It's a month now since I had my open heart surgery, I'm emotional. I have two cardio doctor, the first doctor was the one who tried to do catheterization on me and failed and the 2nd doctor is my surgeon who did an open heart surgery, he was recommended by my first doctor. 2 weeks ago I had my check up w/ my first cardio doctor, I also learned I lost weight (perhaps because of all the pain and sleepless nights in recovery), he advised after check-up EKG and ultrasound that I'm great and I can do whatever already (2-weeks post surgery?, and he took me out of pain pills), I'm skeptic because I know I can't, with my husband in the room I got pressured and pushed to exercising and doing things in pain, thinking that its just me being weak and I should stop complaining and deal with it. Yesterday I had my 2nd doctor (surgeon) check up, I gained 8 lbs, and my husband got in my case because of this, as I was not like before and my metabolism is slower because when I had ASD I do have palpitations and 24/7 cardio workout because of my heart pumping more blood than normal people, so now I will be gaining fast and should change everything and push hard more on exercise and diet, my surgeon as opposite my 1st doctor advised me no gym until 2 weeks and I shouldn't not have anything strenous, and was surprised that I stooped taking pain pills. I am so confused and stressed with weight gain and should I do more exercise or not as I am torn. I feel so unmotivated. My apologies though that my blog is not as optimistic as others but I do believe things will be better and I am so lucky and blessed that I'm in another leg of my life
Hi Helen, I'm now 4 years past open heart ASD surgery. It was exactly one month after my surgery that I felt so down and discouraged about the slow pace of my recovery that I searched for an online support group and found one. I haven't been very actively involved, but it has helped to know there are others facing some of the same things I'm facing.
When I had the ASD surgery I also had a cleft valve repaired and an ablation to control irregular heartbeat. In addition, I had several cardioversions before and after surgery. As a result, it has been a long road to normalcy and I don't even feel fully there yet, but my conditions were probably a little different from the norm. I started cardiac rehab before my body was ready and I had a setback which landed me back in the hospital. I'm now on lifelong medication to control my heart rhythm, which had returned to normal before the "rehab". I'm telling you this to say that no one knows how your body feels but you. What family, friends, and even sometimes doctors think should be happening at any given point may not be based in the reality of the situation. Listen to wisdom, but don't let others make you feel guilty about how you feel. Gaining 8 pounds as a result of no longer having an abnormal heartbeat is not a tragedy. Those can be dealt with after you're feeling better. Let your body heal and let your husband deal with his own discomfort with your weight gain and with the pace of your progress. You can be empathetic, but right now, this is not about him. You don't need motivation; you need further healing. You'll do what's necessary when it's time. If not, you can go to professionals for help with diet and exercise. But don't let anyone push you. One month is too soon.
I am 26 years post Open Heart surgery for an ASD repair with a pericardium patch and suture closure. Yes, I did say 26 yeas and not months. I had my repair done when I was 16 years old, . My recovery time was nothing like the doctors said. I was told to take it esy for the remainder of the summer and that I would be good to go at the begining of the school year and ready to start training again, I was a competitive swimmer before my surgery. Summer came and went and I still couldn't walk up a flight of stairs. So I was told to slowly begin training and I would eventually get stronger. After a few months of nothing I under went more and more tests to try and figure out what was wrong. I got depressed, but my parents didn't see it and no one else picked up on it. I sat in my room a lot and stopped hanging out with my friends and started hanging out with the wrong people, my grades dropped really bad. A year later my cardiologist finally sent me to a pulmonologist and I under went even more tests. I was told that I had a pulmonary disease as a result of my ASD, but nothing was done. I was too young for this to be happening the doctors told my parents. I finally gave up on excerise and doing the things that had enjoyed. I had been a very active person before the surgery. It took 25 years of me going from one doctor to another, I had gotten married and my husband joined the military, telling them that I was gaining weight and couldn't lose it no matter what I did and I couldn't walk a block much less exercise without feeling like I was going to have a heart attack. Because of my age no one would listen to me. I was put on diet after diet and told to push myself. Now after almost 26 years, 5 children and over 100 lbs gained, the doctors have found that I do indeed have a respiratory problem due to my ASD and I also have something calld Dystolic Dysfunction as a result of the ASD. As for the weight gain they haven't had any answers and I still haven't been able to lose any. My doctors tell me to be gad that I had the surgery because I am here and have 5 healthy children. I finally have somewhat of a quality of life that I can enjoy my children and I thank the current doctors I have and 2 rounds of Cardiac Rehab. What I am trying to say is that: you and only you know your body and if something doesn't feel right than it probably isn't. Keep going to the doctor that you are comfortable with, but before you chnge doctors try talking to him/her about how you really are feeling. Start out slow, walk around your yard or up and down your street. Get outside everyday if possible, the sun and fresh air will help especially with the depression and frustration. Lower your expectations and raise them as you reach them. You can do it and it will take time, hopefully not as long as it has taken me. Good luck in your recovery.
Holy cow - a month after surgery I was back to work but was an emotional wreck. The ONLY exercise you need to be doing is walking. PERIOD. I know what I'm talking about, and if all your husband cares about is whether you're gaining too much weight, he needs a dose of reality. OHS is an INCREDIBLE strain on the body, and the doctors tend to downplay it and start telling you that you are perfect now about six months before that is true. YOU HAVE A LOT OF HEALING TO DO. Three months after, I was still depressed. A YEAR later, I finally stopped hearing every heartbeat. Heck, four years later - I'm STILL dealing with some aftershocks of depression. DO NOT DO ANY EXERCISE THAT CAUSES YOU TO HURT. Dang. That's STUPID. You DO need to be walking - 30-45 minutes a day, basically. My doctors "released" me a lot sooner than my body was able to handle, too. DON'T sit around an mope, don't be lazy, but those sternum bones and ribs will cause you pain for a LONG time, and you don't need to do things that make them hurt. I couldn't stand to be left alone, even tho I like walking alone, I couldn't stand it when people LEFT. Heck, it was two weeks before they let me not have a pillow between my chest and the seatbelt. Sleepless - heck yes. I couldn't sleep at all, it seemed like. The metabolism change isn't your problem right now - you've got time to deal with that. If you've gained 8 pounds it's because of the changes in fluid weight, how your kidneys are acting, and how the painkiller meds have made your body act. You are not getting fat. In about 3-4 months, you will be much more capable of some exercise and keeping your body healthy. Eat healthy, drink water, think positive, and don't spend too much time THINKING. I became so introspective that it was ridiculous.
I hope your situation gets better quickly. I know where you are - I've been there. "Emotional" is very accurate. The surgery itself and the meds REALLY mess with your mind and your emotions. The doctors ignore this and downplay it. I had a LOT of trouble with memory - some of the drugs used are actually amnesiacs, and I STILL don't have the mental function I had before surgery.
I don't write all this to discourage you - it's been almost five years since mine and I am able to do a LOT of things, but there are still battles that I have to fight physically and emotionally. You're not alone.
Hi!
Just 3weeks ago I had open heart surgery -minimally invasive - minitorachotomy (not sternotomy) where the main cut is under the right breast.
I had atrium fibrilation a few days after the surgery and increased pulse (ofer 100).
Now I still have breast pain. I am confident that in will pass as well soon. Did any of you had this?
Wish you all the best!!!
There is no need to rush anything. Modify your diet and you won't gain weight, that way you can just do moderate exercise like fast walking or easy stationary biking at the gym. Focus your attention on being disciplined with your diet and don't cheat yourself. Cardiologists and surgeons all vary on their opinions, remember to listen to your body and focus your mind. The rest will come but you need to be patient. Your emotional feelings are common and we have all had them. I dealt with mine by writing them down, in fact that ended up in me publishing a book (www.ellenliveslifetothefull.com)
You will be fine.
Cris said:
Hi!
Just 3weeks ago I had open heart surgery -minimally invasive - minitorachotomy (not sternotomy) where the main cut is under the right breast.
I had atrium fibrilation a few days after the surgery and increased pulse (ofer 100).
Now I still have breast pain. I am confident that in will pass as well soon. Did any of you had this?
Wish you all the best!!!Cris,I had the same surgical technique as you in March 2010. I still have numbness and tingling in my right breast, it will likely take many more years to be gone completely. The reason is because this method involves cutting through move nerves, therefore while the healing process can be "quicker" it is known to be more painful and longer lasting. I still prefer my scare to the more traditional one though!Ellen
Amen to all of this.
Natasha Holst Griesenauer said:
Oh my goodness. The last thing you need to worry about now is weight gain and your husband needs to learn how to be compassionate and supportive. Has he gone through open heart surgery? Yeah, I didn't think so. Tell him to keep his opinions to himself.
I am 9 months post op - sinus venosus asd with papvr closed via open heart surgery. At 4 weeks post op, there's no way I could have gone to the gym. I was still in so much pain. I wasn't even cleared to drive a car until 6 weeks and even then it was painful to turn the steering wheel. You had open heart surgery. Did they confirm that your sternum is healed? I too lost weight after surgery and a lot of it was water weight and the fact that I didn't feel much like eating. They even told me in the hospital that my appetite may not return for several weeks and eventually I got back to my pre-op weight.
I had my surgery on June 20, 2011 and in September of 2011, I still felt like crap. Total crap. Physically and mentally. I was having a lot of suicidal thoughts. It was horrible. A lot of people have major depression after heart surgery. If you are having any thoughts like I did, please seek help from your doctor.
My cardiologist got me into cardiac rehab at the end of September (3 months post-op). I started off walking 10 minutes on the treadmill at a very slow pace, 10 minutes on a bike, 6 minutes on a hand bike at zero resistance and 3 pound weights. I did this twice a week only and over the course of about 4 months I gradually increased my exercise and I finally started to feel stronger.
My cardiologist told me to get moving but take it slow. He said that full recovery from open heart surgery can take a year. At 9 months post-op, I'm feeling really good. Not 100%, but really good. You have a long road, but it will get better. I came on here months ago asking others if things were ever going to get better because I thought I was doomed to feel awful forever. But, things have gotten better. One day at a time. Don't push yourself to the point that you are in pain. Listen to your body. And for goodness sakes, tell your husband to back off.
Thank you mtyree, kyme89, bernardshuford, Natasha Hoist Griesenauer, Cris and Ellen C
You're very welcome. Please, please, please stay in touch. I wish I could have had this group to help me thru my stuff.
helen888 said:
Thank you mtyree, kyme89, bernardshuford, Natasha Hoist Griesenauer, Cris and Ellen C
Somewhere in Las Vegas, you have helped somebody out, how few words can lift a spirit and that is exactly why I am grateful for your responses as you responded in honesty. It was hard for me to wear my heart on my sleeve (ironic saying). With the different cases we have, we share some common emotions, and for that I feel I'm not alone with the journey, I am too hard on myself and should trust myself on what I feel rather than weighing everything from other people, I guess I misplaced my confidence in adjacent to the surgery anxiety. I am enlightened from your responses, thank you so much....
This is truly a wonderful thread. Makes me feel so good about our community. Thanks everyone for sharing!
Hi Helen,
I’m brand new to this forum so I feel kind of weird posting but I can relate to your feelings of helplessness. I’m a pretty active person (work out 6-7x week) and while the inactivity will drive me nuts, I plan to rest for a month (not the recommended 2 weeks after the Amplatz device), eat properly and concentrate on healing. I used to be so preoccupied with staying fit and saving money but after this experience, I’ve adapted my way of thinking a bit. As long as we’re are alive and healthy and happy, everything else is pretty inconsequential. You are a beautiful woman (just like me, heehee…). Let’s be grateful we caught this son of a gun in time and concentrate on being healthy. Those who truly love us will support us wholeheartedly. 
If there was an option to "Like" the comments, I would like all of these. What a great discussion!
Helen, hope you feel better soon! Please keep us posted. You are not alone!