4 days in Cleveland and still counting

[mike83]

Re: 4 days in Cleveland and still counting

Hi Diane,

I was in really good shape and young before my surgery and I didn't start feeling like myself until the 8 week mark. Really, for me, I just woke up one day and felt like myself again. Listen to your body. It will tell you everything you need to know. Especially if your feeling better or worse. Try not to have expectations. In my situation, I had to learn that each day was a milestone instead of living week to week looking for improvements. The were tiny but after awhile, all the tiny improvements amounted to feeling good.

Best,
Mike

[CeeBee]

Re: 4 days in Cleveland and still counting

Diane, the "worst"-case scenario is that the myectomy doesn't benefit someone significantly in terms of symptoms, which is true for some people, but they told you that your heart had been significantly improved by the surgery, correct? That means you're just not feeling the improvement, even though your heart is in better shape than it was. For me, honestly, at six months, I was still wondering if the ordeal had been worth it. You did the right thing, and you gotta trust that now you're through the hard part, you'll eventually benefit. My two cents worth, is, right now, let the people in cardiac rehab help you figure out landmarks (I guess that's benchmarks) and an exercise plan. They're great at that, and they'll be able to demonstrate your improvement FOR you. Good luck & best wishes.

[kirbyj]

Re: 4 days in Cleveland and still counting

In my case I started to feel better after six to eight weeks. I had a bout of atrial fibrillation that complicated my recovery but that went away three weeks after the surgery. At six months I could do things I hadn't done in a long time, such as brisk walking. I have always liked walking very fast, as if I always had important things to do, and it was great to have that spring back in my step. I no longer trailed my wife, but instead, had her asking me to slow down!

Now at two years post surgery I feel really great! I can do things that I had forgotten I could do, such as garden all day. You might think that all the progress after a myectomy would be in the first year, but I have to say, this second year has added a lot to my endurance.

Diane, hang in there. It gets better little by little. In my experience it has been so worth the wait. I did question it at times in the early days, but now I am very glad I did the surgery.