Post Open Heart Surgery Recovery

Hello @graeme58604, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
I'm glad you found this online support group and I hope that someone with your same surgery chimes in to answer your questions.
In the meantime, I can share my open heart surgery story with you in the hopes that there is something in common that will help alleviate some of your concerns.
First of all, thank goodness you are doing as well as you are! It is absolutely a miracle of modern medicine that we can have our chest cut open, operate on our heart, wire us back up and we go home to live another day!
I had open heart surgery at the Mayo Clinic (MN) in 2020. I was told it would take 6 months to a year for my heart to completely heal. I had a septal and papillary myectomy. They took a portion of my left heart wall and part of the top part out. My recovery was pretty normal I think. I had to wait 3 months to start cardiac rehab.
But before that, I was walking every day. I was a hard-core hiker/walker before this happened and so being in good physical shape was very helpful.
We are not as young as we once were, maybe in our minds we are, but reality is different. It takes us longer to bounce back, and sometimes we don't bounce back to where we were before.
I think you sound remarkable! I would advise you to continue pushing yourself a little bit more each day, but listen to your body too. You know you better than anyone else, so if you feel like you can walk further, walk further. If you feel like you can lift more, lift more. But also don't overdo it. Your chest was cut open. It takes time to heal completely. Eat healthy, drink water, be happy you have a brand new valves under the hood!
Were you very active before your surgery? What does your doctor say about your progress?

Wow, Debra, youve been thru a pretty serious procedure too, and I'm surprised that your rehab was deferred for three months. I did better than that - ICU for 5 days, rehab in the general ward for another week, then rehab at a specialist rehab hospital for further week.
I wasn't very active at all pre-op. I developed cardiomyopathy and AF in late 2022 and went downhill from there to the extent that my cardio guys said I'd be wise to undertake OHS, the alternatives of do nothing, or to rely on medication weren't realistic options. Pretty much laid it on the line!
GP says I'm progressing well, but is surprised that my cardiologist and the operating surgeon haven't bothered to ask. This is part of my problem. I would have thought that they would be up-to-date with progress markers and could let me know where I stood in comparison with others who had undergone the same procedure. But no - both the cardio guy and the surgeon don't want to see me untill early in the New Year, which I suppose is at least an indication that I'll survive until then?
I'd like to repeat my plea to hear from anyone who has gone thru a similar ordeal to mine and who can give me some idea of their experiences regarding energy and endurance levels at a similar time following the surgery - in my case, approaching 6 months.

Hi @graeme58604.....I hope that, with the time that has passed, you are coming along and feeling better. It takes TIME.... (my surgeon said up to a YEAR....no, I refuse to believe that one, that's TOO long! I had my open-heart at Mayo Clinic at Rochester MN, on Oct. 16, 2024. My surgeon, a Dr. Rowse, attempted to repair my mitral valve for the longest time, he finally removed it & replaced it with a porcine (pig) valve, it was too 'tore up'....he was initially going to work on my main aortic valve, too much time had lapsed, so I guess he did a bit of scraping some calcification off & closed me up. I went into my Mayo health Portal yesterday.....just to read the complete surgery....interesting & more than what I actually thought was done. But....you are here, I am here and we'll survive....I'm very impatient with myself....lol not others, just myself. I wanted to be back to 'myself' right away! Nope, doesn't work that way. I went yrs. with this valve leaking.....only to have hospitals X-rays, MRI's, & Ultra-sounds, then to be told "You're fine." It got embarrassing after a couple more times in the ER, me apologizing for being there....but the pains were back, my BP was sky-high & I had blacked out....AGAIN, "You're fine." I was never fine....even though I wanted to be. (always considered myself to be healthy) It took a Cardiologist & his testing equipment, which shows more than hospital equipment (had no idea until the Dr. told me), to show how bad it was. I should have had the sense to go to the Cardiologist, yrs. before. The thing is, I was to have my Dr.'s refer me to one, which he never did. Well....it could have been 'minimally invasive' surgery had medical employees listened to me. But.....I finally was told the TRUTH. I made it to Mayo, had the surgery on 10/16/2024 & was sent home 10/21/2023. You are pretty much on your own when you get home.....I don't see MY Cardiologist's LPN till March, 2024....that will be 6 months & you'd THINK I'd be seeing the DR., but nope. Oh well...I'm recovering well, I think. I wasn't able to finish cardio rehab.....too many other responsibilities, so only made it 3 weeks.....did the rest at home on a treadmill in the evening, still doing it. I also had open-heart for a pericardial cyst years ago, they think maybe my 'heart problem' (which I never even thought about having).....was congenital. It just seems as if the Cardiologist would be more involved with the surgery HE sent me in for....so, I guess I'm having a similar problem here, but I just tell myself that I will be fine. The thing is, after surgery, you'll have pain....symptoms.....questions.....but no appt. for a while. At least Mayo Clinic sent informational booklets home with me, I used those. (and the Internet) I want off the meds they gave me....have been told I will be off them (or at least the blood thinners) at 6 mos. post surgery....that will be Apr. 16, 2025. I have a tissue valve, so these SHOULD stop. I am surprised with the 'medical world'.....sometimes their sense of apathy, and the mistakes they make.....I never used to have 'Health Portals' online....I have read one where mistakes were made over and over! I simply changed the information & when asked why, I told them. That alone is a worry. And, I have good insurance....seriously, I have spoken to people who didn't have good coverage (or sometimes, none) and were treated horribly. With excellent ins., they usually treat you better, sad but true.....but in my case? No. I will go in next month...I hope you have seen your physician before now, @graeme58604 ....your CARDIOLOGIST. I wish you all the luck.....and good health, possible! I hope you are feeling better.....more energy, endurance levels, etc. I will feel energetic.....then the next day, a bit tired.....but I'm expecting this. It would be nice if we had some expert advice, though....on ALL that we will experience or not. Well.....supper to get on. Please take care and I wish you a complete recovery!