My neighbor

[Granbonny]

And my hubby's best friend......Alex and Joyce. built their home across from us. Beautiful home and she just retired this past May.. Alex had a mild heart attack 12 years ago.. For the past 5 years..they have been coming up every week and putting furniture into new house. They were going to move here full time in a few weeks. Yesterday, he told me they had to go home that his Cardio had called and wanted him to come in today for a Cath of heart..maybe for a stent. He took a thaillum?sp? test last week....His wife just called me from hospital. 3 100% blockages and 1 90% blockage in his arteries. Will undergo by-pass tomorrow morning. She was on her mobile phone and about to panic. All I could tell her..tell Alex to breathe with tube if he wakes up and not to panic when she sees him in ICU....She was aware of this and the days he must spend in hospital. But, their home nearby is almost empty of furniture. I told her. He needs a recliner, ect. I feel so sorry for her. she is thinking she could bring him here for recovery..but I did not want to tell her..no, he will not feel like traveling 5 hours from hospital up here..Maybe a week after he gets home. I told her..I would talk to her everyday..Hoping to get the hospital number. In Macon, Ga.............I asked him yesterday..have you been feeling O.K. and he said, yes. Just sob from climbing steps. He has worked very hard when he was here on their new house. Never saw him without being in a great mood. They drove 5 hours every time they came up here..He has always been the one to drive and cook...Now, it will be her time to take care of him...They are very Private people and I will keep it a secret. John will take care of their home here...Just goes to show..you can have blockage and show no symptoms..He was lucky..Like, President clinton....Bonnie

 

[Bryan B]

Bonnie,

That's good advice to tell them to get a week or two of recovery under their belt and then come to the house. He needs to stay close to his hospital for a couple of weeks anyway in case some type of complication arises. Hope all goes well for them tomorrow.

 

[hensylee]

That;s what happened to me, Bonnie. Mine were in the 90 percentile range, too. I did have an attack. Guaranteed that your buddy had some warning. I did, but ignored them all. Til that fateful day when the pain wouldn't go away immediately. ER missed it, too. He will be just fine, tho. Especially if he is in good health to start with. He will be in about the same shape you were after your valve replacement, as far as surgery recuperation goes. Tell his wife not to worry. Just look after him when it's all done.

 

[Guest]

Bonnie-

Best wishes to your friends. They are in my prayers.

Another fine example of why the call heart disease the "silent killer".

 

[Granbonny]

Thanks

Thanks

Ann, Bryan and Julia..I called the hospital this morning at 11 a.m. Joyce answered and they were still waiting for his surgery. She said, neither slept all night (in a private room) and he had a horrible headache at 5 a.m...she called the nurse in and they took his nitro patch off. she was hoping they would come soon for him..so I'm thinking maybe he is in ICU now..Alex is just a good old southern boy..Like my Hubby ..who will do anything to help. He helped John build a huge railroad tire parking pad off from our driveway last year. He wanted Joyce to retire 3 years ago and move here..but she was a school teacher and wanted to keep working until she turned age 65.. Retired this past May..had the house finished..Now look, it will be months before they can come up here now. They will miss. the fall colors, ect. I'm sure it will be 3 months before they can come back...She told me this morning they will rent a recliner..I think, they only had a few pieces of furniture left in their home in South Georgia.......Alex has been wanting her to come here now for 3 years.....and all the extra money she made..will now go to pay off his operation. ....Plus, she will not drive here in Mountains..and does not cook..Depended on Alex for all that..Just a shame..Money does not buy happiness. Enjoy life when you can..Bonnie

 

[ALCapshaw2]

I HATE Nitro Patches, BUT, sometimes they are necessary, maybe even a lifeline.

An experienced Cardiac nurse told me that you can still get good benefit with less severe headaches by applying the patch to the patients LEG.

Hope this helps.

'AL' (CABG and AVR)

 

[Granbonny]

Joyce (Alex's wife) called around 2 P.M...said he was joking with nurses..(Just like Alex) and I told her, he was still on the good stuff. He was still in CCU..but hoping to get moved to a private room soon.She said, the only time she felt queasy was looking at the huge IV in his neck. I don't think I had one..but will ask daughter. what was that for? she said, he had a cath in bladder but still felt like he needed to pee....I promised Joyce I would walk her thru everyday on telephone....Reached a young man on telephone last night in Family waiting room (my friend was not there) I could tell he was so nervous. I asked ..Who are you there for? He said, my age 58 year old Dad. He had by-pass at noon. I told him..not to worry. He was so happy when I told him, his Dad would be up and walking soon. Maybe, we should call all CCU waiting rooms and chat with family.. I hope Alex can leave hospital before Wed..before the big rains come to Georgia..They are in south Georgia..Hoping maybe in 6 weeks they can come back home here. She said, they have so little furniture left in their house down there. Thanks for your concerns..Hubby will miss him. They loved their late chats on front porch. Man thing Bonnie

 

[medtronic of borg]

Chair

Chair

Can anyone go to the nearest used furniture store and pick up a lazy boy? I would if I was in the area. I got mine for $50.
Med

 

[Bryan B]

Bonnie,

The IV in the neck is to administer meds that will get to the heart FAST if necessary. My sister said they administered Nipride via the central line in my neck twice before I was awake (to lower my BP). Of all the things that irritated me that 1st night in ICU, that line in my neck was the worst...it kept getting tangled with my o2 nasal canula and pulling on it. They removed it the next morning along with the chest tubes before sending me to a private room. Since you don't remember your ICU stay you might have had one and not known it.

 

[Granbonny]

Med...When Joyce called me night before last..I told her # 1 Go get a recliner. she asked why..and I told her. She said, today..her son was going to find one. Alex has a recliner in the house across from me. He's always in it..and waves from it..when I walk the dog. Knows, he is a big recliner guy .........Bryan..If I had one. Wouldn't I have had a sore place in my neck? Never did and no scar?..When I awoke in Private room, got up, brushed teeth and applied lipstick. Never saw anything in my neck? Lucky me... Bonnie

 

[Bryan B]

I think you probably would have.

I don't have a visable scar now, but you could tell where it was for a couple of weeks. If you didn't have one you were lucky. They were very careful when taking it out and kept pressure on my neck for several minutes after removing it (I think it was located in my jugular vein ). It's weird...sometimes I can't remember what I did yesterday, but I remember almost everything while I was in ICU. I was on Fentnyl instead of Morphine, could be because I was less out of it.

 

[missingaab]

curious about the fentnyl

curious about the fentnyl

Hi Bryan,

I'm curious, trying to get a better understanding of the experience my girl had, so being on fentnyl you're more aware of what's happening? Were you given a paralytic as well? I'm wondering if it's possible to be aware of ones surroundings and not be able to respond.

missingaab

 

[Bryan B]

Hi Missi,

Not sure what a paralytic is. If you are talking about the drug that paralyzes your breathing reflex I imagine I was given it during the operation, but not sure at what point they would start weaning you off of that. I was aware of my surroundings while I was still on the respirator but not for long, they pulled it shortly after I became fully awake.

I was initially was given morphine for pain which usually keeps you pretty zonked out. I got sick on the morphine so they switched me to Fentnyl for pain. It's shorter acting, tends to not zonk you out quite as much as morphine, and causes less in the way of nausea. I was quite alert for most of my ICU stay, especiallly since it's next to impossible to get any sleep in hospitals.

 

[Mary]

I think I can answer this question. The paralytic is usually given as one dose at the start of surgery so they can get the patient intubated and start the process. At the same time, they generally give Fentnyl and Versed together with it so you are unaware of what is happening.

Bryan, you probably received the Fentnyl initially with the paralytic; then were given the morphine for pain, then switched back over when you became naseous with it.

Hope this helps.
Mary

 

[missingaab]

I'm asking because they kept my girl on the paralytic after surgery and on fentynl versus morphine. They weren't able to close her chest due to complications and when she started moving they uped the dose. Since she didn't make it, I can't ask her questions but am curious if its possible that she had awareness but wasn't able to physically move. I hope this question doesn't seem too morbid and sorry if I've diverted the original topic of the thread.

missingaab

 

[Bryan B]

My situation was completely different. I was off of the respirator and was not having any complications, only that the morphine was giving me the heaves...which doesn't feel too good right after having your chest cracked open. They switched me back to Fentnyl because it is less likely to cause nausea. They did keep a closer eye on my o2 levels, because Fentnyl will depress your respirations more than Morphine. Given all that, I was quite alert during my ICU stay...more alert than I would have preferred. I don't think the actual drug that supresses the breathing reflex affects your mental acuity, so unless she was heavily sedated with something else she very well may have been aware of what was going on around her.

Sorry for your loss!