why do they have to do the heart cath?

[Luckyguy17]

Robb,

good on you
was your cath done via wrist or via groin?

If rest was only 2 hours post procedure, I would think it was wrist or you have very good clotting process

 

[Marcia58]

The chances are good that the surgeon was going to order a pre=op cath anyway--that's pretty standard. Like someone said, about 45 minutes, drugged a bit. I was very relaxed for mine and joking with the medical staff. The only pain was the needle stick for the novocaine shot in the groin. They used the femoral artery on me because I'm small (5'3" and 110 lbs.) and so are mine veins--the ones in my wrists were too narrow.

 

[Ross]

Really, I was on my back for 8 hours.

 

[Lynlw]

Since you only had to rest 2 hours, did they use a plug to close the incision?

 

[Mentu]

Robb, thanks for the blow by blow. Angel, my first cath 18 months ago was a duplicate of Robb's right down to lying still for 2 hours. They use a new stuff now to close the little hole that only takes a little while to set but they keep you for 2 hours just to be sure. My 2nd cath, last August, was even easier. I was given only a mild sedative so I was awake and engaged during the procedure. While it was going on, the Doctor described what he was doing, asked me to hold my breath now and then, and asked periodically what I was feeling. Watching the monitor was interesting, especially, with him discussing what I was seeing. It was really a good experience and quite painless. So, there is room for discussion with respect to how much sedation is going to be used and how aware you are while it is happening.

Larry

 

[Nancy]

I believe you have to be able to do certain simple things while they are maneuvering around, which is why they don't totally knock you out, but they will certainly make you quite loopy.

 

[Robb Wilder]

Robb,

good on you
was your cath done via wrist or via groin?

If rest was only 2 hours post procedure, I would think it was wrist or you have very good clotting process

It was in the leg...

Since you only had to rest 2 hours, did they use a plug to close the incision?

I think they did. I can swear I heard the word plug but I was so happy theres alot of stuff my wife is telling me now that the doctor said. I just remember my wife and her dad coming back from getting something to eat and me telling them Honey we have another 8 hours and the nurse rolls her eyes and shakes her head and says NOooooOoOOO hes being discharged now.

 

[Cris N]

I was completely out for mine. Worst part was being flat on my back for about 4 hours afterward. And yes, as soon as they let me get up, I raced to the bathroom!

 

[a4wanman]

I had my heart cath 4 days before my AVR surgery. It was done to see if a by-pass was necessary so it could be performed during AVR surgery. No need to have 2 OHS. I was actually wanting and looking forward to the cath so they could fix everything at one time.

For the cath procedure, they gave me something to "take the edge off". Did it work? Maybe. I got a local to numb the groin area. I was aware of everything being done. The only thing I hate was not being able to see the monitors good. I'm the curious type that wants to watch procedures and ask what everything does.

As far as recovery, I only had to lie still for 1 hour. Ask about an Angioseal. It's a collagen plug that can be inserted so direct pressure and long waiting times are not necessary. Worse thing about recovery was when the Lidocaine was wearing off. My right leg was a little sore. Best thing about recovery: the turkey sandwich and juice!

 

[Freddie]

Like Gil, I had mine done in the wrist also. Man if you can get it done via the wrist, I highly recommend it. No need to lay flat for hours. Only restriction was not to use the wrist for the next few days.
I'm right handed and yep, the angio was done in the right wrist, but I was still able to use my right hand at supper time.

 

[Penny]

Angel.. if they ask whether or not you want sedation.. just say yes.. I didn't have any and if it is ever done again I will say yes for sure next time

 

[Angel]

why do they have to do the heart cath?

Just wondering some things. My cardiologist woke me up this morning, and I was really shocked to hear what he had to say, I just could not think clear enough to ask questions, or whatever. Anyway, I had a ct angiogram to check my arteries, and aorta a few weeks ago. Never heard any word back, so I called myself about a week or so ago. Well, my surgeon is out of town all the way through this week. His nurse ended up calling me back. she said my arteries were fine or something similar to that. My avr surgery is next friday. Ok, then i get this call this morning saying that it showed an artery in front of my heart is 50% blocked so we need to do a cardiac cath. if it's 50% blocked then, they will do nothing about it, but if it's more than 50% they will do this bypass at the same time of my avr on friday. Question: if they already know that it's 50% blocked from the CT angio, why do they even have to do the cardiac cath two days before my surgery? i'm all new to all of this and a lot confuses me. Help me if you think you can! Do you think there's something else they may be looking for, or what? I sure do hate to have to go through the heart cath i know.

 

[Penny]

Hey kiddo not to worry... they are doing what needs to be done.. the ct was just a detailed picture of your heart.. this is one to check all of your arteries. Put some faith my sweet friend into what the doctors are doing.. positive thinking, it is going to be just fine..

 

[Luana]

Hi Angel,
The cardiac cath is the best test to determine exactly how your valves are functioning and the state of your coronary arteries. I think it's a good thing your doctor wants to do it. There's no sense in giving you bypass surgery if you don't need it, and if you have a blockage that can be treated with a stent, it means one less thing to do in surgery. And the other possibility is you may not need either! Your doc is being cautious, and that's a good thing.

I don't think there's too much else that they could be looking for. It's usually better to have more tests than less if one is not totally conclusive. I know this must feel like a lot is being put on you all at once and it's overwhelming, but it's about doing what's best for you. That's what's really important.

 

[Luana]

I thought I would be loopier than I was and totally unaware of what was going on, but I was aware of everything, though nothing hurt. If I ever have another one I'll ask to watch, as I've heard if you ask, you can view on a screen everything that's going on.

 

[ARGreenMN]

I totally agree. They're doing the right thing - the heart cath will tell them more exactly where things are at (the CT Scan is just an estimate). I just assumed everyone had a heart cath before surgery. But the best news is, the heart cath is nothing to worry about at all. Easy for me to say now - I was scared to death of it before-hand. But it turned out to be nothing to worry about - honestly. The worst part of it was getting the IV stuck in, seriously. See the other thread for more details, but this is not something to worry about at all. I wish we could all be there in person and give you a big hug, but since words will have to do - trust us - you're going to be fine, and this heart cath thing is nothing at all. The surgery itself is a lot more involved, but even that is not as big a deal as you're fearing. There have been several the last few weeks that were just as scared as you before surgery - and they're now on the other side, and to a person, all agreeing with the above. You can do this!

 

[Pat in NH]

Hi Angel,
I'm one of the "several" that Andy mentions above. I wasted way too much energy worrying about all the tests and the surgery. Don't get me wrong, it's tough to go through but not nearly as bad as I had envisioned.

In my opinion, you really want your docs to do all the testing possible before the surgery. It's best to know exactly what they will find once the surgery is under way.

Honestly , I was quite nervous about the cath and it turned out to be no problem at all. Ask about the Angio-seal. It's a collagen plug that they insert after the test. It reduces the time you have to lay still from 6-8 hours down to about 2. I was really glad they used it on me!

Best of luck to you, and try not to worry too much.

-Pat

 

[Angel]

Thanks everyone. I can always count on you all here to help me with all of these issues leading up to my surgery. I'm down to less than a week away now from my surgery. Can't believe it's almost upon me.

 

[sunflowergirl]

Angel, I'm sorry to hear you have one more thing to worry about. You can read my account of my cath on my blog. Really, I thought it was going to be a big deal but it was pretty easy. I was scared beforehand....but as soon as the nurses noticed they started the sedation. I hop it all goes well....keep me updated Robin

 

[ARGreenMN]

Angel, one other thing. Now that you're less than a week away from the big day, I still think what helped me a ton was to stay busy with my normal life during those last few days before reaching the top of the mountain. Do some projects around the house that you know you won't be able to do for a while (remember, you have to take it pretty easy for a while after surgery). Whether that's landscaping type things or whatever, there will be some lifting bans for a while afterwards, so get your heavy lifting in now And I think that helps take your mind off things, esp. if you get involved in a re-tiling project and stay up 'till 2 am the night before your surgery like I did, lol (now THAT'S not recommended, lol). And yea, I had to be in at 5:30 am - I'm a dumb-butt sometimes (ok, all many times).

PS - I just realized why the call it the mountain. It's a LOT harder to climb to the top, like you're doing right now, than it is to walk slowly down the other side, which you'll be doing in about a week