Please keep your spirit going Maryann. I am very fit and healthy, and overall feel very well after the surgery. The effect was to give me huge electric shocks in my calves and knee. Anyone have this problem? puts me at ease a bit with this normalcy but still frustrated with these bouts of fatigue , battery drainage Rehab 3X week with 2 self forced Gym visits in hopes of return or exceed to better lifestyle has its moments of interrupted exhaustion. Help All I live in the UK and had a new aortic replacement 5 months ago where my aneurysm swelled to 9.2cm very low survival rate. Hi. I would like to hear and communicate with others who are going/have gone through the same or similar thing. Hello John, I am at 17 days post surgery, and certainly better than the 4-5 day mark when I was, similar to you,very nauseous, no sleep, and total discomfort between waistline and shoulders. Needing heart surgery - need information re doctors at U of PA, Advice for other women with heart disease, Endocarditis and other heart valve problems, Experiences with healthcare professionals, Living with cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure, Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). Had full set of Labs last week. At this point, full feeling may not be guaranteed; numbness one year after breast augmentation is typically an indicator of permanent changes in sensation. Nerve Regeneration: Tissue Engineering Strategies. Lost about 20 lbs and have been able to keep it off. When does it get much better? Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. This resulted in further investigation which concluded I had a bicuspid aortic valve. Thanks all for sharing your experiences and all the best and speedy recovery, please share if any one experienced no pain after few months/ years. After 4 days, the nurse practitioner called an ambulance and sent me back to hospital. I have come to terms with it is was it is so get on with it . Maybe have some advise? If anyone has experienced and of the problems I have ie: vent for 7 days or longer, unable to remember surgery and their mind just went off somewhere else and it all was so believable , continued fatigue, difficulty walking and increased hip pain, Incision pain especially to the leg where the vein was harvested (and it looks horrible) looks like a keloid scar and is very red and shoots pain down the leg, increased forgetfulness, feeling faint and dizzy, chest pain and decrease in Vision. I woke up in the ICU to notice that the left side of my left hand was asleep you know, how your foot might go to sleep if you positioned your leg improperly for too long. boshar. The upshot? I am fortunate in that I was fairly young (58) and healthy going in and the recovery has been mostly good. Basically, bacteria was growing all through my heart, it destroyed the tricuspid valve and aortic valve as well as damaging the upper electrical node and stretching my heart muscle to nearly twice its normal size. I suppose we think, throughout our lives, that we are immortal and it seems that I have realised I am not! None of this at all related to the original accident. I felt the rib/chest pain was getting better but about a week ago it felt worst and seems to feel tighter day by day. This is normal and most chest tubes are temporarypain typically improves after the tube is removed. I had ohs valve replacement June 1. Ive had no swelling in my legs or anywhere. After removing one of the veins to the leg, blood must find other veins to return from the legs to the heart. Thank you so much for sharing. Id hoped this would go on a good few years before I needed OHS. Now almost three years later and I still have pain my incision has keloids. I am 55 years old and 2 weeks post triple bypass surgery and struggling to stay positive. All in all I guess I am doing very well. My recommendation: listen to your heart because its usually right and go seek out another doctor. There are other battles I contend with, but mostly I feel blessed by God Almighty to have this second chance. Surgery-related chest pain signs include: Increasing pain with movement of the chest. Is wondering if anyone else has had Open Heart Surgery?? Wish Bob and yourself all the best . The electric shocks diminshed with time and only occasionally do I get them now, but the numbness persists and shorted nerve multiple touch sensitivity also persists 8 1/2 years later! Sorry to hear about your post operative pains, but its a relief as well.Im 8months last the same operation as you (with an unexpected bypass as well during the op) and have a number of pains I keep assuming its the scar and nerves and nothing more serious. My experience is like yours.. Read More. Feeling tired most of he time, sleeping is problematic but refuse to give in to that. I also feel much worse than before surgery is not suppose to be this way. Bouts of emotions and disbelief that I really went through all of this, but reminded when I remove my shirt and see the scar. My pcp helped me more than Cardiology doc and was less expensive. But alive and kicking tired yes ache yes but one step at a time and grateful to the dedicated teams who pulled me through. Common Complaints After Surgery. I am on my 6th week of open heart surgery. Around 6-8 weeks are expected for the bone to heal properly (without any complications), while recovery from an open heart is variable from person to person. My quad bypass was done in September 2014 after successful stunting in 2002 decided to block. Once I sleep then I sleep well without any disturbance (Gods grace).. Rest of the time I am fine as I dont think about it nor I have breathing issues. I surmise that it is very painful, I cant imagine the pain he feels. But fortunately there are moms like you. Greetings from South Africa. Back on the Harley Davidson at 12 weeks, other than a little initial nervousness, no issues at all. Neil. I had aortic valve replacement. Cough meds never helped but used pure honey and lemon/honey cough drops just to help me rest between coughs. I am happy for your recovery. I had no risk factor, no blockage, no cholesterol, nothing. Alternative approaches may use incisions to the side of the bone between the ribs or through some of the ribs on the side. The difficulty sleeping throughout the night and the subsequent fatigue I constantly wrestle with. I am an Eagle and Ranger scout in the B.S.A and used to enjoy rock climbing, hiking, kiteboarding, snowboarding and such. Although i am much fitter now at times i get tired easy. Blood clots are a medical emergency. I had a pig mitral valve in mid febohs. Hello, I had OHS via thoracotomy couple of months ago. Right breast pain, post (14 weeks) open heart surgery. Early on, I found that the metoperal made me tired, lethargic, and not wanting to get going. 4 weeks now and ready to go back to work. Orthop J Sports Med. Have been to many doctors and all told the same thing "Nerves take time to heal if ever". My cardiac team (all new doctors) was amazing and 5 months out, I can say the medications I was on were making me sicker than the heart attack so I could never have a good day. I jogged about 1/4 of a mile three days ago. I have to keep my head above water & just keep trying to move forward regardless of how slow that may be. Helpful to wear soft bra @ all times & still use pillow to splint @ night. 2018;6(5):2325967118771535. doi:10.1177/2325967118771535, Kuponiyi O, Alleemudder DI, Latunde-Dada A, Eedarapalli P. Nerve injuries associated with gynaecological surgery. If you have specific inquiries, please feel free to contact us at info@familyheart.org. Finally to mention the team at Nottingham City Hospital Trent Cardiac Centre were fantastic, absolutely first rate led by my surgeon, Mr Naik. An injury that cuts a nerve can also lead to numbness. My husband does all the grocery shopping. They are called Lyrica. I guess, for me, it was a hereditary thing. He says the back of his head throbs and he feels pressure in his head also. But find that lifting and doing anything that requires pulling or bending straight over is tough!!! And same remedy doesnt help the second time. Cardio can be a challenge..but it has helped me. You may know how this feels. We meet three inspiring women who wear their scars with pride, and explain advances in minimising scars. I think for the first time I have some insight into the importance of the will to live. 3 months ago I started having dizzy spells and double vision. I should be starting my cardiac rehab in another week, although I have been walking pretty regularly. Im 7 months past OHS- heart valve replacement, (bicuspid to tri- cuspid) aneurysm on the ascending aorta. The pain is awful. Some of us might get up the top of a mountain, some of us might just enjoy leisurely walks.whatever our goals now just take it easy and enjoy it. I mean no disrespect to many who have been there and done that, and those who have learned via traditional education or by any other means especially if they are men. Be patient, kind, understanding, helpful, insightful, considerate. Sitting up was an effort, for days and weeks. Hi Theresa l hope things have gotten better for you Im just getting to 8 weeks from same surgery Im back at work but once in a while I feel like Im passing out but over all Im starting to feel better How are you doing now, I agree it is frustrating watching people 20 to 30years older out doing you Im 53 and was in good shape now I have the older people telling me take it easy but they give me confidence. The lack of a good night sleep is driving me nuts. i wish all and everyone are healthy and overcome this troublesome soon. Started feeling myself slow down about five years ago. If so, would you please leave a comment for Sean detailing your situation and how/if you fixed it? I was an extreamly healthy 33 year old man before my OHS and hospitalization this year. The only problem I still have after almost 5 years is constant soreness and aches in the chest. I went to my neighbours who offered to help, organised my funeral, someone to take my dog, clean my unit and give all my stuff to charity. Having OHS on 10/5/12 to repair a vsd as well as repairing my pulmonary valve. I have read different reports, some more and some less encouraging. Have had 4 stents. Both said not to the extent I did and one even said he was really worried after 2 weeks if I was coming back from where ever I was. I just wanted to comment on changing doctors . It is horrible and constant. Although I do have the scar and chest pains a lot of you have I feel after reading your stories this is pretty normal. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist. Thank you for your blog. This is priceless, wonderful help! I have been through 8 serious surgeries this year and Im very blessed to be alive. He is still recovering in hospital and is making good progress. doi:10.1097/WNR.0000000000000382, (13) Khan J, Noboru N, Imamura Y, Eliav E. Effect of Pregabalin and Diclofenac on tactile allodynia, mechanical hyperalgesia and pro inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-1) induced by chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve in rats. Yes we may never be the same again we all of us appreciate life a lot more. One of the biggest issues we see after surgery is scarring around the nerves (1). 30 years? Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FNP-C, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. All food taste back and my chest wont stop hurting, Im depressed, and sometimes tried. Hang in there everyoneit gets a little better every day. When you get to shoulder height rotate them to straight out in front and then slowly back and down. I dont know how to live with this. I have stopped smoking and drinking alcohol. I had to take 2 tablets 4 times a day. I had the gut feeling that it was my heart, but doctors insisted that it couldnt be. Was grateful for mine beforemore so now. Now it reaches above 30. I am having vision problems as well my Vision has worsened since surgery I went from not needing glasses for Distance to I cant see 30 40 feet and failed a Drivers Licenses Renewal!!! I am scared to death to do this but i am at high risk so need to have it done. What you are going through is par for the course. when i finally fall asleep i would gasp for breath so fear got into me when is wanted to sleep. Very fortunate for my loving Girlfriend, that was with me every minute of the way, she was there when I woke up, and has been the quintessential Nurse Ratchet ever since. They have me on a beta blocker which I am sure is part of the issue because at times my BP is 99/60 which to me is too low. You are right and yes, there are many things that are common to both men and women that can affect how we heal as well as a few things that you point out are quite different in our physiology. 33 is much too young and you have shown yourself to be very strong in this comment section. Two other specialists recommended no surgery as the dizzy spells were probably related to the medications. Tramadol and several anticonvulsants synergize in attenuating nerve injury-induced allodynia. doi:10.1111/tog.12064, Azizzadeh B, Mashkevich G. Nerve injuries and treatment in facial cosmetic surgery. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19472851, Orthobiologics (e.g. I found myself here today to look up how weather can effect this because its freezing in Colorado and the atmospheric pressure seems to alternate between a feeling of a bowling ball stuffed in my chest and the feeling of a bowling ball sized hole in my chest. After further tests, he said I have mitral valve prolapse (nearly state 4) and I need surgery immediately. This group of medicines is used to blunt pain and sensation during surgery. So its kinda normal to feel a certain way. But I will say. I dont chose to, is it too early to start having problems like the people on the post. 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