edema in feet and cold feet

[Jeanie]

I am eagerly awaiting visit to cardiologist next week and praying for a speedy surgery date for AVR. I have recently had onset of CHF symptoms related to my pre-existing dx of AS, and the feet are worrying me the most. For those of you who experienced this, how long after surgery did it take for feet to shrink back to normal size and have good warmth from blood flow?
thanks in advance,
Jeanie

 

[Bina]

Pre surgery even tho my heart was in bad condition, my feet didn't swell much at all. It probably helped that I hate all dietary salt...but post op my feet went huge for a couple of weeks. Docs gave me a Lasix.

 

[Kevin]

I had CHF pretty bad prior to my recent surgery.

I was carrying 36 pounds of fluid. My calves were the size of my thighs and they were weeping blood due to the skin being so stretched.

Have you noticed a big jump in your weight? You should begin to weigh yourself daily to monitor the fluid retention. If it jumps more than a few pounds in one day, you should really see a doctor ASAP.

They may want to use "water pills", like the aforementioned drug called "Lasix" and possibly others to get your body to generate more urine and flush the fluids from the tissue. If your case is severe, they may also put you on a fluid restriction.

I lost 36 pounds in 15 days prior to my operation. It was terribly hard on my system.

If you see sudden weight increase, go see a doctor as soon as you can.
I hope this helps a bit.
Kev

 

[Nancy]

Are you on a diuretic? If you have CHF, you should probably be on one. Ask your doctor about it. Keep your diet low in sodium and get a pair of compression stocking (the knee high ones), and keep your feet up as much as possible.

 

[Jeanie]

Nope, and diuretics are not the best thing because a) I have a severe hearing loss and most diuretics are ototoxic (damage auditory nerves) and b) the whole reason for the CHF and edema is the extreme decompensation of my AS and regurge...plus my BP has been very low for a few months and poor little kidneys are doing the best they can. There is no point in flogging a horse that is already down.

I actually was able to get my past dx echo info, (and has been sent to new cardiologist already) and I did not realize my valve was as bad as it is/was, for as long as it has been, so I know surgery will be scheduled on a stat basis. My past dx was severe AS, am sure I am well into 'critical' right now on the remaining capacity of the valve.
Jeanie
p.s. Looking on the bright side, did not have any feet swelling until Dec 21, and since that time additional 'water weight' is only 7 pounds, so I guess that is not so bad compared to what Kevin said above (very scary!). I tried an experiment the past few hours, that decreased the swelling a lot (temporarily anyway). I got into a recliner instead of a bed, with my feet up, and wore my Husband's Dr. Scholl diabetic socks.