What are bumps in the road?

[Ovie]

I see this term used frequently, after surgery, I guess in my case AVR, what are some specifics that people have endured themselves? I see some people fly through with no problems, but than read others who have drawbacks and ups and downs.

What are some of these things that hopefully I don't have to experience, but heading into all of this I think it's important to hear from others what they experienced, if some of you don't mind sharing?

 

[Superbob]

I see this term used frequently, after surgery, I guess in my case AVR, what are some specifics that people have endured themselves? I see some people fly through with no problems, but than read others who have drawbacks and ups and downs.

What are some of these things that hopefully I don't have to experience, but heading into all of this I think it's important to hear from others what they experienced, if some of you don't mind sharing?

I think this is an expression that has evolved from wishing folks a "smooth recovery," which many in fact do have. When any difficulty, from minor to major, develops, we often call it a "bump" in the road to recovery.

I would call my bumps in the road relatively minor. I had the breathing tube in longer than I had hoped because my oxygen intake was slow in getting back to a good level (my lungs were "lazy"). So after the breathing tube came out, I had to wear an oxygen mask my first 2 nights. And then before being released on the 5th day I had to spend a good part of the day walking around the halls to get my oxygen numbers up to where they would allow me to go home.

As I say, this was a small bump. I believe my recovery on the whole was rather smooth.

I won't attempt to describe problems others have had -- I'm sure you will get many replies here. But my observation from participating here on vr.org for seven years is that most folks have a pretty smooth ride after this necessary surgery. Of course, there can be soreness and pain, but meds help with that. Constipation can occur as a result of taking the pain meds, but a stool softener like colace can help with resolving that. I wouldn't stress out worrying about unknown bumps in the road that you most likely will not experience anyway. All best to you!

 

[yotphix]

My own bumps were also quite minor and few. The first was simply that the Oxy contin/codone pain meds made me so jittery that I asked for something else. The only nurse in my whole experience who I couldn't commend was looking after me at that time, and seemed to think I was whining so she made some vague promise about asking a doctor for something else, then went off and left me for hours with nothing! When I asked her (politely, but firmly) to attend to her responsibilities, she surreptitiously raised my urinary cath bag above my bladder! (This causes quite some pain as it drains back into you! I don't believe she did it in error because she deals with cath bags all day, every day, and knows how they work.) The nurse who came on shift next, solved it all in minutes though.

The next bump, I believe was caused by that same nurse when she swabbed me for the purposes of tracking hospital acquired infections. She had a whole swab kit, and I watched her spill it, then pick it up. I hadn't seen her wash he hands either. Foolishly, I said nothing, and two weeks later I was squirming in agony while my doctor squeezed all of the puss out of my infected incision! Ouch. Don't recommend that.

I had two fairly significant bouts of AFib, which went away, a whole lot of visual migraine, or 'aura', which is no big deal, except that I pretty much couldn't see sometimes for a half hour or more, and I made several foolish attempts to do too much during my recovery, which I paid for in pain and exhaustion. (I don't recommend taking on any renovations projects in the first couple of months. Especially avoid laying floors!)

That was it for me. I know some people have much bigger, more serious bumps. There's a post up right now about someone who had fluid build up around their heart. It's a bit of the luck of the draw, I think. You're definitely doing the right thing to prepare though, by learning what you can in advance.

 

[Sarah_Louise]

Hi Ovie,
I've had 4 lots of OHS and an op done via cath, and i haven't had that many problems concidering everything....Due to my 1st AVR (mechanical) i had to be on blood thinners, i struggled a lot with these trying to get the right clotting level, i struggled with it for about 4 years but ended up needing to have 2 embolectomies, due to build ups of clots behind me knee's. I also had clots in my lungs and on my brain and heart, it was decided my AV was throwing of the clots and i had to have the valve changed to a tissue one, during my 2nd AVR i ended up having 3 strokes but they didn't know whether this was due to the bypass machine or the faulty valve, (can i just add-to reassure- my heamatologist & cardiologist had both never seen anyone react to blood thinners the way i have and both my docs are now semi retired, so they've worked as drs a while)
After my 1st AVR i kept spiking high temps which kept me in hospital a further 2 weeks but still to this day they don't know why i was getting temperatures! I've also had a few problems getting off bypass, them trying to raise my temp once off bypass, and then a few collapsed lungs,
The main problem i had all 5 times where due to my incisions where they went in with the bypass machines they always get infected and for me never heal! i'm 9 month post op and my leg wounds still aren't brilliant!!
But the chances of something goes wrong are minimal and most people get through them without any problems!
Good luck
Sarah xxxxxxx

 

[neil]

hi, yea had a few minor bumps, tacyicardia and chest infec and af, but all in all wasnt to bad, cert a lot better than i thought it would be,and a lot on here had no bumps,you will be fine

 

[Mentu]

We all have some minor issues that pop up. They are usually not serious although at the time they may be a little troublesome. My second week home, I made a big pot of soup. I was careful not to lift anything heavy but I discovered that the repetitive motion of cutting up the vegetables left my chest muscles sore for several days. About 5 or 6 weeks Post-Op, the skin around my chest incision (a circular area about 9" wide) became hypersensitive. A cotton tee-shirt felt like shark's skin and the new hair growing back could feel like little thorns at times. This is caused when the brain starts trying to reintegrate the damaged tissues. It can start out interpreting everything as a pain signal but it is temporary and passes. One can use some desensitizing routines which consist of rubbing the area with a variety of different textures which may speed up healing but it will go away on its own.

Sometime around my third month, I also developed costochondritis. This is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the edge of the sternum. In my case, the are became sore and swollen but was treated effectively with aspirin and Tylenol. This is a problem more often experienced by football players who get thumped in the chest but can also show up after heart surgery. Two years later, I still have flare ups but it is less intense as well as less frequent now.

Compared with feeling my health decline prior to surgery, these have been minor bumps. Probably, everyone has a few little issues that they cannot anticipate but one must maintain a sense of perspective. Aortic Stenosis can kill us. Heart surgery gives a new future but it still is a little like an earthquake in the body. During recovery, one may have to put up with a few aftershocks. Just keep in mind that these are just part of the journey back to health.

Larry

 

[Tom Berning]

Ovie,

In my case at about 2 weeks post op I came down with Afib and ended up having a cardioversion and getting Amiodarone added to my med list which I have not tolerated very well, after several adjustments to the dosage I'm now feeling better . My cardio seemed to think that most everyone has some kind of "bump" on the road to recovery. The other little odd happening is now at 4 weeks post op I finally feel like I have most of my voice back, I was down to just a whisper post op.

 

[dcc617]

yotfix - let's chat about that nurse issue for a minute. Nurses, on the whole are your best friends. They do more work than the doctor and, in many cases, keep the doctors 'honest' by questioning orders. However, there are a few bad apples out there. My partner is an ER nurse and I can tell you some stories. Some of your experiences sound like the 'I'll get you, my pretty' kind. They take out their bad day on the patient in subtle ways - nothing to really harm you but all in all, bad form.

If you're having issues, tactfully bring it up to the charge nurse. Symptoms from drugs could be an allergic reaction and is very dangerous.Dropping that kit swab kit is a big deal. We're talking potential of infection here. You have to be the biggest advocate of your health. I'll ask him for his comments and get back to you.

But this nurse isn't just being nasty, but acting in a potentially dangerous mode.

 

[Ovie]

Alright, cool.. I learned a little something from each post, thank you.

As far as the dropping the kit, that's going in the memory bank and will be watching out for that.

I have a question and figure I'd ask here instead of starting another thread.

In high school 03, i had slight vision lost for about an hour, since than I've had it happen maybe 5-6 times at most. Sometimes only 10 mins, sometimes hour or 2. Had it checked out with my eye doctor, and he says nothing is wrong. In 07-08 I had a cat scan, along with nemerous of other neurological tests done ( for other reasons, not because of eye issues ) and everything appeared normal. After reading about odd and lost vision on here after surgery, do you think this had anything to do with my heart? Is that possible? I didn't find out about my murmur until after all of this, so that area was never addressed as an area that could be creating problems, did anyone experience this before surgery? or am I just searching for a reason in a dark room? Odd question and maybe irrelevant to heart issues, but as I was reading that issue came to mind and figured why not throw it out there.

 

[Lynlw]

Alright, cool.. I learned a little something from each post, thank you.

As far as the dropping the kit, that's going in the memory bank and will be watching out for that.

I have a question and figure I'd ask here instead of starting another thread.

In high school 03, i had slight vision lost for about an hour, since than I've had it happen maybe 5-6 times at most. Sometimes only 10 mins, sometimes hour or 2. Had it checked out with my eye doctor, and he says nothing is wrong. In 07-08 I had a cat scan, along with nemerous of other neurological tests done ( for other reasons, not because of eye issues ) and everything appeared normal. After reading about odd and lost vision on here after surgery, do you think this had anything to do with my heart? Is that possible? I didn't find out about my murmur until after all of this, so that area was never addressed as an area that could be creating problems, did anyone experience this before surgery? or am I just searching for a reason in a dark room? Odd question and maybe irrelevant to heart issues, but as I was reading that issue came to mind and figured why not throw it out there.

The best avice i can give regarding "bumps', especially once you are home, is if you are progressing nicely and suddenly notice, you seem to be doing worse, more pain, (If you didnt accidenty do something "stupid like lift something heavy) short of breath etc or anything that wasn't a problems earlier, call and get checked. Many of the "bumps' if caught early are much easier to get under control than if they've been going on for a while. back to the motto "when in doubt, get checked out'

 

[debster913]

For me, my "bumps" were bad pain a couple weeks after surgery--muscle spasms, I later discovered--pain so bad I could barely breathe and ended up with my mom calling my cardio at midnight on the 4th of July. Half a Vicodin took care of that. Pretty much, my muscles were growing back and healing after being cut for the surgery. I also had some "pumpheadedness" after surgery--ask anyone here and they can tell you all about it. I had a couple times when I just spazzed out and forgot what day, even what year it was. I still suffer from "pumphead" when I can't place someone's name (even my students) or forget simple words for things. I guess it just comes with the territory.

One thing I can share with you as you head into surgery soon is the respirator thing. I was fortunate enough to have the respirator removed before I left the OR because I was able to breathe on my own immediately after surgery. Many people here have been on the respirator for a few hours to a few days after valve surgery. Just be ready to expect anything.

Another thing: The skin at my incision STILL itches from time to time, especially during summer. Because I had minimally invasive surgery, my incision is directly under my right breast in the crease, and wearing a bra and getting sweaty there still irritates my skin from time to time. I presume it will always be sensitive, much like the Hubster has sensitivity where he had his appendix removed 20 years ago. I have to be careful not to touch him there or he goes through the roof!

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Wishing you the best!
Debi

 

[Jkm7]

yotfix - let's chat about that nurse issue for a minute. Nurses, on the whole are your best friends. They do more work than the doctor and, in many cases, keep the doctors 'honest' by questioning orders. However, there are a few bad apples out there. My partner is an ER nurse and I can tell you some stories. Some of your experiences sound like the 'I'll get you, my pretty' kind. They take out their bad day on the patient in subtle ways - nothing to really harm you but all in all, bad form.

If you're having issues, tactfully bring it up to the charge nurse. Symptoms from drugs could be an allergic reaction and is very dangerous.Dropping that kit swab kit is a big deal. We're talking potential of infection here. You have to be the biggest advocate of your health. I'll ask him for his comments and get back to you.

But this nurse isn't just being nasty, but acting in a potentially dangerous mode.

But what is the patient to do?
It's hard choices.
If you report the behavior to charge nurse, you made an enemy of your nurse and possibly charge nurse who now has to deal with. Charge nurse tells the other nurses (s)he has to rearrange assignments because problem patient in 4A has (rightly or wrongly) complained about current nurse. Now replacement nurse dreads entering your room as (s)he figures you could complain about them also.

OR you suffer in silence and take the poor treatment and suffer the consequences. Often once things start to go bad with one on a team, the whole team is never going to be your friend.

Yes, you can ask for Patient Liason person but now you've escalated it even higher.
Consider you just may need that hospital/floor/unit again in the foreseeable future and you will be greeted with the same not so happy to see you people.

Rock and a hard place......

 

[carolinemc]

I would say that no two people have the same bumbs in the road, as you have observered. Even several years after surgery, there are still bumbs there for some, new for others as we get older. If I was you, do not try to compare yourself to that right now. Just take it one day at a time and see what happens. Some people heal faster than others. Just be here when you have questions and if you can help someone hang in there. We are all here at some point. Hugs for today.

 

[yotphix]

In retrospect, I certainly should have let the charge nurse know what was happening, and ought to have reported the carelessness on my discharge day. I did let the nurse practitioner from my surgeon's office who was following my case know, and another nurse who acts as a sort of patient advocate, so hopefully she has been instructed since on the rudiments of sterile practice, and the consequences of ignoring patient reactions to medication.

That one nurse was definitely the only troublesome one I encountered, and the rest were virtual angels. I have mountains of respect for those who do the job and most do it extraordinarily well.

Ovie, your previous visual problems are likely not directly related to your heart problem, but rather may stem from a related syndrome. It is not uncommon for people with malformed (bicuspid) aortic valves to also have weak aortas, and migraine, including aura or visual migraine. The migraine could well stem from a weakness in blood vessels in the brain, though I don't know if that has ever been demonstrated. It kind of makes sense though, in light of the common concurrence. (Migraine, whether visual, auditory, sensory, or just a simple 'headache' is a result of shrinking or swelling of blood vessels which then impinge on nerves, as I understand it.) Many of us have with the bicuspid aortic valves have the visual disturbances too, and they are often more frequent and more intense in the months after surgery. I couldn't say why.

 

[bradvo]

My bump is on my leg......... :biggrin2:

 

[ChicagoMammy]

I had a TIA (mini stroke) the night of my surgery. They would not give me any pain meds from the point I reported problems on. I was in sheer agony and crying and moaning all night. The nurse was a horrible borrible person. I know it's hard to listen to that but I think she told me to shut up at one point. I sometimes wonder if I am mis-remembering but she really was horrible.

JKm7 - I was scared to report my nurse too for the reasons you said too. I dread that when I go in again I'll get the bad luck of getting her! I've had some amazing nurses in my times since in cardiac ICU at the same hospital. Most have been amazing.

 

[Madsometimes]

My bumps have come 7-8 weeks post op. At a routine pacemaker checkup I was told that I am in atrial flutter 80% of the time. I don't have any symptoms because my pacemaker is keeping my pulse rate in the 60's mostly, but it was a downer to be told there is something new wrong.

Yesterday, at an anticoagulation check my INR was 1.4, so I was sent home with injections. I have never injected myself before, and it is quite difficult to get over the mental block. Getting my INR stable is certainly harder than I expected. When my warfarin is increased, my INR often goes down. I'm on 9 mg daily at the moment, but I'm sure that will change.