Will cold/flu delay surgery?

[windsurfer]

Had my preop tests done Friday. Nurse said I should keep surgeon informed if my sore throat (started Thursday AM) is not GERD caused but a cold. Friday night it became apparent it was a cold - usual symptoms, sinus congestion, runny nose and minor feverish feeling but no fever. Continued Saturday but less congestion in PM, more cough though. Sunday AM feel better, less congestion but cough deeper with some phlegm though minor. Monday, when office opens, I'll report to surgeon my condition. I expect the cough will persist for days or even weeks since that is the usual pattern. Will a cough be a problem when wake up with tube in throat? Surgery date is Wednesday the 14th. AVR (CE Magma 3000 TFX) and left atrial appendage (LAA) removal.

Thanks for all your answers to my questions - it really helped me prepare. Now looking forward to returning to windsurfing and maybe taking up kite surfing.

Bob

 

[Ross]

If you have any illness, call this off until your better. You do not want to go into this sick to begin with. By all means, call you Surgeon and let him know about it.

 

[geebee]

Please, please delay. I know you don't want to but this is the type of thing that could acutally kill you as a post-op problem.

 

[Mary]

Nope,
You don't want to go into this surgery with any illness, much less one that is causing you to cough.
I know you probably hate to postpone, but believe me, you will hate it more if you don't.

 

[BillCobit]

Nope,
You don't want to go into this surgery with any illness, much less one that is causing you to cough.
I know you probably hate to postpone, but believe me, you will hate it more if you don't.

You are SO right. When I was in the hospital, there was a poor woman across the hall from me w/ the flu, coughing and wailing in agony. No doubt flirting w/ or having outright pneumonia.

Pospone!

 

[Georgia]

Triple dittos, no ohs with a cold/cough. Oh, the pain (I really think the most uncomfortable part of a sternotomy - other than having a 2 year-old's head smash into it - is the dreaded cough). I'm sure no surgeon would perform the surgery on a patient with a heavy cold or cough.

 

[KristiinSD]

My surgey was postponed for just a sore throat.

My surgey was postponed for just a sore throat.

I think you want to fo into this event as healthy as possible. I don't think I would have surgery with even a minor illness, unless it was a life-threatening situation.

Of course, with having a 7 year old school kid at home, I could be looking at a lot of delays here in the beginning of the academic year.

Kristi
mr
surgery 9/29/05

 

[JohnnyV_46]

WHOA!!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!! like everyone else said, you don't want your Sternum cracked and have uncontrollable coughing and sneezing going on!!!! I've been so lucky now. 3 weeks out and have not had it happen yet....some slight coughing, no sneezing yet. I'm down right rude about telling people with cold's to stay away from me. Your gonna feel crappy enough for those first few days.

Best of luck-everything happens for a reason!
JohnnyV

 

[bvdr]

It is crazy to think about getting any major surgery when you are fighting an acute respiratory type illness. Don't worry about postponing it...worry about NOT postponing it. (IMHO)

 

[windsurfer]

Surgery postponed

Surgery postponed

My surgery was postponed - no new date set yet. You are all so right about not taking the chance. It is Monday morning and I woke up with the worst cough yet - only one day more before the planned surgery. Thank you.

It wasn't easy accepting delay - not just because of the mind game you go through preparing but also for all the coordination issues. Now I start all over again. I had a lot of complicated arrangements since single and I need a special diet and medication arrangements.

If a cough is bad - image having your immune system attacking your own digestive system as foreign matter - that's celiac disease when you're exposed to gluten. It sets off inflammation processes with my abdomen swelling up,.. You cannot predictably absorb oral medications when glutenized. To avoid gluten, medications have to be gluten free and in my case corn free as well e.g. Digoxin and Amiodarone have corn starch. Also, even when you have found a safe medication, they may substitute a generic (insurance driven) not knowing that the fillers or inactive ingredients may have a problem.

As for food, it is complicated. I have to have a special diet with food prepared outside and brought in e.g. I can't even trust the hospital toaster due to risk of cross contamination from wheat crumbs - same for grille if had pancakes or such just before my meal was prepared,.... so I make my own food - own bread free of wheat, barley and rye (since they contain gluten). Most processed food has fillers with gluten,... I also have to avoid corn and casein (milk protein) - thus the complicated arrangements.

After this experience, I'm rethinking schedule and how to avoid the risk of cold/flu. Even if I were healthy going in - any hospital staff or visitor could give one a cold/flu. Since my surgery was elective, I'm flexible. Is there a low risk season? Or is that going too far the other way? I guess at some point you just have to take the chance. But best not to proceed when you know you are sick.

I wonder how many have had a cold/flu right after surgery. You thought you were healthy going in - but were somehow exposed. How did you get through it?

Thank you again for the warnings - surgery was postponed.

Bob

 

[KristiinSD]

Wow Bob!

Wow Bob!

Reading your post put the end to my pity party about my surgey and divorce. It sounds like it will be very difficult to coordinate all your various factors! Best of luck to you!

Kristi
mr
surgery 9/29/05

 

[Ross]

I didn't want to say it before, but I will now. Just before my last surgery, I got sick, the surgery was scrubbed and rescheduled. By the rescheduled date, I was still slightly holding on to whatever it was. Long story short, I think it contributed to the extreme problems I had and certainly was a factor in my 50 day ICU stay! If your sick, stay far away from surgery!!!!!

 

[RCB]

Delays are common

Delays are common

My second surgery was delayed due the flu,
My third surgery was early and messed up the whole weeks surgeries
for a lot of people.
My fourth surgery was delayed twice and I had to sit in the hospital for
five days on a heprin drip, while i had to foot the bill for my wife to stay in a hotel.

 

[Mama2Rylan]

Please Delay!!

Please Delay!!

I remember when I was 8, and I was going in for my second open heart..well everything was in order and the day I went in for the surgery they told me to go home because I had a cold and they would not operate...For the longest time I thought that was kind of silly...to cancel for a little cold...well this last surgery I had (Just a few weeks ago) I didnt have a cold when I went in for the operation but I did end up getting pneumonia during the surgery...when I woke up I knew something was wrong...I had a hard time breathing...I had people giving me massages, beating on my back, they stuck tubes down my nose trying to suck the stuff out of my lungs...it was TERRIBLE!!! So finally they had to put me under again (Yes, I got the dreaded breathing tube AGAIN) so they could try and get the stuff out of my lungs...when I woke up I still coughed all the time...

The bottom line is you dont want to go through what I went through...I honestly dont know what was worse...the surgery or the pnemonia...so if there is even a slight chance you might be sick, RESCHEDULE!!!

 

[windsurfer]

,...well this last surgery I had (Just a few weeks ago) I didnt have a cold when I went in for the operation but I did end up getting pneumonia during the surgery..!

Mama2Rylan, that is scary - going in healthy and after the operation having pneumonia. Did they ever offer an explanation how you developed it so fast?

Bob

 

[Mama2Rylan]

I didnt really get an explanation reguarding the pnemonia...I think it's just something that may happen while you are on the heart/lung machine. I was never warned ahead of time that getting pnemonia was possible, I guess I had to learn the hard way. But from my understanding, it wasn't just my situation, that it is possible for anyone having open heart surgery.

 

[Mary]

Check Bob's new thread about systemic inflammatory response syndrome and see if it's possible that is what caused your post surgery pneumonia.