Emergency Trip back to Hospital!!

[jgibson]

Hey Guys,

Wanted to inform you all of what happened to me Wednesday night. I woke up about 3:45 in the morning to what could only be described as massive chest pain and an extreme inability to breath. The pain went across the center of my chest and stopped around the upper side of my left arm. Needless to say, I was in a bit of a panic. I kept thinking to myself (There is no way I am having a heart attack. The cath was 100% clear).

Anyway, I didn't want to take any chances, so I woke my wife up and woke my dad up and we headed up to Vandy (my parents are staying with us a couple weeks to help me out). Now we do have a hospital that is only 15 minutes up the road (vs. 35 for Vandy). Since I knew this would probably be related to my valve repair, I told me dad to go to Vandy. Good thing we didn't have to deal with traffic.

Anyway, once we got to Vandy, they immediately took me in. The doctor that works with my surgeon came in and told me it was the best thing I could do to make it back to where I had my surgery vs. just going to the hospital up the road from my house (not a cardiac hospital).

Anyway, they put me through a big list of tests, including checking to make sure I didn't have a blood clot in my lung, checked the valve to make sure something had not happened to it. Heart attack checks, etc. The good news was that all those came back clean. What they did find is that it looked like I had something called post preicardectomy syndrome. Sounds like the sac around my heart was irritated/inflammed from the surgery. Once they started me on an anti-inflammatory medication, the pain started going away. Very quickly too.

They did end up keeping me for observations for another day, so I got out just around lunch time today. They were able to take my stitches out from the chest tube, so that was good. They also ended up taking me off a couple of my medications. That's always good.

So, I had an enjoyable extra 32 hours in the hospital. Just curious if anybody else here has run into situations like this post their surgeries. Kind of caught me off guard.

Thanks everyone.

 

[WayneGM]

Simliar, although my inflation developed into fluid build up and I went into conjestive heart failure. Apparent sometimes the body fights the inflamation by creating fluid resulting in something called pericardial tamponade. Supposedly it can happen to 1:10,000 (luck me!). Monitor your weight daily. If you start to see very quick weight gain it could be fluid build up so get it checked out. I didn't pay attention and as a result, I got an ambulance ride to Toronto (lights flashing and everything) and back into OR to get drained surgically plus another couple of scars and a week's stay in the hospital. Hopefully you'll be the the 10,000 group. Best wishes.

 

[Lynlw]

I'm sorry that happened and glad you decided to go to Vandy and not the closer hospital. Justin tends to get inflamation and fluid in his pericardial sac after surgeries, usually we catch it early enough that anti inflammatory meds take care of it. I'm glad you are feeling better. Lyn
ps in addition to Wayne's good advice, I wanted to sugest keeping an eye on your temp, Justin usually gets a lowgrade fever, when he's getting fluid

 

[marie]

Thanks

Thanks

I'm happy to hear you're now OK. Must have been very frighting! Thank you for posting your experience. I don't post a lot but read daily since I am pre op.

 

[Jkm7]

I'm so sorry to read all you went through but happy you seem to be doing well again. Take good care and let us know how you are doing.

 

[Bina]

Oh boy, what a scare you had.....these things do happen sometimes.
After OHS I was home for 1 week, then very low BP and dizzy, my home nurse called 911 and I went to the local ER where they monitored me and also found my INR was 1.9 so I stayed in for the weekend with heparin, and adjusted my BP meds.
During the following months I went back to the local ER a couple more times for SVT. It gets better.

 

[Nancy]

Do a search on this site for pericarditis and I think yoou'll see you have lots of company. I wish you good health from now on.

 

[Mary]

Jeff,
As Nancy said, what you experienced isn't an uncommon occurrence around this place, but I'm sorry you became another member who learned that first hand.
It's good that you headed back to Vanderbilt. Keep weighing yourself, and if you pick up too much fluid, call the cardiologist right away.

 

[Kandice]

hospital

hospital

Sounds like you've had a tough week, so glad your back home. Did you get to see the same nurses ? Well, I had a busy week, I have had 2 visual disturbances in my left eye so I had to be worked up to make sure I wasn't having small cllots. So far everything is clear. So it is believed to be an ocular migraine, funny I have never had one until surgery.

Hows your sleeping going? Mine is a little better. I still need to take some pain pills. I get this pain on my right side that goes through my chest to my scapula.

Are you going to do cardiac rehab?
Kandice

 

[TammyM]

Jeff - So sorry! How scary for you. Glad your pain went away quickly with the meds and that you are okay now.

Kandice - I did experience Ocular migraines before my surgery, but afterward it became a daily occurance. Very annoying! Thank goodness I did not usually get a headache --- just 20-30 minutes of the visual issues and a little nausea to go along with it. They finally put me on Topomax and they now occur only once in awhile.

 

[Guest]

Yikes, Jeff ... sorry you had to endure that.

But, glad to know you are doing better now.

Thoughts/prayers coming your way, of course.



Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
WRMNshowcase.lego.HO.model.MCs.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"It's kinda like Nashville, with a tan" ... Shawn Mullins ... 'Rockabye'

 

[marky]

Simliar, although my inflation developed into fluid build up and I went into conjestive heart failure. Apparent sometimes the body fights the inflamation by creating fluid resulting in something called pericardial tamponade. Supposedly it can happen to 1:10,000 (luck me!). Monitor your weight daily. If you start to see very quick weight gain it could be fluid build up so get it checked out. I didn't pay attention and as a result, I got an ambulance ride to Toronto (lights flashing and everything) and back into OR to get drained surgically plus another couple of scars and a week's stay in the hospital. Hopefully you'll be the the 10,000 group. Best wishes.

Wayne..I guess my odds are even oddder
I had it twice!


Jeff.. glad that you were able to get releif so quickly.. take care!

 

[Lynlw]

Wayne..I guess my odds are even oddder
I had it twice!


Justin was tapped almost weekly off and on for 6 months after his surgery when he was 18 months. He had surgery in Oct and had a cath on my 30th Bday in March because he was still having pericardial effusions.
His Doctors usually call him a "challange' but odd works lol

 

[hensylee]

oh, what a scary time you had. It's good to know it was easily relieved and that it is ok now. You will keep a good track of things and listen out for anything amiss. Blessins.........

 

[Curtsmum]

sorry you had to go back, glad you got it sorted out quickly.Keep up with the good recovery,hope it is all plain sailing from now on.

 

[KAJ]

Jeff,

I have been thinking about you and wondering how things were going for you. Thanks for the update. I know it is scary to go through something like that but at least they found a cause for the problems. It always good thing when they can start to take you some of the meds .

God Bless,
Karl

 

[jgibson]

Hey Kandice!!

Hey Kandice!!

Sounds like you've had a tough week, so glad your back home. Did you get to see the same nurses ? Well, I had a busy week, I have had 2 visual disturbances in my left eye so I had to be worked up to make sure I wasn't having small clots. So far everything is clear. So it is believed to be an ocular migraine, funny I have never had one until surgery.

Yeah. Last week was a little rough. When I was in the ER Thursday morning, I got to see Jared. You probably remember him. He was the doctor that works along side Petracek. Did rounds with him every morning. Anyway, he came and saw me in the ER. It was good to see him, because he was able to help me calm my nerves. They kept me in the ER area until around 10:30 AM. Once a room opened up for me, they moved me into that room. This was no where close to where you are I were initially after surgery. This was on the first floor in a new area and way over on the other side of the hospital. Wasn't too bad for the extra 32 hours I had to stay in the hospital. None of the nurses were the same.

How's your sleeping going? Mine is a little better. I still need to take some pain pills. I get this pain on my right side that goes through my chest to my scapula.

I'm currently sleeping in two shifts. I start out sleeping on my couch in kind of a sitting up position. This usually gets me until around 4:00 AM. I'll usually get up and take some pain medication around that time and get in my regular bed.

As far as the amount of pain medication I'm taking, I really haven't slowed down. Sounds like you and I have the same problem though. I have the same hot spot behind my incision site below my shoulder blade. It's more like back pain and it feels like I'm sleeping on a golf ball. Needless to say, IT HURTS!! The good news is that I can tell it is starting to get better, but I'm going to need to get them to refill my pain meds. Might even see if I can get them to change my medicine from a 4 hour dose to at least a 6 hours dose. Might be able to sleep through the night then.

Are you going to do cardiac rehab?
Kandice

Yes, I do plan on going to cardiac rehab. I've already been on the phone with them and hope to start it soon.

Sorry to hear about your visual disturbances. I've noticed the same thing once or twice since I got home. Only lasted for a small amount of time and then went away. However, I used to get migraines all the time, so this hasn't been a big problem for me. At least I know I don't have any blood clots since they did the scan for me last Thursday.

I'll keep in touch with you.

 

[jgibson]

Jeff - So sorry! How scary for you. Glad your pain went away quickly with the meds and that you are okay now.

I was glad too. Nothing beats having to rush back into the hospital, because of soemthing unknown. Just glad it was something small and not something like a blood clot, or something wrong with my valve.

I'll keep you posted during my recovery.

From the 'boro.

 

[BDMc]

Happy Ending

Happy Ending

Jeff, I'm sure it was really scary, but as you said, thankfully it wasn't a more serious complication. The golf ball analogy sounds perfect for what I remember. Massage really helped me. Hope you get some relief soon. Let us know how rehab goes. Brian