New Here Need Help

[2hartsas1]

hi! i'm new to this bb and my hubby is up soon for atrial valve replacement. he is 58 years young. he is very overweight (doesn't look like that's gonna change, no matter WHAT i put in front of him to eat), and a heavy smoker, despite my hiding/throwing away the ciggs and consistant nagging.
i have hepatitis c, so am as well versed on that as you all here are on matters of the heart. my hubby and i need all your input and support.
thanks in advance. i already know what a real life saver it is to be able to share with others in times of great stress. and the triumphs as well.

2harts

 

[Ross]

Hello and welcome to the family.

You should read the threads in all the forums. You'll get even more education then you thought possible. You might also check out the personal stories section from the main page. There are a tremendous amount of people and caring given here.

I'm sorry to hear that your husband is still smoking. It's not the end of the world, but it sure isn't going to make surgery any easier on him. The weight deal is something that I think is o.k., we are all different.

Where are you both at as far as seeing the Cardiologist, Surgeon, testing, etc ?

Any special questions, just ask them. I'm sure you'll enjoy it here as much as we do.

 

[Nancy]

Hi 2hartsas1-

Cute name! Welcome to the family. This forum is filled with wonderful caring people, as Ross has already said. Just seconding the motion. It's quite a knowlegeable group and you'll find that you will probably get lots of answers to your questions. The trick is to ask lots of them.

My husband is the patient here also. He's had 3 valve surgeries, 2 lung surgeries, a pacemaker, has CHF, afib, pulmonary hypertension and cardiac cirrhosis. Plus he's been through the medical mill with some pretty serious other things. But you'll find that there are many others who've been through just as much.

We also are blessed with some folks who have just breezed through the process, lucky them. It's always nice and refreshing to hear those posts.

I'm sorry to hear that your husband and you also are having some difficulties. But we'll do our best to give you the support you need to get through his surgery and to feel good about it. It's a tough thing to face, but is life saving surgery, and not as bad as many people imagine.

Your husband should do whatever it takes to stop smoking. With a bad heart, it's a disaster waiting to happen. Your lungs and heart are intertwined to such a degree, that what you do to one, affects the other. His heart, now and even after surgery will need as much oxygen as it can possibly get to heal and to be able to force oxygen rich blood to the areas of the body that need it. Everyone knows that smoking reduces the oxygen to the body. That's a very bad thing, especially in his condition.

Hope to see you here often, and asking lots of questions.

By the way, it's possible that some of his weight is caused by fluid backup from his compromised heart. So maybe after surgery, he'll be shedding some of that fluid weight. I wish him well.

Take care,

 

[2hartsas1]

hi! thanks for posting back!
as to where we are in the odyssey...not very far i'm afraid. he was hospitalized last year due to heart problems, and then a couple of months ago, he was told that he had to have the atrial valve replacement. we know ZIP as it stands right now. he's been on coumadin for 3 months. actually longer, but stopped for a while because he THOUGHT his doc had taken him off of it.
i do have questions. what does inr mean? and is it ok to eat green leaffy when on the coumadin? hee hee, we have a looong way to go yet...just learning.
my hubby is the type who does not HEAR what the docs tell him and when they come up with really wacko stuff, he manages to listen then.. from now on, i will be going to ALL the docs with him. i speak doctorease when in hep c land (that really bugs em!)
and now i get to learn a new language!!

thanks!
~2harts

 

[Nancy]

Go on over to warfarinfo.com which is a Coumadin site owned by one of our members (Al Lodwick) who actually runs a very large Coumadin clinic. He quite an expert and there is everything you ever wanted to know about Coumadin and beyond. I'm sure you'll find a good medical description of just what is involved in INR.

My short description and not scientific one, is that it's the reading that is used to determine your husband's Coumadin dosage. The range your husband is on will be determined by his condition and what he's currently taking Coumadin for. My husband, with 2 mechanical valves has a range of 2.5-3.5, and the doctor wants him in the 3.0-3.5 range. Some people who are taking it for afib, and who do not have mechanical valves, might have a lower range.

By the way, I always go to the appts. with my husband. He's had his problems for so long that he sometimes just tunes the doctor's answers out. He just wants to go in, get an answer and get the thing resolved. Patience is not his middle name. A second pair of ears is always a good thing, especially if you are interested in medical stuff.

 

[2hartsas1]

hi nancy!!!! thanks for posting!!!
and yes, my hubby has qiute a lot of fluid buildup! he has edema in his legs and feet. he's not at all the type to do anything healthy for himself, and i have exhausted myself trying to get him to...so-it's all up to him. as much as i love him, there is only so much i can do. my way of helping now, is through this bb and learning everything i can about his health. that way, i will know what is going on-even if he doesn't!

good grief!!!! your husband has certainly been through the ringer!!!!! how are you both doing now????
i was in the hospital w/ complications from trying to tx my hep in june-july, 4 weeks. flatlined while there. came back though! LOL!
had blood in lungs, pneumonia, liver/kidney failure, staph, cellulitis, and a bunch of other stuff i can't even remember! but somehow, i have a feeling it's ok that i don't remember.lol!! everything that could go wrong and the docs were wanting NOT to go wrong....DID! i am disabled now, permanantly, but my husband still is working. he drives a cab. has for maaaaany years.
we do alright really. we do a lot of large living...because.

a lot of people i know with my illness are disabled. my question is-what about those after the valve surgery? we both wonder what his chances for returning to a full recovery are. i don't let him know any of my fears or worries, just let him know how important it is to be informed.

thanks for letting me go on,
2harts

 

[Nancy]

After the initial healing and you can check it out with the surgeon too, he should be able to go back to work, same as always, but he'll be driving with a shiny new heart valve.

 

[Ross]

In general, the process starts as determining the problem through 2D echocardiography, Stress Test, Catheterization, possibly CATSCAN, Trans-esophageal Echo and then you meet with a surgeon, depending on what is found in the testing. If he's smoking, plan on having Pulmonary Function Testing as well. I think they do it whether you smoke or not, so maybe I shouldn't focus on that subject.

Once all that is completed, you'll see the surgeon and discuss what all needs to be done. You may have choices in the valve that is used, then again, perhaps not. It's one of those deals that is kind of a wait and see thing once the person is opened up.

If he goes with a mechanical valve, he will require Coumadin or Warfarin for anticoagulation. This is a NECESSITY here, it's not optional. This is to allow the proper functioning of the valve and keep blood clots from forming on the valve, which would require another valve replacement procedure. I don't think he's going to want to go through this very many times. It can be life threatening, if a clot should form.

If he is given a tissue valve, he may or may not need short term Coumadin therapy. I'm going to run around here and get some links posted for you to read and educate yourself. I'll be back.

This will keep you busy for a while:
http://www.valvereplacement.com/coumadin/coumadin_information.htm

http://www.valvereplacement.com/faq.htm

http://www.valvereplacement.com/heart/index.html

http://www.sjm.com/4.0/4.2/4.2.shtm

http://www.warfarinfo.com/warfarinfo.com2.htm

http://www.valvereplacement.com/stories/index.html

 

[2hartsas1]

nancy, thanks for the site, i'm headed there now!!
boy...this is internship 101 all over again! by the time i'm done with this and the knowledge i already have of hep-sheesh, i can get on at any hospital!
thanks again!

~2harts-shirley

 

[2hartsas1]

wow! thanks ross and nancy!!!!!
nancy, i'm sure he will like the idea of a shiney new valve!lol!
~shirley&victor

 

[Granbonny]

Hi and Welcome

Hi and Welcome

Maybe your husband can cut back his smoking before the surgery and he isn't going to want one right afterwards. Well, he cannot smoke in the hopital anyway...So that will be 6-7 days..Also, he will not want a lot to eat..so maybe he will lose weight. He will have to do a lot of walking when he comes home to get the nasty stuff out of his body...By the way..he probably won't feel up to driving for 6-8 weeks...but wish you lot of luck. Visit often. Bonnie

 

[2hartsas1]

hi bonnie! thanks for your support!
i'm kinda hoping/counting on the stay in the hospital to help with the smoking urges and the weight loss. he did great for a few weeks after his last stay!
yes, i'll be around here a lot now-i've found a new home!
~shirley

 

[2hartsas1]

LOL! thanks ross!
yeah, if i read all that, i'll be seeing y'all in about a year!
but, i'm headed to all the links you gave me plus one fron nancy, so i'll be back during breaks!!!
thanks everyone!
shirley&victor

 

[Ross]

There are many more, but the ones I gave you will offer tons of information. Oh yeah, it won't take you a year to read them all.

 

[Granbonny]

Rossy

Rossy

Why don't you go back and get your M.D. degree??? You should be able to skip 101..eyes, ears, nose ,throat, limbs, lungs, heart and go straight to OBGYN Bonnie Lou

 

[Granbonny]

Shirley

Shirley

By the way, you may want to look above mine and Ross's pictures. Don't want to scare you Bonnie

 

[Nancy]

Ok Shirley-

Study, study, study. I guess no one told you about the initiation for the secret club. You'll have to take a written exam and be able to stand before an audience of 1000 and discuss heart valves for 45 minutes or longer.

But after you read the links that Ross gave you, you'll have a leg up on it.

 

[hensylee]

Hey 2 - welcome to Vr. Everybody said that when surgery is done, we all lost weight and kept it off for awhile. Maybe that will be an incentive. Right, folks? Sounds like our vets have put you on the right track to med school. It's necessary in dealing with the drs in life/death situations such as we have here. God bless

 

[EVELYN]

Hi 2hearts....

I'm Evelyn, whose husband, Tyce had avr this past June. You are in the very best possible site. EVERYONE here is knowledgeable, helpful, and willing to go the extra mile to help someone in need.

I agree with Nancy---have him get rid of those cigarettes....a heart person doesn't need lung problems, too. The sooner he gets off them the better. Neither of us smokes and I'm the one with asthma, go figure!! It truly is a terrible habit that only profits the tobacco companies!

When is your husband's next cardio appointment? Ross is right as to the tests he'll have to take. From that point on the choice of valve is up to you. We went with a mechanical because my husband was 59 and didn't want to face any future repeat surgeries. He is on Coumadin ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED,NO OPTION TO GO OFF WHEN YOU WANT!!!! It's not a problem for him and we monitor him regularly to determine his INR rate. Our cardio wants him to stay between 2.5 and 3.5, so that's the way we go---most of the time. It's more consistency in diet than anything else I can figure out. He does eat salads, broccoli, etc, but not alot at one time. He could, but then he'd have to raise his coumadin amounts. Anyway, that's a bit down the road for you.

I wish you well in your search for information. If there's anything I can do to help, please jot us a note. You're in a great place!!!

Evelyn and Tyce

 

[2hartsas1]

morning ross!
still reading....stopped for coffee break somewhere through the night
hubby(victor) is having severe leg pain and chest ache. as usual. we were looking at june as a target date for the surgery, but....i dunno.
~shirley