post op tube

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Trust me on this one

Trust me on this one

My gag reflex is awful. I foiught the TEE too. I had my valve replacement surgery last Monday and told them that I would fight the tube. When you wake from this, You are going to be so hopped up on meds that it will not bother you. I remember waking up and not being able to talk because of the tube. I asked the nurse for paper and a pen so I could communicate with family. I knew that was there, and it it just didn't matter. You will gag slight ly when they remove it, but, again, it will be quick. Good luck. You'll do fine.
 
Let me explain about the TEE test I had .I don't want anyone who has to have this done to get the wrong impression.The test itself was a breeze.It was gargling the junk before that I had a problem with.First they give you a plastic thimble like on the top of a cough syrup bottle.Told to gargle for 30 seconds than swallow.Made it to 20 seconds before swallowing only gagged once.Then they spray some stuff in your throat gagged few more times.Here comes another thimble of same stuff only twice as thick.Told to gargle for 10 seconds then swallow.Made it for 2 seconds and spit it all out while gagging.Cardiologist said she would try swabbing back of my throat with some stuff on cotton.Continued to gag.Finally told the nurse on I.V. to give him an extra 25 cc of something.Put bite block in and next thing remember It was done in about 12 minutes.No sore throat or numbness in throat at all afterwards.I thought you had to be somewhat alert to help swallow the probe.If not why not skip all the steps and just put the person out and stick the probe in???????Only concolation was told I had best gag reflex so far in 2009.
 
I would definately ask both the anesth and surgeon to try IF Possible to have you off the vent before you wake up. Justin has had alot of heart surgeries (and on the vent a couple more times) and sometimes they are able to have him off the vent before he gets to CCU and others he's been awake for an hour or so with it still in. It all depends on when your body is ready by the "numbers" in certain blood tests. The best advice everyone gives is try to relax and go with it, don't fight it and it usually comes out faster
 
bookjp said:
I'm probably going to have valve surgery in the near future.I think I can handle the surgery and pain with no problem.The one thing I'm really worried about though is waking up with the breathing tube still in.My gag reflex is really bad.The TEE test was tough for me.Do you think it would do any good to talk to the aneithesioligist to get him to promise to get the tube out before I wake up?? Anyone have this problem???
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You probably don't want to know what happened to me. Here goes anyway. :rolleyes:

My operation was delayed almost two hours. The reason? They couldn't get me tubed. Rather than taking the tube out soon after surgery was complete or shortly after I woke up in the ICU, they left it in me till 10:30-11 am the next day or for about 24 hours. I woke up the night of the operation sometime after 7 pm. Don't know, I remember my wife saying goodbye to me. Visiting hours end at 8 pm.

The after effect of being tubed for 24 hours- I needed plenty of fluids to wash down any food for at least 8 or 9 days. My throat was that bad, and the nurses and doctors are at the same time watching your liquid inatake.

The problem is, the surgery leaves you retaining lots of water and the day after the operation, I developed pneumonia. So I was put on a mask(CPAP?) for about 12 hours only about 12 hours after the tube came out of me.

My mask experience was scarier than waking after up surgery. I had the nurse call my wife and have her stay with me. Honestly I thought I was going to die that night. Another lowlight of the first 48 hours- A doctor on Friday morning asked me to stick out my tongue. I did, but on the way back in it got tangled with what was in my mouth. With the mask on I couldn't talk, and a nurse refused to give me a note pad to let me write down what was wrong(Which I can't understand then or now. She thought I was agitated. Sure I was agitated, I was scared to death I'd be choking on my tongue any second!) and I was trying to tell them with hand signals. It wasn't working.

Things got better after the mask came off(If you exclude my first meal coming back drier than the Sahara desert. A tuna sandwich with no mayo! Then my nurse ran from the room because her other patient was checking himself out!) but with time. I couldn't eat bread for about a week. From my surgery at noon on August 13th to 2 pm on August 22nd I spent all but about 24 hours in the ICU(I got sent upstairs for a day and then returned. Some arrhythmia problem I think.). After my return to the floor the second time I got better pretty fast. I spent 16 days in the hospital but when I was discharged, I was gone for good.
 
Ross said:
No sir, you cannot swallow. Your whole throat is stuffed with tube.
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You can't swallow, but you can vomit with it in...I know those of you still waiting for surgery don't want to hear that but I started vomiting while still intubated and it was not the most pleasant of experiences to say the least.

I have always woken up with the tube still in and I have always been so drugged that I just didn't really care. I have never been tied down...I just go with the flow and try and breath with the machine, it makes it easier.

Kim
 
William, your's in one reason why I choose to travel the 75 minutes south to Cleveland Clinic Weston, as opposed to have my surgery performed at JFK, Gardens, or any other place in Palm Beach County.

I wanted to go where they deal with valve patients on a daily basis as opposed to the standard by-pass procedures with a valve thrown in here and there.
 
kfay said:
You can't swallow, but you can vomit with it in...I know those of you still waiting for surgery don't want to hear that but I started vomiting while still intubated and it was not the most pleasant of experiences to say the least.

I have always woken up with the tube still in and I have always been so drugged that I just didn't really care. I have never been tied down...I just go with the flow and try and breath with the machine, it makes it easier.

Kim
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Justin did too, what a mess I felt so bad for him
 
William after reading that post I'm ready to cancel my surgery.Naw just kidding.Sorry for your bad experience hope mine is better.I STILL FEEL GOOD!!!!!!
 
BackDoc said:
William, your's in one reason why I choose to travel the 75 minutes south to Cleveland Clinic Weston, as opposed to have my surgery performed at JFK, Gardens, or any other place in Palm Beach County.

I wanted to go where they deal with valve patients on a daily basis as opposed to the standard by-pass procedures with a valve thrown in here and there.
Click to expand...
BD,

No one told me about Cleveland Clinic in Weston. I have a sister-in-law in Miramar, it would have been convenient for the wife.

Dr. Lester discussed Gainesville with me. It would have severely strained my finances, considering I was in for 16 days, I don't know how we would have done it except if Leonita had left me up there. Miami Jackson was mentioned(my sister-in-law works at that hosp.) but Dr. Lester seemed to think the surgeons were as experienced as he was with the surgery I had(Valve replacement and repair of an ascending aorta)

They wanted me operated on ASAP. I was diagnosed with the valve and the aneurysm on 8-1, my surgery was 8-13. I was on cumadin, a heart cath was done 8-4. If not for the need to wean me from the blood thinners, I would have probably been operated on a little faster.

I'm doing fine now. 10 days after I got home from the hopsital, I got okd to work from home. Heck I started blogging the very first full day I was home
 
hmmm...Can I ask a question/comment. My dad has sleep apena and he doesnt use a CPAP because it makes him have anxiety. His surgery is Tuesday, my concern, when they take the tube out will his sleep apena affect his breathing MORE after surgery. I have heard in some cases people sleep better after valves are replaced even without a CPAP.

I am hoping while my dad is recovering he will have give the CPAP another try.

The surgeon knows of my dads sleep apena. I am just concerned how and if this will affect him right after surgery. ( another thing to worry about )
 
When I woke up I was so happy to have the surgery behind me the tube was no problem. MY family was assuring me that everything was ok and there was a heck of a party going on in my head.

Within an hour or two of waking up the tube was removed with no problem.I was so fuzzy headed I have no memory of the tube coming out.This is really not something to worry about.:) If you have the tube in you then you have made it successfuly to the other side of the mountain and you will be celebrating.
 
I guess we all have the same worries. I didn't do well when I had a stomach scope done so I was concerned about this part as well.
 
kfay said:
I have always woken up with the tube still in and I have always been so drugged that I just didn't really care. I have never been tied down...I just go with the flow and try and breath with the machine, it makes it easier.

Kim
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Me too Kim,but I only had 1 surgery. I woke up with it in,but was wide
awake,not sedated- this doesn't seem to happen to anyone else,I'm
just lucky, I guess. I have a tolerance to most meds,even the anesthesia,
so I probably just woke up early. They did take it out pretty quick,and IF
for some reason they need to keep it in you will be sedated and not care.

BTW Kim-did you eat or drink anything before your surgery or did they
say why that happened to you? Sorry you had to have that happen.
 
Dina said:
BTW Kim-did you eat or drink anything before your surgery or did they say why that happened to you? Sorry you had to have that happen.
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I had not had anything to eat or drink since about 6 pm the night before surgery. I almost always get sick to my stomach after Ive' had general anaesthesic, I just have usually already had the tube pulled. They got into the great debate while I was vomiting on whether or not to insert a gastro tube, they decided against it and I really wish they had, it was really awful... they were trying to suction me out in the process...I'll shut up now before I scare anyone away from surgery.

Kim
 
bookjp said:
Let me explain about the TEE test I had .....

...If not why not skip all the steps and just put the person out and stick the probe in???????
Click to expand...


To answer your question, yes it can be done since it was done with me.

Again and personally, I do not remember anything about my TEE at all :)
my TEE was done just before my surgery as per my surgeon's recommendation. The first time I saw him I told him I had lots of anxiety about everything. So, I am glad he did this, and to have been saved all those described before with the TEE!!
 
I'm also one of those with a very sensitive gag reflex and even brushing my teeth can ben an issue for me..! I remember waking with the tube in, but was so out of it, it really didn't bother me. I can't remember if I was lucid when they removed it or not, but it was probably one of the least bothersome things I had to contend with during my hospital stay (I was also a bit worried about how I go with that one).

Removing the drainage tubes and catheter was far worse... and even they weren't as bad as I had feared. They make sure you've had pain meds beforehand and it's all over pretty quickly. In fact, the whole thing was nowhere near as bad as my vivid little imagination had thought it would be.


A : )
 
There are a bunch of threads about this subject available through SEARCH (on the blue line above), and they run pretty much like this one. Most people had no real issue with it, even if they were convinced they would before the surgery. Me included. I kept passing back out and stopping breathing on them. Oddly, I was completely coherent in between, and remember it vividly. It was neat that I didn't even have to breathe and felt fine.

Don't get frantic about having it out. They will tie your hands if they are afraid that you will try to rip it out yourself. Remember that it kept you alive during the surgery, and they're actively monitoring your oxygen levels, so it's not harming you.

It's best to have a family member bring paper and pen for you. That way it's tough for an ignorant nurse to keep you from communicating.

Best wishes,
 
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