Recovery from OHS Aortic Valve replacement and double bypass

I have not had a major operation, but I have had two catheter ablations recently for atrial fibrillation. Any invasive procedure like that, especially after months of deterioration and exhausting worry and diagnostics and meetings, is bound to leave even the most robust person a little...ummm... deflated...wouldn't you agree? Some people bounce back from an ablation and are hiking unfettered by the next weekend. Some report they feel unwell and anxious, mostly because their post-op heartrate (HR) is elevated, often up into the high 80's. What is important to see, though, is that some of these people come back up to an entire year later and say their heart rate is just beginning to settle down. !!! 10-12 months before their HR returns to something more acceptable and less stressful, and that's just after an ablation...not open heart surgery.
I think you are doing well, even if you wish you'd be coming along a bit more positively. I think you'll just have to be patient, continue a determined approach to rehabilitation, as you are doing, and hope that you will eventually regain a good portion of normalcy.

Thank you for the positive encouragement. Hope I did not sound ungrateful. Appreciate your outlook. Thank you !

Not at all. You sound just like the natural you any time after you've had an unsettling experience and major surgery. 😀 Pease stay positive, try to stay as active as you can, both in maintaining relationships (I know, it can be exhausting, too), and in getting your body to move. Daily walks will really help with the mood....if you can manage it.

Patience is a requirement for this kind of recovery. Patience is not one of my virtues! I had one open heart surgery in 2023 for an aortic aneurysm and a valve repair and a second one in 2024 to replace the valve that chose not to stay sufficiently repaired.

You are early even in the bone healing stage at 2 1/2 months. It takes time and for me a lot of calories to recover. I was walking miles even before I could start driving at six weeks. Walking is a huge help and does help build up strength. I also find it distracts the mind looking at the world outdoors.

Have they done any post surgery tests yet? An echocardiogram? In 2024 after the six week echo I was put on Entresto to increase heart function. I was on that until early November. And it did help. Also my hematologist, no I don’t have cancer just a hematologist, found I was very low iron. Probably from all the blood they took during the recovery stage in the hospital! 😳 the vampires were there a lot! He had me go through several iron infusions and I definitely picked up after that.

You are in cardiac rehab which is huge. And lucky to get in that soon. I didn’t do it with my first surgery as it was going to be three months before they even had a space for me! I had better luck the second time. I was on the treadmill, the bike, the rowing machine and doing light weight work. I finished on New Year’s Eve and skied the next three months.

I am back in the gym and working on increasing my strength with weight work as well as cardio. I am also 70 and teach Pilates. So your mileage may vary but you can get back to where you were or pretty close. So hang in there!

Terrific advise and encouragement. Patients is not a virtue of mine either. Yes all post evaluations and scans indicate all is functioning well. I will do as you suggest and hang in there with my exercise in really appreciate your opinion and advise !!