Arrithymia after AVR

[Jewel7]

Hi all,

I’ve posted before.... my husband is now 3.5 weeks post AVR. He is on bisoprolol, ramapril, amlodapine and Amioderone. The surgeon has just stopped his water tablets due to him feeling dizzy and faint. His heart was showing an arrithymia but not AF, just an unusual pulse but the surgeon say it’s will settle down when I rang in the week. My husband is feeling ok, just a bit sick on the tablets. We are walking 15/20 minutes a day and he is doing small chores around the house. My main worry is will his pulse rythum go back to normal? The GP says it’s just the physiology of his heart after his procedure sorting itself out, although the GP hasn’t seen him since he came home, all is done over the phone.

Has anyone else had this after surgery, not AF just a uneven heart rate.

Regards,

[Calliope153]

On week 8 after emergency new valve and an aortic graft. Remember we are all different. I was told by a surgeon yesterday that the heart remodels and has to get used to a new valve. (Same thing as you say about physiology sorting itself out). I had a scary day in May when, was as you described (coincidentally about 4 weeks in), it took about nine hours for it to sort itself out but, touch wood, nothing since.

The big thing I have found is to ignore things as much as possible and just get on with living. I shall smack the next person who tells me how well I am looking. It;s a good job I don;t see too many people on my walks as I might end up leaving a trail of flattened people! I am also fighting the urge to let my husband do everything for me - it would be too easy to become indolent and a little bit precious. I started walking for five minutes (felt horrible) now up to 50 minutes on the flat and try to do over a mile a day. Still having problems deep breathing - but working on it. Windy days for walks are the pits but go to a sheltered park.

My scar is healing well but it objects to tight clothing - have bought larger than usual size tops in organic cotton and doing better. Less itch. Not sure if this helps you - but as someone who is recovering it is a slow process and it is only when you look back you realise how far you've come. You just have to stick at the routine of good diet and exercise. I didn;t rest enough and now I do I notice the difference. (I now do an afternoon sleep - over an hour - for the first six weeks I determinedly kept awake all day - definitely a mistake). Best wishes.

[Calliope153 in reply to Calliope153]

everything is done over the phone - GP, now surgeon, wound surveillance team......

[Jewel7 in reply to Calliope153]

Thank you so much for your reply, if you don’t mind me asking has there been much change from say 4 week to 8 weeks, what have you noticed. And what heart tablets are you on? My husbands on bisoprolol 1.25 mg, ramipril2.5 mg, amlodapine 10 mg, Amioderone 200mg one a day, and a statin at night to make sure plague does not come away from the walls of arteries, he doesn’t have high cholesterol.

Regards,

[Calliope153 in reply to Jewel7]

will send you a private message - tablets at the moment Aspirin, statin, Bisoporol for heart. Ramipril suspended until my bp rises. Just about to grab the sunshine and do the walk and a few errands. Will reply by end of day. But briefly, oh yes - it was week 6 for me when the whole thing changed. It was literally overnight. But you do not go back to "normal" instantly. I am still working through building up strength. Still can;t strip a bed or use a vacuum, have muscular pain...... I don;t have high cholesterol - but, strangely I am tolerating Bisoporol at 3.75 something I had problems wiht before op. I went from 1.25 to 3.75 and my heart rate is still too high. But please do not forget everyone responds differently - what happens to one does not happen to everyone else. It's slow but you will see a lot of progress over the weeks. It;s just frustratingly slow.

[Jewel7 in reply to Calliope153]

Thank you... yes it is slow...

Regards,

[Jewel7 in reply to Calliope153]

Sorry I also ment to ask, have cardiac rehab got in touch... they had an app to follow instead of the group rehab. Personally I feel it has a lot of flaws, part of healing is to chat to others about what your feeling and going through. There forum really isn’t any support because nobody really answer the questions that you are worried about. The main thing is as you say to walk and eat healthy and to get the rest you need. The app is to complexed for those who do not use that sort of thing.. Just wondering if you were doing the App.

Regards,

[Dolphin14]

As stated by most surgeons the " heart does not like to be manipulated" it will respond to that manipulation or upset.

I'm not sure what arrhythmia has been identified. AF is the most common but not exclusive.

Isn't there a follow up visit to check EKG?

[Jewel7 in reply to Dolphin14]

No at the moment I guess due to Covid???. He will see the surgeon in a couple of weeks.

THankyou

[Ianc2 in reply to Jewel7]

Sounds about right to me . The operation he has just had is probably one of the most invasive that you can possibly have and does take a good while,. 8 weeks to get your breastbone to knit together and about 3 months to recover from the general body burgling that has been done.

The recovery exercises are deliberately gentle and get you going without putting too much stress on your heart and your ribcage. Initially you will find doing any exercise very hard work but it does very, very gradually get better.

I had an irregular hearbeat before my operation. My heartbeat is much stronger after the operation, but still irregular. I had an ablation to fix the AF which worked very well for about a year until I got zapped by a virus on a cruise ship.

It is about 6 years since I had my ablation and my heart is still beating strongly and irregularly. I think that regular gentle exercise is essential and I currently do between 8 k and 12 k steps a day, but avoid steep hills unless I feel up for a challenge.

Currently I take rampiril and warfarin to guard against a stroke. Last year I was in Zermatt, wandering around at about 8,000 feet and then having a coffee break while admiring the views of the Matterhorn.

Nice and easy does it, If you stick to a healthy way of eating, watch your weight, (waist half your height, etc) and gradually improve your exercise you will be able to really enjoy life. As time passes you will be able to do more and more. Live long and prosper.

[Jewel7 in reply to Ianc2]

Hi thank you for your reply. Can I ask did you have a bovine valve or mechanical. My husband had bovine but only on aspirin dispute his the irregularities of his heart.

Regards,

[Ianc2 in reply to Jewel7]

I discussed this with the surgeon and we agreed that she would open every thing up, have a look and decide on what actions to take, In the event a valve repair was possible and two valves were repaired, some reshaping was done and something that looks suspiciously like a small clothes peg attached to my atrial appendage.

[Vanilla88]

amlodapine? I’ve tried this tablet twice and it appears to effect my heart rhythm ( which is unusual without it), the longer I stay on the tablet the worse I get, only ever managed 3 months, popped into hospital on one occasion for advice and my rhythm was severe enough to be put in an ambulance and transferred to another hospital to be seen by a specialist. Is the tablet new to your husband?

[Jewel7]

No amalodopine he has had for years And I cannot recall it making him have irregularities in his heart rhythm.

Regards,

[Hermanm]

Hi,

I had a mechanical aortic valve fitted 4 years ago,

Sounds like your husband is going through,

what we all went through ,

In my case I felt like s$%t for about 6 weeks,

then things, slowly at first ,

start to improve,

I suppose it's got a lot to do with how old you are ,and your lifestyle before the OP.

I was 58 at the time, and had been a landscape gardener for 30 years.

So I wasn't that old , and quite fit,

Just take it one day at a time ,

and pretty soon his heart will adapt and settle down,

Btw

I was back to work ,after 3 months !

Cheers,

Paul