Feedback please - very worried wife.

[jcat2006]

Hi all. My husband had surgery to replace his ascending aorta yesterday (1/17). He is 30 years old and this is his third surgery. The first was in ?77 to fit an aneurysm between the chambers of the heart and to repair his aortic valve. The second was to put in a st. jude valve in ?95.

I was told the surgery went well, but he is still in the critical care unit, cannot breath without a ventilator and was not responding to neurological tests as of this afternoon.

I was told that since he was in circulatory arrest for a time while they replaced the aorta that it takes some people a while to get all functions up and running.

When I saw him today at 12pm today (eastern time) he was only moving his right side and was only sort of responding to my voice.

I was told that his heart, lungs and kidneys were functioning well. He was running a 101 fever when I left today at 8pm.

The reason he is still on the ventilator is that they are not sure if he can breath on his own since the neurological functions do not appear to be okay.

I did confirm with his cardiologist that he did not have a stroke.

Can anyone tell me his or her experiences with aortic aneurisms so I can see if you have heard of this type of difficulty after surgery?

I am very scared and the doctors just say ?we have to wait and see?

PS ? none of his doctors told me that there was a chance that he had to go under circulatory arrest, this detail was left out of the details of what he was having done. I only though that he would be put on the heart lung machine.

 

[geebee]

I will be praying that all goes well for your husband.

I cannot answer what is done for anuerysm repair but I am sure you will hear from some who know.

Each surgery is harder and usually does require additional time for things to get better. I do not think it is unusual for a person to still be on the respirator after 1 day. I would be concerned also about the talk of neurological issues but at least you are getting information.

Stay on top of the doctors and make sure they answer your questions. Don't let them leave it at, "we have to wait and see" if you are still unsure of what it going on.

 

[PJmomrunner]

I have no first hand knowledge, but since I am "in the waiting room" for a valve and ascending aorta replacement, I have researched the procedure enough to know that total circulatory arrest is a pretty common, and perhaps preferred, way to perform the procedure. According to the Cedars-Sinai website: "At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the total circulatory arrest technique has been used since 1994. This technique has minimized the risk of embolization while also providing maximum spinal cord protection. Through the use of this technique, renal failure was totally eliminated, and the risks of paraplegia and postsurgical mortality dramatically reduced." They also mention that because the aorta is not clamped, the possibility of damaging the aorta with the clamps is eliminated.

I hope this helps. I can only imagine how worried you must be. Hang in there.

 

[BDMc]

Sorry not to have an answer

Sorry not to have an answer

I was under the impression that while the heart was disconnected, the heart lung machine was doing it's job. I don't see why he should have suffered a lack of oxygen to his brain...? Please keep us posted, and know that I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers. Brian

 

[Karlynn]

Your husband is in my prayers.

It is only 1 day post op for someone who is on his 3rd surgery. Additional surgeries are more difficult and he may take more time to respond. I'm sure this 1st day has seemed 100 hours long.

 

[Guest]

jcat,

While I don't have information/details relative to your husband's specific condition, I can tell you that, in a way, it is nice to know that I'm not the only one that was not "woken up" after surgery the same day.

My last surgery (my third) was done January 6, 2003 (Monday). They did not even try to wake me up until Tuesday afternoon.... And, I wasn't fully awake until Wednesday.

Hope that gives you some hope and encouragement.

Thoughts/prayers coming your way....


Cort, "Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip", 32swm/pig valve/pacemaker
MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/
chdQB = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/quilt.html
"Enough is enough, I can't take anymore" ... Alabama ... 'Can't Keep A Good Man Down'

 

[Phyllis]

jcat, I wish I could add something to relieve your fears tonight, but I think you should concentrate on the fact that his cardiologist said he did not have a stroke and that it does take longer to recover after multiple surgeries. We are praying that these neurological complications are temporary and that you will see a big change for the better tomorrow.

 

[KristiinSD]

I think it takes everyone a different amount of time

I think it takes everyone a different amount of time

to wake up...It's much harder for you who don't have the surgery to watch us struggle with regaining consciousness. Apparently it took me some time to get off the vent because of arousal problems. My friend said I had to be able to follow 5 commands and I would follow a few and then drop back off. When she finally got me to do 5, the nurses wanted me to do tricks for them and I guess I fell back off again. I don't remember anything but my friend's smiling face, the surgeon stroking my cheek, and waking on Thursdsay with another friend there!

You and your husband are in my prayers for a good recovery!

Kristi
mitral repair 11/30/05

 

[Nancy]

As the wife of a guy who has had 3 valve surgeries, I can tell you that Joe did take a long time to wake up. I can't remember exactly, but think he was on the vent for at least 24 hours.

Everyone is a little different in how they handle anesthesia and how long it takes to wake up and be able to breathe on their own.

Can't vouch for this, but I'm willing to bet there are different anesthesia meds used for different procedures, and also different strengths depending on what they have to do when in there.

Don't panic. Please keep positive thoughts. Joe has scared me on many occasions, and sometimes his doctors too.

But eventually he did wake up.

 

[Gemma]

Hi jcat,

It sounds from what others have said that this is as much to do with it being your husband's third surgery as anything, and that it isn't that unusual. Scary though I know.

It's entirely possible that the "neurological tests" they're performing is just a fancy way of saying they're seeing if he's alert enough to remember to breathe on his own yet, and the time it takes people to wake up from the anaesthetic does vary a lot. I remember being really freaked out in ICU because the nurses were all walking by my boyfriend Jim's bed and whispering about how a person his age (26 at the time in 2003) should be more awake by now and they should be waking him up more and getting him off the vent. Scary at the time but it all worked out OK in the end and a few hours later he was breathing on his own again. Of course, Jim had already told me he slept for days after having his tonsils out a few years before, so I suppose we shouldn't have been surprised!

Hang in there, there are lots of prayers and positive thoughts coming your husband's way. Hope you'll be back with good news soon.

Gemma.

 

[PapaHappyStar]

Hope things are better for your husband,

Perhaps the slow neurological progress may be a positive sign since total circulatory arrest is accompanied by inducing deep hypothermia ( they cool the brain down to slow chemical and neurological activity and reduce the demand for oxygen ). You may liken it to waking up from deep hibernation ( like a polar bear ).

At 30 I think he has an excellent chance at getting through this very well. Hopefully you've already seen some improvement.

All the best,
Burair

 

[LinPat]

Hi Jen

Just remember to take it one day at a time. When my husband had his ascending aortic aneurysm repair in 2004, it was his third open heart surgery and he has had many other major surgeries also. He was very slow to come out of the anesthesia. He was not taken off the ventilator until the next day. The nurses kept testing him to make sure he could maintain his oxygen levels once he was taken off - he would have two or three good tests and then take a step backward. He was in the critical care unit for 7 days. I was told that for each major surgery under anesthesia it takes longer for your body to come out of it. He had other systems that were slow to recover as well, especially his bowel system. He had, and has continued to have from time to time, numbness in his neck, hands, feet. I think that it's really good news that the doctor said he did not have a stroke. Just keep talking to him, I know he can hear you. Ask questions if you aren't sure about anything. My husband was in the hospital for 17 days, and by the end of the stay, I became much more bold about asking the doctor to explain everything.
I will keep you and your husband in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there.
Lori

 

[Geo]

Sorry

Sorry

JACT,

I am sorry that you and your husband are going through this. Just wanted to let you know that you are both in my thoughts and prayers.

George

 

[Georgia]

Jen, I'm so sorry you have to go through this. My hubby wouldn't even talk about coming to cicu for months - he was really traumatized. Bless you poor relatives and significant others. At least those of us having the surgery sleep through it all.

Please know you're also in my thoughts and prayers. And please let us know how he's doing.

 

[DinahS]

Praying for you

Praying for you

Bless your heart. You are in my prayers. I just had surgery on Wed, Dec. 28th and I came off the vent early am the Friday morning (30th). My mom and husband still had to keep waking me up and telling me to breath even after I came off. They just left me on it longer b/c I didn't want to wake up and breath on my own yet. My husband was going nuts. I was sleeping soundly though and I don't remember a thing which is what I requested. hehe!

I am at home now and went back to work half days today, and everything went smoothly in the hospital. I am feeling great now.

Just hang in there and know that prayers are lifting you up.

God Bless You and keep us posted.

 

[Cris N]

As the others have said, everyone reacts differently to the waking up process. I hope by now you've had some positive signs to help relieve your worries. I'm keeping you both in my prayers.

Cris

 

[jcat2006]

update

update

Hi all and thanks for your thoughtful responses.

My husband is doing better today, but is still on the ventilator (day #3). He had a 104-degree fever over night and he was having convulsion like tremors throughout the night. They gave him a cat scan today to see if they can see if he had a stroke. Apparently they changed their mind over night about if he had a stroke or not.

They are also trying to figure out why he would be having these tremors and such a high fever only two days after surgery (apparently this is abnormal and if a fever occurs it is unusually a week or two after surgery)

Today he seems to have shown some progress in his motor function, especially in this left side, which showed no movement until today. His fever is now 101 and his tremors seem to have gone away. We hope this continues throughout the night and that the CAT scan shows that he does not have any neurological damage.

I am feeling much more hopeful than I have in past days and I think, as most of you are saying, that it will just take time.

 

[geebee]

Happy to hear things are a bit better. I am sure this trend will continue. Also, how many times in our life do we get to be so lazy we don't even have to breathe for ourselves? It was not until my third OHS that I appreciated the fact that I didn't have to do ANYTHING for the time I was on the ventilator.

I hope your husband is relaxed and not fighting anything.

Maybe the shaking is a side effect of the anesthesia. Our bodies do some really strange things getting rid of that stuff.

Please keep your chin up - things will improve.

 

[joanne6]

No answers

No answers

Just wanted to let you know that you and your husband are in my prayers. Each day should tell a little more of the story. Hoping tomorrow you will have good news to tell us.

 

[Phyllis]

Thanks for taking the time to update as we have been worried about you both. I'm glad to hear of the improvement and that you are feeling more hopeful as well. Still sending our prayers and best wishes your way.