. I'm back to walking 6-10 miles a day but couldn't have gotten there without the small victories along the way!

You mentioned several other topics in your original post that sounded similar to my experience…

Burping. You said they go in rather than out. Are they more like hiccups? I started having hiccups in ICU the day after surgery and have them to this day. They come in ones and twos every so often throughout the day and night, even when I'm asleep. At first they thought the hiccups were caused by my drain tubes lying on my diaphragm. When it became clear the hiccups were not going away, my doctors suggested that the tissue or nerves around my diaphragm was disturbed during surgery and this is my new normal. It's a small tradeoff, in my opinion, so I don't mind.

Metoprolol. I eventually worked up to 75mg a day but my cardiologist has never had me take it all at once. I take three 25mg tablets a day, 1.5 in the morning and 1.5 at night. The 25mg tablets are scored so they're easy to break. Good job telling your cardiologist you felt like a zombie after taking 75mg all at once. Maybe talk to your cardiologist about a different dosing schedule? (I also saw you said that your cardiologist wants you to talk to your primary care doctor about your heart meds?? My cardiac surgeon explained that I'd continue seeing him and my cardiologist for follow-ups until I was healed. Then, I would continue to see my cardiologist for ongoing care and all my heart meds. My primary care doctor and dentist both confer with my cardiologist before prescribing me anything, get antibiotics before dental cleanings, etc.)

Pain. You said that pain around your incision was going down and then increased. Have you had a chance to talk to your surgeon about the increase in pain? It might be a good idea to have a follow up just to make sure you haven't strained anything while you're healing. I went in for a follow up after hearing a pop during recovery. It turned out to be nothing but you want to make sure everything is on track while you're on the mend.

BP. Now that I think back, my BP started to creep up a couple of weeks after surgery. It could be due to any number of things including post-surgery healing, the type of med you're taking, or environmental factors. In my case, I was still on restricted water intake. My cardiologist lifted my water restrictions when he felt confident I was not retaining water around my heart. He explained that limiting water can thicken the blood, which makes the heart work harder to circulate it. If you haven't started already, write your numbers down (or log them on your phone's health app) so your cardiologist can see how you're doing throughout the day.

All that being said, if you're concerned about something, call your cardiologist (or surgeon) and ask to be seen. That's what they're there for and most doctors dig when a patient is taking an active role in their recovery. I'm guessing you'll love rehab when you go, and that's a great place to ask questions too.

Hope you're having a good day,

Scott

Hi Joe,

Congratulations on completing your OHS. I had OHS three years ago to replace my aortic root and valve due to aneurysm. As you said earlier, recovery is a marathon rather than a sprint and it takes a while to hit your stride. It's tough to suddenly not be able to do things you were able to do mere days before and aches and pains that you wouldn't have thought twice about are suddenly scary for you and those around you. It's perfectly natural to be concerned and have bad days along with the good ones. Be patient with yourself and celebrate all of the small victories while you get better. I walked 6-10 miles a day before surgery and was very excited when I could walk to the end of our driveway without getting winded after surgery. Speaking from personal experience, cardiac rehab did wonders to improve my physical condition after surgery and, just as importantly, boost my confidence in my health. I'm back to walking 6-10 miles a day but couldn't have gotten there without the small victories along the way!

You mentioned several other topics in your original post that sounded similar to my experience…

Burping. You said they go in rather than out. Are they more like hiccups? I started having hiccups in ICU the day after surgery and have them to this day. They come in ones and twos every so often throughout the day and night, even when I'm asleep. At first they thought the hiccups were caused by my drain tubes lying on my diaphragm. When it became clear the hiccups were not going away, my doctors suggested that the tissue or nerves around my diaphragm was disturbed during surgery and this is my new normal. It's a small tradeoff, in my opinion, so I don't mind.

Metoprolol. I eventually worked up to 75mg a day but my cardiologist has never had me take it all at once. I take three 25mg tablets a day, 1.5 in the morning and 1.5 at night. The 25mg tablets are scored so they're easy to break. Good job telling your cardiologist you felt like a zombie after taking 75mg all at once. Maybe talk to your cardiologist about a different dosing schedule? (I also saw you said that your cardiologist wants you to talk to your primary care doctor about your heart meds?? My cardiac surgeon explained that I'd continue seeing him and my cardiologist for follow-ups until I was healed. Then, I would continue to see my cardiologist for ongoing care and all my heart meds. My primary care doctor and dentist both confer with my cardiologist before prescribing me anything, get antibiotics before dental cleanings, etc.)

Pain. You said that pain around your incision was going down and then increased. Have you had a chance to talk to your surgeon about the increase in pain? It might be a good idea to have a follow up just to make sure you haven't strained anything while you're healing. I went in for a follow up after hearing a pop during recovery. It turned out to be nothing but you want to make sure everything is on track while you're on the mend.

BP. Now that I think back, my BP started to creep up a couple of weeks after surgery. It could be due to any number of things including post-surgery healing, the type of med you're taking, or environmental factors. In my case, I was still on restricted water intake. My cardiologist lifted my water restrictions when he felt confident I was not retaining water around my heart. He explained that limiting water can thicken the blood, which makes the heart work harder to circulate it. If you haven't started already, write your numbers down (or log them on your phone's health app) so your cardiologist can see how you're doing throughout the day.

All that being said, if you're concerned about something, call your cardiologist (or surgeon) and ask to be seen. That's what they're there for and most doctors dig when a patient is taking an active role in their recovery. I'm guessing you'll love rehab when you go, and that's a great place to ask questions too.

Hope you're having a good day,

Scott

I feel like it is too all at once esp after how I felt the last two days. My blood pressure and heart rate are still high but in the hospital I was taking 12.5mg every 6 hours but it's would be hard to do every 6 hours I could possible talk to the cardiologist about doing something like Scott. I go on Tuesday and have a ton of information they are going to need to give me. 

Hi Joe,

Congratulations on completing your OHS. I had OHS three years ago to replace my aortic root and valve due to aneurysm. As you said earlier, recovery is a marathon rather than a sprint and it takes a while to hit your stride. It's tough to suddenly not be able to do things you were able to do mere days before and aches and pains that you wouldn't have thought twice about are suddenly scary for you and those around you. It's perfectly natural to be concerned and have bad days along with the good ones. Be patient with yourself and celebrate all of the small victories while you get better. I walked 6-10 miles a day before surgery and was very excited when I could walk to the end of our driveway without getting winded after surgery. Speaking from personal experience, cardiac rehab did wonders to improve my physical condition after surgery and, just as importantly, boost my confidence in my health. I'm back to walking 6-10 miles a day but couldn't have gotten there without the small victories along the way!

You mentioned several other topics in your original post that sounded similar to my experience…

Burping. You said they go in rather than out. Are they more like hiccups? I started having hiccups in ICU the day after surgery and have them to this day. They come in ones and twos every so often throughout the day and night, even when I'm asleep. At first they thought the hiccups were caused by my drain tubes lying on my diaphragm. When it became clear the hiccups were not going away, my doctors suggested that the tissue or nerves around my diaphragm was disturbed during surgery and this is my new normal. It's a small tradeoff, in my opinion, so I don't mind.

Metoprolol. I eventually worked up to 75mg a day but my cardiologist has never had me take it all at once. I take three 25mg tablets a day, 1.5 in the morning and 1.5 at night. The 25mg tablets are scored so they're easy to break. Good job telling your cardiologist you felt like a zombie after taking 75mg all at once. Maybe talk to your cardiologist about a different dosing schedule? (I also saw you said that your cardiologist wants you to talk to your primary care doctor about your heart meds?? My cardiac surgeon explained that I'd continue seeing him and my cardiologist for follow-ups until I was healed. Then, I would continue to see my cardiologist for ongoing care and all my heart meds. My primary care doctor and dentist both confer with my cardiologist before prescribing me anything, get antibiotics before dental cleanings, etc.)

Pain. You said that pain around your incision was going down and then increased. Have you had a chance to talk to your surgeon about the increase in pain? It might be a good idea to have a follow up just to make sure you haven't strained anything while you're healing. I went in for a follow up after hearing a pop during recovery. It turned out to be nothing but you want to make sure everything is on track while you're on the mend.

BP. Now that I think back, my BP started to creep up a couple of weeks after surgery. It could be due to any number of things including post-surgery healing, the type of med you're taking, or environmental factors. In my case, I was still on restricted water intake. My cardiologist lifted my water restrictions when he felt confident I was not retaining water around my heart. He explained that limiting water can thicken the blood, which makes the heart work harder to circulate it. If you haven't started already, write your numbers down (or log them on your phone's health app) so your cardiologist can see how you're doing throughout the day.

All that being said, if you're concerned about something, call your cardiologist (or surgeon) and ask to be seen. That's what they're there for and most doctors dig when a patient is taking an active role in their recovery. I'm guessing you'll love rehab when you go, and that's a great place to ask questions too.

Hope you're having a good day,

Scott

Hi Vic,

I really appreciate hearing about your experience! I've never spoken with anyone who had the same procedure and sometimes feel like I'm the only one. I wasn't told I was going to have my valve replaced until the afternoon before surgery so I never had a chance to do research beforehand.

Did your surgeon say follow-up repairs are common? I'm under my surgeon's guidance to keep my heart rate below 110 while exercising and my cardiologist is keeping my resting heart rate in the 50's and 60's to reduce stress on my repairs.

Take care and have a good evening,

Scott

Hi Vic,

I really appreciate hearing about your experience! I've never spoken with anyone who had the same procedure and sometimes feel like I'm the only one. I wasn't told I was going to have my valve replaced until the afternoon before surgery so I never had a chance to do research beforehand.

Did your surgeon say follow-up repairs are common? I'm under my surgeon's guidance to keep my heart rate below 110 while exercising and my cardiologist is keeping my resting heart rate in the 50's and 60's to reduce stress on my repairs.

Take care and have a good evening,

Scott

Hi Joe,

Congratulations on completing your OHS. I had OHS three years ago to replace my aortic root and valve due to aneurysm. As you said earlier, recovery is a marathon rather than a sprint and it takes a while to hit your stride. It's tough to suddenly not be able to do things you were able to do mere days before and aches and pains that you wouldn't have thought twice about are suddenly scary for you and those around you. It's perfectly natural to be concerned and have bad days along with the good ones. Be patient with yourself and celebrate all of the small victories while you get better. I walked 6-10 miles a day before surgery and was very excited when I could walk to the end of our driveway without getting winded after surgery. Speaking from personal experience, cardiac rehab did wonders to improve my physical condition after surgery and, just as importantly, boost my confidence in my health. I'm back to walking 6-10 miles a day but couldn't have gotten there without the small victories along the way!

You mentioned several other topics in your original post that sounded similar to my experience…

Burping. You said they go in rather than out. Are they more like hiccups? I started having hiccups in ICU the day after surgery and have them to this day. They come in ones and twos every so often throughout the day and night, even when I'm asleep. At first they thought the hiccups were caused by my drain tubes lying on my diaphragm. When it became clear the hiccups were not going away, my doctors suggested that the tissue or nerves around my diaphragm was disturbed during surgery and this is my new normal. It's a small tradeoff, in my opinion, so I don't mind.

Metoprolol. I eventually worked up to 75mg a day but my cardiologist has never had me take it all at once. I take three 25mg tablets a day, 1.5 in the morning and 1.5 at night. The 25mg tablets are scored so they're easy to break. Good job telling your cardiologist you felt like a zombie after taking 75mg all at once. Maybe talk to your cardiologist about a different dosing schedule? (I also saw you said that your cardiologist wants you to talk to your primary care doctor about your heart meds?? My cardiac surgeon explained that I'd continue seeing him and my cardiologist for follow-ups until I was healed. Then, I would continue to see my cardiologist for ongoing care and all my heart meds. My primary care doctor and dentist both confer with my cardiologist before prescribing me anything, get antibiotics before dental cleanings, etc.)

Pain. You said that pain around your incision was going down and then increased. Have you had a chance to talk to your surgeon about the increase in pain? It might be a good idea to have a follow up just to make sure you haven't strained anything while you're healing. I went in for a follow up after hearing a pop during recovery. It turned out to be nothing but you want to make sure everything is on track while you're on the mend.

BP. Now that I think back, my BP started to creep up a couple of weeks after surgery. It could be due to any number of things including post-surgery healing, the type of med you're taking, or environmental factors. In my case, I was still on restricted water intake. My cardiologist lifted my water restrictions when he felt confident I was not retaining water around my heart. He explained that limiting water can thicken the blood, which makes the heart work harder to circulate it. If you haven't started already, write your numbers down (or log them on your phone's health app) so your cardiologist can see how you're doing throughout the day.

All that being said, if you're concerned about something, call your cardiologist (or surgeon) and ask to be seen. That's what they're there for and most doctors dig when a patient is taking an active role in their recovery. I'm guessing you'll love rehab when you go, and that's a great place to ask questions too.

Hope you're having a good day,

Scott

I owe you all comment, in case you have to make a decision regarding a leadless pacemaker option. There was a Medicare database study published in the prestigious HeartRhythm Journal this month, including over 23,000 pacemaker patients. They found that all-cause mortality depends on where the electrode is placed, not where the battery is. Someday there may be a leadless pacemaker with an electrode to pace the cardiac conduction system (either at the His bundle or at the left bundle branch). Be aware that any pacemaker that bypasses the cardiac conduction system puts patients at risk of what your doctor calls "pacing induced cardiomyopathy."

Please check out terms that you may not be aware of on Google, Microsoft Chrome's Copilot, or wherever you prefer, to see the risk.

Hi Vic,

I really appreciate hearing about your experience! I've never spoken with anyone who had the same procedure and sometimes feel like I'm the only one. I wasn't told I was going to have my valve replaced until the afternoon before surgery so I never had a chance to do research beforehand.

Did your surgeon say follow-up repairs are common? I'm under my surgeon's guidance to keep my heart rate below 110 while exercising and my cardiologist is keeping my resting heart rate in the 50's and 60's to reduce stress on my repairs.

Take care and have a good evening,

Scott