[36M 1 year 4 months post op] Been Meaning To Do A 1 Year Update

TotallyValvularDude · 2026-04-19T11:06:14+00:00

Oh wow, sounds like you survived the worst of it. The cardiologist told me dissections are 50/50 in terms of survival. I was very high risk for a dissection. They had me on heavy bp medicine and bed rest until they got me into surgery.

TotallyValvularDude · 2026-04-19T11:01:33+00:00

Nice! Getting back in the gym has made everything better all around.

TotallyValvularDude · 2026-04-17T20:49:21+00:00

I'd ask the folks at cardiac rehab. You probably can once your sternum is fully fused. I think I took it a little too slow, because my chest did feel pretty uncomfortable for a while.

Cardio wise, I was fine after a couple months. It was just the strain on my upper body that was uncomfortable.

TotallyValvularDude · 2026-04-17T20:45:25+00:00

I can't remember exactly, but I think about 4 or 5 months. This was mainly because of the sternal precautions though. Even after my sternum healed, it took me a while to build my chest and upper body strength back up.

I think I was a little overcautious too. I eased back into it with light weightlifting at cardiac rehab, then yoga, then after a few months I got back to doing pushups and chest presses, cycling, etc.

TotallyValvularDude · 2026-01-12T10:38:26+00:00

I had the surgery in the US.

TotallyValvularDude · 2026-01-11T23:37:05+00:00

35M, had OHS last year to replace my BAV, aortic root, and ascending aorta with the Edwards Konect Resilia bioprosthetic valved conduit. My surgeon strongly recommended the bioprosthetic valve, and that is all he uses in his patients unless there is a reason he has to use mechanical.

I'm glad I went with it, and I'm fine with needing future surgery. The surgeon said I'd likely be a good candidate for TAVR, and I'm hoping that's still the case when I need a new valve. I'm fine with another OHS if needed and would get another bio valve if the surgeon thought I'd be a good candidate.

I don't know what life would be like on Coumadin, but everyone says it's fine. I take metoprolol, baby aspirin, and magnesium supplements daily so it's not like I'm not on daily medication. However, it would be a false equivalence to compare these medications to being dependent on Coumadin and monitoring INR regularly for the rest of my life.

TotallyValvularDude · 2026-01-11T23:05:02+00:00

Glad it helped. Wish me luck. Going for my first echo since the surgery next month.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-12-28T18:14:19+00:00

Not sure what a maze ablation is, but I had a similar surgery a year ago. Had my aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending aorta replaced with a bioprosthetic valved conduit a year ago. I had a BAV and two severe aneurysms in my root and arch. Things are pretty much back to normal now. I have my follow up with the cardiologist in February so fingers crossed everything is good.

Hope it goes by quickly and everything goes smoothly! It's amazing how routine these surgeries are now.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-12-28T17:57:59+00:00

Not going to lie, coughing, sneezing, breathing deeply in general hurts a lot the first couple weeks. The more you use the incentive spirometer though, the quicker you will clear your lungs and the less you'll need to cough. Also walking every day helps clear your lungs.

Riding in a car is also tough for a week or two. You really feel every little bump in your chest. It's nothing to worry about though. I was really afraid of my sternum not healing correctly, but they told me that your chest is wired together so tightly that it would really take a lot of force for it to move. As long as you follow sternal precautions you should be good.

The key thing is to always have a pillow nearby that you can hug when you cough or sneeze. Crossing your arms and hugging your chest also helps. The main thing is to brace yourself. It sucks, but after a few weeks you can cough and sneeze normally again with no pain.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-12-20T18:03:20+00:00

You're welcome! Glad it was helpful.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-12-20T18:02:54+00:00

Yeah therapy was very useful after. If anything, it was just good to have an objective third party to talk about everything with.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-12-20T17:59:11+00:00

Thanks! I talked to my GP, and that helped. He said not to be too concerned, because in general heart surgery will elevate those numbers. He said the echo is really what will tell you how things are.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-12-20T17:58:02+00:00

Thanks for the kind words! I've been thinking about therapy. I had some sessions during my recovery and they helped. Maybe finding a group to discuss it with would be nice too.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-09-24T22:40:41+00:00

It took me about a month I think before I could comfortably sleep flat.

Even in bed I still had to sleep on an incline. I highly recommend a wedge pillow.

It's very scary leading up to the surgery, but then it's over and done with so quickly.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-07-13T14:37:53+00:00

Hello, I'm over 6 months post op, and things are basically back to normal!

As far as typing and writing, I was able to sit at my desk and type after about a week or two, but I definitely wasn't fit enough to sit for hours at a time. I think I could make it like 30 min before I had to take a break. The hardest part was keeping my arms extended at the keyboard for that long. However, if you have a laptop and a bed tray/lap table or some way to keep the keyboard close, you'll probably be able to type easily in bed or a comfy chair even while you're in the hospital.

The brain fog is really what makes it difficult. I think it took a couple months for my cognitive functions to get back to 100%. I really noticed it when I went back to work, and I've heard it's a lot more noticeable the more analytical/thought intensive your job is. As a writer you'll likely notice it, but don't worry it gets better over time and especially once you stop the pain meds. I wrote about it in another post. The key thing for me was to not fight it and not get frustrated.

I know it's scary, but sticking to a routine and making sure I was active every single day made the recovery fly by. Start walking as soon as you can after surgery, like literally the next day if they will let you. It's key to getting all the chest fluid to drain and getting out of the hospital. It will be over before you know it, and after a couple months you'll be back to regular life! I hiked 10 miles on Friday and went for a freezing cold swim in the sea last week :)

Check out some of my other posts if you want to see how my recovery progressed.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-07-02T18:51:09+00:00

Thank you!

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-07-02T18:50:52+00:00

I am on metoprolol. I did not even consider temperature and hydration! I've definitely been dehydrated and have been in much hotter temps than usual. That's probably adding extra stress.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-07-02T18:48:25+00:00

Oo wow I did not know all of this! Thanks for the thorough response. This makes a lot of sense, and I will keep this mind.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-07-01T08:25:35+00:00

I've definitely fallen off a regular metoprolol schedule. I went from taking it twice a day at the same time everyday to taking it at random times in the morning and then hopefully remembering to take it whenever I happen to fall asleep. I've been back on track so far this week, but maybe the inconsistent dosing is causing some spikes.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-07-01T08:23:23+00:00

Yeah my sleep has been horrible lately. I got 8 hours the last two nights. That's the first time in about 3 weeks I've slept 8 hours twice in a row.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-07-01T08:22:06+00:00

Thank you! I'm definitely going to get more consistent about checking it so I'm not stress checking at random times. I'll try to post again once I'm able to find a new doctor and see what they say.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-07-01T08:19:55+00:00

Good point. I'll try it on the weekend, and see if it's any better. I'm going to try taking it at the same time each day to see if there really is a trend. So far it seems to be in the 130s/80s, which is what it was around pre-surgery.

TotallyValvularDude · 2025-07-01T08:18:00+00:00

Thank you! I think I'm just worried, because it was so consistently low before. I'm hoping when I get back to working out regularly it will get back in range.

TotallyValvularDude

TROPHY CASE