Catman is home!

Valve Replacement Forums

Help Support Valve Replacement Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

catwoman

VR.org Supporter
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2003
Messages
6,025
Location
near Fort Worth TX
John was finally discharged Thursday -- 1 week after his surgery.

His surgeon sent him home on 4mg warfarin (that's probably too much this soon post-op, but what do I know about warfarin? ;) ) and 2 baby aspirins a day. NO AMIODARONE!!!!!!!! Woo-hoo! Surgeon said the arrhythmia should correct itself in about a month.
Since I already had lots of 1mg & 2mg warfarin tabs, I told the surgeon I'd share my stash with him. (No need to fill an Rx when there's lots of the drug already on hand.)
He was told to have his INR tested on Monday, May 21. I have my own INR machine, but would prefer that our PCP run it & call the surgeon with the results. The surgeon gave a 2.0-2.5 INR range (kinda small!!) that will be hard to work with.

John is sore and gets tired. Four of his cats shared the bed last night. Tonight we'll pad around John with a number of pillows. He won't evict the cats, though.
He's using the tiny spirometer he got at the hospital. Took a short walk this morning. We don't have sidewalks in our subdivision, so he's using one of his hiking sticks when he goes by himself.

His first post-op checkup is June 4.

BTW, his boss has already called 3 times. First time, when he had just arrived in ICU. Second time, at 8 a.m. early this week. Third time, when he was getting discharge info yesterday. Already wanting to know when he'll be back.
I told him to tell her 7-8 weeks. Been there, done that with employees/supervisors repeatedly calling for updates instead of me forgetting about work and concentrating on my recovery.

I am very impressed with the port-access incision. He's able to move his body more easily and with far less discomfort/pain than I could after my surgery 4 years ago. I could only walk like a zombie, very stiff, regardless of pain meds.
 
What great news!! Glad to hear your husband is off the Amiodarone! Was that on your insistence or would that have been the course of treatment anyways?
Hope the A-fib stays away, speedy recovery and all the best to both of you.
astrid
 
Marsha, I'm so glad your hubby is home and no amio! Let's hope that arrhythima clears up and then smooth sailing. Does he have any problem with muscle spasms in his chest? I don't know if the ones I had were because they had to cut through a rib and then wire it back or from the port access itself.

I remember my black & white cat wanting to lay right on my chest following surgery. He was really interested in the sound of the new valve. I enjoyed his company so much I put up with a bit of discomfort just to have him near.
 
Hi Catpeople

So glad all is well and John is home.....YAAAAY!!!!! Rest, relax, walk, and breathe......good news about no Amiodarone!!.

Ev
 
Pegasus said:
What great news!! Glad to hear your husband is off the Amiodarone! Was that on your insistence or would that have been the course of treatment anyways?

Astrid:

I don't know ... He still had some arrhythmia issues Wednesday night and the nurses were poised to give him more Amiodarone by IV. My guess is they called the surgeon, who said to back off. He showed up shortly after that. Discharge papers had 4 medications listed, 2 of them had been blackened out. My guess is Amiodarone was one, the other was hydrocodone. I told the surgeon we had hydrocodone @ home + lots of Extra-Strength Tylenol.

So at this point, we won't know if John might have turned into a Smurf (one of the drug's unique side effects). :eek:
 
Thanks Marsha, for the explanation. Wishing your husband a smooth recovery and hope he stays de-smurfed or else he will have to watch out for Azrael:)
Best wishes
astrid
 
I'm glad he's home, Marsha. Tell him to keep using that spirometer and to watch out for any fluid retention either in his lungs or around his heart.
 
Very glad he's home. Hope his boss will cut out the repeated inquiries about when he will return to work. He needs ample time to recover! Would getting some sort of statement/documentation from the doctors of the need for recovery time be helpful? I know it shouldn't be necessary but if he's got a Type A type boss, maybe it would cut out the pressure. It aggravates me when corporate types lack sensitivity (if that's what's going on here)....
 
Yea!!! Welcome home, John. And I'm so glad that your home without the Amiodarone. Aren't you lucky you have Marsha around to take care of you (and fend off work!)? :D
 
catwoman said:
BTW, his boss has already called 3 times. First time, when he had just arrived in ICU.
:eek: :eek: I hope it was to see how he came through the surgery - not to see when he'd be back at work!

I know you are very glad to have him home. What better place to be than with the woman you love, who knows 1st hand what you just went through.

Best wishes to both of you.

(Do you two also look alike now???:D )
 
Hi Marsha - Glad your husband's home, safe and sound. You'll be the best nurse he could hope for. But don't wear yourself out either. Take care and give him our best.
 
Marsha,
I am glad your husband came home without the amiodarone. This exactly the treatment I wish my cardio had taken with me when I had the a-flutter and given me a chance to come out of it. I am glad to hear John is doing well.
 
catwoman said:
BTW, his boss has already called 3 times. First time, when he had just arrived in ICU. Second time, at 8 a.m. early this week. Third time, when he was getting discharge info yesterday. Already wanting to know when he'll be back.
I.

Yep, probably wanting him to come do his grades.........;) YOu're right! Let someone else worry about that! I am so glad that you guys are home. I'm still sorry, though, that we didn't make it over there last weekend. It was probably for the best, though, as Katie now has that blasted stomach bug that my mom had (at least I hope it is a gastro bug and not BE from knocking out that tooth), so we were most likely a walking germ factory - so NOT what John would need right now! Ouch! Hurts just thinking about that one.

Keep us posted on how he progresses. Hugs. J&K
 
hi Marsha

Thanks for sharing the good news. Hope John gets plenty of rest and recovers to his full strenght soon.

Hope more good news along the way.
:)
 
Glad to hear John is home and with his beloved cats and Catwoman.

As far as the boss goes - caller ID and answering machine - works very well. After all, "I was napping", is always a good response when someone asks why the phone wasn't answered.

Praying that things stay on this positive track.
 
Woo hoo!

Glad John is HOME!!!!!!!

Thoughts/prayers continuing for a SUCCESSFUL recovery :).



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"Enough is enough, I can't take anymore" ... Alabama ... 'Can't Keep A Good Man Down'
 
Welcome home

Welcome home

I'm so pleased and comforted to know that John is home and healing along with Scott. We share here so we know we're not alone. YOU and HE are not alone. I wish John a comfortable time and all progress is a good thing, right? Best of everything to both of you.
 
Update on recovery

Update on recovery

John's INR was 1.1 :eek: today, so our PCP bumped up the 4mg of warfarin to 5mg. He will have another INR Friday afternoon. Hopefully, some of the increased dosage will be reflected by Friday. Since he was not on warfarin in the hospital, our PCP said he expects Friday's INR to be more accurate.

Our PCP also said he dislikes amiodarone -- says it causes more problems than it resolves.
He ran an EKG and John's heart rate was 141. So he consulted our cardio & has Rxed something for that.
Also ran more blood work & ordered an ultrasound of John's left leg. He's got some edema there -- we were cautioned that he probably would have some -- but our PCP wanted to rule out any blood clot other than the hematoma at the incision at the groin (used for tubes for the heart-lung bypass).

He is to rest with his left leg elevated one hour a.m. and one hour p.m., plus sleep with left leg elevated.

He goes back to the PCP on Friday.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top