Easy Breathing????

[elisha32177]

Hi everyone:

I have a couple of questions.. For any of you who had labored breathing before surgery, how long after surgery did it take to get the breathing back to a "normal " pattern? I'm asking because yesterday I was talking to my mom and she was telling me that my brother is now out of the CSU and on the cardiac rehab floor. They got him up yesterday and had him doing some walking and he is for the most part doing great, but she noticed that later on in the day he was breathing "funny" again. I would assume it's ok because the nurses are checking on him, but my mom starts to get stressed. I do remember the surgeon telling us that it would take a while to get the breathing back to normal, but I just want some reasurrance.
Also, I was wondering if you can tell me if bi cuspid valves and heart murmurs are congenital or hereditary. I start to wonder because my brother and I have different fathers, but my father passed away in 2000, due to complications from a VSD. I never thought about it before but all this stuff is a wake up call, and really makes a person think. Thanks for the info.....

 

[Ross]

After my first surgery, it took me about 2 to 4 weeks post op to be able to breath right. Rehab made all the difference in the world then. I haven't faired as well after this last surgery, but I also have an underlying lung disease, so it's probably not fair to use me as a judge. I don't have the answer to the second part of the question so I'll leave it for the others.

 

[JimL]

I still rejoice in how wonderful it is to be able to take in a deep lungful of air, 18 months after surgery.

But those first few weeks it was wonderful to breathe. The incision makes it difficult to breathe too deeply. For months afterwards, when I would take in a deep breath, it felt like things were still popping loose inside. In other words, even without any other problems, it takes a while for breathing to return completely to normal.

My bicuspid valve was congenital, I was born with it. My father died of an aortic aneurysm. Is there a connection? I don't know. I did start doing some genealogy recently, and that's one question in the back of my mind.

 

[Andrea]

Breathing

Breathing

Hi Elisha,

I am 4 weeks post op and still not up to parr with my breathing. When I was in the hospital I had Atalectisis (sp?) which was my lower lobes of my lungs werent opened up and I was very short of breath. I could only get my insentive spirometer to 500. They told me I had alot of swelling inside also. They put me on an anti-inflammatory and that helped.

At this point 4 weeks post op I still huff and puff on exsertion. Walking in the mall for 5+ minutes and I have to pace myself. Even sometimes in the house if I get up and do something and do it too fast I get short of breath. I'm only 31 so it seems to be pretty normal.

I wish your brother lots of luck and quick recovery!

 

[Rich]

Elisha,
It might take some time for the breathing to be normal again.
If the staff is OK with it then there is probably not a problem.
I was born with a bi-cuspid valve and a heart murmur of course.
I don't know about heriditary since my grandfather died a year before I was born. In those days anything related to the heart was considered a heart attack.
But my grandson (my son's boy) has the same bi-cuspid valve with a murmur. He is 12 yrs old and they already know he will need valve replacement at some point in his life.

 

[hensylee]

I kept a diary for about a month after quad bypass - one of my complaints was SOB. It eventually eased of its own accord. I don't know if this applies with valve replacement, however, but I rather expect it does.

 

[TIM W.]

Elisha,

My breathing wasn't real bad prior to surgery, only with exertion. But I became a "mouth breather" so long ago I don't remember when it started. The thing I noticed a couple days post-op as I began walking the halls of the hospital was that I could walk and breathe with my mouth closed! I actually began to brag about it to the nurses and my family.

I am 5 weeks post-op today. I am now to the point where I can walk a mile non-stop and with my mouth closed. It may be a small accomplishment to some, but to me it's really huge!

I'm sure the hospital staff is monitoring his breathing. If they aren't concerned, you and your mom shouldn't be either. Good luck. Tim

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Hello Elisa,

The lungs take quite a beating during heart surgery. It is common for them to not inflate fully for a while and, if they don't fully inflate, it is possible for fluid to fill in the space between the lung and the chest wall.

The BEST thing he can do to restore his breathing capacity is to use the Incentive Spriometer (breathing exercise machine) for 10 minutes every two hours. This is more than the nurses usually suggest but that's what it took for me to push the fluids out of my chest wall and restore my breathing. I used mine for several (6?) weeks post-op.

If he has great difficulty taking a deep breath or pain associated with breathing, his chest wall may have been bruised by the chest tube. Anti-inflamitory drugs may help. His doctor will need to evaluate this option and provide the prescription.

He should also be walking as much as possible every day. Most patients find that walking helps to restore their energy and stamina, increasing slowly but steadily day after day.

'AL'