P
pegne
Carbo
Carbo
What you fishing for in your avitar? My hubby is obsessed with fishing. Peggy
Carbo
What you fishing for in your avitar? My hubby is obsessed with fishing. Peggy
Still a Pumphead?
- Thread starter ILoVeNY25
- Start date
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hensylee
Well-known member
Guessin time, Peg - maybe he's scratchin his dog's head - or ridin his horse? Is that water beyond him - or is it shade?
R
Ron K
Hi Nicole,
My memory and concentration skills are not as good as they were before my AVR surgery a year ago. I suspect that some of that has to do with residual pump-headedness, but I also attribute some of it to the aging process. Then there's the stress and occassional overload factor that sometimes figures into it too.
I find that doing things that normally reduce stress and anxiety are helpful when I feel my mind is going off in too many directions. (Of course being retired makes it a lot easier to back off for a few days and read a good book, or go fishing, etc,) When things slow down, my mind functions very well again.
I know you had been under a lot of stress recently, and with the world situation the way it is right now, there's plenty of other stressers around for all of us. Actually, worrying about not being able to come up with a certain word or forgeting what you wanted to get at the store, etc, only adds to the stress level.
Maybe you can try meditation or guided imagery tapes to help you relax and focus. It works for some people. Also, physical exercise can be very helpful. Humor in any form is another stress reducer.
Don't let it get you down. It will probably improve with time, and in the meantime, what's the big deal? If you're functioning fine 99% of the time, laugh off the 1% that you're letting get to you. Relax and stop worrying about looking less than perfect.
It happens to everyone, even those who have not been on the pump.
Ron K
My memory and concentration skills are not as good as they were before my AVR surgery a year ago. I suspect that some of that has to do with residual pump-headedness, but I also attribute some of it to the aging process. Then there's the stress and occassional overload factor that sometimes figures into it too.
I find that doing things that normally reduce stress and anxiety are helpful when I feel my mind is going off in too many directions. (Of course being retired makes it a lot easier to back off for a few days and read a good book, or go fishing, etc,) When things slow down, my mind functions very well again.
I know you had been under a lot of stress recently, and with the world situation the way it is right now, there's plenty of other stressers around for all of us. Actually, worrying about not being able to come up with a certain word or forgeting what you wanted to get at the store, etc, only adds to the stress level.
Maybe you can try meditation or guided imagery tapes to help you relax and focus. It works for some people. Also, physical exercise can be very helpful. Humor in any form is another stress reducer.
Don't let it get you down. It will probably improve with time, and in the meantime, what's the big deal? If you're functioning fine 99% of the time, laugh off the 1% that you're letting get to you. Relax and stop worrying about looking less than perfect.
It happens to everyone, even those who have not been on the pump. Ron K
C
carbomedic
Yes I am fishing. That was a 2 year old picture. I tried to go fishing as much as I could with my dad, he is the one who took this pict. I'm not obsessed with fishing. It takes too big of a time commitment. Still, it is a pleasent thing to do.
carbo
carbo
Jennie
Well-known member
Hi Nicole,
The pumphead scene must be a real drag. I can't say that I feel really pumpheaded, but I do have some trouble with names and phone numbers, particularly ones I haven't referenced before my surgery. At work I used to be able to dial up people without consulting the phone book, and now I scroll through the phone book trying to remember their name...! Or I'll see someone and just not be able to come up with their name. Ick! Hang in there. You had a bigger surgery than most of us, and I'm sure with time you will bounce back just fine.
JEnnie
PS Peggy: you don't look old enough to have a granddaughter!! And she is a cutie!
The pumphead scene must be a real drag. I can't say that I feel really pumpheaded, but I do have some trouble with names and phone numbers, particularly ones I haven't referenced before my surgery. At work I used to be able to dial up people without consulting the phone book, and now I scroll through the phone book trying to remember their name...! Or I'll see someone and just not be able to come up with their name. Ick! Hang in there. You had a bigger surgery than most of us, and I'm sure with time you will bounce back just fine.
JEnnie
PS Peggy: you don't look old enough to have a granddaughter!! And she is a cutie!
P
pegne
Jenny
Jenny
Thanks. She is the love of my life.
Jenny
Thanks. She is the love of my life.
L
LA_Cruiser
Nicole.....
Nicole.....
......I keep promising myself that I'll 'research' this subject 'with a vengeance' but within 'a couple' of minutes I'll be doing something else completely forgetting my promise.
There are bits and pieces og interesting information in the following:
>>>>>>Staying Mindful of Your Memory
Early Detection Can Help Delay the Effects of Memory-Related Diseases
By Cynthia Cather Burton
The Winchester Star
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November is Alzheimer?s Disease Awareness Month.
If you or someone you know is having difficulty remembering things, there?s a quick and easy way to find out if the problem warrants medical attention.
Every Friday from 10 a.m. to noon a free seven-minute memory screening is given at the Health Depot at Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester (with the exception of the last two Fridays in November. Screenings will resume Dec. 6.).
The four-part test is administered by behavioral health specialists from Winchester Medical Center.
The screening ?doesn?t pick up memory problems associated with the normal aging process,? but it does detect if a person has a low or high probability of developing dementia-like characteristics, said Tammy Price, who is behavioral services coordinator for Winchester Medical Center.
Price explained that ?words don?t come easily? for people with dementia, and they can?t do things such as draw a picture of a clock.
?They might know what a clock is, but they can?t draw it,? she said. ?There?s a disconnect.?
She added that while some people forget where they?ve put their glasses, a person with dementia won?t remember they have glasses.
Health Depot has offered the free memory screening since it opened in February.
A handful of people get screened on any given Friday, Price said. Most of them are already experiencing problems with their memory.
?Some people need this to say, ?OK, I have problem,?? she said.
Early detection of memory-related problems is important because medications can be prescribed to delay the effects, Price said.
Other measures can be taken as well, such as activities to exercise the brain and keep it alert.
If you would like to learn more on the topic, Price and one of her colleagues from behavioral services will present a community seminar on ?What You Need to Know About Memory? from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday at Winchester Medical Center?s Conference Center.
The seminar will cover tips on improving your memory and different myths associated with Alzheimer?s and dementia, according to WMC spokesperson Ellen Pesto.
?It will be interactive,? Price said.
There is no charge to attend the seminar, and reservations aren?t needed.
***
To learn more about the seven-minute memory screening at Health Depot (part of Valley Health System, parent company of Winchester Medical Center), call 536-5000.
Source >>>
------------------------------------------------>>>>>
Another link >>>>
Nicole, ..with only four open-heart surgeries I feel I've lost 90% of my memory capacity. Four anethesia 'treatments' and one heart-lung episode (In my days open-heart 'sessions' were 'quicker so they didn't NEED all that machinery,' --four minutes as opposed to todays four hour marathons).
>>>>N-a-n-c-y,
HELP!
Can you please post the link on that great MEMORY article, 'I forgot' where I saw it, I even 'forgot' to read it!
God Bless all
Nicole.....
......I keep promising myself that I'll 'research' this subject 'with a vengeance' but within 'a couple' of minutes I'll be doing something else completely forgetting my promise.
There are bits and pieces og interesting information in the following:
>>>>>>Staying Mindful of Your Memory
Early Detection Can Help Delay the Effects of Memory-Related Diseases
By Cynthia Cather Burton
The Winchester Star
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November is Alzheimer?s Disease Awareness Month.
If you or someone you know is having difficulty remembering things, there?s a quick and easy way to find out if the problem warrants medical attention.
Every Friday from 10 a.m. to noon a free seven-minute memory screening is given at the Health Depot at Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester (with the exception of the last two Fridays in November. Screenings will resume Dec. 6.).
The four-part test is administered by behavioral health specialists from Winchester Medical Center.
The screening ?doesn?t pick up memory problems associated with the normal aging process,? but it does detect if a person has a low or high probability of developing dementia-like characteristics, said Tammy Price, who is behavioral services coordinator for Winchester Medical Center.
Price explained that ?words don?t come easily? for people with dementia, and they can?t do things such as draw a picture of a clock.
?They might know what a clock is, but they can?t draw it,? she said. ?There?s a disconnect.?
She added that while some people forget where they?ve put their glasses, a person with dementia won?t remember they have glasses.
Health Depot has offered the free memory screening since it opened in February.
A handful of people get screened on any given Friday, Price said. Most of them are already experiencing problems with their memory.
?Some people need this to say, ?OK, I have problem,?? she said.
Early detection of memory-related problems is important because medications can be prescribed to delay the effects, Price said.
Other measures can be taken as well, such as activities to exercise the brain and keep it alert.
If you would like to learn more on the topic, Price and one of her colleagues from behavioral services will present a community seminar on ?What You Need to Know About Memory? from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday at Winchester Medical Center?s Conference Center.
The seminar will cover tips on improving your memory and different myths associated with Alzheimer?s and dementia, according to WMC spokesperson Ellen Pesto.
?It will be interactive,? Price said.
There is no charge to attend the seminar, and reservations aren?t needed.
***
To learn more about the seven-minute memory screening at Health Depot (part of Valley Health System, parent company of Winchester Medical Center), call 536-5000.
Source >>>
------------------------------------------------>>>>>
Another link >>>>
Nicole, ..with only four open-heart surgeries I feel I've lost 90% of my memory capacity. Four anethesia 'treatments' and one heart-lung episode (In my days open-heart 'sessions' were 'quicker so they didn't NEED all that machinery,' --four minutes as opposed to todays four hour marathons).
>>>>N-a-n-c-y,
HELP!
Can you please post the link on that great MEMORY article, 'I forgot' where I saw it, I even 'forgot' to read it!
God Bless all
Last edited:
Nancy
Well-known member
A lot of research is being done on memory loss after surgery, heart surgery in particular. However, I really must tell you that being the wife of a wonderful man who has gone through many, many surgeries, not just heart surgeries, the memory loss accompanies all of them to a certain extent. It does get better after time. I think a lot has to do with medications used in the OR and afterwards, trauma to the body, and swelling of the various tissues caused by the trauma.
Another thing I have noticed is that if there is any fluid on board, edema, any anemia or any other condition which can alter the oxygen carrying properties of the blood, memory loss will happen and continue until these conditions are corrected. That is why everyone has to be very mindful of their health, careful with sodium laden foods, careful to take their diuretics if prescribed, and careful about staying in close contact with their cardiologist and PCP.
Johnny Stephens posted this link a while back:
http://www.principalhealthnews.com/article/hscoutn/103406282
And I posted this article a while back regarding the heart-lung machine and brain problems.
"Pumpheadedness" study---help on the horizon??
Doctors Test Post-Bypass Memory Drugs
Story Filed: Tuesday, November 05, 2002 7:10 AM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Call it brain fog, that loss of memory and thinking ability that strikes tens of thousands of patients after open-heart surgery, and sometimes other big operations, every year.
Now doctors are studying if giving patients certain drugs just before a heart bypass could prevent this mental decline by essentially protecting the patients' brain cells from the rigors of surgery.
The clinical trials mark a turning point: For decades, doctors didn't know what to make of patient complaints that in getting their hearts fixed, something hurt their brains.
Today, few doubt it's a real problem that affects not just heart patients but those undergoing other major surgeries, too, such as hip or knee replacements. Often, patients recover. But one study found 42 percent of heart-bypass patients suffer significant drops in mental sharpness that can last not just months but years. Other research suggests 10 percent of hip-replacement patients suffer similar mental decline.
In some ways this ``postoperative cognitive dysfunction'' is a byproduct of the modern operating room. As surgery -- particularly the half-million heart bypasses performed every year -- has become increasingly successful, aftershocks such as a muddled brain draw more concern.
``It's a big quality of life issue,'' says Dr. James Cottrell, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
No one knows yet what's to blame. It may be that only certain people are at high risk, such as those whose brain blood vessels are starting to clog and something about surgery speeds up the disease.
For now, suspects range from the heart-lung machine that circulates bypass patients' blood -- it can dislodge tiny bits of fat, blood clots or air bubbles that flow to the brain -- to the inflammation and post-surgery fever that are a risk after any major operation.
Surgery's stresses spark inflammation and other reactions that ``in some ways is the body's way of healing itself,'' explains Dr. Mark Newman, anesthesiology chairman at Duke University and a leading expert on post-surgery mental decline. ``But the question is if it goes beyond a certain level, do you end up with problems?''
That's where much of the prevention research centers: If surgery even temporarily blocks oxygen in part of the brain or sparks severe inflammation, the body reacts with a chemical cascade that injures or kills brain cells.
Newman and other scientists are studying if injecting patients with one of three different medications before a bypass could block that chain reaction and spare brain cells:
--Two small studies suggest lidocaine, normally used for irregular heartbeat, can prevent bypass patients' brain fog. Duke now is testing 250 bypass patients, half given lidocaine and half not, to see who has better brain function a year after surgery. Newman says lidocaine might work by blocking a pathway that lets toxic doses of calcium flood into oxygen-deprived brain cells.
--Certain levels of magnesium seem to block that toxicity, too, as well as lessen cell damage from inflammation. So, using federal money, Duke is enrolling 400 bypass patients into a study to see if magnesium might block brain fog.
--Initial testing of an experimental drug called pexelizumab, thought to block an inflammation-causing immune system protein, showed bypass patients who received the drug had slightly less mental decline. Duke and several other hospitals are participating in a 3,000-patient study of pexelizumab, sponsored by the drug makers Alexion Pharmaceuticals and Procter & Gamble.
Some companies also are testing if filters put onto heart-lung machines can help by keeping debris from flowing to the brain.
Until those studies are done, Newman advises patients worried about coming surgery to ask their anesthesiologists about one step believed to lower brain risk -- rewarming their cooled-down bodies more slowly than usual after the operation is done.
The key is intense temperature monitoring that tells when the brain, which warms faster than other organs, reaches 98.6 degrees, Newman explains. At that point, doctors should stop warming and let other organs gradually reach normal temperature on their own.
EDITOR'S NOTE -- Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.
Copyright © 2002 Associated Press Information Services, all rights reserved."
Another thing I have noticed is that if there is any fluid on board, edema, any anemia or any other condition which can alter the oxygen carrying properties of the blood, memory loss will happen and continue until these conditions are corrected. That is why everyone has to be very mindful of their health, careful with sodium laden foods, careful to take their diuretics if prescribed, and careful about staying in close contact with their cardiologist and PCP.
Johnny Stephens posted this link a while back:
http://www.principalhealthnews.com/article/hscoutn/103406282
And I posted this article a while back regarding the heart-lung machine and brain problems.
"Pumpheadedness" study---help on the horizon??
Doctors Test Post-Bypass Memory Drugs
Story Filed: Tuesday, November 05, 2002 7:10 AM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Call it brain fog, that loss of memory and thinking ability that strikes tens of thousands of patients after open-heart surgery, and sometimes other big operations, every year.
Now doctors are studying if giving patients certain drugs just before a heart bypass could prevent this mental decline by essentially protecting the patients' brain cells from the rigors of surgery.
The clinical trials mark a turning point: For decades, doctors didn't know what to make of patient complaints that in getting their hearts fixed, something hurt their brains.
Today, few doubt it's a real problem that affects not just heart patients but those undergoing other major surgeries, too, such as hip or knee replacements. Often, patients recover. But one study found 42 percent of heart-bypass patients suffer significant drops in mental sharpness that can last not just months but years. Other research suggests 10 percent of hip-replacement patients suffer similar mental decline.
In some ways this ``postoperative cognitive dysfunction'' is a byproduct of the modern operating room. As surgery -- particularly the half-million heart bypasses performed every year -- has become increasingly successful, aftershocks such as a muddled brain draw more concern.
``It's a big quality of life issue,'' says Dr. James Cottrell, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
No one knows yet what's to blame. It may be that only certain people are at high risk, such as those whose brain blood vessels are starting to clog and something about surgery speeds up the disease.
For now, suspects range from the heart-lung machine that circulates bypass patients' blood -- it can dislodge tiny bits of fat, blood clots or air bubbles that flow to the brain -- to the inflammation and post-surgery fever that are a risk after any major operation.
Surgery's stresses spark inflammation and other reactions that ``in some ways is the body's way of healing itself,'' explains Dr. Mark Newman, anesthesiology chairman at Duke University and a leading expert on post-surgery mental decline. ``But the question is if it goes beyond a certain level, do you end up with problems?''
That's where much of the prevention research centers: If surgery even temporarily blocks oxygen in part of the brain or sparks severe inflammation, the body reacts with a chemical cascade that injures or kills brain cells.
Newman and other scientists are studying if injecting patients with one of three different medications before a bypass could block that chain reaction and spare brain cells:
--Two small studies suggest lidocaine, normally used for irregular heartbeat, can prevent bypass patients' brain fog. Duke now is testing 250 bypass patients, half given lidocaine and half not, to see who has better brain function a year after surgery. Newman says lidocaine might work by blocking a pathway that lets toxic doses of calcium flood into oxygen-deprived brain cells.
--Certain levels of magnesium seem to block that toxicity, too, as well as lessen cell damage from inflammation. So, using federal money, Duke is enrolling 400 bypass patients into a study to see if magnesium might block brain fog.
--Initial testing of an experimental drug called pexelizumab, thought to block an inflammation-causing immune system protein, showed bypass patients who received the drug had slightly less mental decline. Duke and several other hospitals are participating in a 3,000-patient study of pexelizumab, sponsored by the drug makers Alexion Pharmaceuticals and Procter & Gamble.
Some companies also are testing if filters put onto heart-lung machines can help by keeping debris from flowing to the brain.
Until those studies are done, Newman advises patients worried about coming surgery to ask their anesthesiologists about one step believed to lower brain risk -- rewarming their cooled-down bodies more slowly than usual after the operation is done.
The key is intense temperature monitoring that tells when the brain, which warms faster than other organs, reaches 98.6 degrees, Newman explains. At that point, doctors should stop warming and let other organs gradually reach normal temperature on their own.
EDITOR'S NOTE -- Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.
Copyright © 2002 Associated Press Information Services, all rights reserved."
Last edited:
Hensylee,
Sorry I didn't respond to your earlier post -- forgot to check this thread <g>.
I did read the threads on pump syndrome, etc., but was just offering added possibilities. From what I gather, each patient is or may be affected differently, and we won't know our own situation until we experience it. Kind of a "catch-22."
Sorry I didn't respond to your earlier post -- forgot to check this thread <g>.
I did read the threads on pump syndrome, etc., but was just offering added possibilities. From what I gather, each patient is or may be affected differently, and we won't know our own situation until we experience it. Kind of a "catch-22."
J
John Cochran
Books on memory
Books on memory
What an interesting thread! I think I have the record here for time on a heart/lung machine (10 hours during a 14-hour surgery)...not a record I'm proud of, but it makes me especially interested in this topic.
I suspect that "pump-headedness" is actually caused by a host of inter-related things. The effect of the heart/lung machine on your blood during surgery is the first thing. Basically, it beats the cells to death over time. I suspect the reason I came out of this mentally intact (OK, I know that's debatable) is that they kept pouring fresh blood in to me due to prolonged bleeding. I think I got 23 units of blood, plus a bunch of platelets at the end. In addition, the hospital I was at had the best filters and up-to-date equipment. But, as others have mentioned, the drugs, physical and emotional trauma, etc. all interact to impair cognitive function.
Now, here is some good news. I firmly believe that all of these effects can be overcome. Some go away with time, but continued drug use can continue the effects. So, new strategies need to be employed.
One of the very best books I've read on memory is "The Memory Book" by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas. Also good is "Your Memory : How It Works and How to Improve It" by Kenneth L. Higbee.
I just last week came off of the beta blockers that I'd been taking since surgery. I can feel quite a difference already, so I know for sure that some of these drugs contribute to cognitive problems. But, I think that there are ways to get around these issues. We all understand the concept of physical therapy, and understand how it can be used to strengthen the heart and muscles. I suggest that "memory therapy" is also a real and practical approach to overcoming the effects of our surgeries.
--John
Books on memory
What an interesting thread! I think I have the record here for time on a heart/lung machine (10 hours during a 14-hour surgery)...not a record I'm proud of, but it makes me especially interested in this topic.
I suspect that "pump-headedness" is actually caused by a host of inter-related things. The effect of the heart/lung machine on your blood during surgery is the first thing. Basically, it beats the cells to death over time. I suspect the reason I came out of this mentally intact (OK, I know that's debatable) is that they kept pouring fresh blood in to me due to prolonged bleeding. I think I got 23 units of blood, plus a bunch of platelets at the end. In addition, the hospital I was at had the best filters and up-to-date equipment. But, as others have mentioned, the drugs, physical and emotional trauma, etc. all interact to impair cognitive function.
Now, here is some good news. I firmly believe that all of these effects can be overcome. Some go away with time, but continued drug use can continue the effects. So, new strategies need to be employed.
One of the very best books I've read on memory is "The Memory Book" by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas. Also good is "Your Memory : How It Works and How to Improve It" by Kenneth L. Higbee.
I just last week came off of the beta blockers that I'd been taking since surgery. I can feel quite a difference already, so I know for sure that some of these drugs contribute to cognitive problems. But, I think that there are ways to get around these issues. We all understand the concept of physical therapy, and understand how it can be used to strengthen the heart and muscles. I suggest that "memory therapy" is also a real and practical approach to overcoming the effects of our surgeries.
--John
Last edited:
Nancy
Well-known member
Hi John-
I have to agree with you about beta-blockers. Although I haven't had heart surgery, I do have hypertension and was on a beta-blocker for 20 years. It has subtle and in the long term, very annoying side effects. I am no longer on a beta-blocker, but now on Cozaar. My energy level went up tremendously.
I do understand that many heart patients must be on beta-blockers and do well with them.
This is just my experience.
I have to agree with you about beta-blockers. Although I haven't had heart surgery, I do have hypertension and was on a beta-blocker for 20 years. It has subtle and in the long term, very annoying side effects. I am no longer on a beta-blocker, but now on Cozaar. My energy level went up tremendously.
I do understand that many heart patients must be on beta-blockers and do well with them.
This is just my experience.
