I was wondering if there are any fellow W's who have experienced a heart valve replacement surgery & can offer any advice on recovery ...
I was/am a perfectly healthy 38 year old male ... in fact, I started doing DDP Yoga in February 2013 & was in the best shape of my life. Around November, I started to have consistent flu-like symptoms that would not go away. After numerous trips to the doctor, ER, etc., it was determined that I had developed endocarditis ... essentially bacteria had entered my blood, made its way to my aortic valve & was slowly destroying it ... Had open heart surgery 5 days before Christmas to replace the aortic valve with a mechanical one.
After 2 full weeks in the hospital, I'm home & on the mend (with a cool chest scar, but not the arc reactor I'd requested).
Just wanted to see if anyone here had undergone something similar & how long it was before you felt like your old self ... Thanks!
I haven't gone through what you have, or anything similar. But my understanding is that with any heart surgery, there is a mental recovery period. Some people take a week, some take two months, some even longer. The physical part of you should be back to normal already. It's your mind that is staying in the way of allowing you to feel like your old self. I know that there are support groups for heart surgery patients and they do a lot of good by showing the patient that many, many other people have gone through what you're going through and they've gone on to be just as good, if not better than before surgery. You're not as fragile as you think. When the doctor says you are physically ready, go for a run. Push yourself. You're going to be around for a while longer. I'm also glad that you didn't die. You will feel better.