Sleep & Stomach Issues

[MandyMV]

Hello All,
While I was enjoying the debates going on in heart talk, I wanted ask for advice on some ongoing issues Ryan has been facing since his surgery 11 months ago. He had MVR with a St. Jude's mechanical at the end of August 07 and since coming home from the hospital has had trouble getting to sleep. It seems to be a bunch of stuff like the ticking, or worry of something going wrong during the night or the feeling of his heart racing and skipping a beat. He was on Ambien for 3 months post op which really helped but since then he has taken OTC sleep aids as we thought it would get better. Has anyone else had problems with getting to sleep post op and if so for how long and what treatment did you seek?

Also, I know I saw it somewhere here before but since the surgery he has also had some upper GI problems especially after certain foods or big meals. A zantac seems to help but I am worried if this goes untreated professionally we could run into digestive tract issues and I definitely want to avoid any type of possible bleeding issues there. Any non-professional advice? If we go to the doctor what would we even ask?

Thank you.
Theresa

 

[Freddie]

My doctor gave me a mild sleeping pills which I took for about 2 months after OHS. I was also told to take Zantac (150mg) when needed. It was my understanding that is was safe to take.

I know this isn't much help, but hopefully someone will pop in and give some better advice.

 

[Cooker]

I sleep like a baby but I did have some problems the first few months....everyone is different and if he is worrying about the function of his valve he might want to talk to his doctor for reassurance or maybe a couselor.....His body has been through a lot and it takes some longer than others to recover/adjust....It really does take a year or so to get thing back in line.....Hope he gets it resolved soon.

 

[hall]

I had been taking ambien to sleep. Not every night but many of them. You really can't go by me because I had trouble sleeping before AVR. My doctor told me to take red wine. For a long time, I could not have alcohol because of medicine, which I no longer take. So now, I can have the red wine. If he is not on meds that prohibit alcohol....try the red wine. It works! Good luck.

Deb

 

[Bina]

Those of us "sensitive" types may take longer to heal.....it really took me closer to 2 yrs to sleep deeply and digest food better.
I still avoid fatty, salty, and spicy foods. And I make sure my evenings are quiet and relaxed before trying to sleep. No meds.

 

[ponygirlmom]

Digesting takes quite a bit of work; any food types of amounts of food that cause an indigestion problem are likely to be foods that will make your heart work harder to digest them. Finding the right diet to solve one problem will probably solve the other.

 

[yankeeman]

Sleeping suggestions

Sleeping suggestions

1. Don't eat anything substantial for an hour before you go to bed.
2. Vigorously avoid anything with caffeine in it (that includes tea, chocolate and soft drinks) after noon. (Assuming you go to bed 10-11 p.m.)
3. No vigorous exercise anytime near bedtime. Ditto on arguments over politics, fights with your spouse or anything in general likely to upset you and make you worry.
4. I personally stopped drinking alcohol (beer, specifically) after my valve began to fail about three years ago. I find I sleep better without the bladder problem that men have about my age (59)
5. I substituted for the beer about 12 ounces of chocolate milk a half-hour before I go to bed. Usually take that with a little carbohydrate, possibly a little pastry or potato chips.
6. Lately I have been taking an over the counter melatonin with the milk, etc. which puts me to sleep fairly quickly. I take it with my daily Lipitor and an extra-strength Tylenol. (Have to stop the melatonin every few months for a week. Not sure why.)
7. Chill and stop worrying about the valve. The ticking is no big deal. My surgeon said the valve (St. Jude's) will last a lot longer than I will.

Sweet dreams!

 

[SandyMom]

I am posting on behalf of my 21 year old son who had AVR 4/7/08-he too has had trouble sleeping and continual digestive problems since surgery. He does not want to take sleeping meds for fear they will make him feel "weird". Tylenon PM helped a little. We have not found anything to help much with the digestive issues-zantac didn't really do much-he will eat, begin belching almost as soon as he finishes and gets bloated gassy with cramps and has had diarrhea about every 3-4 days-we have had stool cultures, blood work and are awaiting to see GI doc-any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[witzkeyman]

I had problems sleeping but the Lipitor made my body ache. last night without Lipitor I slept a lot better. Is your son taking Lipitor?

 

[SandyMom]

No he is not on any medication-He has been taking prilosec the last few days trying to settle the digestive problems.

 

[JAJ99]

I had a terrible time sleeping post surgery. Ambien didn't help much but over-the-counter Unisome (tablets, not capsules, I think they have different active ingredients) did wonders. It makes you groggy in the morning though, and 1/2 of a pill is all I needed. I'm now almost 9 months post-op and I've been back to my pre-op sleep patterns for 2-3 months.