Irregular Heart Beats and Low Pulse Rate

[davidh]

(This is in regards to my introduction here and my heart feels like it's all over the place at times, little concerned, it seems to be getting worse rather than better. Not sure the next step for me, please read on if you have the time, much appreciated)

Hello there Forum, thank you for having me. My name is Dave and I am going on nearly 12 days post valve replacement. Bovine Valve, minimally invasive. I started out great in the Hospital for what can be expected other than not sleeping much and feeling like hell cause I didn't know I would end up getting a valve replaced, I thought they were going to just repair the old one. Although, I find myself here!

Now I'm Coreg 25 mg 2Xs a day, Xanax for Anxiety, Potassium for my Heart, Lasix 25 mg 1Xs a day, Oxycodone but I have been only taking about half what I need because it makes me feel real ill.

When I arrived Home, I was okay for the first few days. I had a moment of memory loss the first day I actually got rest, then I got over that in a matter of hours. Thank God! Since then, my heart has started skip beats and my pulse rate goes as low as 30, quite often. I mean way too often for what would be considered healthy as it's getting worse. I called the Nurse to the Doctor who performed my operation, they said to just go see my local PCP. I am sitting here a bit concerned I might end up having some serious complications without serious intervention. THE PLACE I had the procedure done, is some 2 hours away. The Locals are a bit nasty for being I don't know, lacking in their willingness to help patients who have gone out of the smaller local hospital to get a better job done.

My feet feel stuck in mud and I would really like to know if anyone has had them there as well and what they did and what suggestions they may have? I am urgently concerned and I only found this website and registered just recently! Please, anyone that is willing to reach out with any help, would be much appreciated!

Dave

~Bovine, less than 2 weeks

 

[dick0236]

Welcome Dave....you will find a lot of good advice and support on this forum. If you have a cardiologist, I would talk with him/her....if you don't have one, it would be a good idea to find one. PCPs usually are not that experienced in dealing with valve replacement patients. Your surgery is very recent and a lot of strange sensations can be expected, but if it is of concern, you should have your concerns addressed. Welcome.

 

[canon4me]

davidh, I would do as Dick said, see my local cardiologist, but I would kill to have my AVR surgeon only two hours away. I would be in the car in a heartbeat (excuse the pun) and heading to see him if at all possible. After the surgery (at the point you are at) your local cardiologist may very well be better equipped to deal with your situation more so than even the surgeon. But, if I could get in to see the surgeon, I would probably do that also if none other than peace of mind. Good luck and please post back and let us know how things are going/continue to progress for you. God Bless! Welcome to the forum.

 

[davidh]

Dick and Canon,

Thank you very much for your answers. I have talked with a Cardiologist associated with the one who did the procedure on me and he suggested that I take Magnesium and that they were possibly PVCs. I am going to try this advice and then call my Main Cardiologist tomorrow. Thanks guys and thanks for the warm welcome. I am going to try to fight this recovery time... it's a lot more uphill than expected! I thought it was going to be about 1/10th of this : ) You guys are very supportive

~Dave

 

[Guyswell]

I agree with your decision to talk with your cardiologist tomorrow. Coreg is supposed to slow your heart rate but 30 bpm sounds too low. The cardiologist may decide to adjust your meds. I'm surprised you're not complaining of dizziness and feeling like you're going to faint. PVCs (skipped beats) are not considered dangerous but they do feel unsettling (I have them too). AVR surgery is done very close to the AV node, so it's pretty common to have heart rhythm issues after surgery (usually temporary). Every situation is different so don't read too much into my experience. About a year after my first surgery, my occasional bradycardia (very slow heart beat) made me faint and bought me a pacemaker. It paces me about 10% of the time. I don't know when it's pacing me and I usually forget its there. Don't worry, your cardiologist will figure out what to do in your case.

 

[davidh]

Just wondering about the use of Oxycodone for pain management. I'm a little scared of the Oxy,, seen too many people misuse and was trying to be conservative in my usage. I was given 50 .5's when I left the hospital and have only used half of them my family suggests that I should use them if needed. Still in some pain and they help me sleep, any experience with post op use would be helpful.
Thx again Dave

 

[ski girl]

Dave you won't heal when you're in pain, so if you need the oxy, take it. Many of us on here (me included) were down to just Tylenol within days of our surgeries, but everyone heals at a different rate and maybe minimally invasive procedures result in more pain??

I think being aware of the dangers of oxy dependency will help make sure you don't misuse it!

 

[epstns]

Dave - I used Norco for the first two weeks or so. I needed it. But beware of what the narcotic pain relievers can do - they slow down your digestive system, possibly resulting in nasty constipation. Your doc should have recommended a stool softener along with the pain meds. If not, get one of the over-the-counter softeners, and take it as the label directs. I was so messed up that at 4 weeks post-op, I had to be re-admitted to the hospital to get my digestive system back on track. Not fun. Don't let it happen to you.

 

[DanielB]

Dave - I had heart rhythm issues right out of surgery in the hospital, causing me to be held for ten days before they cleared that up and sent me home. I also had slow heart rate (in the 30's) develop months later that I brought to the attention of my Cardiologist. As Guyswell described above, I had heart block from the surgery and also received a pacemaker. Feel great now. I'm not saying you'll have the same experiences, just that I agree with those saying seeing a Cardiologist is a good idea. Meds can be playing a part in this, including the oxycodone, but pain management is important as well. I was using oxycodone post surgery, but it gave me all sorts of side effects so I switched to Norco and had success with that. In any case, best to have the cardio look over everything.

 

[clay_from_nj]

Hey Dave, it does sound like PVCs, with which I am intimately familiar. If you are having bigeminy (PVC every other beat) you might actually be counting 30 bpm when it is actually 60, since the PVC causes what seems like a "skipped" beat. One of the most common ways to diagnose these is to put you on a Holter monitor, basically a portable ekg, for a day or two. By all means, talk to your doctor and get it checked out, but don't panic. BTW, have your meds changed since surgery? That much coreg could slow your heart rate significantly, and if your heart is performing better than it was before, you'll probably wind up cutting back on the lasix as well. I'd be quite surprised if you are on the same meds after getting the new valve as before.

 

[Heather Anne]

Hi Dave -- I am 18 days post-op, and I, too, have felt some fluttery irregularities in my heartbeat, some PVC's, and then sometimes it just pounds. I am never short of breath or faint during these episodes, and I find they happen more frequently after I overdo it a little bit either in my daily walks or just puttering around the house. If you can see your cardiologist to put your mind at ease that would be great, but it's likely a normal part of the recuperative process. Unsettling, but normal.

As far as the oxycodone -- I was sent home with Norco and a plethora of stool softeners. From my first day home I took the Norco only at night to help me sleep because it made me really woozy if I took it during the day. During the day I made do with regular Tylenol and still felt some pain but would rather feel that than all fuzzy-headed. I'm almost off the Norco totally now, although some nights if my shoulders and back muscles are particularly annoyed with me I will still take one so I can get some sleep. I don't think there is a dependency problem if you take only one per night or one every couple of nights. And you won't heal as quickly if you don't get enough sleep.

I hope this helps, and I'm glad you found this forum. It's been a great resource for so many of us!