The struggle is real. . . discharged and second guessing myself.

[Paleowoman]

Nausea, lack of appetite, can be due to side effects of meds or due to pain itself or a combination of everything. If you can, eat small meals, little and often. Do tell your GP when you see him/her on Monday.

 

[harrietW]

Thanks Paliogirl yes nausea has been one of my biggest complaints since before the first time they made me get up , to and including this very minute. It's really aweful and you can bet it will be a topic of discussion on Monday. I complained everyday about it and no resolve yet .
Thx

 

[Paleowoman]

When I was in hospital I too complained about nausea, although I would describe it as more as a complete loss of desire to eat or even drink. The nursing staff took little notice and just told me to drink milk and have fruit - I ended up having something like just half a glass of milk per 'meal'. I lost so much weight but they didn't realise because, of course, there's a load of fluid retention after AVR. But my gut had actualy almost shut down due to a combination of meds and trauma of surgery and pain (diagnosed four weeks later by gastroenterologist). My GP - bless him - prescribed me nutritional drinks - (Fortisip - don't know if that's available where you are) - which were full of nourishment and very easy for me to drink and digest. Now the hospital should have prescribed that as over a week with very little food was not good for healing. (Anyway, I know for next time !)

 

[Duffey]

You'll feel better once you're in the comfort of your home. Best wishes for an easier road ahead.

 

[harrietW]

Duffey thx you l think the same once l get home and the days pass lm sure my stomach will settle down a bit, hopefully! Xx
Paliogirl l sent my son and daughter in law out at 10:30 last night for fresh fruit. . Oranges apples grapes as l felt so dehydrated l ate a good amount of all or as much as l could as soon as l eat anything l feel so bloated. I can eat, just feel like throwing up everytime although have not . Could be the medications of course so l will plug along and hopefully it passes. I have not lost any weight other than the 27.6 lbs of fluid retained after surgery. Just awefully Bloated l do have a hiatus hernia for a very long time and am on pantoprAzle just doesn't seem to work at all. I am sure it will all work itself out as such an invasive surgery is bound to effect everything and all body function.
Xx Thx you ladies!

 

[Superbob]

Perfectly normal to have second-guessing, regrets, doubts, fears, Harriet, right after going through all this. Those thoughts usually clear up as hope and the reality of a new life emerge. If depression does set in, though, be sure to seek out professional help. It would be no disgrace. It does sometimes happen after heart surgery. I am confident you will be fine. I am pulling for you.

 

[harrietW]

Superbob thank you l really needed to hear that ! It has been less than a cake walk for sure. I knew it wasn't going to be easy but l now know the denial l was in . l honestly don't know why l thought the pain would be so much more manageable and over so much quicker than it has been. I've always thought of myself as tough and strong and alot more resilient.This heart business is truly for warrior's

 

[Agian]

Harriet, I agree with Superbob.
These are the medications I'm on:
Atenolol 25mg twice a day
Losartan 50mg twice a day
Rosuvastatin 40mg night
Ezeteride 10mg morning
Plavix 75mg morning
Aspirin 100mg morning
Pantoprazole 40mg twice a day
And I haven't even had the operation yet!
... So, if you rattle when you walk, you're in good company. Chin up

 

[harrietW]

AgIan
Lol rattle l do lol ! I must be on track ... just swallowing the amount of pills lm taking makes me sick. I too was on about the same as you pre op now x 3- 3 times a day Hopefully we get to lose a few along the plus a couple of injections. I'm only 16 days pre op so l have faith.
Thx you.

 

[epstns]

I, too, rattle when I walk. Only some of the pills I take are prescriptions, the rest are supplements. Since I have a tissue valve (and have managed to stay out of afib), I am not taking warfarin, although I did for the first three months post-op. I've just gotten used to the pills, even when I travel. I just count them out in advance, bag them, and take it all with me. Haven't even been questioned at the airports.

Harriet, do keep in mind that venting is not only perfectly acceptable here, but it is also a form of therapy for the anxieties you are likely to experience after heart surgery. I remember after my surgery that I got the feeling that even my wife sort of "didn't want to keep hearing about it all" so I came here. The folks here were wonderful. They all "get it" and understand exactly what we go through after one of these surgeries, and they know how to support us. That's why we are called a "support group." We are most definitely here for you, so don't be shy.

One other important (to me, at least) thing to keep track of after surgery is your "intestinal health." At the risk of sharing "too much information" I'll say that my innards were so "bound up" after all the meds and trauma of surgery that I actually had to be re-admitted to the hospital about 4 weeks post-op, to get my digestive tract back into proper operation. Once the problem was identified and rectified, I was sent home with instructions to use a gentle laxative (Miralax, or its generic equivalent), taking full dosage to start, then tapering to half, then one fourth, then finally stopping it as my body adjusted. It took me about another month after the re-hospitalization to get back on track, but it did sort out. It was quite uncomfortable in the process, though.

Along with those issues, I lost my appetite, like so many others, just after surgery. In my case, it was partly because food just tasted "nasty" and like some grade schooler's chemistry experiment. They told me it was the aftermath of all the meds I was given in the hospital, but that, too, took almost a month to finally resolve.

I'm not telling you about all of this to scare you. Quite the contrary - I'm telling you so that you can possibly avoid the issues. Some of the more compassionate surgeons send their patients home with directions regarding laxative use after surgery, and this seems to avoid the major maladjustment that I experienced.

You've gotten through some of the toughest parts of the process - the waiting, the decisions, the surgery, etc. Now all you have to do is continue on the path of recovery to get to your new lease on life. Stay with us. We'll help you through it.

 

[Superman]

harrietW,

Have you had a full panel of blood work done since discharge? I ask because I had developed pancreatitis during recovery that was driving a great deal of my nausea in recovery. Something else to look at anyway.

 

[harrietW]

Mah84 hello Mah84 l tried to respond in a private message and it would not let me for some resson so hope you don't mind that it's public thx again
Thank you for you kind words and encouragement. When l was diagnosed with valvular disease due to Rheumatic heart disease 3 yrs ago my mitral valve was already in sever stenosis and regurgitation and spent the remaining couple yrs for my aortic valve to also become as sever. I did alot of research consulted with 2 cardiologist and a surgeon as well as my Lung and GP they all were addimate about replacement. The shock to wake up after surgery 3 yrs later was to say the least very disheartening. I have read many many cases including on the forum of repair failure on valves and that reopen is and was nessesary kline only a very short time. God willing this will not be the case for me as l will never ever undergo the surgery again.
I have heard and read of the increased number of Rheumatic heart desease in India and of course if you have family there it makes perfect sense for you to be there. You are young and have a whole life ahead of you . My son is 35 and had Rheumatic fever at the age of about 7 he refuses to follow up with doctors.
I wish you all the best in your journey of the heart and look forward to you updates as well. Safe travels you much be getting ready to depart for India soon as February will soon be arriving. Xx hang in there sending prayers and healing vibrations for a successful surgery

 

[harrietW]

Superman
A full blood work up No not to my knowledge however l had a scare with bloodsugur levels and kidney shut down the called it shock or trama where your kidneys are forces into **** down due to shock from surgery. I will most definitely see how things go when l return home to my GP for Monday morn. Thx you ! I will be insisting on figuring out why thx you now l do have that hernia which is forsure giving me much added grief. X my fingers for answers

 

[harrietW]

Epstns Thank you again ! One things for sure l am not shy about my issues. Hiatus hernia Gerd or reflux issues all seem to have worsened since surgery intestinal track is now currently an issue and was thought to have been settle before discharge but apparently it is not so again l am sure all of those things are contributing factors here with the amount of nausea that l am experiencing.
I knew things weren't going to be easy and things would take time to settle but l will say it is 10 times worse than l could of ever imagined it all to be.
I will stay posted

 

[harrietW]

Cldlhd thx you ! I would say that probably more than half are permanent although I was given enough vitamin D to supply my whole darn town rediculous. . 4000 gram a day for life l say thanks but no thanks . I am hoping to sort through these when l see my GP Monday and get ride of everything that is not life treating !!

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Harriet - blood sugar levels go up to diabetic ranges after heart surgery due to the stress hormones generated as a result of such surgery. They put everyone on insulin in fact, at least for a few days. My blood sugar levels were much higher than normal for several weeks (I'm diabetic) even though I wasn't eating much !

How much vitamin D have you been given ? 4,000 IUs per day ? It doesn't come in grams ! If it's 4,000 IUs that's quite respectable as long as they check up on your blood levels of D. I'm prescribed 20,000 IUs per week and am very happy about it - vitamin D is a good vitamin to take - and I get my levels of D tested six monthly. They stay in the optimal range.

 

[harrietW]

Paliogirl yes lts 4,000 IU's per day. And yes my blood sugar is back to normal. However l have never been one for suplements of any sort just seems like alot of extra pills a day and adds up over the course of a week . I honestly think I get plenty of sunshine just seems unrealistic. I know they say it's good for you but real that makes it 17 pills 3 times a day that to me seems rediculous. And everyone l enjest makes me want to throw up .. omg ! I'm curtain that's why lm so sqeemish.

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Harriet - I don't know about where you live (isn't it Canada ?), but in the UK something like 85% of people are deficient in vitamin D ! In the north of northern America it will be similar as it's similar, or even higher, latitudes. So to be prescribed 4,000 IUs per day means they must consider you deficient. Vitamin D deficiency has huge implications for heart health and all sorts of other health issues. I've never been actually deficient myself, but I started to take it because I read a really good cardiologist say how good it was for heart and vascular health, and then my endocrinologist got really into vitamin D and was keen that I get to, and keep, optimal levels of D. If you get any blood work done, ask for them to check your vitamin D level so you can make an informed decision about whether or not to take it. You don't actually have to take it daily, vitamin D is one of those things you can take once weekly or even once monthly if you are really not keen on taking it - you just take a higher dose supplement for the week or the month. But simply loads of people take upwards 4,000 or 5,000 IUs of vitamin D per day - it's the in thing

 

[Mah84]

Thank you very much harrietW for those kind words. My aortic Valve is not severe yet but all surgeons preferred me to do the surgery within 6 months. My LV Ejection fraction is at 45 - 50 % and there is mild dilation on left ventricle.
I am leaving to India Next thursday. Hope everything goes well

 

[rnff2]

Harriet, I haven't read all the replies sent to you...I can't concentrate right now to do so. I am post op from Tuesday, so going into day 5. I'm sitting here, luckily, I think at home and not in the hospital still. I'm wondering how I made it thru the past few days. All I can think about is one day or maybe one hour at a time. I'm irritable, tired and overwhelmed, but now I sit at the top of my hill hopefully I will have only a few bumps to go over on the other side. Best of luck to you!!! Let our journeys continue...