Successful surgery, various complications

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Catie

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
276
Location
Texas, USA
Hi All,

I'm grateful to be on the other side. Have steered through a few bumps and I'm still in Cleveland as they work to help me resolve things.
With Cleveland Clinic, you meet your surgeon the day before your operation. That day, the surgeon worked on a man's fifth open heart surgery and the day ran long. By the time he became available, there was little time and two other families needed to meet with him also. He told me he planned to do an aortoplasty on me, a procedure I'd never heard of, instead of replacing my diseased aorta with a dacron graft, as I'd understood for eight years was the procedure of choice. He mentioned that with an aortoplasty, there's a chance the aneurysm can return. I was freaked out, but I had to sign and leave! I went to the hospital early, requested a nurse in authority and told her that I HAD to meet with the surgeon briefly before the operation. She wasn't pleased but called and told him--he had a surgery ahead of mine. A few hours later, he came and found me in preop, and I told him I was too anxious that the aneurysm could return, to go forward with the procedure he planned. He laid both his hands on mine and said, "We'll replace it, then." Whew.

He later told me my aorta turned out to be too thin to do the aortoplasty, so he wouldn't have done it anyway. So... my aortic valve, aortic root, ascending aorta and part of aortic arch were replaced.

I was in ICU three days. A chest tube they placed on my right side was excruciating and the nurses removed it as soon as they safely could. I ended up with some fluid surrounding both lungs, so they did a procedure to drain liquid out of the right side. These things led to pleuritis, inflammation near my lungs, so for a week, it hurt lots to breathe and do my required breathing exercises.

There has also been afib. When it happens, my chest feels inside like a washing machine with a big load got off balance during the spin cycle.I'm on a cocktail of meds for it, as well as warfarin, which all the drs had wanted to keep me away from b/c of gastric issues. "Something" or maybe more than one something in my lineup of meds is irritating my stomach. But right now, heart has to be more important than tummy.

They released me from the hospital to the on-campus hotel Wednesday. Friday, I had re-testing and a post op appointment with a cardiac nurse practitioner. But while I was getting ready for my appointments early that morning, I felt afib start up again. This was the third episode. I spent all day having repeat EKGs and seeing the CNP over and over, while they tried to stabilize me figure out what to, since I was scheduled to fly home Saturday. Eventually some medication returned my heart to normal sinus rhythm. But it didn't seem wise to fly out on the heels of that and risk trouble on my way home. My blood levels also hadn't started to move from the warfarin and I have a portion of a lung that hasn't reinflated. So, I'm staying at the hotel, with instructions to zoom to their ER if I get afib again. I'll have another set of tests and see another CNP Monday morning, when they may consider letting me fly home.

Tonight my heart rate was too low. Got through to a dr, who said to skip 3rd dose of beta blocker. (But at 2 a day the afib returned.) I hope this won't be hard to regulate.

I am sooo grateful to be out of that hospital. I suffered a lot of nausea while there. I can't find a good way to sleep even at the hotel, but I've created a slope of sorts on the bed. Best I can do to try and catnap in the night.

I'm praying the afib will be resolved...
 
Hi Catie - glad to hear you've had your surgery now but sorry you are having post op complications. I do hope they resolve them quickly for you so that you stabilise and can start properly on your road to recovery and get home.{{{hugs}}}
 
Hi Catie, seems like things have been tough, you are in my thoughts, just wanted to share this and maybe give you a grin

"He laid both his hands on mine and said, "We'll replace it, then."

I thought this was lovely when you said your surgeon did this to alay your fears

I saw my surgeon last week for the first time since my op last november to see about getting my wires out.

I was explaining to him about the knocking in my chest when I walk which I hear prominately when I'm barefoot,

so I took my shoes off to walk up and down the hall to which he promptly came out with "do we need to open a window".

I thought you smart bugger but in a good way :)
 
Hi Catie!

You made it through - yay! Now comes the part that's really the challenge. Hopefully your road to recovery smooths out quickly. Fingers crossed you get home soon.

In the early days, sleeping totally sucked for me (and possibly every other person who has been through OHS). Try to roll with the insomniac punches and not stress about it too much ❤️
 
Hello Catie ...

Thanks for the update – generous and helpful for those of us still in the Waiting Room.

Just sending some recovery good wishes your way and the very best for the days ahead.
 
Mellyouttaphase;n869327 said:
In the early days, sleeping totally sucked for me (and possibly every other person who has been through OHS). Try to roll with the insomniac punches and not stress about it too much
Couldn't agree more. I slept, or rather catnapped, propped up by pillows on my sofa for the first six weeks post surgery. Nearer the end of that time I was able to lie down on the sofa for a hour or so each night, gradually increasing the time it was comfortable to lie down, until I was able to lie down the whole night, after which I was able to sleep in my bed.. But the first few weeks I was awake a lot as sleeping in a sitting position, and in pain, isn't exactly conducive to sleep. I would go on the internet, look things up, come to the forum, have a decaff tea. It will get better in time !
 
Hi, Catie, and welcome to "the other side of the mountain." Now that you're here, they will have to sort out all the rhythm baggage. They have numerous ways in which to do this, but it may take some time. I had the worst time with heart rhythm after my valve surgery. They tried all the meds, in all kinds of combinations. Finally after 5 days of it, and after I flat-lined for periods of 20-30 seconds many times, they asked me if I wanted them to keep at the meds, or perhaps would I consider a pacemaker. I just asked them (cheeky bugger that I am), "Do you have a pacemaker handy? What are we waiting for?" They wired me up, and the rest is history.

Why do I write this? Not to scare you. Quite the opposite. I'm here to tell you that if they say that the only way they can guarantee you control of your heart rhythm is by implanting a pacemaker, don't worry about it! I am now on my second device and truthfully, unless I look in a mirror with my shirt off, I do not know that I have one. The implant process is fast and you are in twilight sleep, so you don't see or feel it. Once the device is in there are some movement restrictions for a month or so, but after that you are back on the road. I hope you don't need a PM, but if you do, it really is not a big deal.

Feel free to PM me, or reach out in open forum, if you want to know more.
 
Thank you all heartily. I will respond more thoroughly soon. Back in ER for the second time in two days.
 
Catie.....I have been thinking about you every day since your surgery. I'm glad to see that the surgery went well, but not glad to hear of the complications you are dealing with. Sorry to see you are back in the ER. As the others have said it sounds like you are in a type of trial period where the doctors will have to figure out the combination of meds or other treatments to best stabilize your heart. Will pray that they find that for you soon. Hope you soon hit calmer waters and are well enough to fly home.
 
Hey Catie

Glad you made it to the other side. Sorry to hear of the "in flight turbulence" though.

Hope you have a smooth ride and aren't having any issues with medicine reactions
 
((((((((((Catie))))))))

Cyber hugs to you girl! I wish someone was there to hold your hand through it all. But you sound very much in charge of your ordeals. Paleowoman is spot on about the sleeping. It will be a few weeks until you are able to get really comfortable. Meanwhile, rest as much as you can.

I've followed Steve's latest pacemaker adventure and you can count on his assurances that if it comes to that for you, it will be smooth sailing.

I agree that your surgeon responded perfectly when he heard your concerns about his planned procedure. And kudos to you for expressing them! Like I said, you sound like one in-charge lady!

Sending many positive thoughts your way. We are here for you as best we can be so by all means keep us posted and maintain that positive spirit ~

Michele
 
FWIW:
It's been 25 years since I had my Aortic Valve Replacement. I was in the hospital for about a week. The hospital where I had the surgery wasn't a heart valve assembly line, so they let me stay perhaps a bit longer than hospitals do today.

I don't recall having a lot of discomfort after I went home. I don't recall a lot of negatives following the surgery -- I'll have to ask my wife about her memory of my post-op recovery.

The point that I'm trying to clumsily make is this -- yes, you've had challenges, and I'm sorry that you did, and hope that they'll quickly resolve for you. Perhaps a few years down the road, you'll forget all this stuff (like I did), and just get used to feeling better.

(Also - as a self-testing evangelist, very strongly consider getting a meter for testing your INR as soon as it's been stabilized, and test weekly. Record your readings. If you change diet or activity or medications, you may want to test even more frequently.
There are a lot of self-testers, and even some like me who mostly self-manage, but I may the only one using my meter of choice (Coag-Sense), but we can all probably give you good advice, or at least personal experience, in regards to self-testing).
 
Hi, heart friends! Thanks for all your very kind words.

Whew, what a week. First the afib wouldn't come under control. Then I had some sort of episode that the neurology department had to be sure wasn't a stroke. Two ambulance rides, one day after the next and long stints in CC ER and Observation areas. Weary of being confined.

The good news is, after the battery of tests, no stroke of TIA found.

Other good news, is heart rhythm is faring better on the extended release version of metoprolol.

Best news is, I flew home last night!

Unfortunately I have an infection (cellulitis) from a badly placed IV in my right forearm, that they left halfway/halfway out for a week. At ER, they infused antibiotic for me for three doses, but when released, they had to have me start taking it orally. My stomach has been amazingly tolerant of the heart drugs, but it's giving me fits with the antibiotic. I need to see if someone locally will arrange for me to have Clindamycin infused.

Maybe someone else has had this: I get a searing pain when I move my R arm certain directions, like to touch my face and some other motions. The location is hard to describe in words. Above my armpit, inward just a bit from my shoulder and deep inside. Big-time hurt with motion. Maybe from all that gets arranged with sternotomy?

Many weeks ago, I was told by my cardiologist that I'm not allowed to self-test INR for six months. I'm still hoping this afib will go away after the inflammation of the heart heals. I have bovine valve as all wanted to keep me off warfarin, due to history of gastric erosions, etc.
 
Catie, I know that during surgery our arms are pulled back and held there to give the surgeon better access. Is it possible that muscles were strained in your right arm while in that position for hours and now giving you trouble? Just a thought. I would still ask a doctor about it.
 
Catie - As honeybunny mentioned, they do pull and twist our arms into "unusual" positions during surgery, and this sometimes causes injury. I'm sorry to say that since my valve surgery, both of my shoulders give me the sort of pain you mention. Sometimes it is not so bad, other times I have to take ibuprofen or Tylenol for it. People wonder why I always seem to wince when I put my jacket on, but it is the shoulders. I've sometimes thought they could have caused rotator cuff injury during surgery, but my internist doesn't think that's it. So, I just self-medicate and keep on keeping on.

I hope your pain resolves. Mine didn't. Of course, doing sets of 30 push-ups at a time probably doesn't help any. . .
 
epstns: you're saying you're still having those pains 5 years after the surgery?

Mine was 4 weeks ago and I am having those muscle (bone?) pains in my shoulders/back, but they are getting better...
 
I had some really bad shoulder pains after surgery, but once I was medically cleared, I went to my chiropractor (who i see for lower back issues) and he got me back to feeling better again in a few sessions. No problems with my shoulders since then.
 
So happy to see you had a successful surgery and are now home! I also had heart rhythm issues following surgery- not afib but a left branch bundle block. My EKG lines are still wacky, especially when I exercise. I'm also very happy to see the episode you had wasn't a stroke or tia. That's great news! Get some rest and Best wishes as you heal!
I know at least for me, the anxiety leading up to surgery was the worst part... now you're on the other side!
 
Hi,
Welcome to the other side. I had a couple episodes of afib within the first 2 months after my surgery. It is not uncommon. If you can get it under control through the first couple months it often resolves by itself. As far as sleeping, many use a recline - I did. Another option some use is to use pillows to prop you up at an angle. Lying flat is not something I did for the first month at least.
 
Thanks so much, everyone. You are all very generous with sharing your experiences and good information. I appreciated hearing Steve's pacemaker journey, and knowing others have had severe pain in their shoulders--though I wish none of us did. And of course all your well wishes.

My new power reclining chair that was delivered shortly before I left for Cleveland has failed on the second attempt to use it. It was the most comfortable place that I had to sleep and I'd purchased it for this purpose--plus I needed a chair. Got to call the store today.

The extended release metoprolol seems to be making me feel very tired. I felt much more energetic and wishing to walk before starting on it.

My heart ever since surgery, feels like it labors, beats very hard. The beats are distractingly intense at night while I'm trying to rest.

I feel very, very uncomfortable when it goes off beat and parks in that mode.

GP office wants me to see cardiologist right away, or at least someone in his office. But it looks like the first available appt is two weeks out.

I'm still having some breakthrough arrhythmia events. The one last night was while my heart rate was very slow (at times 35 bpm), so I didn't rush off to the ER. Though if an episode lasts very long, I'm supposed to call 911 and get seen. All these little hospitals around here seem scary.
 
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