Triple by passs and heart valve replacement on the radar. Any advice?

[dmccarty]

...
Psychology, I'm pretty much adjusted as to what to expect...

That line made me think of the post operative recovery. So far, this conversation has been about the person who has had the surgery. The other side of the coin is that there will be family members and/or friends taking care of the patient after the operation. They need some attention too since they will have to be taking care of themselves and you. In my experience with too many family surgeries to count, the worst part of the operation for the patient's family is when the patient is in the recovery room. Everyone of my family members has had a difficult time coming out of the anesthesia. They would moan, grown, cry, and say things that can be disturbing. This can be very upsetting to the family member(s) who are in the recovery room. I don't know if this is common but it seems to occur at least frequently from listening to other patients in the recovery room while my family members were coming out of the drugs.

Flip side is that the patient does not remember much, if any, of the angst they were going through. Which is a good thing. I had one family member who when being taken from the recovery room asked another family member to apologize to the nurse because he had cussed her out. :shocked: This family member never would have said something nasty to anyone but the drugs messed him up. This is the only family member who remembers anything from the recovery room.

After sitting in the recovery room way too many times, my theory is that the drugs turn off the brain's filters and all of the anxiety, fear, etc, the patient had before surgery, erupts, and maybe is magnified by the drugs, as the anesthesia wears off. It is not pleasant to watch.

This happened with a family member who just had by pass surgery and it was very upsetting to the other family member in the recovery room. I told them to leave the room and let the nurse handle the situation. There really is not much one can do if this happens except deal with it and I only know of one family member who remembers only a small part of the recovery. It just seems to be part of the process but given it is after a very stressful time on the patient, but especially the family members, the time in the recovery room can be very, very difficult on the family.

It would not be a bad idea to ask the doctors about this and mention that this might happen to whomever will be in the recovery room with you. Hopefully it does not happen, and if it does, it really is just part of the process, but if one has never experienced it before, it can be unpleasant.

Later,
Dan

 

[Budweiser John]

Dan, your point is well taken and alarmingly true. My wife and I have a RN friend who has been in cardiac care, point blank stated: By the time their done with ya you won't know if you've been punched or bored for two days. Not exactly music to the ears of a guy who is fiersley independent, drinks a few beers every day and cannot fathom the idea of not being able to wipe one's own butt.
My late mother always said, "this too will pass" applicable to great times and not so great times, so, this too will pass.
Regarding those endless hours waiting durning surgery and subsequent recovery room, my likewise independent spouse of fifty years now has made it clear she does not need a committee holding hands and second guessing every progress message delivered by the nice white haired volunteer ladies who hold Court in the surgical lounge. I'm know our son who lives an hour away will be on board, our daughter who is twelve hours away, not until dad comes home. With today's communication technology, a few taps on the cell phone can connect to friends and family around the world.
Again, thanks for the intels.
B. John

 

[HillStreet]

I have read all the replies and there are many stories. I'm 64 and overweight, retired, and run a small orchard with blueberry bushes and pumpkins. Actually, just getting started (third year) but it is fun. My wife and I just last week decided that we would meet with a dietitian so we reached out to our primary doctor for the referral.

My issues are with fatigue and sometimes struggling for breath (former smoker). My wife is in good shape but wishes to lose a couple pounds. I know this reply is general but let me just say I may be able to slow down the advance of cardio problems. The dietitians web site shows an array of programs like cardio rehab, weight loss, flexibility, etc. I will give it a try.

 

[rekees4300]

I will give it a try.

Good for you, I wish you success. :thumbsup: A proper diet + exercise is the silver bullet that will transform and extend your life.

 

[txdon]

I will give it a try.

Do not give it a try. Do it enthusiastically. Heart disease is a food born disease. Forks Over (surgical) Knives.

 

[dmccarty]

...
My late mother always said, "this too will pass" applicable to great times and not so great times, so, this too will pass....

One of my granny's sayings was "this too shall pass" which I really did not understand as a kid. It takes some living until one reaches a point in life where one suddenly understands what "this too shall pass" really means. Granny's sayings were little seeds of wisdom she was planting in our heads and I wonder if she knew what she was doing or just repeating what she had heard her entire life? I repeat these saying as much as possible to my kids, knowing full well that I am planting seeds of wisdom that I hope will help them later in life. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[Teachu2]

I know exactly what you went through BKBrown,

I had the same exact symptoms with the Atorvastatin horse pill and it took a complete New York Times Health Ssection article from the science section on Tuesdays to get them to change my statin drug as I could barely get out of bed the pain was so bad. I am using Rosuvastatin in a 10 mg dose now and finally I have no issues with pain from this specific statin drug.

I have to thank you for this post. It gave me an "I wonder if.." moment regarding my muscle pain, cramps, and fatigue, and Atorvastatin use. Called my new cardiologist and he agreed to change me to a different statin. Within three days, the pain had decreased dramatically, and a week later it is gone - along with the cramping and fatigue. THANK YOU!!!!

 

[Budweiser John]

For almost six months I did the station drug dance with all the resultant side effects.
I finally told the primary car MD NORE MORE, NO WAY.
The MD finally suggested a drug called 'Repatha' it's an every two week injectable (no big deal self adminstered) no side effects and colestroal levels fell into the cellar. Repatha is very new in the market as I understand it so
the major issue was getting the insurance company to pay for the drug. I just love it when the insurance company's start practiceing medicine, but after a second opinion and several nasty grams to the insurance
company they finally approved the prescription.
Now, except for repairing the 74 years of accumulated damage it's nice to have some energency back.
B. John

 

[dmccarty]

Thank you for the information about statin drugs. I have a family member who is on a statin and seems to be having some side affects. I will talk to them about this so they can talk to their doctor.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[hjg6578]

I have to thank you for this post. It gave me an "I wonder if.." moment regarding my muscle pain, cramps, and fatigue, and Atorvastatin use. Called my new cardiologist and he agreed to change me to a different statin. Within three days, the pain had decreased dramatically, and a week later it is gone - along with the cramping and fatigue. THANK YOU!!!!

This is great news! I often hear that some people do better with certain statins vs others. One note, statins can lower CoQ10 levels and CoQ10 is essential for heart health and energy production in the cells. Consider talking to your doctor about supplementing with CoQ10 if you aren't already.

Here's a research on it if you want to learn more: Evidence of plasma CoQ1-lowering effect by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. - PubMed - NCBI