Night Sweats

[Susan BAV]

Wow!!! I remember my first post-op sneeze! NOT a pleasant thing !

I had some night sweats post-op and I seemed to ooze the hospital smells; it smelled like some chemical to me. ICK!!! Fortunately the sweats and chemical smell went away after a few weeks.

 

[dwfreck]

Wet, wretched me-toos.

Wet, wretched me-toos.

Count me in for night sweats! Also nap sweats! Seemed like any time I settled down for a rest (even if I didn't go to sleep) that sweat would start to collect in the small of my back, then around my knees and elbows, and eventually all over.

I managed to get around the clammies with several changes of clothing throughout the day. My wife even brought me some fresh-from-the-dryer sets of clothes (those were heavenly!).

The whole thing seemed to gradually go away some time during my third week post-op, about the same time I stopped feeling cold all the time.

According to my surgeon's nurse, the meds I was taking were to blame for the sweats (I was taking Vicodin, Lasix, Lopressor, digoxin, magnesium oxide, and potasium chloride, but she wasn't specific about which was to blame). I stopped or ran out of most of them some time during post-op week three.

Considering Ross' recent experience with not necessarily needing to pee more frequently while taking Lasix, I'm speculating that the Lasix was to blame for the sweats... maybe Lasix sweats the fluid out of you!

Hang in there, according to lots of folks who've been here before, this, too, shall pass.

 

[Sherry]

Hey, Bob,
"Conundrum" - what a cool word. (Sorry the English teacher in me is coming out there.) Anyway, I too had night sweats terribly after my MVR. As it turns out, I had a pericardial effusion. There were other telling symptoms too that came on gradually: not being able to lie on my back, breathlessness, low-grade fever, and those darned sweats. Hopefully, yours will pass.

 

[tobagotwo]

OK. I'll be watching for pericardial effusion symptoms. It's not uncommon, and could sneak up on me. I'm not completely without thoracic twinges when I breathe in as deeply as I can. However, I can still handle chopsticks.

I took a day off from adventures today, as I didn't feel as chipper as the day before. Some of the guys from work dropped by and took me out to lunch (dim sum - excellent), but it was only an hour and a half, and physically undemanding. I feel more energized this evening, but have something of a headache from lounging (temp OK at 99.1). Can't win.

Dale, I disagree with your nurse. I was never on any diuretics at all (a veritable peein' fool), and am only on Plavix (1x75) and Atenolol (2x25).

At least it seems to be one of those uncomfortable secrets that many of us share. I truly appreciate so many stepping up to the plate with this. It honors me to have such a vile, unpleasant, revolting, filthy, disgusting, and grotesque symptom in such good company.

 

[tobagotwo]

Just thinking - I wonder if it's the dye from the catheterization. That winds up all over your insides, and it must take a while to get rid of it all. Anyone able to point to that as a specific cause?

 

[Raverlaw]

Dale,

When my wife had to take potassium chloride, she sweated like a hog and the room had to be chilled down considerably.

 

[tobagotwo]

"Sweated like a hog," eh? Oh, to be a fly on the wall when she reads that post! Remember: protect your sternum...

I seem to be leveraging the squeaky wheel syndrome. I woke up this morning at 7:00, just mildly damp. I had been waking up at 2:00 am drowning. Perhaps I'm moving past this stage.

I'd like to gather whatever we've accumulated and put it in a place where it can be shared. It's a byproduct of all of this that is likely more frightening or disturbing than it needs to be most of the time. Also, people should be aware that it is a common condition, as this is not an area in which people wish to be "special." I updated the summary post above with some additions that were sent afterwards.

Suggestions of how/where that summary post should be placed would be appreciated, as well as any further insights into this clammy circumstance.

 

[dwfreck]

Bob,

I was going to ask "Chopsticks the utensils, or Chopsticks the piano tune?" but since you went out for dim sum, I'll assume the former.

As for twinges when you breathe as deeply as possible, I've still got those at 4 weeks post-op. Of course my "as deeply as possible" may be different than yours; I used to play low brass in the marching band, and sing in the church choir, so I've been trained to breathe VERY deeply. My twinges seem to come from my diaphram muscles and up near my collarbones.

As for coughing and sneezing, they are getting progressively less and less painful each day.

My surgeon didn't catheterize me during surgery. However, I did have an angiogram in November 2003 (which is what confirmed the need for surgery), and I didn't have any sweating after that, so my personal experience would suggest the catheterization dye isn't the problem.

If you really want, "to gather whatever we've accumulated and put it in a place where it can be shared," I'd suggest a 50 gallon drum! But since that could turn out to be very disgusting, perhaps I should just say "don't sweat it."

 

[tobagotwo]

Thanks, Dale. I hadn't been thinking of it as a container issue, but that certainly is a valid approach. Can you see it? Left in a warehouse in central Jersey. Fifty years from now: an investigation, followed by a SuperFund cleanup...

Well, you've crashed the cath theory. But that's what theories are for.

I'm still in "damp" mode, but it beats the heck out of where I was a few days ago, which I guess was "swamp" mode.

 

[dwfreck]

I still think regular changes of clean clothes fresh from the dryer is the best workaround.

 

[tobagotwo]

Dale, FYI.

Years ago I lived in Indian Hill, and then in Delhi Hills. Cincinnati is a beautiful area. I still have (and display) a large collection of ancient seabed fossils from endless days of following limestone stream beds, including the classic, rolled Trilobite.

As far as me being a blowhard, I maxed the spirometer the morning after surgery. The cardiologist was nonplussed. The nurse actually covered her face and turned away, saying, "I've never seen that before!"

Of course, my gown could have fallen open at that point, too. I just don't remember...