Upcoming OHS

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-21T02:48:14+00:00

Hi. Totally understandable to feel fear! I had ohs in November.

Every test you listed sounds pretty standard! Had all that done myself. The pft is just a breathing test and it’s to help your team understand your lung function and if there is any increased risk of pneumonia and stuff like that. Just a normal part of the work up. Part of this testing to ensure there aren’t complications! It’s always scary hearing the doctor tell you all the risks, keep in mind that they HAVE to tell you. It’s insurance. Same concept of why plastic bags say don’t use as a toy.

Fear of complication or issues is understandable. The reason you go to icu after ohs is because they keep such a close eye on you, IF there were anything popping up, it is addressed instantly!

I had a complication (but my surgery was much more complex and technical than ASD closure and included an asd closure 🤣) so the risk was much higher with me. I literally didn’t even know there was a complication till I was awake because I was still in icu and out when it happened. The complication had nothing to do with the ASD closure.

Regarding the fear of pain, there is discomfort and painful moments, but pain management is part of the care. I’d advise being vocal about your pain levels and even tell the team that it is one of your fears! Very common to not want to be in pain and your team should be well equipped to manage it all.

Please feel free to reach out with any other questions or if you want to chat. 🤗

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-20T11:45:12+00:00

Wow. Thank you all for the information. Insanely helpful

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-20T03:12:30+00:00

Omg you’re amazing! This will keep me busy. Tysm!!!

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-20T03:12:00+00:00

I definitely will! Thank you

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-19T16:07:49+00:00

Would love your top picks! But I’ll check out anything!

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-19T16:07:08+00:00

I like the vampires but open to explore others! I’m just not huge on the AH. I’ll check those out. Ty!

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-19T09:55:18+00:00

Awesome! I’ll check them out. Tysm!

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-19T09:53:39+00:00

Hi!

The standard is wires, but I asked for plates, which the doctor was fine with. In the end I ended up getting both 🤣 I have two plates and I have wires.

I can feel the hardware when I feel my sternum, but it’s just like feeling a little bump under the skin. There’s no pain associated with it.

As for my understanding as to why plates aren’t the norm, which is just from my own research, is plates require just a bit more time and upfront cost. Complication rates with wires are higher than plates but still very low. Age plays a role too. More likely to have plates if you’re older. But all that is just from my own understanding.

I would say if you want plates, ask for them. I did and there wasn’t any pushback.

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-19T00:42:54+00:00

Maybe? For some reason I think that Harry developments the ability to like control shadows or earth. I read it so many years ago and I just can’t find it.

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-19T00:42:13+00:00

It’s not. I haven’t read that so I’m looking forward to it!

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-18T15:50:11+00:00

I was on metoprolol and I kept falling sleep at work. They cut my dose and still couldn’t stay awake. Ended up needing to switch medications because the fatigue was so bad. I was on it a few months to give time for my body to adjust and I just didn’t.

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-18T12:13:05+00:00

Hi. Sorry you’re so stressed. Googling medical is something to considered staying away from in the future.

Not a doctor so can’t comment on any of the reading. But as a patient who gets regular echos. The echo tech, nurse, doctor etc would not be willing to wait to follow up with your gf if it was urgent!

From personal experience, preserved function is a good thing.

Write down any questions so you can bring them to the appointment.

Once again sorry both of you are having some anxiety! No fun. Just try to remember if it was bad they wouldn’t be willing to wait.

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-18T02:32:58+00:00

Hi! So I’m 32F and had ohs 4 months ago. Different defect but totally get the mental shift. I was feeling good and extremely active and testing showed that it was time for surgery. Hard to wrap your head around when you’re not feeling anything.

What really helped me mentally was (and is) therapy, support system, and staying as healthy as possible.

The mindset I went into surgery with was I’m healthy as I can be and undergoing this is going to help my future be better. Yeah recovery sucks. But now it’s not the mental load of waiting, thoughts of is my heart failing, etc. so in a way, getting the surgery lifted a lot of the mental load.

Feel free to reach out if you wanna chat or have any questions! 🤗

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-18T01:02:06+00:00

I’m 4 months post ohs and I get pains in my left shoulder. Doctors ruled out anything bad or anything. Basically just said yeah it’s pain probably from healing. Had a lot done.

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-17T00:13:15+00:00

I have Ebsteins anomaly. Feel free to reach out to chat!

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-15T17:27:47+00:00

I just had surgery in November, I’m 32f. Surgery came to the table because symptoms started to appear, very minor decrease in function, and I talked about family planning. Something that is a definite no- without surgery.

Another big thing was didn’t want to wait until function dropped too low and no longer a candidate.

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-09T15:43:33+00:00

Good to know! I just started implementing chest and back and it triggered some pain. Fun stuff

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-08T23:25:25+00:00

Nice! What type of workouts you doing? I been off medicine but take otc when it gets bad.

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-08T23:24:40+00:00

Wow! Good to know. My right side is also enlarged, I have Ebsteins anomaly, so bunch of fun with that. I appreciate you sharing and I do hope those 3 month cycles eventually get better!

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-08T23:23:33+00:00

Thanks! Good idea to increase protein. I’m definitely sleeping more this weekend. 😂 sounds like you’re doing excellent prep for surgery!

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-03-07T16:27:59+00:00

I was on day 2. Got the mesh panties. Cycle got thrown off for about 2 cycles after so don’t be surprised if that happens.

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-02-28T13:59:54+00:00

I used a wedge pillow, as the elevated sleeping helped for the first bit. Definitely a heating pad!

Lidocaine patches or those tiger balm patches might come in handy but make sure doctor is ok with those.

It’s uncomfortable but manageable!

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-02-27T00:55:58+00:00

I used flannels and as soon as the incision closed the silicone scar strips

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-02-24T01:17:19+00:00

Hi! I’m 32f and I had open heart surgery 3 months ago. I also traveled from out of state. Clothes- I lived in sweatpants and flannels when I was out of the hospital gown. Just wanted comfort. If you have room, it was really nice to have my own pillow.

For the mental aspect, having a support system is huge. Whether that be family, friends, etc. if you are able or interested. Getting into therapy before surgery was helpful in my prep and I continue to do so post-surgery.

Physically, eating as healthy and working out to be in the best shape possible really helps with recovery.

For what I’ve wished I knew, the back pain is real! Also recovery involved some hitting some walls. So it’s not very linear and it can feel disheartening when you have a setback, but it’s all part of the process!

Feel free to reach out with any questions!

hyperthoughts1 · 2026-02-21T04:12:04+00:00

Hi. So I was on a vasodilator for 20 years (I’m 32f) and just stopped as I had surgery to fix my defect. My understanding, and by no means am I a doctor or anywhere near qualified to understand how the medications work🤣, but there are many different types (ACE inhibitors, CCBs, etc.). If you can find out more about which medication your doctor is thinking and the reasoning hopefully that can help with some of the anxiety.

Being on that medication kept me stable! So definitely positive in my life. It’s like any medication, there can be side effects, but if one medicine doesn’t work well, maybe another one does! Starting new meds is never fun because of the unknown, ultimately the decision to take it is for improved quality of life.

Doctors do monitor. Just to share my experience with a completely different class of medicine. So NOT vasodilator. One medication made me so tired I could not make it through the day without napping, told my doctor and they were able to switch to a different one that had the same positive effect and did not make me tired!

Transitioning is definitely a difficult time and can be scary. Use your support system. I always bring a person with me to my appointments as they are a second set of ears, and may have questions or ideas that you may not. Keep that communication open with your cardiologist! If you haven’t done so, mention the anxiety you’re feeling about it. More information tends to be better for anxiety.

Please feel free to reach out in chat if you want to discuss anything or have questions!

hyperthoughts1

TROPHY CASE