nausea? eating? low hemoglobin?

[starburstcoral]

Hi, Eric's surgery went well without any complications (4-29) He chose the porcine bio st. jude valve. The surgery went well but when they pulled out his chest tube his heart began to click which was really loud and very disturbing. It now has subsided po day 5. Tomorrow they plan to release him but he is very weak and hasn't eaten in 3 days- more than probably 10 crackers all together. He is drinking. He is so nauseated and been throwing up. His hemoglobin is 7. Any thoughts on what I may be able to do or suggest to help? Back to 24.
Thanks, Mary

 

[Nancy]

What does the surgeon have to say about this? If you don't think he is ready to go home, you can protest his release.

 

[starburstcoral]

I think surgery thinks he is OK at least that was what they said this morning.

 

[kfay]

Don't worry about him not eating. I was in the hospital for 8 days and didn't eat a meal the whole time. I'd check to see if his pain meds are causing his nausea.

 

[Philip B]

Nausea

Nausea

The nausea is pretty normal. I really had to force myself to eat while I was in the hospital. Between the nausea and nothing tasting decent eating was a major chore. I think I lost about twenty pounds after surgery.

-Philip

 

[Bill B]

What are the doctors saying about his hemogliobin? Hgb of 7 would usually be an indication for transfusion or perhaps parenteral iron. That's quite low. Mine was 7 post-op and I could not tolerate it at all. I passed out when they got me out of bed. I got a transfusion and felt markedly better immediately. Now, ability to tolerate low Hgb can be better if it has developed slowly, so there might not be a need to treat it acutely. Mine was a rapid fall due to surgery and needed to be corrected quickly.

Nausea and vomitting from anesthesia are common, but I would have expected that to have subsided quickly. A lingering effect of anesthesia can be ileus, essentially paralysis of the GI tract. Even if his bowels seem to be working (passing gas, going to the bathroom OK), he could have gastric ileus, which could cause abdominal bloating, nausea and vomitting. I had a touch of this which caused just marked bloating, belching and discomfort after eating in my case, and it lasted for several weeks. Pain meds can contribute to ileus too or cause nausea and vomitting from their central nervous system effects. There are treatments for ileus, one being Reglan, which is very effective and safe short-term (not so safe long-term).

Anyway, I hope Eric will feel better from here on out.

Bill, the pharamcist

 

[JohnCalderwood]

Hi Mary,

I have just passed 5 weeks and my stomach is still not right. I don't want to eat and when I do I eat very little. I feel so full after eating. I dealt with a lot of naseau in the last 5 weeks. I stumbled on raw ginger. I peel it and cut it into thin circles. I put it on saltine crackers and have it with water. It really seems to work.In some ways this is always the way I wanted to be not wanting to eat. Pre surgery at my high I was a disgusting 233. I am at 221 now and would love to get to 200. It's a catch 22 though the weight loss is nice but it really doesn't feel right. Keep us posted. How is sleeping? How long at at time?

 

[kfay]

I agree with what Bill has posted here. I forgot I had a lingering problem with nausea and they put me on Reglan and sent me home on it for another 10 days. I also would check into the transfusion. If getting one will make him feel markedly better, I'd push his Dr.'s for one. Don't be shy about speaking up for him right now, sometimes you have to push a little. Of course, by the time you read this, they may have already discharged him, but I hope not. It sounds like he needs to get to feeling a little better before you start your trip home.

Kim

 

[Lynlw]

I know this is late, but I agree with the othes that maybe he needs a unit of blood to help him feel better. You could ask what it was before surgery, to see how much he lost. Nausea is pretty common from a few of the pain meds, since Eric is drinking, have they been giing him boost or somthing along those lines? Justin even had carnation instant breakfast the first few days post op because he liked the taste of that better than boost or ensure

 

[Carrie]

Hb 7

Hb 7

That Hb is too low (anemia), since normal is 14 or so. When my husband was this low, he received two units of blood to get him back to normal. He became anemic in the pre-op stage, but no cause was ever found for it.

It was shortness of breath due to anemia that led to his PCP finding a heart murmur--aortic stenosis. The shortness of breath resolved after the transfusion.

So the question is what caused the anemia, and how about a transfusion?