Breathing problems.

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Ovie

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
493
Location
Sioux City, Iowa.
So I want to say my overall opinion from the information I've gathered from the site over the last few months is that alot of people feel better as soon as a couple days after surgery. I've been unfortunate and have not had this luxury, and right now I'd like to address breathing issues. I was short of breath before surgery, probably more than less, and I understand they deflate a lung. However since surgery I feel like my breathing is way worse than before surgery, I feel short of breath 70% of the time, I constantly am trying to breath in deep to catch a breath which results in my chest being much more sore than what it's already been. I'm excellent about doing my breathing exercises and granted its not even been 2 weeks since my surgery, I feel there should be some kind of improvement. Maybe I've missed previous posts, but is it common after surgery for your breathing to be worse? My chest x-rays have been fine, and I know this is a crazy theory, but is it possible that my sternum was shut without allowing my lungs to balloon to their correct size? Sounds like crazy talk, I know. Or is this all just normal for after surgery?

The only reason I ask is because I feel like I never read anything on people having problems breathing after surgery.

Anything would be great, thank you!
 
have you had an echo? is this something you've had the whole time or does it seem to be getting worse? is there any pain beside your sternum?
 
I had an echo the day they released me which would of been a week ago today. I wouldn't say it's been a major problem since the operation, mainly because I didnt know what was what right out of the gate, still was on a lot of pain killers and meds. I have pain on both left and right sides of my chest, I figured it was from the sternum opening and everything being pushed back. But it's always been an issue since after the surgery, it's just one that I felt would get better in time and every day I awake I don't see much significant changes to my breathing when I feel I should. But maybe it too is one of those things that takes time. I just don't know because I haven't seen much about it on the site.
 
This is something I would get checked out. Skyler had improvement right after surgery, and then not much for a while. He ended up having an infection. I have read that some people have issues of fluid build up that needs to be drained before they can inflate their lungs properly. Please get this checked out. You should be seeing an improvement in terms of your breathing I would think.
 
Ovie,
I didn't have breathing issues before surgery but did end up with marked shortness of breath early on post op. I did have fluid in one of my lungs and a collapsed lobe as well as pericarditis, fever etc. The doctors attributed the shortness of breath to the fluid on the lungs and that many of my symptoms were due to a strong inflammatory response. If you are concerned I would make a call in to your cardio.
With time and medication the shortness of breath improved for me. Good luck!
 
Thank you, I'm going to try and get into my cardiologist ASAP. I was a smoker for 9 years before quitting off and on in the following couple of months before surgery. Maybe that has contributed into the delayed healing process.
 
Hi Ovie,

I certainly didn't feel better, or improved a few days after my surgery, as compared with a few days before! I felt like I had been beaten with a bat by a gang of orangutans! My first day home I gamely headed out for my first walk outdoors, and I made it half a block before deciding I needed to sit for a bit. When I got back from that walk, I slept for two hours even though it was the middle of the day. I can tell you though, that the improvements from that point, were linear and constant, with very few setbacks. It was probably more than six months though, before I could do everthing that I had been able to do before the surgery. Now, (nearly three years post op) of course, I can outrun, outbike, out walk, out swim and out jump that old me.
Ask about anything that worries you, and be patient with yourself. Be diligent about your walking, and your breathing and stretching. DON'T SMOKE! You'll get there.
 
I'm hoping nothing is wrong, and that this is just part of the process, and don't worry..no more smoking for me. I have no cravings or urges to, and whenever I see a cigarette I see it as if I've never touched one and never wanted to. So I'm not at all concerned, I look at it as if I do I die. I think that's why I'm shocked I'm not seeing better improvements with my lungs.
 
Ovie, I doubt it was the smoking that is limiting your breathing. I smoked for over 30 years right up to the surgery. 10 days after surgery was able to walk about 1 1/2 to get a pack of smokes half of it up hill, and it didn't tire me much.
My guess is you probably have fluid build up somewhere.
 
Ovie said:
My chest x-rays have been fine, and I know this is a crazy theory, but is it possible that my sternum was shut without allowing my lungs to balloon to their correct size?
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No, that would show up on the chest X-ray. Any issues like this with your lungs would be picked up easily on physical exam too. When do you go to see the doctor for your first follow-up visit? It's normally soon after surgery. Any of these issues should be brought up then.
 
Ovie - It is worth at least a conversation with your docs. In my case, I had some fluid in one lung, and also that lung took a long time to fully re-inflate. I mean a few weeks. My cardio surgeon recommended a small dose of ibuprofen to help relieve inflammation of the lung, which allowed the fluid to subside some. They also increased my lasix dosage for a couple of weeks to help with that. I also found that doing my breathing exercises seemed to help a lot -- if I did a "set" of breathing exercises, I felt better for an hour or so, then I would repeat.

Is the shortness of breath happening when you are lying down, upright or both? If it is worse when you are lying down, it may be more related to fluid buildup in your lungs. If it is all the time, it could be due to pain reflex, not allowing you to fully inflate your lungs/chest.

As we said, it is certainly worth a mention to the docs. Some labored breathing may be normal for the first few days after surgery, but by now it should be improving.
 
It is worth a conversation with your doctor, as many have recommended.

On the other hand, I was in Class IV heart failure before my mitral valve replacement, and critically ill afterwards. It took me about 6 weeks to get my breathing back, and all the liquid out of my lungs.
 
Ovie, I certainly didnt have a quick recovery and there are lots of people on this site who haven't had an easy recovery, sure I felt great after surgery and was doing normal things 2-3 weeks post op. But even now, 4 months post op I still don't feel 100%. When I take deep breaths my chest is still tight and uncomfortable, I can only run a about 2-3k before I feel like I've got about 5 seconds to live! I've brought all these issues up with my cardio and she said it can take some people over a year to fully recover. You are likely to feel tired, dizzy, various pains in the chest etc etc, probably for a long term. It's always worth to speak to your doctor or cardio about any issues, even if they are minor. It is very important to do lots of breathing exercises.. Did you get your breathing 'toy'! It is much more useful than it looks! Good luck!
 
Ovie said:
I'm hoping nothing is wrong, and that this is just part of the process, and don't worry..no more smoking for me. I have no cravings or urges to, and whenever I see a cigarette I see it as if I've never touched one and never wanted to. So I'm not at all concerned, I look at it as if I do I die. I think that's why I'm shocked I'm not seeing better improvements with my lungs.
Click to expand...

WOW! Ovie. That is great about your quitting smoking. I am impressed and commend you for doing that. Good job!
John
 
Worse today gymguy, and im having trouble with my eyes and having terrible headaches, I see my family doctor on Thursday and cardiologist on Monday, hoping for a better day tomorrow, trying to keep the spirits high but just fel like I'm constantly kicked to the floor. No one said this road was easy though.
 
Not sure if you tried this yet, but when I am sick, watching TV and/or playing video games gives me headaches and messes with my eyes some. What about laying off the tube/tv for a day and see-ing if you feel any relief. Also, try to limit internet. I work with computers screens most days, all day long, and sometime I just need to not be looking at screens and giving my eyes/brain a break.
 
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