Post septum myectomy: How did you feel 9 weeks after surgery?

Hello. I am glad to share my experience. I had septal myectomy surgery at the end of last February at Cleveland Clinic. I am an active 70 year old woman in good health otherwise. I did not have the same symptoms post surgery as before my surgery but was pretty compromised for a while. It took me until the end of July to start to feel pretty normal. I had some issues with dealing with the medications and once we got that figured out I felt much better. I am now back to doing whatever I want and feel great. We have a small farm in southern Indiana so I appreciate my being able to do more now than before my surgery. I was very compromised before my surgery. Recovering from the surgery is the hard part. I did have some fluid build up around my heart and Afib issues but those are now resolved. Stay strong and safe from Covid, get the exercise you need, eat well, and you will do fine. Good luck.

Hi - sorry you are still having some issues. I had my septal myectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota almost a year ago, October 1, 2019. Before the surgery I could barely walk without getting out of breath. Right after the surgery I did not have any of those symptoms anymore. The post op was really hard and the one thing I will never forget is my back pain which was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. Other than that I did not have the same symptoms as before the surgery. My breathing was pretty much back to normal shortly after surgery. It is now gone and I can excersie play tennis etc. What symptoms are you having? I'm hoping they will go away for the Mayo Clinic is great.

Hello, My husband had septal myectomy on October 4 2018, he was extremely compromised before surgery.but he did exercise daily and was not overweight. He was discharged 4 days post op and we flew home to San Diego 2 days later, apart from discomfort from the surgery he did amazingly well and was able to walk 4 miles per day with ease after 6 weeks and no symptoms, he takes 50 mgms of Atenolol daily I'm sure if you had other preexisting conditions the recovery is longer. he is 76 now.

Sounds like his surgery was successful. What were his symptoms before the surgery? Is he free from the symptoms still? Glad to hear he is doing great!!

When you say you were pretty compromised for awhile can you share what you were experiencing? I'm 9 weeks post surgery and it seems the healing is very slow. Week by week I see progress but day to day seems slow. I really thought I would not be feeling pain this far out but doing more each day seems the pain just lingers on though I only take Tylenol once in awhile. I try to go without any.

Hi.
My husband was diagnosed with HCM when he was 43 when he started taking atenolol, symptom free for years. Then in 2016 he experienced shortness of breath on exertion, meds increased and was kind of ok until he started having syncope and I wouldn’t let him take walks alone ( we live in the mountains) one evening his heart rate dropped to 30 and he was taken to hospital and had an ICD implanted that was March 2018, he was still functioning but struggled often, his HCM became obstructive so October that year he had surgery and the rest you know, he is fit and well and symptom free.

For four weeks after my surgery I was relieved of the dizziness, wobbly legs, tiredness on exertion, head rushes. I was dealing with
the sternum pain and had some wound issues but none of the HOCM symptoms. Now the pain is getting better each day but some of the symptoms are coming back. I was told for about 6 months my heart will have to adjust and perhaps medications also will need adjusted. Im just trying to find out from others who have been there did symptoms come and go post surgery before they started feeling better.

So glad for him. I too had ICD implanted 5 days past the septum myectomy, apical myectomy, amputation of left atrial appendage, and pulmonary vein isolation in July 2020. I'm looking forward to better days ahead.

Wow, take your time with your recovery, it’s so individual. Im a former nurse so was expecting my husbands recovery to be longer. I know some participants on this site have really struggled with recovery. Take care of yourself

For a few months post surgery I was just very tired and took naps every day. The pain subsided within 2 months and Tylenol was a big help. When I took walks I had to take lots of breaks and would get very winded. I would tell people I felt like I was walking through molasses. This summer I started swimming in our lake which was very beneficial. I did wear a swim belt while I swam. My physical therapist recommended the back stroke which helps to strengthen and stretch the chest area. Recovering from the trauma of the surgery is huge, But, my symptoms were very different than before the surgery when I had lots of dizziness, head aches, loss of stamina, hard to breathe, etc. Now 6 months out I feel great which I feel you will too with time.
It is also a process to figure out the medication routine which has been altered a few times to my benefit. I also do breathing exercises regularly which really helps to control blood pressure and help the lungs to stay strong. I also got an Apple Watch to monitor my heart. My surgeon recommended it. I can take EKG's to monitor for AFib and keep track of my heart beat especially while doing exercise.
Good luck. I am happy to share more. You will be fine.