Alan is in the CCU

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A

amy

Alan was looking progressivly worse. We went to the er. He has fluid around his heart. They drained a quart of fluid. His color looks a lot better but now he has an arythmia. They left the chest tube in to continue to drain the remaining fluid.
 
Amy, sorry to hear about this bump in the road for Alan. Sounds like they got in front it and I'm sure he'll feel a lot better. How serious is the arrythmia? Some are very benign and others have roots in things like electrolyte imbalance.

Keep us posted on Alan's progress, and don't let it get you down!

Johnny
 
Amy... please, please keep us posted on Alan. He is in the best place and will be fine. Please take care of you, too.

Evelyn
 
So glad you and Alan checked things out and caught the problem.

Arrythmias are quite common after surgery. Cutting on the heart alters the normal path conductivity along the surface of the heart which can upset the internal pacemaker temporarily. I went into Atrial Fibrilation a few days after my AVR surgery. It took a few hours with two injections of digoxin and another pill (forgot what it was) before my Heart Rate returned to normal. I also had two A-fib events last week (10 weeks post op) which again resolved in a few hours.

A rapid heart rate (>150) with skipped beats and extra beats can be somewhat disconcerting 8-( so I went to the ER after the first of those events where they basically let me lay around, connected to a monitor, until it resolved after 3 hours. When the second one hit, I called my PCP and was advised to take another (small dose) of my Beta Blocker and wait it out overnight. Sure enough, it resolved in a few hours. If it had not resolved by morning, I was advised to go back to the ER.

Same thing happened after my CABG a few years ago (two post op A-fib events). Naturally, when they put me on a Holter Monitor, nothing more happened. I joked to my PCP that all I needed was a permanent Rx for a Holter Monitor and then everything would be OK :).

Alan is in good hands in the CICU. Once they resolve his fluid problem he should be back on track.

Best wishes,

'AL'
 
Amy, you have been apprehensive all along since Alan came home - even the early hospital release. Please keep the faith and keep us posted. You are in my prayers. God bless
 
Update

Update

I just spoke to Alan's nurse. He seems to be doing better this morning. He had been going in and out of sinus rhythm a afib all night but this has stabilized the past few hours. They drained a total of 1400 ccs of fluid from around his heart. The drainage has also slowed down a lot.
 
Hi Amy-

I'm so sorry that Alan had this little setback. Sometimes these things happen, but there are always solutions. They'll get him straightened out and back home to your loving care.

Don't get discouraged. It's tough right now, but it will get better.
 
Dear Amy:

I am so sorry to hear about this set back, albeit sounds like it is getting under control. I recall well the day my husband reverted back into afib post cardioversion. It hit him like a ton of bricks. Best wishes over the next few days. We will be praying for you!@

Marybeth
 
HI A....DON'T WORRY EXCESSIVELY, ALAN WILL BE FINE. TYCE HAD AFIB FOR A BIT ALSO AFTER SURGERY. AS OUR CARDIO SAID, IT'S JUST THE HEART TELLING YOU IT'S MAD BECAUSE IT WAS IRRITATED AND DISTURBED. WHEN HE COMES HOME THIS TIME, WATCH HIS WEIGHT ON A DAILY BASIS AND WRITE IT DOWN. IF HE GAINS AN APPRECIABLE AMOUNT IN A DAY OR SO, HAVE HIM CHECKED OUT. THAT'S WHAT THEY TOLD US....I'M SO SORRY HE HAD TO GO BACK IN. TAKE CARE.

EVELYN
 
I just came back from the hospital to rest for awhile. Yhey did an echo this morning. His heart was returning to a more normal size and his St. Jude valve is fine. He is still going in and out of a fib but the cardiologist said that it is most likely due to the chest tube. He is running a 99.6 degree temp. The doctor and infectious disease person are both keeping a close eye on that. They said that sometimes it is just a reaction to the tube. The tube will be kept in at least 24 more hours. They will keep him for an additional 24 hours after his heart rate returns to normal and fluid is completely gone.
 
Amy - Thanks for the update. I'm glad to see you asking those questions to get a feel as to what was normal. I guess things weren't normal and you made the right decision and went to the ER. Glad to hear Alan is getting back to normal, hope he gets well and out of the hospital soon.
 
Dear Amy:

You must be wiped out. Our thoughts are with you. Please continue to keep us informed.

Marybeth
 
Hi Amy,

I'm glad you went to the ER when you were feeling that something wasn't quite right. I know you were questioning some things in the past week or so, and I'm glad he's being taken care of. Sounds like these things are fairly common happenings and that they're under control for the most part. Hopefully a couple days and he'll be back on the road. Very glad to hear his heart is normal size and the new valve is holding up well! Take care of yourself, give him a big hello from all of us, and please keep us posted!

prayers,
Jennie
 
hi amy!
i am so sorry to hear that alan is back in the ccu. actually, that is where he will be watched and cared for very closeley, so it's a good place to be when "bumps in the road" arise.
glad to see you are trying to get some rest yourself. please don't let this get you down. many of us have been this route_ you expect all to go so smoothly and they just don't always from the start.
my dad had his avr (st. jude's) and cabs 3 yrs ago and lives in chronic afib and on coumadin. he's fine with iit and many others here say they are too.
joey, on the other hand, went into afib 4 days after surgery and was (still is) put on amiodarone_ now that is under control. i hope they end up taking care of the afib, but as long as it's monitored, it is not life-threatening.
wishing you both all the best and a speedy recovery to alan.
stay well, sylvia
 
Amy, I am sorry that Alan is back in the hospital. Hopefully this is the last of the bumps on the road to recovery. Keep us updated, as we are all concerned and praying for Alan!
 
Amy,
My son Clay (30) had and still has a-fib after surgery back in December. For some people, it goes away permanently after things heal up, but for others it may be a condition that remains. A-fib is not life-threatening, although it does need to be monitored by a cardiologist on a regular basis, as there are some necessary medications, e.g. blood thinners, that stop the pooling blood in the atrium from clotting and potentially causing a stroke.

When you first asked, many of us told you that Alan's symptoms seemed normal, but there is no substitute for being there in person and seeing how he looks and feels. You seem to have really good intuition, and in the future it is probably better to get him checked out if you sense something isn't right.

In my own recovery, I've noted that there is absolutely no substitute for a loving caring spouse!

Hope everything works out well.
--John
 
UPDATE

UPDATE

I just returned from the hospital. I spoke with the cardiologist. Alan is still running a 99.8 degree temperature. He was unable to eat for a few days so now his coumidan levels are high. Fluid (mostly blood) is still slowly draining. The doctor feels that now that Alan is eating again (and not receiving coumidan for the time being, his levels should normalize. Once the levels normalize, he feels that the drainage will stop. If it gets worse, or continues for more than 2-3 days, he will be transfered to the hospital that did his surgery (the top cardiac hospital in the state). The surgeon would have to go back in to see what is going on. The cardiologist feels that the second scenerio is unlikely. The cardiologist told us to expect Alan to remain at the hospital for about a week. The prospect of opening him up again is very scary, especially if his coumidan levels don't come back down.
 
HI AMY

HI AMY

I WISH ONLY THE BEST FOR THE TWO OF YOU. I'M SURE EVERYTHING WILL BE OK, AND THIS MINOR SETBACK WILL BE ALLEVIATED QUICKLY. HAS THE HOSPITAL BEEN IN CONTACT WITH YOUR CARDIO-THORACIC SURGEON?

WE GO TO OUR CARDIO THORACIC TOMORROW. IT WILL BE 6 WEEKS POSTOP FOR TYCE. WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW HE FARES. MY PRAYERS WILL BE WITH YOU AND ALAN, AND OF COURSE, ROSS AND WALTER WHO GOES IN NEXT WEEK.

PEACE.....AND PLEASE REST IF YOU CAN.

EVELYN
 
The cardiologist contacted the surgeon yesterday to determine whether he wanted to do an emergency transfer once he was drained and stabilized. The surgeon felt that the cardiologist is doing everything that would be done at the other hospital, so for now Alan will stay put. The surgeon and cardiologist will maintain contact.
 
Sorry Amy

Sorry Amy

Amy ..so sorry to hear Alan has had this setback ...you must be so scared but stay strong for you both ..just wanted to let you know I'm thinking and praying for you both here ...keep in touch ...
Scottie
 
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