Heart

[Sassy]

Hi, my brother is going for open heart surgery tomorrow.  He has 6 blocked vessels - 3 that are 100% & the other 3 over 90%.  The other day he was telling me that he hadn't been able to walk the dog or work out for the past few days - he'd get so short of breath - complained that his asthma must be really acting up or he had bronchitis - because the doctors told him his chest could hurt if he was having an asthma attack & the bronchioles tightened up, bronchitis could do the same thing.

I asked him if he'd ever had his heart checked.  He said no.  Then he started talking about the asthma again.  I said it is amazing that they hadn't checked his heart with all the surgeries he'd had over the past several years (2 brain surgeries for fluid on the brain;  shattered pelvis, 6 broken ribs, pneumothorax from a rib putting a hole in his lung - motorcycle accident; gall bladder removed, hernia repair, 2 shoulder surgeries; radical neck surgery to remove a cancerous tumor followed by chemo & radiation). 

He'd walk his dog everyday, work out with weights etc, even after all of this.  He'd had episodes of chest pain with exertion over the past 3 yrs but thought it was "asthma" even though he'd never had asthma until 3 years ago...  then this sudden shortness of breath & more frequent chest pain.  I didn't know about the chest pain - but immediately thought "heart"...  I hated to say that after all he's been through - he was trying to make it through one year without surgery.  But he went to his doctor requesting better asthma medications.  They did some lab work & called him back & said "get to an ER right away, you've had a heart attack!"  They also told him not to drive himself - his wife was in the valley, he was at their place in the mountains - so he ended up driving himself to the ER 60 miles away - a BIG NO NO! 

So now he is having open heart surgery tomorrow...  I feel so bad for him - he was doing so good, has such a good attitude - he was joking that he was trying to get into the Guiness World Book of Records & that he was also doing a study on hospitals - which ones were the best & which to stay away from - always has a good sense of humor.  If you think of it, please pray for him..

I say all of this to alert all of you to signs & symptoms of heart problems/heart attack.  He didn't have any one big event but a lot of little things added up - lots of warning signs - I am appalled that even the best docs - Stanford - had not picked up on this.  There's a lot to be said about the VA - even I, as a nurse, with a patient presenting with his complaints would immediately start a cardiac workup per our protocol - EKG, place on a cardiac monitor, labs drawn with cardiac markers, chew a 325mg aspirin, nitro under the tongue...  we have a patient worked up with all those things within 10-15 min.  The 1st thing is the EKG - that will show if a person is having ischemia (some blockage of blood circulating in the heart) or actually a heart attack - the labs will tell us if there are enzymes produced from the heart muscle showing damage.  But, it always amazes me, that even though he's had the best docs in the world caring for him, no one picked up on this before & he was diagnosed with "asthma"... 

Some of the warning signs:  increased shortness of breath, increased fatigue, chest pain, sweating, nausea, vomiting, chest pain that radiates to the neck or arm, back pain.  Women frequently present differently, much more subtle, same with diabetics - they often do not have pain but will have the other symptoms.  No one wants to think or admit that it might be their heart, but the earlier it is caught, the better.  My mother was 55 y/o - she was having increased fatigue, feeling really stressed & irritable & then started having some chest pain with exertion.  It took the "big one" for her to go to the doctor about it - but by then there was a lot of damage done... 

[peternap]

Prayers for your brother Sassy.

Not sure I really wanted to see what you wrote, but a good post anyway

BTW, the pains in your arm radiating into your neck, are combined with a tingling numbness. A lot like having your arm go to sleep. When it starts to let up, I get that buzzing feeling like you have just as you come to after passing out. Ain't fun!

[Redoverfarm]

Sassy my prayers go out for your brother.  My FIL had 5 by-passes at age 70.  With the amounty of blockage that you bother has it is apparent that a "stint" will not work but rather by-pass.  Just make sure that he has a "teddy bear" to hug afterwards when he has the urge to cough and he will.  It makes the cough a little less painful.

My FIL lived til he was 82 and died of kidney failure.  He was sort of old school and after the surgery the heart specialist came in and gave him a diet to start.  He told the Dr. that it took 70 years to get in this shape and you fixed it and if I lived another 70 he would be back to see him.

It will be a up hill battle but if there are any doubts it beats the alternative.

[ScottA]

Best of luck to him Sassy. Surgery is no fun especially heart surgery.

[Sassy]

Thanks for your thoughts & prayers.  My brother is 62 y/o.  My mom smoked & took birth control pills (the really strong ones that 1st came out, for years) she didn't have any other risk factors - low cholesterol, slim, athletic, low blood pressure - her mom lived to 93, put cream on her cereal & in her coffee everyday - she was a non-smoker...  her dad lived to 89 y/o.  My dad's side has people who lived into their 90's & even 100's - but when I was a couple weeks old his dad, my grandfather, had a massive heart attack at 58 y/o - he lived until 65 (non-smoker) all there rest of their kids lived into their 80's.  My mom had her heart attack at 55, - she had angioplasty & did very well for almost 10 yrs - swam everyday & did aerobics - she also quite smoking after her 1st heart attack.  Then she had quadruple bypass at 64 - & triple at 73 - but her last couple years were pretty rough with congestive heart failure.  So I guess there's some history of heart problems in the family...

That is good info, Peter...  hope you are taking good care of yourself, ha - I see how you overwork yourself from your postings!  I've never passed out so wouldn't know the feeling...  another frequent symptom is the pressure on the chest, some say "like an elephant sitting on it" & the classic that nursing school & articles always write about is "feelings of impending doom"  I've yet to hear anyone say that - although they've told me that felt really scared, like something was very wrong... 

[apaknad]

thoughts and prayers for your brother sassy. it sounds like he is a real fighter with everything he has been through.

[glenn kangiser]

You wouldn't believe it is possible for anyone to have all the things he has gone through and continues to go through.  It's like he's a test specimen for the medical community to practice on.

[Sassy]

Thanks again for the thoughts & prayers...

[peternap]

Keep us updated Sassy.

Prayers are still going.

[glenn kangiser]

I think he went in for the operation today - Sassy went down to sit with her SIL and see how things go.

[Sassy]

He had surgery today - lasted about 4 hrs, 4 vessels bypassed.  He was off the ventilator this afternoon, all his vital signs look good.  One of the 1st things he said after getting the tube taken out was "I can't work out" - I told him he'll feel like he's working out plenty hard when they get him up out of bed to walk & sit & when they make him use his incentive spirometer, cough & deep breathe...  he was cracking jokes with us, said he didn't hurt except when he breathed & moved... 

Anyway, the nurse wasn't real sociable...  I had to ask her about everything, she wasn't volunteering anything...  would only let us visit for 5 min at a time every hour - I guess it was for the best, otherwise he wouldn't rest...  I prayed he'd get a good nurse, one who would notice any subtle changes, know what she was doing etc etc - didn't think to ask for one that was friendly & sociable...     As long as he is in good hands...  the nurses are the docs eyes & ears for 23+ hrs - the docs just pass by for a couple minutes a couple times a day... 

Was real happy how everything went.  Oh, my brother asked the nurse if he could have his dog with him - he said another hospital let his dog visit...  that was the rehab facility after he had shattered his pelvis & was recovering from the motorcycle accident....  he had a rottweiler named Heidi.  Just a little thing...   

Thanks for asking & for the prayers 

[peternap]

Wonderful News! Five him my best!

[apaknad]

good news sassy, good luck on the rehab for him.