Cousins surgery problem

[Missy]

This might belong in the small talk forum. If so I appoligize.

My cousing had aortic valve replacement about 10 days ago. I forget the exact day so maybe not that long.

He is heavy and diabetic. They were worried about him but he did okay but immediately after developed respiratory problems. They pulled him through that, he went home, got sick the next day, brought back by ambulance to hospital, they operated on him again. He stayed in the hospital but was getting worse. He had infection. They wanted family there to make decisions as was not sure how things would go. His brother was there today and they did planned surery again this morning. Thtey cut infected tissure away but his breast bone was not useable as far as being able to join it back together. I guess it is all torn up. They were doing surgery at 5:00 p California time with a skin surgeon who will be doing grafts from his body to close his chest. They packed it with something.

I have not heard anything yet from my cousins and probably won't until morning.

Has anyone ever heard of any such thing? One of my cousins said someone told her of a comparative incident. And that person survived and is now working so that is good news. I hope my cousin does the same. We are all so worried about him.

It hasn't been looking good the last few days. I am sure being heavy and diabetic is playing a role in this somewhere.

He is in the Enloe Hospital at Chico, Ca.

Thanks for listening! Any help to understand what they are trying to tell my cousins would be appreciated also. Then maybe I could understand.

 

[Susan BAV]

Hi Missy -

Sorry to read about your cousin's difficult situation. If I understand you're asking most specifically about the breastbone issue, there are at least two members I have read about here who had to have something else (skin grafts or something, I think) sewn over their breastbones because of infection of their own. I think they're both doing very well now. I'll see if I can find some old posts about it and post links for you...

Here's one experience of Lynlw's son Justin: http://valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21422&highlight=sternum
and another from Tenndon: http://valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20399&highlight=flap

 

[Ross]

Thank God for Plastic Surgeons!

Those guys can pieces parts us back together with our own tissue, muscle, vessels.

Yes, we've heard of it and as Susan points out, we have a couple here that had something similiar done.

 

[Missy]

Thanks so much!

By the time I hear this second hand it is kind of confusing. This is a big help and makes it not so frightening.

 

[Susan BAV]

I remember when I first read about it, I found the whole idea of it and the treatment really frightening too, Missy. It is a relief to read that a situation like this can go well and I hope things go much better for your cousin now.

 

[Lynlw]

Hi Missy I'm sorry your cousin is going thru this. Justin went thru something similar to this this summer,altho he isn't a diabetic. He had a massive infection in his sternum and under it and around his heart. The surgeon told us part of his sternum was "mush" 10 after his surgery, (the technical diagnosis is in my sig)he had surgery to clean everything up and they did a muscle flap using his pec muscle that they wrapped about his sternum to help it heal, since the muscles have lots of blood and oxygen and add support when holding everything together.(like Ross said a plastic surgeon did the muscle flap) and they had to take all the wires out except the very top part where there wasn't infection and the bone was healing. This also was his 5th OHS, which made everything a little tougher. They told us not to be surprised if they had to open him and clean everything a few more times, but luckily they didn't have to. He did have to have 6 weeks of antibiotics tho. Justin ended up healing very well and has even been snowboarding a few times. I also know (online) a toddler that went thru this about a month after Justin who is doing well too.Lyn