Today (Friday, Aug. 11) I am home after a successful TAVR procedure at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla. My procedure was on Tuesday morning, and doctors not only installed a new aortic valve, but put in a stent where I had a partial blockage in an artery near my heart.
All I remember from that morning was being wheeled into the cath lab, and moving from the bed to the operating table. Then the anesthesiologist said he had given me some medicine to relax and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room. I do remember Van Halen playing on the speakers in the cath lab as I was wheeled in, which I liked.
Later that afternoon, I was wheeled up to my private room in the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute. A bunch of family and friends came by to visit and support me. The sixth-floor room had a great view, but I couldn't see it because I had to lay flat on my back due to the temporary pacemaker that had been placed in my leg.
The hardest part of the whole procedure was having to lay flat without raising my head or bending my legs for more than 24 hours. I didn't really sleep much due to that, and the normal hospital goings on, vital signs, blood draws, etc., so I was exhausted by Wednesday, when the pacemaker was removed and I could sit up and move around.
But the important thing is that all the tests and indications showed the procedure was a success, and my new Medtronic aortic valve is working the way it is supposed to.
I was released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon. Apart from being a little tired and sore where the catheters were inserted in my groin area, I am feeling fine. I am walking several times a day around my neighborhood, and trying to build on that each day without overdoing things.
After a week, the restrictions on activity, driving, etc. will be lifted and I hope to feel a lot better when I exert myself. But so far, the heart seems to be doing just fine.
It is simply amazing to me that I can sit here in my kitchen typing these words, having gone for a walk this morning and then made French toast for breakfast, just 72 hours after a major heart procedure. I am also very glad to have this behind me, and want to thank my wife, Ava, my daughter, Salome, and all of my friends and family for their love and support.
Talk to you soon!
Hello TravelDad - How is it going? My name is John age 56 live in ocean beach, and had AVR open heart surgery last year on Aug 28, 2017 at the same location recovering at Scripps La Jolla Prebys, at almost the same time as you. I ran across your blog and my story is so much similar to yours. I am an avid cyclist which saved my life and contributed to my recovery. It is tough to swallow when you find out your heart is broken, and thank god able to be fixed allowing me to carry on alive. Its been a tough adjustment lacking the energy that I had before, but its truly amazing to be able to ride my bike every day. Sometimes I struggle with the sudden changes in my life, but always remember how lucky I am to be alive and a survivor. Best to you!
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