I'm Home!

[Lily]

Sorry to hear this, Luana, and hoping you'll begin feeling better soon .

 

[ottagal]

Luana,
I know this is not what you were expecting and I am sorry to hear this. If this is of any help to you, four weeks after my surgery, I still had a high heart rate and was still very short of breath. Did he order a chest x-ray to see about the fluid on the lungs? Did the cardio. say what he thought was causing your SOB? Mine was attributed to the collapsed lung and the dr. said my lungs were 'stiff' for lack of a better word. I was also feeling very weak and had my metropolol reduced (after it his been increased) as this was definitely contributing to the weakness (as my BP was too low from it). I am now 8 weeks outs and can tell you that the shortness of breath is very minimal now and my heart rate has finally come dpwn below 100. I am hoping this will be the case for you too. I know every situation is different, but want you to know there can be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Take care,

 

[Luana]

Luana,
I know this is not what you were expecting and I am sorry to hear this. If this is of any help to you, four weeks after my surgery, I still had a high heart rate and was still very short of breath. Did he order a chest x-ray to see about the fluid on the lungs? Did the cardio. say what he thought was causing your SOB? Mine was attributed to the collapsed lung and the dr. said my lungs were 'stiff' for lack of a better word. I was also feeling very weak and had my metropolol reduced (after it his been increased) as this was definitely contributing to the weakness (as my BP was too low from it). I am now 8 weeks outs and can tell you that the shortness of breath is very minimal now and my heart rate has finally come dpwn below 100. I am hoping this will be the case for you too. I know every situation is different, but want you to know there can be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Take care,

Thanks. A chest x-ray was done when I went to the ER 2 weeks ago, and there were several that were done before that in the hospital. Doc said the most recent one was fine. He's thinking maybe anemia for the SOB hence the blood work I have to get done. I just wish I'd get to feeling better soon.

The first week home from the hospital, I saw improvements almost daily and had no SOB at all. SOB started with a trip to the drugstore 2 weeks after surgery. Went and bought what I needed, got back to car and totally SOB and found it very difficult to climb up the one flight of stairs to get to my condo. Ever since it's been lots of SOB, extreme fatigue, and much difficulty with stairs. The day I came home from the hospital, going up the stairs was easy compared to what it's like now.

I just have to think that this, too, shall pass!
Luana

 

[Lily]

Sorry to repeat this but I keep wondering if you might be going in and out of A-fib. For the couple of days I was going in and out of it, but hadn't yet been diagnosed because I wasn't in it when my local doctor first listened with his stethoscope, I felt very much as you are describing.

 

[Luana]

Lily,
I have had quite a few irregular heart beats, but don't know if I'm it's A-fib or not. I thought the amiodarone would be stopping that? I know when I'm having irregular beats the SOB is worse and it's almost impossible to do anything.

 

[Doug]

Oh, the beds were awful! In ICU they were ok, but out of it, omg. You'd adjust it and then a minute later it would do its own self adjustment. Thought maybe I was losing my mind when I'd hear it hum and feel it move a bit on its own until the nurse said that's the way they are. It seemed like I could never get comfortable.

Welcome home. This hospital uses self adjusting beds to prevent pressure sores and depending on how much you move around the pump will readjust the mattress.

I agree with Lily, my A Fib symptoms were a lot like you were describing. It probably is something that should be checked. The nurses told me that 30% or so of us go through A Fib.