Heart Valve Replacement

Selectamatic

Member
Location
North Wales
A friend is going in for a Heart Valve Replacement early in the New Year, and is a little unsure of what to expect, he thinks he will be up and about, back in work, after a few days at home, I think that it will be a longer, drawn out recovery.

Who on here has had this done, care to share your stories? :)
 
Needs time to heal like any other wound - but much quicker than say a broken leg or similar. Just needs to take it at the pace the body will allow - prob 14 days for full healing and back to normal, but not to overdo it just because feeling fit as a fiddle on the inside.
 

MF 168

Member
Location
Laois, Ireland
My father had that done 14 years ago and it took him a long time to recover but he was quiet low with the heart before it was done. Super job though once it settles down. Main thing is taking it easy and slowly getting back into it.
 

Old Boar

Member
Location
West Wales
My father was the third person in Britain to have the op. He had a pig valve and then a synthetic one, which you could hear in a quiet room. It lasted him 20 years. He was a surgeon, and a mate did the op, pretty radical at the time. It is not really considered much of an op now!
Good luck to your friend. Tell him to keep taking the drugs after though.
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
I had my aortic valve replaced some years ago, cant remember when. Nothing to worry about, Op in the late afternoon, woke up in intensive care at about 0200, went straight back to sleep. Woke up again at 0730 ish, was given a check over, and cup of tea( which came straight back up, and went into the physios pocket! Even she had to laugh, on the way to change her coat!) Drains removed, got up, and walked to my ward bed, and was wheeled back to the ward.out of bed later that day, and walking about. Did the stairs test three days later, and could have gone home,but warfarin dose would not stabilise, that took a week. Back to near normal in three weeks. Nothing special about me, except I had never smoked. Valve is metal, and people can hear it, I cant, but I did have a choice, metal or tissue, I chose metal as its far longer lived. I was told it would be renewed at 70, but it seems they dont do that now, had an ECG last year due to driving licence requirements, and all is good.
Hope that helps put you friends mind at rest.
 
Father-in-law had aortic done in the summer and the biggest holdup was the driving licence,six weeks I think.Big hash through the sternum means any cough in the first few weeks brought tears to the eyes.Was told to try walking for 10 mins a day when he left hospital and he goes three miles.Should have had it done years ago
 

collywol

Member
i had my aortic valve replaced 6 years ago ,i never smoked or drank, the valve was bicusped, 2 instead of 3 petals, it calcified and shattered during the op.i m allergic to morphine so pain relief was problematic.i would not wish that pain on anyone. 8 days in the superb john radcliffe heart centre at oxford then11weeks recovery and most importantly exercise then back to work. i have a titianium vavle, noisey at times, particulaly when my warfarin dose is a bit out , at times its been a slog but i didnt fancy the other option! do what you re told they really do know best.
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
i had my aortic valve replaced 6 years ago ,i never smoked or drank, the valve was bicusped, 2 instead of 3 petals, it calcified and shattered during the op.i m allergic to morphine so pain relief was problematic.i would not wish that pain on anyone. 8 days in the superb john radcliffe heart centre at oxford then11weeks recovery and most importantly exercise then back to work. i have a titianium vavle, noisey at times, particulaly when my warfarin dose is a bit out , at times its been a slog but i didnt fancy the other option! do what you re told they really do know best.
Sorry to hear about the pain you suffered, for myself, I had none what so ever, even when they took the "Jump leads" out, the day before I left hospital. Hospital was Southampton General.
Strangely, a (now departed) friend had a bypass done at the Radcliffe, and he was amazed at the difference in patient care between the two, for example, he had to shave himself before surgery, Southampton had a room and operator set up for the job.
 

collywol

Member
Sorry to hear about the pain you suffered, for myself, I had none what so ever, even when they took the "Jump leads" out, the day before I left hospital. Hospital was Southampton General.
Strangely, a (now departed) friend had a bypass done at the Radcliffe, and he was amazed at the difference in patient care between the two, for example, he had to shave himself before surgery, Southampton had a room and operator set up for the job.
i got on the trolley hairy and came too with a brazillian!
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
i got on the trolley hairy and came too with a brazillian!
They had improved then! In my case, the guy threw several handfulls of powder in my direction, he then vanished behind the resulting cloud, which then grew a hand wielding a razor! how he could see what he was doing, I have no idea!
 
some of you say that you have never smoked or drank but could it be hereditary ??
my mother did not have heart problems but her sister died of heart attack so did her 2 brothers and another brother needed bypass but went on for another 19 years and died of parkinsons but on my father's side of family totalling 6 they reached their 80's and even 90's, and I am nearly 59 so I sometimes think who will I follow... next year I am going to marry a girl less than half my age so time will tell!!
 
I would like to add that the last time I smoked was 1975 in my final year at school and the teacher caught us and I remember a packet of 10 embassy was ten and half pence and I was not asked my age at shop
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
some of you say that you have never smoked or drank but could it be hereditary ??
my mother did not have heart problems but her sister died of heart attack so did her 2 brothers and another brother needed bypass but went on for another 19 years and died of parkinsons but on my father's side of family totalling 6 they reached their 80's and even 90's, and I am nearly 59 so I sometimes think who will I follow... next year I am going to marry a girl less than half my age so time will tell!!
I inherited the bad valve from my father,I put my rapid recovery down to the fact that I had never smoked.
 

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