Is this fairly common?
Surgery on 4th July, all went well, first valve fitted was too large so surgeon decided to undo -removed and replaced with smaller XPiras tissue valve. Surgery 4:30hrs.
So far so good - so very happy..
but breathing exercises exhausting. Using spirometer- moving just one ball mostly for now..
Left arm has severe muscle pain
Trying to balance rest with need to be mobile..
Any thoughts
Xx
Good to hear from you again and it's good it is over. Sorry to hear you are feeling rough. Are you at home?
Yes, home at Weekend, things going okay, just a lot of juggling to manage pain and positioning xx
It will get better honestly. Such early days. Week 6 is the best week: I had trouble breathing deeply until then. It;s getting the last bit of your lungs to inflate that is so hard. Stick at the exercises - I did them every hour. My big mistake was not sleeping/resting enough and also I did not realise I should be wearing the compression socks for a few weeks. I abandoned them after a couple of days. No one said anything about wearing them for any specific length of time. Dare I ask how your stomach is?
Stomach is fine- appetite good.
I am keeping teds on, I take them off for an hour or so’s relief before washing.
Good to know breathing thing is normal. Xxx
the lung thing was explained to me as the bottom of your lungs "kind of stick together when you are on heart lung machine" aas they are deflated- my op was just under 8 hours so I think mine had a happy time sticking themselves together so it took ages to get them completely unstuck.......
Yes I agree. I had a lot of breathing problems until I went to cardio rehab after bypass. I also realised a lot of it was in my head . All the same it wasn’t nice
How did you get on with the thoracic Vest?
I had the bra - one put on after the op and I bought three more. 12 weeks on I am still wearing them. Hopeless on uplift brilliant on comfort and I am sure the incision healed faster because my chest was held in place and no strain on it. What;s the vest like?
Very uncomfortable- unfortunately big boobs!!!
Send for a bra = think you;ve already got the link from before you went in - know the problem!!!!
As i am still waiting for a call for surgery, i can only wish you well. Guessing your lungs are agog at having a working heart to dela with again... Can only hope so and they all get workng together asap.
Hope you get the call soon Brand!
Hi, so pleased you are home and everything went well, remember your lungs will have been collapsed so they need to start working normally again so that’s why we have the breathing exercises I called them huffing and puffing! It will get back to normal just takes time, keep doing your exercises. Pain in left arm could be from how you were on the table.
Listen to your body if it’s saying I am tired rest, you have been through major surgery and it’s slow and steady.
You are now on the heart mended road and you will get there.
Take good care
Best wishes Pauline.
Hugs Pauline xx
no idea re the breathing but my surgeon warned me before my cabg that the pain in neck shoulders and arms was often worse than the chest pain after surgery, something to do with the way they manhandle you whilst on the table! . My left arm was absolutely awful when I came round after my 5th opp and now 5 months on just been able to access physio for it. Soft tissue damage and shortening if the nerves apparently.
Congratulations on your positive attitude. Recovery is a long slow drag but it does slowly get better. Gentle walking, around the house with plenty of rest is the order of the day. Coughing is encouraged to help get your lungs up and running. If you can manage the stairs - great.
Nice and easy does it because your body is carrying out a stack of major repair jobs behind your back and doesn't like you doing too much at this stage. Make haste slowly and gather your stamina as you go.
It does get better and you will start to feel much better in a few weeks time. Take care.
Dear Wildmeadow
I am exactly two months ahead of you. Very few of us got the op in early May due to hospitals needed for Corona. What has pleased me is that the recovery is easy to identify. Work at it and the results are immediate.
I have still got a moderate amount of pain in my right chest and left shoulder. But its easing and I can sleep on my front or my sides. After weeks of sleeping on my back this is so nice. I started on 5 pillows and now its two, which is my permanent position. Just eased the pillows every few days.
Breathing is now very good. I go in the garden, and breath in and think how wonderful life can be.
It took me many weeks to grasp the theory of listening to what my body is telling me. But at my two months stage this is ideal. I do need more rest. I am sleeping just brilliantly. No more painkillers, i weaned myself off these gradually, now take none at all.
I reckon that six weeks was a turning point, but you need to restrain over enthusiastic ideas.
What I now do is try slowly. eg I cant possibly manage my large petrol mower, even though it is self propelleled. So I have used my lightweight flymo and just done a little bit each day. My body complained on day 3 so I rested for 36 hours.
Ditto with vacuum cleaner. I am now doing small bits with our small machine and wont use the big one (Dyson) until my body is stronger.
I dont get any rehab sessions and no follow up. Everything was closed when I came home from hospital. So I have to guess/try everything. Today I have a facetime with the consultant. The local practice nurse kindly came to my home to remove the last stitches and check the wound.
I found the breathing exercises etc very hard. This was a shock. But I just did them as best I could. Mind, I think I am meant to do one each hour which I wrongly assumed was all six once each day. After about six weeks the breathing eased. And the ability to cough become OK and not agony.
Best wishes
Colin
Thanks so much Colin, weird comfort knowing the ‘agony coughing’ is ‘normal’ and not just me. Very determined to do the right stuff to get ‘this right’ and just am so grateful to be able to wake up and still have a life and family to enjoy. Overdid a bit of watering in garden- learning limits fast.
Appreciate your share v much.
Caute
Regarding the agony coughing. I was taught to use a towel, rolled up tight, and hugged against my chest when a cough was coming.
In hospital they had a few new towels, still bound in a roll, just for us to use. Referred to as teddies ! This helps when coughing and is reassuring for cowards like me.
I am ten weeks post op and this morning I sneezed without hopping around. For me the agony reduced every week.
Please remember we are advised not to lift anything of weight. A full watering can is far too heavy. I dont even half fill my garden cans. After about three months the average person can then start to build up the weight etc. I use a hose and sprinkler in place of endless watering cans . And we shouldnt bend down to fill the cans. The three months is passing quite quickly.
Colin
Hi Wildmeadow,
Replacement AVR and double bypass on 26 Feb 2020. 8 hours surgery.
I think we’re all affected slightly differently by what is a massive trauma to the body, but there are common issues. I didn’t have the shoulder pain but the lung problem definitely resonates. I found two things definitely helped:
(a) Slowly but surely building up my daily Fitbit steps total. I used to regularly do 14k per day before the operation and am now regularly hitting 10k (17k and 18k on a couple of days recently). I have a dog, so that keeps me focused!
(b) Breathing exercises and, in particular, that demonstrated by Dr Sarfraz Munshi in his YouTube video. For a few months afterwards, I had a regular “clicking” sound In my left lung when breathing in which my GP told me was this phenomenon of the bottom sides of my lung sticking together. It’s cleared up now but I still do the exercises every night.
It is a long road but things do get better and, looking back, much more quickly than anticipated, or how it felt at the time.
All the best with your recovery.
Thank you Reuben, I have that ‘clicking’ crackling sound especially at night. Very relieved to hear yours has cleared.
Fitness route an inspiration to hear.
Thk you
Caite
AVR IN TWO DAYS
After AVR 
driving after avr
AVR and endocarditis 
