Dad's Heart Issues/Need Prayers

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Jiddo

Jiddo

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 2, 2007
Messages
139
Location
San Francisco, Bay Area
Hi All.

My dad had a mild heart attack on or around 10/31. His choices at the time were to put in a stint in the two blocked arteries or do nothing and try to diet/exercise. He was told that putting in a stint would be risky because he would have to take another two "blood thinning-type" medications on top of coumadin and aspirin and this would put my dad at high risk of internal/external bleeding. Has anyone on coumadin/aspirin had stints put in place for blocked arteries?

In any case, he chose to go home and try diet and exercise, which he has been doing well for the last week since he got out of the hospital. Well, last night he had another episode where he was dizzy and went to the emergency room asap. they performed a bunch of tests and it appears his heart is now further damaged compared to last week. I don't know if he had a heart attack, angina or something else....we will consult with the cardiologist tomorrow. he has been walking every day for an hour, which could have put strain on the heart.

Needless to say, we are all heart broken over this and my dad is scared. I would greatly appreciate it if you could keep him ("Jiddo") in your prayers. His wife, kids (3 of us), 6 grandkids (and 1 on the way) need him to come home.

Thanks.
Jennie
 
I'm sorry your dad is having these problems. It seems that I remember others on here who have had stents after having had valve surgery, but don't know who specifically. I don't have to take coumadin so I'm not really aware of the risks of taking both coumadin and aspirin with another "anti-coag" which I'm assuming is a drug like Plavix. Hopefully, others who have more experience with this will come along soon. Have you thought about getting a second opinion? I would probably start there.

Kim
 
I don't have any answers for you either, but I can pray for your Dad and family. God doesn't want us to be afraid, but it's really hard not to be when faced with something like this. I hope things turn out for the best for all of you!


Mileena
 
I'm sorry to read this, Jennie. I hope the doctors find something to help your dad.
By the way, I love your avatar, you and your pop. So sweet. Best wishes :) .
 
I don't have any experience with coum and stents, but Justin had 2 stents placed in his pulmonary artery when he was 12 and the only thing he took was baby aspirin for a couple weeks. So I'm not sure why the coumadin and aspirin he is already on would NOT provide enough coverage, I would certainly talk to several of his doctors and find out why they think he would need to take even more anticoag meds. It might just be a matter of they routinely give all their stent patients these 2 meds and aren't used to having patients that are already on coum and aspirin, and aren't thinking outside the box about IF he really needs more meds.
 
Thanks everyone. We will be getting a second opinion on the stent issue. In the meantime, my dad will be having a pacemaker placed in tomorrow - we already got a second opinion on that. Please pray that the procedure tomorrow goes well....they are trying to get his INR at or below 1.4 in prep for the procedure. Thanks again!
 
Jiddo said:
Thanks everyone. We will be getting a second opinion on the stent issue. In the meantime, my dad will be having a pacemaker placed in tomorrow - we already got a second opinion on that. Please pray that the procedure tomorrow goes well....they are trying to get his INR at or below 1.4 in prep for the procedure. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

I have talked with 3 surgeons about their Bridging Protocols and got 3 different answers. One would Bridge before but NOT after, just started Coumadin that night, after the procedure, knowing it would take 3 or 4 days to become fully effective.

Given the Bleeding Issues Ross and someone else had with Lovenox, I'm coming to think the above procedure may be a good conservative approach.

Another slightly less conservative approach would be to restart Lovenox or Heparin 24 to 48 hours After the Procedure, based on an assessment of the Bleeding Risk vs. the Stroke Risk.

ASK his Surgeon and Cardiologist (and anyone else you think might have useful input) How Long do they consider it Safe to have an INR below 2.0. The answer to that question will be a useful guide as to which protocol to follow.

Let us know what you learn !

Best Wishes to you Dad.

'AL Capshaw'
 
Thanks for your prayers everyone. Dad got his pacemaker implanted last Friday and is still on the heparin drip. They actually took him off of it yesterday afternoon for 24 hours due to a hematoma forming at the incision site. They bandaged his chest and applied pressure to it...and they will be monitoring him closely until they turn the heparin drip on again. Once on the drip, he will continue until his second procedure scheduled this Friday - angiogram with possible stents placed. We are all nervous of the procedure since he is on coumadin. After the procedure, he will also have to take plavix for a year. He previously took plavix before his last AVR but never coumadin and plavix together (along with baby aspirin 81 mg). Quite honestly, coumadin hasn't been a huge issue over the last couple of years but it has been a major issue now with all these procedures. It has added another dimension of potential complications and issues. Looking back, I almost wish my dad had the tissue valve implanted in 2007 to avoid all of the potential complications of bleeding/clots. Please continue to keep him in your prayers for a smooth and successful procedure. At this point, he has been in the hospital for most of November. Thanks. - - Jennie
 
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