Cyborg in training

[pellicle]

How long is long term?

years, although within some months you'll likely start to notice some more "pressure" as they insert the needle into the vein (which isn't like the beautiful simulation a kid on a CAD station may make up for a SPFX in a movie) as that starts to get scar tissue.

 

[Protimenow]

This bureaucracy really IS a pain. I just went to an HMO to save money, and I've also gotten caught in the Group A / Group B mess. When I signed up, I was told that any specialist that belongs in my health care plan can be seen -- but that isn't the case.

As far as blood draws and damage to your vessels is concerned -- it's a real issue. A vein can only be tapped a limited number of times before scarring makes it unusable. The number of times may vary based on the original size of the vein, your body's reaction to the damage, and other factors. (FWIW - I've been using one finger, and the same basic area on the finger, for INR testing. It's recently either formed a callus, or just became mostly unusable if I want enough blood for a test -- and this is just a finger -- imagine what would happen with a large needle in a vein).

 

[epstns]

A thought about meds:

After my valve surgery, I had AFIB pretty badly. When I left the hospital, I was sent home with a scrip for amiodarone. My cardio, along with the folks on here, advised me how bad the long-term side effects of amiodarone are/can be. My cardio told me that if he needed to keep me on meds long-term for the afib, he would switch me to Multaq. This is a medication similar to amiodarone, but without the iodine, thus without most of the nasty side effects.

Something to keep in mind. . . just in case.

 

[johnmarkos]

I had an appointment with my cardiologist yesterday, and I think it went well. He wants me to get my INR tested again on Thursday, because it's still moving around a lot. I can begin cardiac rehab at the end of this month and return to work at the beginning of March. We're still working on home testing, but I haven't gotten the call from the service yet.

Unfortunately, I have another mild to moderate pleural effusion. My cardiologist has decided that rather than drain it right away, I'm going on Furosemide for a couple weeks, then another chest X-Ray. If pleural effusion is still present, it will be drained.

I'm going to taper off the Amiodarone: yesterday, as directed by my cardiologist, I decreased my dosage from 800mg/day to 400, and next week I'm going down to 200mg/day.

 

[pellicle]

Unfortunately, I have another mild to moderate pleural effusion

drat ... hope it settles out soon

 

[johnmarkos]

drat ... hope it settles out soon

Yeah, it's super annoying, but most of the news yesterday was good. I'm pretty psyched to get back to work. Heck, I'd be happy to go back to work today if I could.

 

[johnmarkos]

One more piece of good news: apparently I don't have to abstain from coffee after all! I misunderstood after my second episode of AFlutter -- I thought I was to go cold turkey for a while. Turns out I'm allowed up to one cup a day. I celebrated with a demitasse of drip coffee this morning -- like, about an ounce. So I'll probably start home roasting again this weekend, so I can have the really good stuff.

I was wearing my beer socks yesterday (portraying a mug full of ale), and my cardiologist noted them when he checked my ankles -- I said, "Yes, it's what I can't have." He replied, "Maybe this summer."

He also allowed me to go off a low sodium diet after I pointed out that I'd lost 14 pounds (~6kg/1 stone) since surgery, and I'd like to gain some of that back. Turns out it's pretty hard for me to gain weight when I basically have to prepare everything myself, keeping track of sodium and vitamin K.

 

[pellicle]

One more piece of good news: apparently I don't have to abstain from coffee

3 cheers ... better than Lasix too!

keeping track of sodium and vitamin K.

my advice is don't bother keeping track of vitamin K ... just eat what you want. Really

Also, try having a glass of stout an evening too ... high in Iron (or is your Iron level good?)

 

[johnmarkos]

Also, try having a glass of stout an evening too ... high in Iron (or is your Iron level good?)

It's getting better, but I'm not cleared for alcohol for a while. Maybe this summer, as my cardiologist said. Impossible burgers are pretty high in iron: heme iron, like meat, even. So I've been eating those when I can.

 

[tom in MO]

It's getting better, but I'm not cleared for alcohol for a while. Maybe this summer, as my cardiologist said. Impossible burgers are pretty high in iron: heme iron, like meat, even. So I've been eating those when I can.

Dried legumes, i.e. beans, are high in iron if you want to avoid red meat.

 

[Protimenow]

Hey, John. Your doctor cleared you for one cup of coffee a day. Maybe you should try and find a 32 ounce cup.

 

[epstns]

. . . And once he agrees that "one beer a day" is OK, look at the liquor store for Foster's. IIRC, it is an Aussie brew that comes in 25oz. cans. . .

 

[johnmarkos]

. . . And once he agrees that "one beer a day" is OK, look at the liquor store for Foster's. IIRC, it is an Aussie brew that comes in 25oz. cans. . .

Or, because I like hoppy American pale ales, Pliny the Elder, which comes in 17.25oz (~ 0.5 liter) bottles, but has a 8.0% alcohol content.

 

[johnmarkos]

Today, after I showered, I noticed a little pimple right next to my incision scar. It's a holiday in the U.S.A. (Presidents' Day), but I'll call my primary care doctor about it tomorrow.

My heart rate is now dropping into the mid-high 50s when I'm sitting. As my RHR started to drop, I asked the nurse in my cardiologist's office about that possibility. He said it was fine if it was in the 50s: that it would only be a concern if it got into the 40s or 30s. Nevertheless, I think I'll call my cardiologist's office and ask about it tomorrow. It could be because I'm taking Amiodarone pretty soon after my morning Carvedilol. Tomorrow, I reduce my Amiodrone dosage by half, so maybe it won't continue to be an issue.

 

[Protimenow]

Yes, by all means contact your cardiologist (or the surgeon) tomorrow. The pimple may be nothing, or (I'm just fantasizing here) it could be an outward symptom of some kind of infection going on under that pimple. I hope that I'm being unnecessarily alarmist and that the pimple is just a pimple and everything is fine.

 

[Bryan B]

I developed a pimple like you are describing after having my wires removed ~8 months after my first surgery due to costochondritis that wasn't improving with time or treatments (still have my wires from 2nd surgery with no issues). It turned out to be that an internal suture was working its way through the skin and eventually it made it. I called my surgeon and he said it was fairly common and I could come in and have it removed or do it myself. He explained how to do it which was pretty simple...pull on it gently, snip it at the skin and it retreated back to where it belonged.

Your resting heart rate reminded me of when I was in the hospital for atrial flutter. I was sleeping like a baby when 3 nurses and a doctor burst into the room with very concerned looks on their faces. With all the meds they had me on my heart rate had dipped into the mid 40's and set off the alarms. I had my ablation earlier that day and apparently my heart was enjoying not having to work so hard.

 

[johnmarkos]

I developed a pimple like you are describing after having my wires removed ~8 months after my first surgery due to costochondritis that wasn't improving with time or treatments (still have my wires from 2nd surgery with no issues). It turned out to be that an internal suture was working its way through the skin and eventually it made it. I called my surgeon and he said it was fairly common and I could come in and have it removed or do it myself. He explained how to do it which was pretty simple...pull on it gently, snip it at the skin and it retreated back to where it belonged.

Yikes! That sounds unpleasant. My pimple is really tiny, like maybe 2mm in diameter, tops. Nevertheless, I'll call my surgeon's office tomorrow. The only issue with calling my surgeon's office is that he's busy performing surgery every day, in the morning, at least.

As of tomorrow, I'll be six weeks out from surgery.

 

[johnmarkos]

I called the surgeon and he asked for a photo, which I was able to take in decent lighting. So he'll get a look at my incision scar, along with the pimple. It's tiny, so I sent him a copy of the photo with the pimple circled.

I hope it's nothing, but if it's something, I'm still on medical leave, so it's easy for me to go into his office.

 

[tom in MO]

Yikes! That sounds unpleasant. My pimple is really tiny, like maybe 2mm in diameter, tops. Nevertheless, I'll call my surgeon's office tomorrow. The only issue with calling my surgeon's office is that he's busy performing surgery every day, in the morning, at least.

As of tomorrow, I'll be six weeks out from surgery.

No need to call anyone about a pimple. Don't Worry...Be Happy. Just pop-it I had a few pimples in my scar area too, I asked my nurse at cardio rehab if it was common. She said no and wanted to see it.

 

[johnmarkos]

I had a cold last week, which was super annoying, but I'm feeling better today, and ready to go back to work on Monday, March 2nd. My personality doesn't go well with medical leave, it turns out. Tomorrow I get another X-Ray to see if my pleural effusion has resolved or been reduced by the Furosemide I've been taking.