Fluid retention /breathing problems after Mitral Valve replacement

[Guest]

I am hoping someone can help enlighten me regarding problems with fluid retention after my mitral valve replacement. I had surgery May26 th , everything seemed to be going well for the first 2 weeks , then in the 3 week i started retaining fluid and it got so bad last weekend that i had to be admitted to the hosp. again . High doses of Lasix and a 4 day stay in the hosp. put me to rights again.. now i've been home 4 days and again am starting to get some fluid retention . The Dr's did an ultrasound of my heart and said all was working perfectly . ..yet, i keep getting this buildup of fluid till i cannot breathe and i have alot of pain in my upper chest from the pressure.
I am hoping someone can give me some feedback on this .. have you heard of it, have you experienced it , if so .. please tell me anything you know. Thanks , Margie

 

[DebbyA]

my non-medical opinion is that if you are having trouble breathing, call your doctor now or go to the ER. Lots of people on the forum have had varied problems with fluid, so check back to discuss it when you can breathe again! Things can be slow here on weekends.

"when in doubt, check it out!"

 

[Lynlw]

Hi, I'm sorry you are having problems. Are you talking about over all fluid retention,(that shows up in your legs, feet type thing that if you push in it wil leave little dents) or fluid build up in the sacks around your heart (pericardial) or lungs (plueral) depending which kind of fluid you are talking about, different things help.

 

[catwoman]

Margie:

It is not uncommon for this to occur. Are you weighing yourself daily? Most discharge orders tell patients to weigh each day to help detect any fluid buildup. Have you been to your cardiologist since you were hospitalized?
Years ago, a woman had MVR at same hospital as me, same surgeon even. I befriended her via this website. Visited her in the hospital. About 2 weeks post-op, I got a call from her sister saying she didn't seem to be doing well -- no appetite (not uncommon, though), trouble sleeping (not uncommon), gaining weight and felt like she was drowning. At that point, I told them to get her to the ER.
She was hospitalized several days with pleural effusion. They drained about 1/2 liter of fluid off and then put her on Lasix.
I would definitely call the cardio Monday if you haven't revisited the ER.

 

[ejc61]

MargieB. I agree that this is not uncommon. At about 7 weeks, I started having these moving pains in the upper chest, sides, back. I got checked out in the ER to rule out anything odd before I saw the surgeon. They gave my a steriod pack only. It was some kind of pleural effusion. When I saw the surgeon, he said it will go away shortly. Further tests showed I only had about 200cc of fluid so . There wasn't enough fluid to suck out. It lasted about a month on and off.

 

[Greg a]

Margie, I agree with all of the info above and would ask are you logging not only your vital stats (weight, pulse, BP etc) but also what you consume ......take this log to the hospital with you as the more tools available the better the help...it is sad that we have to be label readers and have knowledge about what they (the labels) mean, an example would be on a pkg of "fresh" meat if the word "seasoned" is there it means infused or plumped with a saline solution so the skinless boneless chicken breats may not be as healthy as we are led to believe !

The “natural” labeling of plumped poultry has the industry fiercely divided. The major processors who inject their poultry with salt water solutions (including Tyson and Pilgrim’s Pride) say consumers prefer it and the enhancements help keep the lean meat juicy and flavorful. They claim their products meet the “minimally processed” description that’s required for the natural label, and the injected ingredients (including the carrageenan) do not include anything artificial

http://nutritionunplugged.com/2011/01/chickens-salty-little-secret/

 

[Guest]

Hi all.. thank you all for your replies.. i couldn't find this thread when i logged in earlier ,, so reposted... please ignore the nw post. Yes, i have been to see the Cardiologist and did end up back in the hosp. for 4 days as they sorted out the problem I just keep wondering how long this is going to go on. WHy don't the surgeons tell us about the difficult side effects , they make it sound so routine and no mention of the weeks of soreness and recovey.. tho i guess an bright person would figure that out on their own. I am weighng myself daily , and watching the salt intake.. harder than i thought. THe 40 mg of lasix is keeping the water retention under controll........ i just keep hoping i will not need some of these drugs soon.... i am on enough to where i have very little appetite ..but guess i should be thankful for the all blessing i DO enjoy.

 

[epstns]

Margie - The need for lasix post-op is not at all uncommon. Many of us have used it. For me, it was 20 mg of lasix 3 times a day for about the first 8 weeks after surgery. By that time I was able to control fluid retention on my own. Of course, we all react differently, and I was started on the lasix while still in the hospital after surgery, so that may have affected how long I took it. (e.g. You may need it for a longer or shorter period of time.)

Yes, it is not fun. But think of it this way -- we put up with all this to get to the good times once it heals. I'm not about 16 weeks post-op, and other than when I'm under heavy physical exertion, I feel great. The big stuff will come as I complete more of the rehab program. You will do fine, as soon as you're body is ready.