Tee

[nadi]

Hi!

I saw my cardio today on a "you need to get in here" basis.
I had to call the nurse this morning because I had gained 5.5 lbs since yesterday AM. (did this last week also)I also had some pretty severe muscle aches and breaking out in a sweat all this while trying to work.

The Dr and I could not come up with an external why this is happening so in the morning I am having another TEE. The Dr is hoping to rule out that the new valve is leaking and/or the pre-surgery damage was worse then they thought.

My question is: Has anyone heard of a valve leaking or that a stitch has torn loose and if so why? Will that mean another open heart surg? Also could all this be the culprit in my INR swings?

Kinda nervous,

 

[ccrawford]

Dear Kinda Nervous - I can't answer any of your questions, but sweety, I sure hope everything irons out for you real quick, cause you've had your fair share of surgery and hospitals and all of that. You've made great progress so far since your surgery, and I hope to see a bunch more. Nadine, keep us advised how it all goes. I'm told the tee isn't that bad. Chris

 

[Nancy]

Nadi-

Don't get way ahead of yourself. One step at a time is what you need to do. Wait until the doctor does his testing and evaluates it.

Do you have CHF? Usually when Joe has that kind of weight gain, it means he is having a bout of CHF, which comes and goes. His doctor puts him on extra diuretics and it goes away.

Let us know what happens with your TEE. Usually they can give you or the person who accompanies you some information right after it.

Wishing you the best tomorrow.

 

[bvdr]

Hi Nadi,

I wish you weren't having any problems......I really do. But, since you are, I'm glad you are getting checked thoroughly. My prayers go with you tomorrow and I hope you soon feel better.

 

[Les]

Nadi,
Nancy stated it exactly...One step at a time and wait until the doc evaluates. To answer one of your questions, yeah, my first St Jude pulled loose at the suture ring which resulted in almost immediate replacement surgery but I had no symptoms at all! So, let 'em check you out to see what's going on then get right back on here and let us know...OK? I'll be thinking of you...
_______________
Les AVR '93 / '95

 

[nadi]

Nancy,

The cardio didn't say anything about it today and I guess I was having a brain spasm and never thought to asked. But, when I saw my PCP she said in the report she got that I had CHF and Pulmonary hypertension but the Cardio felt it was do the the valve and that CHF would go away after surgery, she said they were not sure about the pulmonary hypertension. So the answer is I don't know, yet.

I will be bringing me a list when I see him next week and Ron will have a smaller list for tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nadi-

Joe also has pulmonary hypertension. Make very sure you know just how serious it is. Joe's was severe and wasn't being addressed at all. He has a specialist now in both CHF and PH. It has made a world of difference. PH can be a very nasty disease, but there are some very good treatments for it now. And CHF can be well controlled. You just have to stay on top of it.

Joe also had a couple of stitches pull lose with his mitral valve. He had had several bad faints from bradycardia, and I do believe that one of those caused the small leak, because it was soon after his mitral surgery, and he fell like a tree in the forest, right on his chest and face. He then got a pacemaker to stop the bradycardia. And he had surgery to repair the small leak. Everything's working well now.

Feel free to email me if you wish. Just put valvereplacement in the message line, or something I will recognize, like your name.

I'm hoping that you will have good news tomorrow.

 

[nadi]

My TEE

My TEE

Well I had the TEE yesterday. The Dr did not come out and talk to my husband(figures!). The nurse did tell me that if it was serious I would not be sent home, so since I was able to come home it must not be too serious. Right??? They did give me a new script for my atenonol, they doubled the dose and I started the Zoroxolyn yesterday.

I promised myself that "I" was not going to dwell on it(yeah right the "me" and "myself" part of will ) I sure will be glad when next Wed. gets here.

Thanks for the replies and encouragement.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nadi-

I hope the report turns out to be just fine.

Put a crown on your head, girl, you are Queen for a Day. The zaroxolyn will be causing you to sit on your throne quite a bit.

You'll feel better in a hurry!

 

[ccrawford]

nadine, We'll be waiting for your doc's report, and hoping that all will come back roses. Chris

 

[csutherland]

Nadine, if I remember correctly you have the same group of doctors that my husband has. When he had his problems about 5-6 weeks after the AVR they did a TEE and immediately came in and explained to me what was wrong and that they were keeping him there for another surgery. That was when they did the pericardial window because of accumulation of blood, etc in the pericardium. So, hopefully you are correct in assuming that it
is nothing urgent.

Keep us posted!

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi nadine!
i'm so sorry you have to go through this. please let us know what the doctor says about the tee.
i know it's easy for us to say, but as everyone else has said, please try not to make yourself crazy worrying
about this until you have to. it's remarkable how our imaginations can take us away!!! we look forward to hearing from you soon.
be well, sylvia

 

[nadi]

Isn't it fun...

Isn't it fun...

to spend your day in Dr's offices?
I started the morning with blood work then I saw the cardio.
He said the TEE show mitral stenosis(replaced in May) and tachycardia and between the 2 it is causing the fluid backup.
Yeah!! added more meds . I then got to go back for more blood work. I was then sent to see the pulmonolgist(had a cancellation. He did give me good news, NO C.O.P.D. but while asking questions he thought I should have a sleep study for apnea. I swear I am falling apart!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And on top of all that I saw the PCP the day before and she wants me to cut back at work. The boss is not going to be happy with me.

I have come up with a couple of questions I forgot to ask today, and I hope someone could/would answer for me.
1) Is tachycardia a permanent condition or could it correct itself?
2) Will I have to watch the stenosis for possible trouble down the road?
3) Can sleep apnea cause valve problems?

Sorry I am so long winded, too much info to process. The brain just wants keep going and going and going

Thanks,

 

[MelissaM]

Hi Nadine,

Sorry to hear you had such a rough day. How disappointing that your valve is showing stenosis. I'm not able to answer any of your questions, but will definitely keep you in my prayers. Hang in there!

Melissa

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nadi-

Sorry to hear that you had this news, but at least you have a diagnosis to work with.

I'm sure they'll keep an eye on the stenosis. Did they tell you how bad it was? I don't think anyone can predict if it will progress or not.

The tachycardia is usually controlled well with medications. Joe has chronic afib and he has tachycardia a lot. He's on Lanoxin (digitalis), but there is a limit to how much of that he can take. He doesn't react well to beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers, so they're out. Because of his advanced cardiac conditions, there isn't much they can do for the afib. So his heartbeat is fast, probably permanently.

I'm sure in your case, you will have some relief with meds.

Sleep apnea can cause a lot of things or can be the result of a lot of things, and is being looked at more and more. It is a good thing to get corrected, if one has it. I'm not sure it can cause valve problems, but it could cause other problems with the heart and pulmonary system because it interferes with the oxygen flow to the body.

I know when Joe was hospitalized in January, sleep apnea was looked at carefully. He used to have it and snored something fierce and stopped breathing for long periods of time. After his mitral valve repair, this totally went away. Now that several of his other conditions are under control, he sleeps like a baby. Having a peaceful night's sleep is so important for one's overall health, and especially if there is heart or lung problems.

You will be feeling better very soon.

Take care.

 

[fyrfytr]

Hey Nadine,
Sorry to hear you are having problems. I hope the drs. get everything worked out for you. Here is a site that talks about tachycardia, www.guidant.com . I will keep you in my prayers. Keep us posted and Take Care.

Dave
_______________________________________
Surgery: 4/21/03
Aortic Aneurysm Repair
AVR, with a St. Jude Mechanical

 

[ALCapshaw2]

There was something in the News lately about a device to reduce / control Sleep Apnea WITHOUT surgery. It was some sort of plastic device inserted into the mouth that positioned the jaw to reduce / prevent the soft palet and tongue from blocking the airway through the back of the throat.

I 'think' this was on our local news but it may have come from the network. It was not produced locally.

Best wishes in sorting out your afflictions!

'AL'

 

[Nancy]

When Joe was in the hospital, they tried him on a machine called BiPAP, because his oxygen was dropping during sleep. It's sort of like an external ventilator. It has a mask and a little machine that forces air/oxygen into your lungs in a controlled way. People who use them have benefitted greatly from them. They are hard to get used to. Joe elected not to use it.

But his breathing is much better now anyway because his pulmonary hypertension and CHF are both better controlled.

Here's a link that shows the machines:

http://www.cpapman.com/bi-level.html

 

[ericaj]

nadine

nadine

Hi Nadine, My thoughts are with you and like everyone else I agree try not to dwell on teh tomorrow's but focus on what is here today and take heart that we are all roating for you 100%. I have confidence that the drs. will get you fixed back up and your conditions under control soon. Take care and relax, Erica

 

[Georgia]

You go, girl

You go, girl

Nadine, if you keep finding things wrong with you you're going to end up in the Rossman and Joe category. But probably not as ornery as Ross.

Sleep apnea: my son in law has it; has the machine at night and has improved that boy's personality greatly. I'm sure it should since he's not exhausted day and night anymore. They have to get the insurer's permission to provide it - come out to the house to install and train the user. Pretty nifty.

I had tachycardia and irregular hb for several years when I was @ 30 (due to mv prolapse) . It went away after using dig and (first) beta blox and (second) calcium channel blox. I was off all meds for about 8 years (see what it got me?). Now I get to take mostly all of them. I have an ongoing battle with tachycardia since surgery; doc says it's very gradually improving.

I'm sure getting rid of the extra fluids will improve your life considerably; and cutting back on work will improve the quality of your work. Perhaps you could explain to your boss that getting so worn out while working isn't a good thing?

Be good; take care of yourself and give the meds a chance to work.