Update on 2nd surgery, and help needed

[Mb]

Hello everyone!

Thank you all for posting under the first thread I started regarding my husband's surgery.

He was brought to the EP lab on Friday morning, about 30 hours after completion of the first surgery. He was not doing well, and was hesitant to sign the consent forms. When I arrived, and spoke to the EP doctor that we had NEVER met before, and he said he was going to install the pacemaker leads through the coronary sinus (which had been nixed by both the surgeon and the cardiologist), I agreed with my husband to postpone the pacemaker installation until we could all be reading from the same page. (That paragraph is making a very long story, short.)

So here we are, a week out. He is in the step down cardiac unit. He has been doing fairly well, although yesterday he was really quite punky, and today they gave him a blood transfusion, which frankly made him at least look better by the end of the day. They are also giving him insulin (he is NOT a diabetic), and have changed his heart meds, as his heart rate is all over the place. He has tachycardia most of the time (rate over 100), even with the beta blockers, which they have now increased. That of course, set off the alarms, for bradycardia (which is WHY he needs the pacemaker in the first place). The original EP doc is coming in tomorrow, and hopefully we can get the pacemaker in within the next few weeks.

So, that is my update, and I am sticking with it! Hopefully, my next post will be that he is home, and doing fine.

Marybeth

 

[Phyllis]

Good evening Marybeth. I'm sorry that things are not going that smoothly at this point but I think you did the right thing in waiting for the regular EP doctor- that's why we always say that having a mate or significant other there at all times to be your advocate is so important. I think that the sugar count being high after surgery is quite common. They were sticking Dick with the sugar test so many times that at one point he just plain refused to let them do it again.
I will keep you both in my prayers and I hope that your next post is that you are home and he is doing fine. We are always hear to listen in the meantime!
Best wishes,
Phyllis

 

[WayneGM]

Sorry to hear the roads still a bit bumpy. My thoughts are with you and look forward to hearing he's home and doing fine soon. Take care.

 

[briansmom]

Just to let you know, my 16 yr old son was also on insulin after his OHS. They reassured me that it was common after trauma (OHS surely qualifies). His heart rate was in the 130s. Hopefully all will settle down.
Best wishes for a better recovery,

 

[Nancy]

I am glad you stuck to your guns. When anything differs radically from what you have been told in the past, it begs very tough questioning. You have to find out from the regular EP, why the unknown EP was going to do it in a way that others have nixxed. Whether he knows his stuff, or whether he is in the dark. He at the very least needs to provide an explanation.

I found out with Joe's care over many, many years, that opinions among different docs often did not agree, and sometimes, there was even visible fighting amongst them as to how to approach things.

I hate it when there are different doctors in the hospital setting. Those who do not know the case make many blunders, plain and simple.

And that is why I have big "B" tatooed on my forehead.

I hope Wayne's condition stabilizes. One time, Joe got insulin when his potassium got to high levels. Ask why they are giving insulin, and find out if it is for high sugar levels or something else.