Crummy Dr. Visit

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R

ruth

I've been feeling frustrated (as I've posted here separately) at how my walking program isn't progressing as I'd like. Well, maybe now I know why.

I've been feeling generally fatigued and unwell so I went to my Primary Care Physician today. He did an EKG/blood work/chest xray. The EKG clearly showed A-fib so I've been put on Coumadin and my Tenormin has been doubled to 50mg per day.

I'm a little down about it all, I really didn't want this kind of arrythmia. It makes me feel pretty crummy. We don't know when it started, we just know it was NOT happening when I was in the hospital.

My visit with the surgeon was so short & sweet and she apparently did not hear a-fib when she listened to my heart. On the EKG and when my PCP listened to my heart he clearly heard it.

I have my first followup with my cardiologist on Friday and maybe I'll learn more then.

It was REALLY strange to see my chest XRay! The ring is RIGHT THERE, floating mid chest - a white egg-shaped not quite full circle, looked like those magnetic bracelets that were all the rage.

Thanks for listening......

Ruth
 
Ruth,

Sorry to hear about your a-fib. It does drag you down. I have not had it for almost a year but will never forget the feeling. Hope they can get it under control with meds. I had it well before AVR and had the ablation at the same time of surgery to correct it. Had to be converted once and no more problems sinse.

Hang in there.

Tom
 
So sorry to hear this, Ruth. Don't let it get you down and I hope the visit with the cardio sheds more light on the problem.
 
hope you are feeling better soon, and the cardio can shed some light on things for you!
 
Ruth, so sorry to hear of your news. But look at it this way - at least you know why you haven't been feeling up to speed for where you should be right now. I know they will be able to find a solution to help.
 
Just to give you some hope, I have heard that the first month to six weeks after heart surgery, there are a lot of people who get A-Fib, but it then subsides. I think it's the fact that there is still inflammation in the heart. Good luck.
 
I was worried about you. You haven't posted with your usual positive thoughts in a few days.
I am so sorry about this. Hopefully it's just a bump in the road of recovery. My thoughts are with you.
 
I had a-fib from about 1 week post surgery until about 8 weeks and then it went away (unfortunately it came back permanently but that's another story). It is very common to have arrhythmias while the heart is healing. I will pray that yours is temporary.
 
Hi Ruth -

I developed it a week post-op. I was "clocked" at 198 beats per minute:eek: on the EKG. Kind of wore me out. Digoxen didn't fix it and I was rehospitalized and put on Sotalol. I took Sotalol and Coumadin for three months. I've had a few brief times since then where A-fib or V-tach or something will flip up on me. I cough strongly though and it will stop -- an inversion. If I keep some form of regular exercise, I don't tend to be aware of any extra beats though. I think keeping that muscle of a heart in firmer shape helps it beat better. I hope you feel better soon. By the way, were you, pre-op, on beta blockers? Take care.
 
Bummer, Ruth. But I, too, have heard that sometimes it pops up and then goes away after things settle down. Stay optimisitc....it can't hurt.

I guess arrythmias of any kind can wear you out. I'm taking it real easy today and I'm really tired. I was just in yesterday to a nurse practioner with a little laundry list of concerns, and my sudden palps were one of them. I was afraid it might be A-fib. For me, it turned out to be PVC's and PAC's (premature ventricle and atrial contractions). She said I was having 8 per minute (all I know is that I could definitley feel a rolly-polly harder heartbeat). She's going to send them off to the cardiologist....maybe she missed something....we'll see. I'm sure she'll boost my Atenolol back up to 50mg. :(

I guess there never is a "fat lady singing" with our group!! :p Things change...we just have to remain positive. It just ain't ever really over. But we're here!!!!!! :D :D :D

You'll feel so much better once they get those arythmmia's calmed down you won't even worry about the temporary setback. Rest today. Be good to yourself. By the weekend you'll just be buzzing around like a hummingbird!!

:) Marguerite
 
Thanks All

Thanks All

Yes, I started on Atenol (Tenormin) beta blocker back in Oct for PVCs. Started with 25mg, they bumped it up to 50 when I went back in still feeling crummy. The 50mg had the PVCs pretty much under control. I've had no PVCs (yet) post op. They were annoying but they didn't kick the daylights out of me like this does. My heart feels like a fish out of water flopping around sometimes, esp when I lay down. My pulse has been running in the 110-120 rate (resting). If I exercise even briefly it skyrockets.

Now the Atenol is up to 100mg / day. Seems like a lot to me but I'm following directions. It is what it is.

The chest XRay also showed my diaphram on the right side is up really high, on the XRay you could only see 2/3rds of the lung and the rest was obscured by the diaphram. That could be why it's hard to breath deeply during exercise.

Looks like I'm just on the 'slow boat' recovery. Sigh.

At some level it makes sense that if you take a heart with a very enlarged atrium and a very leaky valve that have developed in concert for 35 years and one day step in and fix just the valve, it seems logical the atrium might get a little fussy. It probably doesn't know *what* to do without all that backflow.

Again, thanks for the shared stories and words of encouragement, they are much appreciated.

Ruth
 
You tell that surgeon that next time she should put the diaphragm back when she's done with it... :rolleyes:

Try not to slouch, Ruth, or lie in a recliner in a "C" position. Back straight, chest out, might help encourage the diaphragm back toward its place a bit. Some folks have lost pieces of their lower lung because it couldn't reinflate and grew together. (I know, I know - thanks for that happy thought, Bob...)

The AFib may pass. Your heart is still reducing in size and changing shape. I hope so.

Best wishes,
 
Ruth,
I am worried about having a-fid, too, after the surgery. When I asked my surgeon about possible a-fib during the consultation, he told me there is a condition known as Post-op Afib, 40-45% chance in MV patients. He said when you have temporary Afib it usually lasts 1 month and is treated with beta blockers, and may need cumiden. My brother had a-fid briefly after his MV replacement but it didn't last very long. I hope you are feeling better soon.
 
Arg ... Ruth, very sorry about your "bump in the road".

I had a similar one after my 2003 surgery ... which frustrated me even more because I hadn't had "complications" after my previous 2 surgeries ... so the "challenges" were all new to me ... and I wasn't a very happy camper ... heh.

Thoughts/prayers coming your way....



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"If you fall, I will catch you" ... Cindy Lauper ... 'Time After Time'
 
Ruth, Sometimesa-fib is treated with electric cardioversion. My wife had her a-fib converted to sinus rythym five years ago and it has not recurred.
 
Hi, Ruth. I'm very sorry to hear about your a-fib. I guess the silver lining is that at least now you know why you've not been feeling better, but I know that's cold comfort. :(

I know nothing about atrial fibrillation, except that it's not good to have it, so I'm very eager to hear what your cardiologist has to say.

Because I wanted to avoid a-fib at all costs, I asked Dr. Stelzer what I could do/not do to help avoid it. He suggested not doing caffeine for a few weeks after surgery. I don't know that this is a general rule of thumb, but I'm curious if you do caffeine.

I sure hope this is a transitory thing for you, Ruth.
 
Ruth

I know exactly how you are feeling. Before my op I had intermittent episodes of A-Fib (paroxysmal AF) for over ten years - often requiring a trip to hospital for a couple of nights to cardioverted, usually with IV Amiodarone. I have had one electrical cardioversion too.
After my op I went into AF in the hospital, but it reverted (with oral Amiodarone) before I was discharged. The doctors and surgeon all said that AF is a very common post op occurence.
I have felt some thumping and missed beats over the last few weeks, but am mostly in sinus rhythm, albeit a little fast (95-100).
Anyway, I sympathise with you - the first time I ever went into AF, I did not know what was happening to me, I thought I had some strange virus or something - I had never even heard of AF before. I just knew I was tired, dizzy and weak.
I hope you get sorted soon - hang in there.

Bridgette
 
Hi Ruth,

I'm so sorry to hear of your new bump in the road. I know how frustrating it gets, and it becomes hard to want to try to keep pushing yourself. Several times, I just stayed in bed for most of the day. At least they know what's going on, and now they just have to fix it. I'm sure once you get this under control you will be feeling so much better. Seems like so many of us have to have some fine tuning done after surgery.

Rest, and remember this is only temporary!
 
Stretch -

Before my surgery I loved a daily Starbucks on the way to work. After the issues with PVC's back in Oct I was restricted by my cardiologist to 1 cup / day (a Vente is a cup right? :p I'm kidding, really).

Since the surgery I've had no coffee, just don't have the taste for it. I don't drink any soda so no caffeine there. I love water, pure ice cold water is my favorite drink.

Al -

Am sitting taller right now :) Thanks for the advice, as cheery as it may be. :rolleyes:

Thanks again all for the personal experiences and words of encouragement,
Ruth
 
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