Post-op reactions and rare complications with the Amplatzer device

I am so happy and grateful to have my ASD closed and that my heart and lungs were not damaged. It truly was a blessing to get this diagnosed and patched up. :slight_smile:

The procedure itself is not too bad… My mistake was that I thought it’d be like the TEE and it was a little bit more hardcore, but the surgical staff was wonderful and made me laugh when they saw how nervous III us I got. After that, they put the mask and it’s off to la la land.

Coming out of the anesthesia though was hard on me… I had a hard time catching my breath and I kept asking the nurse if this was normal. She said it was and gave me oxygen. After a few minutes, my breathing went back to normal and I felt much better.:slight_smile:

For the next few hours, my chest felt progressively achy and I had a few funky palpitations. The doctor told me this was normal, as my heart was adjusting to its new tenant. Or as someone called it, my new inner bling. :slight_smile:

Now, as I love to drive myself nuts with all the what ifs, I asked the doctor about future complications with the device, most notably the rare but very serious erosions. He said the chances were about 1 in 10,000 and I’d be more likely to be ran over by a car. :slight_smile: yay? Still, he cautioned me that if I felt any strange chest pain and/or palpitations that lasted for more than 5 min, to go to the ER… So that’s good to know. Also, and this coincided with the literature I’ve read regarding these very rare complications, the chances go down dramatically after 1 year as the tissue surrounds the nickel and it becomes soft. :slight_smile: Oh, and he said he had heard more about this in cases with very small patients and when 2 devices were used.

Well, I hope this info comes in handy to someone. :slight_smile: For now, I’m going to concentrate on being positive and grateful this nasty little defect is all covered up and that my lungs are A-ok! I’m so very glad I found this website… Thanks to all for the words of support!!!

Thanks for sharing, especially about any possible complications with the device.

I have had trouble with my lungs and palpitations since my inner bling was installed, Aug 2010.

Have a gentle and peaceful recovery!

Magda, congratulations on your succesful closure. Thank you for the information. I had mine closed on Dec of last year and had palpitations for like 3 weeks but after that they dissappeared. I have started running again and feel great!

I do feel sometimes a quick ache? like 1 in scale of 10 but it lasts a few seconds and doesn't impair my breathing. I never feel it while running.

Best of luck!!

Jessica

Congratulations Magda! We're glad to have you here, too.

Thank you for your post Jessi… I’m especially encouraged by your posts since we’re close in age and also had the Amplatzer. Hopefully I will also be back to my workout routine soon and will have all this behind me.

Thank you Armando!

dear Magda,

your story was about the same as mine. I just have my ASD closed on 23rd March, and is doing fine until now. The first week after the procedure, was terrible a bit as i can't doing many things as before, such as driving, swimming, jogging...but now, I can do all things but with precaution as my medical friends ask me to slow down my activities for the healing process. I have some bruises at the femoral site, and have seen some doctors to ask about it and they said it is normal. Now, I just start working back to hospital (as dietitian) yesterday. Going/walking to wards made me a bit fatigue and I got tired easily, not as before.

Ok, that's all from me for now. Hope to hear others' story as well. By the way, congrats Magda!

Hi Anne,

Thanks for your post!! I’m also very anxious to get back to my regular activities and my normal life, but will be taking it easy for a while, to give my body a chance to completely recoup. I know what you mean about getting tired… I actually got tired on my 10 minute walk yesterday and I’m used to running 40 min most days!! Frustrating. But, the doc said my energy level would return within the month. :smiley:

For now, I’m going to try to focus on the positive rather than the negative… Mind over matter!! :smiley:

Thanks Anne and Magda for your posts. I'm glad you are part of this community! Let's keep in touch! :D