Were you a Pump Head? ( memory / sleep / pumphead)

[auricula]

Worried in advance about pumphead, I found that some areas of memory were accessible almost immediately after surgery. I was able to recite two 8-digit library account numbers in the ICU. But I found simple reasoning and short-term recall totally confounding. I did not sleep well in the hospital and while awake the second night after surgery I spent hours trying to figure what the date would be one week later, e.g. today is Tuesday, Feb. 22, so tomorrow will be Wed., Feb. 23; then it got really fuzzy and I never even got close to the day and date one week hence. It was very upsetting. I just kept going back to the beginning, thinking I could come up with one more day/date but it was impossible. Since I was not sleeping well and could not use the bed I spent ~23 hrs/day in the cardio chair and was very confused trying to tell night from day. I seem to be better now but fatigue easily. I was on the pump for 45 minutes. Pat

 

[Penny]

I did recall having some issues with memory right after my surgery (july 13/10) . I have recently had a scary situation happen when a woman added me as her friend on facebook. I just don't add anyone to my list so I messaged her and asked her if we had met somewhere. She messaged me back and said "ya it's me from the restaurant/catering co." I didn't remember this girl, sat there looking through her pictures and nothing.... she then tells me that I wrote out her paycheques for 3.5 years and I have no clue or memory of this girl working for the company. What the heck... I don't get it... going to do some more reading on pumphead..

 

[epstns]

Crossing my fingers, so far. No notable issues, but I'm only 3 weeks post op. I have had one or two occasions where I searched for a name, but I had these pre-surgery as well. The only thing I noticed was that for the first couple of weeks I made more typos than correctly spelled words and had to heavily edit all that I wrote. That seems to be improving, so I hope that at least this aspect of my recovery will go as hoped.

 

[catwoman]

I couldn't remember my home address. Had to consult my driver's license. This was about 6-12 weeks post-op.

 

[Jeff Edmonton]

No noticeable difference after surgery. I was physically weaker which is normal and I remember mentioning pump head to the nurse and she said she had never heard it refereed as such before. Like Steve, I did notice some typo errors which I blame on rushing and not focusing properly due to the physical weakness.

 

[tobagotwo]

I

wait...what was this about..?

I didn't seem to have any lasting difficulties the first time, but I'm noticing that I have a lot of anomia now. Anomia is when you can't remember the names of things. ("Big white box in kitchen" = refrigerator.)

The names aren't always gone, but they come and go, exasperatingly so when I'm trying to talk to people. At work, I have told my boss that the processor is working, but that database isn't always online. I feel like I have to, because I don't always think I sound competent.

My wife and I have always had it to some extent, but it seems like it's gotten worse since the last OHS. It could also be stress, as job stress has escalated a lot. Stilll, I wonder...

Best wishes,

 

[catwoman]

No noticeable difference after surgery. I was physically weaker which is normal and I remember mentioning pump head to the nurse and she said she had never heard it refereed as such before. Like Steve, I did notice some typo errors which I blame on rushing and not focusing properly due to the physical weakness.

One of my breakfast buddies is a surgeon who has mentioned pumpheadedness...
I know a CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist). Next time I see him, I'll pick his brains about it.

 

[Dennis S]

I think I woke up sooner than expected after surgery. I was on a ventilator, and very groggy from the anesthesia. In this state I thought that someone had driven a stake down my throat, and I had to get it out or suffocate. I was pulling on it with both hands when I had a nurse in each ear telling me I was in the hospital and needed to leave the tube in. I remember thinking that my life depended on the correct decision-trust the voices or pull out the "pipe". I mention it here because that moment's thought was somehow the clearest single thought I ever experienced in my life. I can't explain it, but I will never forget it. I was changed by the surgery, but in a different way. Nothing has ever seemed the same since I woke up. I was a roaring type "A" attorney before my surgery. After the surgery I have been much more prone take a walk, read a book, write an article or take a picture. I have found a lot of enjoyment that used to pass me by.

But I have noticed one striking change. When I am typing on the computer, I have noticed a tendency to make a particular kind of mistake. I may type right when I meant to type write, or their when I meant to type there. I don't recall that I ever did that before surgery, but now it is something I have to be careful about. It makes no sense to me, but it has been my experience.

 

[Bryan B]

After my first surgery I definitely had pumphead and it probably lasted close to a year, although it slowly diminished over that year. I haven't noticed any pumphead with the surgery I had 3.5 weeks ago. I have been "mentally active" after this surgery reading and typing on forums and playing cards online. I also think I was on the pump for a significantly longer period during my 1st surgery because my surgeon tried to repair my valve before going ahead with the Ross Procedure (so I was on it, then he took me off of it to test the repaired valve, then back on it to do the Ross). I don't know if keeping my mind more active this time has been what's helped or if the 1st surgery fried all of my brain cells and there was nothing left to fry.

Seriously though I had my surgery at Duke and I read somewhere that they are at the forefront of improving the issues they think may be the cause of pumphead (IIRC reduced oxygen levels to the brain and/or tiny air bubbles due to the bypass pump).

 

[dmeehan]

I am 3 weeks post-op as of tomorrow (surgery was 3/1/11) and so far (knock on wood) no signs of pumphead.