Recovery time of endiocarditis

[Takingchances]

my husband has been in hospital for 6 weeks ,with endiocarditis ,and aortic valve replacement ,he is home now and made some progress but still very weak, needs help with dressing etc ,how long is usual recovery time from this horrible infection ?

[Mary_Janet]

Hi there,

Nearly two years ago I had the same problem but was in hospital for nine weeks. I can so relate to the exhaustion, weight loss and muscle weakness.

For the last part of my stay I was warned that the recovery would be lengthy and at times frustrating and it was. The smallest thing took time and was exhausting.

You and your husband should remember that he has recovered both from a major overwhelming infection, weeks of antibiotic therapy , oh and major open heart surgery.

As you say just getting washed and dressed is exhausting. Your husband will find that he will only be able to do do much then need to sit/lie down, his leg muscles will be wasted and tire easily.

Your husband is probably also sleep deprived from being in a noisy ward and if like me having treatment during the night.

As well as going to bed early I also had a proper sleep after lunch in my bed, this was required for a couple of months.

Is you husband managing to eat, I could only manage small meals but had snacks in between to encourage my appetite back and aid weight replacement , I lost 2 stones in weight.

Have you been given advise about going for wee walks ? On discharge I was only to do ten minute walks on the flat, that was enough for me. I hope your husband has been offered cardiac rehab , I found this invaluable both physically and emotionally. I was very weak and wobbly but the gentle exercise helped me. I found it could to have the weekly contact, support and goal setting. I now aim to walk 10,000 steps a day and or a session at the gym.

Before this illness I was fit and healthy and this floored me, I got a lot of support from the GP who sent me into hospital and had a couple of long chat with her. My family , friends and husband have been amazing and still are.

I realise that I have not answered your question about length of recovery . I was told my recovery would take a good nine months and and it did. On saying that I was at a family wedding a month after discharge , admittedly I went the service and then had a nap before the meal !

I wish your husband well and am sure that you are being a huge support.

[Takingchances in reply to Mary_Janet]

Thank you for your reply mary it is very informative ,Roy ( my husband ) has lost a lot of weight, didn't eat much whilst hospital but managing small meals now he's home ,he has had an invitation from action heart which he says he would like to try . hoping they will give us support we need . he was traumatized by his stay in hospital ,and has taken a while for him to relax i thought his recovery would be quicker than it is ,but he has diabetes and leukemeia as well to contend with and as the surgeon said he was a couple of days from death ,so i suppose it is baby steps .I do hope you continue to stay well and thank you again for your kind reply regards jan

[Stevo1979 in reply to Takingchances]

Agree totally with everything Mary Janet said. I was in hospital for 3 months between endocarditis and then the subsequent valve replacement and then when I thought I was getting better had a pericardial effusion which was horrible. I am on the mend now. I had my surgery 4th December 2018. I am back at work now for last 12 weeks(desk job) but even that was tiring but couldn't afford not to go with a young family and only receiving stat sick pay! Some days are better than others but I have lost a lot of muscle and strength. The cardiac rehab courses are a godsend and will definitely help, not only with getting active but mentally as well. Anything you want to know I will be happy to try and answer based on my experiences

[Takingchances in reply to Stevo1979]

Thank you so much steve ,i hope you continue to improve and you go from strength to strength ,i will no doubt be in touch for your advice ,it has been a horrible time ,xxxx

[Jamse]

I had accuse endocarditis in 2004 i lost 35 kilos including my leg muscle ...after 6 weeks of antibiotic shots every 4 hours i got sent home in august . in December i felt well enough to go back to work. Cardiac rehab was a great help ...it tends to start when they have enough takers ,,it was tough to start with but helped me build up enough leg muscle to walk up hills .I remember at the end of november I was able to fly to Iceland and to swim inn a thermal spa

[Takingchances in reply to Jamse]

Thank you for your reply James , it gives me such hope that he will recover to lead a normal life ,hearing about your recovery in fact he is a little better today ,dare i hope he has turned a corner .he has a session with action heart on Thursday if well enough to go regards Jan

[Amikatari]

Hi Takingchances, I’m sorry to hear you and your husband are going through this. I’m currently in hospital with the same illness, my antibiotic treatment is nearly finished, and I’m having my aortic valve replaced in 13 days.

I’m sure it’s just as hard for my partner as me! He’s helping me so much, and he has supportive friends and family, but I’m still trying to encourage him to get some counselling, as he’s stressed and exhausted.

Do you have any support for yourself right now?

I can recommend Ensure drinks as a way to put on weight. I lost 5 kilos in 6 days when first admitted to hospital, and i’ve put most of it back on now. He might need to get it on prescription, i’m not sure.

Have you got a leaflet about home activity after cardiac surgery? The BHF do one, and it’s helped me know what to expect.

[Spock1189]

Hi Takingchances,

My recovery from endocarditis was relatively swift (i.e. the antibiotics cleared it out and I felt better way before the end of the course), but the resulting replacement of my damaged aortic valve was much harder to recover from.

Getting home is huge in terms of recovery, and your husband has already achieved that. Being in my own surroundings, eating better food and getting more sleep made a big difference for me. It took a while to be able to lay flat comfortably in bed, but its way better than trying to sleep on a noisy hospital ward.

i would encourage your husband to follow the normal advice on physical activity - start carefully and slowly, inching it up day by day, week by week. The main thing in the early days is to protect the breastbone by not reaching or lifting too much.

Everybody is different, but it took me a couple of months to get back to a stage where I was confident in my own ability to get out and about without thinking about walking distances or being on my own. It was at that point I went back to work, and started a cardiac rehab course (which was great - shout out to Bedford Hospital Cardiac Rehab team).

I've had 3 rounds of valve replacement surgery (once due to endocarditis). Each time, my body has healed more quickly than I thought it would. My biggest recovery challenge has always been in my mind, and each time I have found that having access to great support has made the difference. It's been good to have both types - e.g. the people I love for the emotional support, but also professionals who can help you understand how your (new) body feels as you recover, and reassure/advise you if you have concerns.

All the best for you and your husband.

[Takingchances]

Thank you so much for your reply ,if he feels well enough we hope to go to action heart on Thursday , so hoping that will help with his recovery ,he is slowly improving ,and as you say being home has helped him enormously ,he was traumatised by being so long in hospital to the point it affected his mental health too .i do hope you continue with good health