post-op medication

[ar bee]

dear all

in addition to the coumadin (for the mechs) i was always of the (naive??) assumption that within a few weeks post-op there shouldnt be any other medication left, provided that all other things are well.

Hence i am surprised to read that most people are on some sort of cocktail of other drugs. Is that related to other issues or is my cardio not really honest with me??

well2all and tks for a reply
ar bee

 

[Bill Hall]

Ar Bee - I had to take Amiodarone and Coumadin just after surgery for afib, but it went away a month later and I am taking no medication, just a small aspirin every day. I had a mitral repair and homograft aortic done in 2001. So, I think your cardio is telling the truth.

 

[bvdr]

That's a tough question. I think a lot depends on the shape your heart is in before surgery and how quickly it heals. It seems like early post-op there is often an increase and then like for me, some get eliminated. If you get a mechanical then count on taking aspirin and coumadin for life. Many of the medications we end up taking are for rhythm disturbances or heart rate. Some of us take medications for heart failure as well but that isn't as common.

Maybe you will just be on coumadin but if you end up on more don't worry about it too much. What matters most is how your heart is working and how well you get along afterwards. Remember, this surgery is one that saves your life so a few more pills arn't all that important.

 

[Rich]

Ar Bee,
Iv'e never taken anything besides Coumadin.

 

[elphie]

Ar Bee,
I am on no meds whatsoever. Hope it can stay that way for a long time.

 

[Marge]

Some people who have valve problems also had other heart problems prior to surgery, and those problems may or may not go away completely after the surgery.

In my case, I was found to have moderate to severe systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle, at the same time as mitral valve regurgitation. Prior to surgery I was taking cozaar (an ARB or angiotensin receptor blocker) to control blood pressure and coreg (a beta blocker) to improve my heart function. After valve repair surgery last month, I am now taking warfarin (for three months only) and am still on cozaar and coreg.

At this point, I do not know if I will continue to be on them, or for how long. The regurgitation, which probably the reason for the left ventricle dysfunction, has supposedly been completely stopped by the valve repair. So there should be no FURTHER damage to the left ventricle.

But I cannot know yet whether the damage that had already been done will be reversed or not. I won't know that until further down the road -- with further echocardiograms & other tests. In the meanwhile, I continue taking the medications. Coreg especially is supposed to be very effective in "remodeling" the heart muscle.

This is an object lesson that you are well advised to have your valve surgery done BEFORE you undergo heart damage that your valve surgery may not be able to entirely correct.

 

[ar bee]

tks for all the comments

tks for all the comments

proves again that this forum accumulates a lot of down to earth knowledge!! I am very happy i found this place!!

well2all
ar bee

 

[Raverlaw]

I was not on any medication whatsoever prior to surgery. Since the OHS, I have been on a low dose of Toprol XL, Lipitor and Coumadin, of course.

The surgeon indicated that my cardiologist would likely take me off of the Toprol XL within a few months. He said he takes Lipitor and recommends that everyone do it for cholesterol control. I've always had normal cholesterol levels. I realize the benefits of Lipitor, but wonder about the wisdom of taking any medication long-term if you don't *have* to.

As for the Coumadin, I'll be taking that until something better comes along.

 

[Birky]

meds

meds

I had a mitral valve replacement last year and I take Coumadin, Lanoxin, Cardizem, Lasix and baby aspirin. I only took atenol before surgery. I was kind of upset but I think the surgery should have been done sooner and then I would not have had the problems after. Who knows, couldof, wouldof, shouldof. Can't look back, just get on with life and enjoy to the fullest.

 

[Nancy]

This is what Joe takes, but he's not typical:

Prevacid, Tracleer, Imdur, Digoxin, Paxil, Folic Acid, Lasix, Iron Pills, K-Dur, Epogen (ProCrit), Coumadin, plus a couple of other lesser things.

 

[ar bee]

agree with raverlaw

agree with raverlaw

no medications unless absolutely necessary!

my cardio told me that i have high colesterol, upon checking the values i found out that i am still within normal, however a bit on the higher side. He only wants to be xtra-careful!!! So i just changed my diet a bit (less red meat and butter), and my cholesterol is down in the cellar!!

well2all

 

[Gemma]

Hi ar bee,
It's funny - Jim and I were discussing this very thing yesterday!
Prior to his surgery he was only taking ramipril (ACE-inhibitor) to lessen the strain on his heart, stop his left ventricle from getting any bigger, and lower his blood pressure. The surgeon and his registrar gave us the impression he wouldn't need it after surgery. Obviously he's on warfarin because he has a mechanical valve, but they also kept him on ramipril too "for now". Then he was admitted to A&E a month after surgery with SVT (supra-ventricular tachycardia - an abnormal, rapid regular but not life threatening rhythm). At this point he was also prescribed beta-blockers to keep his heart rate down and stop any further episodes of SVT.
Our understanding was that abnormal rhythms are common in the first few months after OHS, and so we assumed he'd be taken off the beta-blockers after that time. He had a few moments where his heart beat fast for a few beats up to about 4 weeks after the emergency hospital admission, all of which happened before his post-op appointment with the cardio, but he's had none since we saw the cardio in February. The impression the cardio gave us though was that he had no intention of stopping either the ramipril or beta-blocker.
Jim's starting to think he'll be taken off them when he next sees the cardio, but I'm not so sure. He had a 24-hour ECG done a couple of weeks ago, maybe if that shows no irregularities he'll have a better chance of convincing the cardio he doesn't need the drugs. Unfortunately the cardiologist's opinion seems to be that if you don't have any problems while taking medication it must be working, rather than considering there may be no problem to medicate!!
Oh, incidentally, he (the cardio) also said the reason for continuing ramipril was that it has made Jim's left ventricle go back to normal size since the surgery. Kind of makes you wonder why he had the valve replaced if it's only the ramipril that's done that.
Not sure if this has helped answer your question, just thought I'd share our experiences!
Gemma.

 

[Georgia]

Toprol, Mavik, Digitoxin, Lasix, Aspirin, Coumadin, Pepcid (plus an antibiotic for rosacea and singulair). Doc said the heart meds would be re-evaluated at one year - I had substantial LV enlargement and CHF.

Oh, well . . .

Since I feel pretty good and not tired/sleepy like I did before surgery, I'm not going to whine. But I'm sure my hmo would like me to quit taking some of these (our copay is only $5).

 

[Harpoon]

Lasix (furosemide is the generic name) twice a day to keep the evil CHF away...

Spironolactone twice a day for the same reason as the lasix and to hang on to some of the potassium that I'd lose because of the lasix.

Digoxin to strengthen my heart

Lisinopril for BP (sort of) and to dilate vessels which just seems to help my heart's efficiency (it's not neccesarily a BP issue, more complex than that)

Coumadin so I don't suffer a stroke or some other REALLY bad side-effect of the artificial valve.




I was on a small dose (half the usual "maintenance" dose) of amiodarone for several months to help control arrhythmias and went off it last fall under my cardiologist's guidance and blessings.



I had a pre-exsisting heart condition, long before my valve tanked, but I never took any "heart meds" before 2002.

I figure I'm on what I'm now indefinitely. Just little pills I take with breakfast and dinner, no big deal.

 

[Harpoon]

Oh yeah, I was on a few meds for stomach indegestion when I left the hospital, pepcid was one, though I went off those within a week of getting home.

My indigestion at the hospital was more from their food than the meds I was on, I've always tolerated the meds just fine.

 

[labguides]

post op meds

post op meds

Our daughter (11 weeks post-op) takes 1 aspirin a day and that is all.

 

[Johnny Stephens]

-Coumadin or Warfarin 7.5 mg depending upon the fancy of my insurance at any given moment.
-Toprol XL 150 mg
-Demadex (diuretic)
-Zaroxolyn (booster diuretic)
-Potassim 6000 mg
-Aspirin

-Levoxyl (thyroid - unrelated to heart but caused by the same radiation that nuked my valves)