Message from the other side

[libra rising]

Hi everyone

I'm back today Monday 18th June, having spent 3 weeks and 2 days in hospital post-op.
It's a long story, but the op went well. Post-op was a different matter, but I'm too tired to share that now.
Will update you just as soon as I feel less tired (possibly tomorrow morning).
For now thanks for the good wishes !
Geoff

 

[LondonAndy]

Welcome, Geoff! I spent a similar time in hospital thanks to surgical complications meaning I ended up needing a pacemaker too. Rest well, sleep frequently, and look after yourself over these important next few weeks Remember to be extra hygienic, and avoid infection risks.

 

[Paleowoman]

I'm back today Monday 18th June, having spent 3 weeks and 2 days in hospital post-op.
It's a long story, but the op went well. Post-op was a different matter, but I'm too tired to share that now.

I've been thinking loads about you Geoff, every day in fact, wondring how things went ! Glad to hear you're back here on the other side. When you're feeling better do update us if you feel up tp it, post-op is often a story in itself. Meanwhile take it easy, do your bit of walking, and look after yourself. Come on forum any time - I found it invaluable post op, especially in the small hours of the night.

 

[Seaton]

Been wondering for some weeks, Geoff, how things went and have been looking out for your update from the other side.
Fantastic you're here but sorry to learn of the lengthy hospital stay.

I wish you a good and gentle recovery these coming weeks and look forward to your posts when strength and inclination allow.

Take care and best.

 

[mrfox]

Delighted to hear you're OK Geoff

 

[libra rising]

I'l start my account of my three weeks and two days in Harefield Hospital.
Arrived on Friday 25th May. Overnighted. Prepared early as first on the list. Went down about 8.20, and spent about 20 minutes awake in the anaesthetic room, before the 'put to sleep' injection. My next memory is waking in ICU. I don't know whether my actual 'waking' post-op was in a post-op recovery room or ICU. Whichever I have no memory of a breathing tube being down my throat,which is something I was worried about. Then after a few to several hours I was transferred to HDU, a unit with 10 beds around a central nurses' station (see next post). HDU was where I spent from Sunday to Thursday. I was attached to two machines : an ECG machine I could sling around my neck and disconnect from the mains if need be (the white machine) ; an external pacemaker with pacing wires going in near my armpit (the blue machine). I also had a chest drain which went in my neck (see next post). I had these during my whole stay on HDU and they accompanied me to the ward, when I was transferred on Thursday 31st.
I'll preface my next comment by saying that for a few days post-op powerful drugs are still coursing through your body. People from Cardiology in blue scrubs would regularly visit each bed, and peruse its monitor. One evening, I thought I overheard them saying I was going to die. I took this 'news' philosophically, but did not pass it on to my visitors. Slowly, as each extra day went by, I discovered these Cardiology people may have been wrong. Then I came to see I may have been wrong !

To be continued.
Geoff

I'd attached photos but it appears "You are not authorized to create or remove attachments. (no_create_permissions_attach)"

 

[user 16827]

great post Geoff

welcome back

 

[pellicle]

Glad you made it through to this side

Here's wishing you a textbook recovery

 

[honeybunny]

Glad you are recovering and sorry to hear that there were issues post op. But it's good to have you back!

 

[epstns]

I remember still my first days (and weeks) post-op. Over time it became sort of surreal, but nonetheless real.

I'm glad to see that you're "with it" enough to be back here posting (although, IIRC, I had a notebook computer in hospital with me and was trying to keep up from there. . . didn't do so well at it).

 

[dick0236]

Hi everyone

I'm back today Monday 18th June, having spent 3 weeks and 2 days in hospital post-op.
It's a long story, but the op went well. Post-op was a different matter,........

Geoff

It's very unusual that todays OHS patient spends that much time in the hospital. I visit 8 to 10 pre-op and post-op OHS patients per week in one of our local cardiovascular hospitals and the normal stay is 4-6 days. Obviously you had an unusual experience and I'm glad that things are working out OK for you.

 

[libra rising]

It's very unusual that todays OHS patient spends that much time in the hospital. I visit 8 to 10 pre-op and post-op OHS patients per week in one of our local cardiovascular hospitals and the normal stay is 4-6 days. Obviously you had an unusual experience and I'm glad that things are working out OK for you.

I agree that my extended stay was exceptional. Without giving away spoilers, I gather about 1 in 15 develop my post-op complication, with an added complication on top of that. I spent two and a half weeks on the ward, and saw post-op patients come and go (home).
Geoff

 

[pellicle]

I agree that my extended stay was exceptional. ... I spent two and a half weeks on the ward, and saw post-op patients come and go (home).

sorry you had a bumpy ride. I too was "held back after class" when a squirt of yellow liquid came out of my chest when I bent over to pick up something. I was of the view it was an indicator of infection, a swab was taken and 4 days later cleared to go home. A year later it emerged I was right.

I hope your's is nothing like mine

 

[libra rising]

My time on HDU was where I first heard about heart block. This is a common if temporary complication following AVR. This is what held me on HDU. It's when the heart's electrical signals are interrupted and abnormal. This usually resolves within a week. It could also be referred to as pacing issues. Apparently only 7% require a permanent pacemaker fitted following AVR.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27040012

I was admitted onto ward, because any pacing issues were going in the right direction. As previously stated I was fully wired up on my transfer onto ward, and I felt I was merely awaiting a decision about whether I needed a temporary pacemaker, before being released home.
On the Friday (day 7) I had my neck chest drain removed.
The following Tuesday (day 11) my pacing wires were removed. I was also put on IV antibiotics, but my notes reveal no curiosity about why. They show the odd temperature. I was kept on IV for the next 10 days. They were obviously trying to control an infection, and get my temperature down. Each day they would draw bloods for blood cultures (think Petri dishes waiting to see what develops or grows).
On day 12 I saw a Discharge Nurse, which turned out to be a total red herring !
On day 16 I saw an Outreach Nurse who said she was thinking of discharging me. This again was a total red herring.

In my next post I'll conclude my experiences before returning home on Day 24.
Geoff

 

[Eva]

Welcome back!
I stayed about ten days after my 8 hrs surgery in ICU and no one explained why! I was told there were no available step-down rooms!
I developed fever on the second/third day and no one explained what the cause was. I had an antibiotic IV for a while!
Blood work every few hours and chest X-rays every and I thought that was normal!

After a few months when I ordered surgery reports from the hospital (not the surgeon) I discovered I had complete heart block right after I was closed, I was reopened, and it took them 40 mins. to revive my heart!! Then I realized why my chest tubes stayed for a long time!!
I felt I was going to die when doctor would come to the front door thinking I was asleep and stare at me and disappear, even when I looked back at them! I wondered why they didn’t ask me anything or explain anything!

gladly, we’re here...our time in not over!

may you continue with healthy bump-free recovery!

keep us posted.

 

[libra rising]

In my previous post I stated that on Day 11 I was put on IV antibiotics. My notes reveal that I also developed a cough then. This took ages to go away, but did so before I came home.
On Day 13 I was given an echo (to check my heart and valve) and an ultrasound to check for possible pleural effusion, and the possible need for a chest drain. During the ultrasound I was found to have pleural effusion, but not bad enough for a chest drain, so I had half of the liquid on my lungs aspirated (a tube was inserted into my back to withdraw roughly 200 ml). Subsequent opinion was that I could walk off the remaining fluid.
My notes reveal that on Day 15 (whilst on the phone to my daughter !) I coughed up some phlegm and felt better for it. I was left with a bowl, and took every opportunity to cough up phlegm, as well as taking a nebuliser mask, to ease my cough.
On Day 16 it was decided I'd have a TOE (TransOesophageal Echo). I'll leave people to look up this procedure, as it was my least favourite moment of my time at Harefield. This showed my heart and valve to be fine.
By Day 20 it was decided to stop my IV antibiotics on Day 21, put me on tablets instead, and monitor this transition/switch for 48 hours. If all was fine, I'd be good to go home on Day 24.
And so it proved to be !

Final point : fairly early on I found out that my valve was not the Edwards Resiia I had expected, apparently as a larger valve was needed. Only on the day of discharge did I discover which valve I had. Are you ready Paleowoman ? It was a Perimount Magna Ease 29mm.
Geoff

 

[Paleowoman]

Final point : fairly early on I found out that my valve was not the Edwards Resiia I had expected, apparently as a larger valve was needed. Only on the day of discharge did I discover which valve I had. Are you ready Paleowoman ? It was a Perimount Magna Ease 29mm.

libra rising At least you got a nice large valve - 29mm !!! You should get a little card from Edwards, contact them if you don't receive one in a couple of months, you might have to register with them. They have very good support.

They seemed to take very, very good care of you at the Harefield, Geoff, and they were very careful. At St Anthony's/St George's I had pleural effsions but they ignored them despite the fact that I have small airways disease and that they had given me the wrong inhaler for that the first few days and didn't do chest physio as my respiratory consultant had advised in his report pre-surgery. You were in an extremely good hospital !

Here's wishing you well in the rest of your recovery, onwards and upwards

 

[Superbob]

A bumpy voyage, to say the least! Wishing you smooth sailing from here on.

 

[dick0236]

libra rising ..........You should get a little card from Edwards, contact them if you don't receive one in a couple of months, you might have to register with them.
)

In todays world of so many valves on the market this is good advice. You will, or should, receive a temporary card before your discharge from the hospital and a permanent card from Edwards within a month or two. You need to carry this card on your person in order to give a "first respondor" or other provider a heads up. ID cards where not provided when I had the surgery in the 1960s and it was about 40 years before I needed one.......when I was referred by my doc for an MRI of my spine and the Tech refused to perform one "cause they couldn't verify that it was safe. Hospital and physician records disappear over time and it took me over six months to finally prove to Edwards that I had one of their early valves........and the card they finally issued to me lists my serial number as 178-UNK and model number as UNK-STARREW. I think the UNK stands for unknown.......not very comforting when even the people who made your valve don't really know what it is. A couple years ago I had a new young cardio look at me as tho I was an old man with dementia when I told him how old the valve was.........until I pulled my card out of my billfold.