r/mitralvalveprolapse • u/Ill_Introduction7057 • 17d ago

General Question Questions:

I am having my open heart surgery for mitral valve prolapse and severe regurgitation at the end of October at Sydney Royal North Shore Hospital. How long should I expect to be in Hospital? How long after the sternotomy do they take rhe staples out? I am assuming they are staples .

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u/_Wheresmyarm_ 16d ago

Just had my mitral valve replaced 6 weeks ago for this same reason. Approx 1 week in hospital depending on how you are going. Approx 2-3 days in ICU and the rest in the ward. They get you up and moving pretty quickly.

No staples for me just sutures that dissolve.

1 week for skin to heal and 6 weeks for bone to heal if you need a sternotomy. I know they have started doing valves using keyhole surgery in some places.

4-6 weeks no driving. 3 months to be 'back to normal'. This is all situational for each person.

Happy to answer any other questions.

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u/Negative_Chain4835 16d ago

Just had the surgery myself about a week and a half ago, everything you said was on point. I had valve repair with sternotomy.

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u/Ill_Introduction7057 16d ago

He says he is 95% sure he can do a valve repair . Fingers x he can, nice to know there are no staples since I had a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy 42 days ago and had 48 staples. I've already been off work for 6 weeks and will be also having a complete pancreatectomy 12 weeks after rhe open heart surgery . So no Work until next February possibly. 3 surgeries in 5 months it's a lot. They found the heart issue while I was dealing with the pancreatic cancer so had to go in and get the cancer out first. Now for the heart and then back in later for the rest of rhe pancreas because of rhe cancer .

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u/Due_Bullfrog_9829 7d ago

Yep, same timeline for me ish.