Fever that comes and goes since my mitral valve repair July 2019

Posted by mkx @mkx, Jun 2, 2020

I had robotic surgery July 2019 to repair my mitral valve. Starting in September 2019 I have had about seven episodes of fever and fatigue along with muscle and joint pains. These episodes come about every six to seven weeks, generally last a few days and then go away on their own. Each episode seems to come after I lift something using my chest muscles. I am now going through my most recent episode and I have had it for over a week with fever as high as 102.2. In the past the fevers have been lower and have not lasted nearly as long. Yesterday I thought I was finished with it as my fever left in the morning and was normal the entire day until right before bedtime when it shot up to 101.5. I saw my PCP this past Friday and he did a lot of blood work, including a blood culture so I am waiting for those results. I was wondering if anyone else out there has experienced these types of symptoms after robotic or traditional heart surgery. I would appreciate any information that you might share.

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Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jun 3, 2020

Hi @mkx and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
I'm tagging fellow members @yoanne @lyndylou @frande @carsangelop @dp52350 @cindym1960 @777darla and @grandmajan who have mitral valve repair experience in the hopes they may be able to share their experiences with surgery and post surgical recovery.

MKX, you said that you have the mitral valve surgery in July 2019, but that the fevers started in September. Recurring fevers and fatigue, along with muscle and joint pain, is certainly a concern. I'm glad that you're investigating with your PCP. What makes you think that it is related to the surgery? Are you also investigating the possibility that your symptoms may not be related to the heart condition or the surgery?

yoanne | @yoanne | Jun 3, 2020

you should wait for the results of the blood work, especially. the blood culture and the CRP are important. you did not mention the reason for the mitralvalve reconstruction. Did you have rheumatic fever in the past? How old are you? I had this operation, carried out minimal- invasive..No fever at all, only the CRP was a bit higher, which is normal after surgery..the reason for the damage of my mitral valve was a prolapse of the anterior leaflet .
please tell us the results of the blood investigation.
yoanne.