Four weeks post and a question

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N

NH_Male

Today is my fourth week post ascending aneurysm repair. Everything has been going very well with no issues or complications. I even 'forced' my family to go to Florida for a week of beachsitting as a way to take a break from the stress of the surgery.

But here is a question: A couple of days ago I started noticing that I am now taking a couple of what I call mini-yawns every 20, 30 minutes or so. Sometimes I have to yawn completely. Nothing extreme, mind you, but I do notice them. These mini-yawns are like deeper breaths. I began looking for buds on trees as pollen could be a cause or even started blaming our new cat since I am mildly allergic. Either way, I don't want to bug my doctors unless this could be something.

I take my walks daily and I am never out of breath; stairs are not a problem at all, so what could this be? Is this me simply just being hypersensitive to all my body's new ticks? Or is it simply post-surgery fatigue? I do still get tired pretty easily, especially if I don't take my midday naps. Just wondering if anyone has gone through something similar.

Thank you in advance
 
Hi Evan! It's good to see you :) Where did you stay in FL, did you enjoy our beautiful weather??

I had kind of a sniffing problem, like I needed an extra *hit* of air. My Oncologist seemed to think it was due to my high heart rate, my PCP thought it was because I was still healing and after getting rid of pain meds my body was telling me it was going to hurt to breathe, so just take small breaths. I sort of think it may have been pollen as I was out walking more, even though I couldn't really see the pollen like it usually is all over everything. Whatever it was it seems to be gone :)
 
Hey Lynn! Thanks so much, as usual.

Yeah, we went to this little sandbar of a town called Indialantic, which is near Melbourne. We stayed on the beach and it was amazing!!! Since the surgery and my new beta blocker meds, I am always cold and for the first time, after being an anti-Florida snob, I thought, "hmmmm, Florida is pretty nice..." We loved it. It really is a fantastic place, especially when you return to snowy New England. The idea of being active in warm weather year round is sounding more and more attractive.

Thanks for the input. I may bring it up to my surgeon's nursing staff, since they are great about answering questions like these, and bring it up with the doc when we meet next week. I have a feeling it may be more allergy-related than anything else, but given my paranoia post surgery...
 
I'm inclined to think it's surgical residue. It'll stop in time. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.
 
Hey Ross, thanks for the response. I am thinking (and hoping that you are right.) I think I will go ahead and bug my doc's office anyway. I shouldnt care if they think I am being overly paranoid.
 
when I left the hospital after surgery, they told me to call if I had any questions. I took them at their word, so call if you have a question. That's what they are there for.

As for Florida, I grew up in Miami, later lived right in the middle of Florida and am now in the Panhandle. All of it is beautiful, however the Panhandle has winter and seasons (ergo allergies). Living where it is nice and warm is very, very nice. So don't be a Florida snob. come on down, the weather is great. Flowers grow year round. grass grows constantly. Places to go, things to see. It's sort of like living in Hawaii.
 
Evan,

I had something very similar to your description. IMine was almost a yawn but not quite. It is/was an involuntary big breath, similar to a pre-yawn. These episodes would hit me about 12 times an hour. It seemed like it was needed to catch up on oxegen? They would come on walking, or even just sitting watching tv. On my trip over to the hospital to see my surgeon at the 6 week checkup I counted 7 and I asked the suregons assistant (my surgeon was busy with surgery that day) and she never heard of this. I still get them but not as often. I did experience some yawning spells a bit too. Those are gone now so I associated that with the after effects of surgery. But those unexpected big breath episodes still hit me through out the day. Hope we find the answer/causes...Gary
 
Hi Evan. Now that you mention it, I do recal having some weird yawning episodes. After a few of them, I just chalked them up to the surgery and improved oxygenation of everything. I think I started taking nice long breaths (not to the point of dizziness...I was pretty dizzy after surgery for awhile) but just to the point of that deep satisfaction you get when you know you can breathe deeply. Maybe it is your body saying, hey! It's okay to breathe more deeply now....how about some oxygen!! :D

And as Hensy and others have said....you can always call your doctors with ANY questions. I used to call before my appointments so that I could report any changes or significant findings after the advice was given and get a first hand response from the doctors AT the appointment.

The pollen is heavy everywhere this spring. If you're out walking in it alot, shower off afterwards (it falls on you, too). Maybe think about changing your pillowcase (if you burrow into your pillows at night) more often for awhile to prevent the pollen from nagging you during the night.

Keep up the good recovery!

Marguerite
 
Yes, I had/have those too. They were much more frequent/deeper before my surgery than now. If you were asymptomatic before the surgery (with regards to breathing) then they may seem pretty weird now. When in doubt, ask, that's what they are there for. My guess is they will become less with time, recovery and cardiac recouperation.

Margarite is right, pollen is a problem. It gets in our hair when we are outside and then rubs off on the pillowcase at night where we breathe it in.

Ruth
 
Hey Evan

Hey Evan

I called my surgeon a couple of times with questions, and they never seemed upset, always answered me right away....I'd go ahead and ask. Indialantic..I remember it well...my son went to college at Florida Tech in Melbourne and whenever we visited him, I ran on the beach there.
 
I will 7 weeks post-op tomorrow and I know what you are talking about. My yawns I chalk up to having some insomnia from my meds but I do the deep breath all of a sudden, usually when I am relaxed. I just think it is my body wanting that sudden burst of oxygen. Ask your doctor and let us know. Good luck with your recovery!
 
I experienced the same thing and wondered about it at the time. I seem to remember it gradually lessening after three months, but it may have been longer.
 
Hi Evan -

For some reason when I read your post I immediately wondered if the ventilator caused a little nerve injury. Probably putting a call into your doctor is not a bad idea. My son developed a (rare) growth on a nerve from a vent over ten years ago and it got worse and had to be removed; but I recall the specialist who removed the growth saying that nerve injuries from vents are not uncommon. Maybe that's not what this is; I'm certainly no medical professional:rolleyes: and just thought I'd mention it.
 
Thanks everyone. I have a call in to the nursing group at my surgeon's office. Once I get their feedback, I'll post just for posterity's sake.

Thanks again!
 
Some meds will cause a yawning sensation. Have you checked all possible side effects of any meds you are on? Take care.
 
Thank you all for replying.

Sorry its taken me so long, but after talking with the nurses, I thought I'd wait till my big followup which happened yesterday with the surgeon and ask again then.

So here is what he said: Its nothing serious or alarming. The body has been through a major trauma and is asking for more oxygen. Another reason could be stress and anxiety. Its no surprise that these yawns come at rest because that is when we have the time to consciously or subconsciously think about what we are going through.

That said after all my tests, everything looks and sounds great. He said it looks 'beautiful.'So I can start more serious aerobic exercise (with caution, of course.) Oh and I am going to be speaking with future cardiac surgery patients about the benefits of Dr. Bolman/ss guided imagery approach for patients. Since I was so enthusiastic about the meditative process over the use of drugs to relax me, he wants me to meet with future patients and talk about the benefits. Pretty cool.

Anyway, clean bill of health for now!!!!! Time to go out there and throw some snowballs at my kids.
 
Congrats on the good report, and thanks for posting their response to the yawning question. Good to know their take on it.
 
Thank you! It feels great so far.

Hey Nan, both of my kids were born at St. Peter's... small world, great hospital.
 
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