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Please Help
Please can someone help. My husband is very ill in hospital. He is 56 years old, had a major heart attack 7 years ago but recovered and has lived a normal life until recently. A few weeks ago, he developed an abscess on his belly (there was a spot and he picked it). His GP (doctor) didn't do a swab so they didn't really treat him with the correct antibiotics. He is also a Type II diabetic, food controlled.
The abscess was starting to heal up, but earlier this week he started feeling ill. Both myself and my son have had heavy colds recently and he thought he was coming down with the cold too.
On Thursday we was really ill, said he felt "wobbly" and he was a bad colour. I took him to hospital (not impressed with his general practitioner doctor - we are in the UK by the way) as I thought he might have the start of sepsis.
At the hospital his blood pressure was dangerously low - 60/45 with a pulse rate of 96. He was admitted straight away. Later in the evening they started to get the preliminary blood test results back and yes, he did have the start of sepsis but ontop of that, they suspected he'd had a silent heart attack.
The results of the second blood test confirmed that he had had a heart attack.
His daughter is a nursing sister at the hospital and what I've learned from her has terrified me.
Seemingly, the first heart attack he had damaged 54% of his heart - yes, it was a big one.
This one they estimate has damaged another 17% - 20% of his heart.
On top of that he has cardiac edema and they are treating him for that - although they were worried that the drugs they are using would drop his already low blood pressure (at the time 95/60 - they wanted it to be over 100 and steady) they decided to go for a calculated risk and give him the medication as his breathing even on oxygen is laboured.
As far as I can gather they may perform an angiogram on Monday and perhaps also an Angioplasty although his daughter let slip that they might be going for a bypass.
So far I have not spoken to his consultant as every time I go in, there seems to be some other family member there. Tonight his 90 year old father came in and much as I like the man, he was a pest - I was unable to even talk to my husband and eventually hubby told me to take his father home.
I am really scared for my husband and need to know if there is anyone on this forum who has been in a similar situation and survived or knows anyone who's survived and what the treatment was. Also what quality of life after the treatment.
Sorry to be so long-winded but really hope someone can at least give me some encouragement that all is not lost.
The abscess was starting to heal up, but earlier this week he started feeling ill. Both myself and my son have had heavy colds recently and he thought he was coming down with the cold too.
On Thursday we was really ill, said he felt "wobbly" and he was a bad colour. I took him to hospital (not impressed with his general practitioner doctor - we are in the UK by the way) as I thought he might have the start of sepsis.
At the hospital his blood pressure was dangerously low - 60/45 with a pulse rate of 96. He was admitted straight away. Later in the evening they started to get the preliminary blood test results back and yes, he did have the start of sepsis but ontop of that, they suspected he'd had a silent heart attack.
The results of the second blood test confirmed that he had had a heart attack.
His daughter is a nursing sister at the hospital and what I've learned from her has terrified me.
Seemingly, the first heart attack he had damaged 54% of his heart - yes, it was a big one.
This one they estimate has damaged another 17% - 20% of his heart.
On top of that he has cardiac edema and they are treating him for that - although they were worried that the drugs they are using would drop his already low blood pressure (at the time 95/60 - they wanted it to be over 100 and steady) they decided to go for a calculated risk and give him the medication as his breathing even on oxygen is laboured.
As far as I can gather they may perform an angiogram on Monday and perhaps also an Angioplasty although his daughter let slip that they might be going for a bypass.
So far I have not spoken to his consultant as every time I go in, there seems to be some other family member there. Tonight his 90 year old father came in and much as I like the man, he was a pest - I was unable to even talk to my husband and eventually hubby told me to take his father home.
I am really scared for my husband and need to know if there is anyone on this forum who has been in a similar situation and survived or knows anyone who's survived and what the treatment was. Also what quality of life after the treatment.
Sorry to be so long-winded but really hope someone can at least give me some encouragement that all is not lost.
There is so much that has been learned about the heart and cardiovascular system that should alleviate your mind. There are many procedures that can be done to help your husband. Coronary artery bypass for one. Good luck. I have undergone three open heart surgeries since 1969 and I'm still here and kicking and in relatively good health..
The artificial kidney sounds intriguing, and perhaps something I would be interested in to help mankind. I'm 57 years old, with a bad heart and stage 5 kidneys, and it would be wonderful to go out of this world helping mankind save the lives of other kidney patients in the years following.
In any event, I dialyze 6 days a week, and my prior doctor had changed me to 3 hours at a time, when all of the fainting and dizziness started. Since then I have changed kidney doctors and contacted my Cardiologist, changed the BP meds, and lowered the time to 2.5 hours per session, with no BP meds prior. Yesterday it didn't seem to make a difference without BP meds, as finish BP was 52/43. So far my Cardiologist is scratching his head, and my new kidney doctor hasn't addressed any of it yet. However, the nurse for my Cardiologist suggested dropping the dialyze time even more, and seeing how my labs fare, as far as removing the poisons, and keeping everything else in check, such as potassium, and albumin. I will also be required to restart Epogen shots as soon as they can get them to me in the mail, as my red blood count is dropping again. It is an ongoing saga of start, stop, backup and try again.
Except for the fainting and dizziness I don't feel too bad, which is a relief. I did hurt myself when I fainted a few days ago and have been in a lot of pain, but I think that will get better with time.
You must be proud of your son. Perhaps he will become a kidney specialist himself? It would be nice to have a kidney doctor who has experienced kidney failure and truly knows what the patient is going through. I would appreciate any suggestions, and will definately run them by my doctors, and try to get them implemented......Thank you.
In any event, I dialyze 6 days a week, and my prior doctor had changed me to 3 hours at a time, when all of the fainting and dizziness started. Since then I have changed kidney doctors and contacted my Cardiologist, changed the BP meds, and lowered the time to 2.5 hours per session, with no BP meds prior. Yesterday it didn't seem to make a difference without BP meds, as finish BP was 52/43. So far my Cardiologist is scratching his head, and my new kidney doctor hasn't addressed any of it yet. However, the nurse for my Cardiologist suggested dropping the dialyze time even more, and seeing how my labs fare, as far as removing the poisons, and keeping everything else in check, such as potassium, and albumin. I will also be required to restart Epogen shots as soon as they can get them to me in the mail, as my red blood count is dropping again. It is an ongoing saga of start, stop, backup and try again.
Except for the fainting and dizziness I don't feel too bad, which is a relief. I did hurt myself when I fainted a few days ago and have been in a lot of pain, but I think that will get better with time.
You must be proud of your son. Perhaps he will become a kidney specialist himself? It would be nice to have a kidney doctor who has experienced kidney failure and truly knows what the patient is going through. I would appreciate any suggestions, and will definately run them by my doctors, and try to get them implemented......Thank you.
I found when my son was on dialysis that "one size doesn't fit all" - and his consultant found that out too.
They tried putting Ian on a fluid restriction. That didn't work - or at least Ian, at that time being a teenager, wouldn't adhere to it. With Ian, he was still able to produce urine but it was poor quality, i.e. his kidneys couldn't filter out the poisons. I suppose he was quite lucky as eventually they took him off fluid restrictions, just trusted him not to overdo it.
He was on peritoneal dialysis at home but after he went down with appendicitis, for once our local hospital got the diagnosis correct, but the renal hospital got it wrong and they did an unnecessary exploratory op - and found a very angry appendix, the op left him with adhesions so he had to come off PD and go onto haemo.
On PD, he seldom had problems with low BP but did when he was on haemo. He used to dialysis three times a week at hospital, on PD at home, every night.
You have a home haemo machine? If so, perhaps your doctor might consider changing the length of times you dialyse? Perhaps more "little and often". Not sure how often you dialyse at a time.
Sometimes it can be so difficult to find that happy medium.
I'll have a word with my son when he falls out of bed - typical young man - stays up most of the night and sleeps most of the day!!! and see if he can help come up with a solution. He's very clued up on dialysis and kidney failure. Unlike a lot of youngsters, when his kidneys failed he made it his business to find out as much as he could about both his kidney failure and the different types of dialysis so has become quite knowledgeable, muchy of which has been gleaned from his consultant. Over the years they have become very good friends as well as doctor/patient.
Just for interest, I don't know if you know but they are experimenting with an artificial kidney which works off the body's bio-rhythms and is completely implantable within the human body.
The inventors are hoping to start human trials within the next 4 - 5 years or sooner. They are just working on it to get it small enough to be implantable. Seemingly, the prototype works extremely well.
They tried putting Ian on a fluid restriction. That didn't work - or at least Ian, at that time being a teenager, wouldn't adhere to it. With Ian, he was still able to produce urine but it was poor quality, i.e. his kidneys couldn't filter out the poisons. I suppose he was quite lucky as eventually they took him off fluid restrictions, just trusted him not to overdo it.
He was on peritoneal dialysis at home but after he went down with appendicitis, for once our local hospital got the diagnosis correct, but the renal hospital got it wrong and they did an unnecessary exploratory op - and found a very angry appendix, the op left him with adhesions so he had to come off PD and go onto haemo.
On PD, he seldom had problems with low BP but did when he was on haemo. He used to dialysis three times a week at hospital, on PD at home, every night.
You have a home haemo machine? If so, perhaps your doctor might consider changing the length of times you dialyse? Perhaps more "little and often". Not sure how often you dialyse at a time.
Sometimes it can be so difficult to find that happy medium.
I'll have a word with my son when he falls out of bed - typical young man - stays up most of the night and sleeps most of the day!!! and see if he can help come up with a solution. He's very clued up on dialysis and kidney failure. Unlike a lot of youngsters, when his kidneys failed he made it his business to find out as much as he could about both his kidney failure and the different types of dialysis so has become quite knowledgeable, muchy of which has been gleaned from his consultant. Over the years they have become very good friends as well as doctor/patient.
Just for interest, I don't know if you know but they are experimenting with an artificial kidney which works off the body's bio-rhythms and is completely implantable within the human body.
The inventors are hoping to start human trials within the next 4 - 5 years or sooner. They are just working on it to get it small enough to be implantable. Seemingly, the prototype works extremely well.
I do know that dialysis and BP meds, both, have a huge effect on BP, and I know that doing longer dialysis has caused the fainting spells I have been experiencing.
The problem is with the "very" young kidney specialist, who has been handling my care since July of last year. He has only read the book about the dialysis system that my husband(he's my tech), and I use, but he has never actually trained for this system. He thinks that more time on the machine is the key to greater success, when the volume is the most important factor. Before he changed the time for me, my labs were perfect, and adequacy was fantastic, and I came off of the machine feeling refreshed and ready to meet the world head on. Now, since the time was increased, my BP falls to very low levels, and I spend a lot of time very dizzy, or fainting....and jrbon, the answer to your question is, no, I am not properly hydrated, but dialysis leaves me very dry, and I'm told that it is normal,
My Cardiologist has lowered my BP meds prior to dialysis, so we'll see if it makes a difference. We have already went back to the beginning time, and it didn't make a difference with the dizzyness, so hopefully less medication is the key. In any event, just for information purposes, a diaylsis patient is only allowed so many ounces of fluid a day, and I suppose if I'm different and require more to survive, then I will have to prove it to my doctor in order for him to be happy with allowing me more fluids.
LadyF, I realize Graham is only on lasix, and I think it's great that he only requires it in order for his fluid level to drop. In the beginning, I too, realized a great weight loss with the lasix, but the heart failure caused kidney failure in my case, so now I'm on dialysis for the rest of my life.
I don't mind the dialysis, and the ICD has made a major improvement in my quality of life, however the problem with my BP level, and the fainting are taking their toll on everything at this point.
In any event, I am very happy for you and Graham, and I do hope he is released on Friday and he goes on to build up his strength and gets his life back. God Bless you both.....
The problem is with the "very" young kidney specialist, who has been handling my care since July of last year. He has only read the book about the dialysis system that my husband(he's my tech), and I use, but he has never actually trained for this system. He thinks that more time on the machine is the key to greater success, when the volume is the most important factor. Before he changed the time for me, my labs were perfect, and adequacy was fantastic, and I came off of the machine feeling refreshed and ready to meet the world head on. Now, since the time was increased, my BP falls to very low levels, and I spend a lot of time very dizzy, or fainting....and jrbon, the answer to your question is, no, I am not properly hydrated, but dialysis leaves me very dry, and I'm told that it is normal,
My Cardiologist has lowered my BP meds prior to dialysis, so we'll see if it makes a difference. We have already went back to the beginning time, and it didn't make a difference with the dizzyness, so hopefully less medication is the key. In any event, just for information purposes, a diaylsis patient is only allowed so many ounces of fluid a day, and I suppose if I'm different and require more to survive, then I will have to prove it to my doctor in order for him to be happy with allowing me more fluids.
LadyF, I realize Graham is only on lasix, and I think it's great that he only requires it in order for his fluid level to drop. In the beginning, I too, realized a great weight loss with the lasix, but the heart failure caused kidney failure in my case, so now I'm on dialysis for the rest of my life.
I don't mind the dialysis, and the ICD has made a major improvement in my quality of life, however the problem with my BP level, and the fainting are taking their toll on everything at this point.
In any event, I am very happy for you and Graham, and I do hope he is released on Friday and he goes on to build up his strength and gets his life back. God Bless you both.....
Agh! It's annoying when you press the "enter" button too quick!!!!
Meant to add that it could be a combination of your dialysis and BP meds. Asked my son (a former renal dialysis patient). He says being on dialysis will make your BP go low anyway - something he used to suffer with while on haemo. The BP meds (presumably to keep your BP low) will make matters worse so it could be that your new kidney specialist may change or reduce your BP meds.
From my own point of view, I think your cardiologist may very well stop your BP meds - they don't like BP getting too low. Perhaps they will reduce them to start with and see how you get on.
Meant to add that it could be a combination of your dialysis and BP meds. Asked my son (a former renal dialysis patient). He says being on dialysis will make your BP go low anyway - something he used to suffer with while on haemo. The BP meds (presumably to keep your BP low) will make matters worse so it could be that your new kidney specialist may change or reduce your BP meds.
From my own point of view, I think your cardiologist may very well stop your BP meds - they don't like BP getting too low. Perhaps they will reduce them to start with and see how you get on.
Graham's BP crashed today. Turned out he was dehydrated. A few cups of water later and he was fine again.
Chris. Graham is not on dialysis. He is on diuretics - Frusemide (Lasix). Today, he just didn't drink enough to balance the diuretics. He is back on the tablet form. They have taken out the canula, taken him off the mobile heart monitor and for the first time in almost 9 weeks he was able to leave the ward and go down to the hospital coffee shop and enjoy a coffee - albeit I took him in a wheelchair.
Over the next couple of days they are going to get him to the Occupational Therapy where they will let him walk up stairs and also give him exercises to strengthen his leg muscles which have wasted with him being in bed or just sitting around for such a long time.
If all goes well, they hope to discharge him on Friday. At the moment they are very happy with him so hopefully he'll soon be home.
He is delighted with the weight loss (now 2 stones in weight - all fluid) and insisted I get a tape measure and measure him. He has lost approx. 2 inches off his waist and chest, loads off his legs, ankles and feet but the thing that amazed him - and he made me measure again with him watching in the mirror was that his shirt collar size has dropped from 18 1/2 inches to 16 1/2 inches. The whole ward knew about it LOL.
It will be a very long road to recovery but I have confidence in the staff at the Royal Brompton. They really know what they are doing.
Not only that, but the way they treat the patients and their relatives is as if we have become part of a huge family.
All I can say is the staff at the Royal Brompton are wonderful, very skillful people who never give up.
I really cannot praise them enough.
Chris. Graham is not on dialysis. He is on diuretics - Frusemide (Lasix). Today, he just didn't drink enough to balance the diuretics. He is back on the tablet form. They have taken out the canula, taken him off the mobile heart monitor and for the first time in almost 9 weeks he was able to leave the ward and go down to the hospital coffee shop and enjoy a coffee - albeit I took him in a wheelchair.
Over the next couple of days they are going to get him to the Occupational Therapy where they will let him walk up stairs and also give him exercises to strengthen his leg muscles which have wasted with him being in bed or just sitting around for such a long time.
If all goes well, they hope to discharge him on Friday. At the moment they are very happy with him so hopefully he'll soon be home.
He is delighted with the weight loss (now 2 stones in weight - all fluid) and insisted I get a tape measure and measure him. He has lost approx. 2 inches off his waist and chest, loads off his legs, ankles and feet but the thing that amazed him - and he made me measure again with him watching in the mirror was that his shirt collar size has dropped from 18 1/2 inches to 16 1/2 inches. The whole ward knew about it LOL.
It will be a very long road to recovery but I have confidence in the staff at the Royal Brompton. They really know what they are doing.
Not only that, but the way they treat the patients and their relatives is as if we have become part of a huge family.
All I can say is the staff at the Royal Brompton are wonderful, very skillful people who never give up.
I really cannot praise them enough.
Wow, 50/30 it is very low, this will be an extra challenge for your kidneys.
Now I start to be worry about you, are you sure that you are properly hydrated? Have you started or stopped any medication or supplement??
Are you taking Vitamin B (I think I have read something about its importance when on dialysis).
When my BP goes down (70/40), mainly because hot weather, I use a few grains of salt and a glass of water to get it up.
Jesus
Now I start to be worry about you, are you sure that you are properly hydrated? Have you started or stopped any medication or supplement??
Are you taking Vitamin B (I think I have read something about its importance when on dialysis).
When my BP goes down (70/40), mainly because hot weather, I use a few grains of salt and a glass of water to get it up.
Jesus
I do wish my BP would run around the 98 mark. Lately it is falling to around the 50/30 level and I have fainted a couple of times. The question seems to be what is causing it. Is it the BP meds, or is it the dialysis, or both?
On the 12th I see a new kidney specialist, and perhaps he can get me back up to speed. I don't let it stop me from doing what I want and need to do, as I do not want to lose the progress I have made towards my quality of life, but it does slow me down a bit.
I, also, see my cardiologist next month, and maybe he will take away the BP meds, and not require that I take them anymore. I think not having to take the medications would be a triumph for me, but it does make me a little bit nervous.
In any event, I am so happy for Grant and you, and I pray that he will continue to progress, which I am sure he will. God Bless you, both....
On the 12th I see a new kidney specialist, and perhaps he can get me back up to speed. I don't let it stop me from doing what I want and need to do, as I do not want to lose the progress I have made towards my quality of life, but it does slow me down a bit.
I, also, see my cardiologist next month, and maybe he will take away the BP meds, and not require that I take them anymore. I think not having to take the medications would be a triumph for me, but it does make me a little bit nervous.
In any event, I am so happy for Grant and you, and I pray that he will continue to progress, which I am sure he will. God Bless you, both....
One thing Graham's never had is high blood pressure. His, even before he had his first heart attack 7 years ago, was on the low side.
They stopped the Dopamine today (weaned him off it) and his blood pressure has held up. The highest it went was 120/70 but has settled down around the 98/68 to 107/68 mark now so the staff are quite happy.
He is still on IV Frusemide (Lasix) but the weight is literally falling off. He's asked me to get a tape measure and measure his waist tomorrow!!!
He is very, very weak still and tires so easily but the nurse said tonight that it's no wonder as he's been through a lot and not been able to get out of bed or a chair much for almost 9 weeks. She said his strength will come back but it will be a slow process.
The ironic thing in all this is that we've always eaten healthily - and cook healthily. I have a steamer which I make good use of, we cook from scratch using fresh ingredients and always have several vegetables with our meals (partly because we like things my son doesn't and vice-versa so we always make sure there is plenty choice). We all love fish so have fish quite often. None of us drink and if we do, it's perhaps a glass of wine at Christmas and New Year. None of us are particularly fond of it. We all prefer tea or coffee. Graham doesn't smoke but I do (my one vice).
At the moment they haven't put an exercise regime in place for Graham but I would think they will in the next week or so.
One thing that's got me this week is the amount of youngsters in the ward, young men in their early 20s. One has recently had open heart surgery and a CRT-D fitted. It's rather fun in the ward at the moment because several of the younger patients seem to be using it as a meeting place and they really have lifted the atmosphere and got everyone smiling.
One young lad has been a patient there since he was 7 years old - he's 22 now. A lovely young man. Knows every nurse and doctor by name, when their on duty, when their off, where they're going for their holidays and when.
Each of these youngsters have been born with congenital heart defects, some of them very serious but the way they are always smiling and joking really is uplifting.
Makes you count your blessings.
They stopped the Dopamine today (weaned him off it) and his blood pressure has held up. The highest it went was 120/70 but has settled down around the 98/68 to 107/68 mark now so the staff are quite happy.
He is still on IV Frusemide (Lasix) but the weight is literally falling off. He's asked me to get a tape measure and measure his waist tomorrow!!!
He is very, very weak still and tires so easily but the nurse said tonight that it's no wonder as he's been through a lot and not been able to get out of bed or a chair much for almost 9 weeks. She said his strength will come back but it will be a slow process.
The ironic thing in all this is that we've always eaten healthily - and cook healthily. I have a steamer which I make good use of, we cook from scratch using fresh ingredients and always have several vegetables with our meals (partly because we like things my son doesn't and vice-versa so we always make sure there is plenty choice). We all love fish so have fish quite often. None of us drink and if we do, it's perhaps a glass of wine at Christmas and New Year. None of us are particularly fond of it. We all prefer tea or coffee. Graham doesn't smoke but I do (my one vice).
At the moment they haven't put an exercise regime in place for Graham but I would think they will in the next week or so.
One thing that's got me this week is the amount of youngsters in the ward, young men in their early 20s. One has recently had open heart surgery and a CRT-D fitted. It's rather fun in the ward at the moment because several of the younger patients seem to be using it as a meeting place and they really have lifted the atmosphere and got everyone smiling.
One young lad has been a patient there since he was 7 years old - he's 22 now. A lovely young man. Knows every nurse and doctor by name, when their on duty, when their off, where they're going for their holidays and when.
Each of these youngsters have been born with congenital heart defects, some of them very serious but the way they are always smiling and joking really is uplifting.
Makes you count your blessings.
The kidneys and the heart work hand in hand, so it would stand to reason that when he was having the heart issues, it affected his kidneys. The kidneys are even responsible for signaling the body to make red blood cells. They are also responsible for problems, such as, high BP.
When I first suffered CHF, it pushed my kidneys over the edge, and I now own a kidney machine, and do home Hemodialysis, 6 days a week. I, too, lost over 35 lbs with lasix, in the early stages of CHF. It all evens itself out with diet, excercise, and following a strict regimen, including no alcohol, no smoking, very low sodium, etc. He will most likely have to lose more weight, on top of what the lasix takes off of him, but once the swelling is under control, he should feel much better.
I hope the best outcome for him and you......
When I first suffered CHF, it pushed my kidneys over the edge, and I now own a kidney machine, and do home Hemodialysis, 6 days a week. I, too, lost over 35 lbs with lasix, in the early stages of CHF. It all evens itself out with diet, excercise, and following a strict regimen, including no alcohol, no smoking, very low sodium, etc. He will most likely have to lose more weight, on top of what the lasix takes off of him, but once the swelling is under control, he should feel much better.
I hope the best outcome for him and you......
Update. The CRT-D is working well but Graham now has a problem with his kidneys.
It would seem that he's been carrying a lot of fluid for a long time - decades. Everyone, including myself thought he was fat - he wasn't. It was all fluid. The doctors here at the hospital cannot understand why Graham's doctors at home failed to notice this, and worse, why when he had his first heart attack in 2004, no-one at our local hospital picked this up.
They have been using IV Frusemide (Lasix) to remove the fluid and already, in less than 2 weeks, Graham has lost 2 stone in weight (approx 12.7 kilos). Unfortunately, this is, and the other drugs he's been on plus the various dyes used for MRIs etc., have had a bad effect on his kidneys and he has been on IV Dopamine for the past 5 days to kick-start the kidneys into working again. The doctors here say the kidneys have just become sluggish and they are confident they will recover in a week or two. I hope so as this is yet another worry.
The result of this is Graham is feeling very fatigued and has no energy. Even little things like shaving tire him out at the moment.
On the plus side, the weight loss is amazing to see. I have no doubt they will get Graham well here. They said they would get him fit and healthy and I believe them.
Graham however, will have to buy new clothes when he gets out. All the clothes he has now will just fall off him or go round him twice!!!
I can't see Graham getting out of hospital for at least another month but I'd rather he was well on the road to recovery than come out too early and end up back in hospital again.
It really is a patience game.
It would seem that he's been carrying a lot of fluid for a long time - decades. Everyone, including myself thought he was fat - he wasn't. It was all fluid. The doctors here at the hospital cannot understand why Graham's doctors at home failed to notice this, and worse, why when he had his first heart attack in 2004, no-one at our local hospital picked this up.
They have been using IV Frusemide (Lasix) to remove the fluid and already, in less than 2 weeks, Graham has lost 2 stone in weight (approx 12.7 kilos). Unfortunately, this is, and the other drugs he's been on plus the various dyes used for MRIs etc., have had a bad effect on his kidneys and he has been on IV Dopamine for the past 5 days to kick-start the kidneys into working again. The doctors here say the kidneys have just become sluggish and they are confident they will recover in a week or two. I hope so as this is yet another worry.
The result of this is Graham is feeling very fatigued and has no energy. Even little things like shaving tire him out at the moment.
On the plus side, the weight loss is amazing to see. I have no doubt they will get Graham well here. They said they would get him fit and healthy and I believe them.
Graham however, will have to buy new clothes when he gets out. All the clothes he has now will just fall off him or go round him twice!!!
I can't see Graham getting out of hospital for at least another month but I'd rather he was well on the road to recovery than come out too early and end up back in hospital again.
It really is a patience game.
Congratulations that everything go fine!!!!
Yes, it is amazing, if we do not take our medical decisions by ourselves, to die or to live will depend on how fortunate we are with the hospital or the doctor.
Jesus
Yes, it is amazing, if we do not take our medical decisions by ourselves, to die or to live will depend on how fortunate we are with the hospital or the doctor.
Jesus
Graham was fitted with a St Judes Merlin CRT-D this afternoon. It has 4 leads. They are very happy with the way the procedure went. Graham was wide awake the whole time as it was done under local anaesthetic.
They did not make his heart fibrillate to test the shock part of the device as his blood pressure was on the low side so they are going to do that in a month's time and fine-tune the device.
They are now working on getting rid of the fluid and also get Graham's thyroid levels back to a normal level. This will take longer but they are very confident that they can get Graham's health better than it's been in years.
We were also given the option of getting his aftercare at our local hospital or getting his aftercare here. We immediately said we want to stay under the Royal Brompton even though we know we will have to travel here.
Graham has already been up and walking round the ward (he is on a drip because they are trying to raise his blood pressure but also at the same time have increased the Frusemide to take off the excess fluid). He enjoyed his dinner and I think his face has a much more healthy colour to it. He said, even in the short time he's had the device, his breathing is so much easier.
Of course, he's very sore at the op site but is being given painkillers to combat that.
If all goes well, they expect to let him come home Tuesday or Wednesday next week.
Hard to believe one hospital wanted to send him home with a commode to die and the other has put him on the road to recovery and a return to a good qualilty of life.
We think the Royal Brompton is absolutely wonderful.
They did not make his heart fibrillate to test the shock part of the device as his blood pressure was on the low side so they are going to do that in a month's time and fine-tune the device.
They are now working on getting rid of the fluid and also get Graham's thyroid levels back to a normal level. This will take longer but they are very confident that they can get Graham's health better than it's been in years.
We were also given the option of getting his aftercare at our local hospital or getting his aftercare here. We immediately said we want to stay under the Royal Brompton even though we know we will have to travel here.
Graham has already been up and walking round the ward (he is on a drip because they are trying to raise his blood pressure but also at the same time have increased the Frusemide to take off the excess fluid). He enjoyed his dinner and I think his face has a much more healthy colour to it. He said, even in the short time he's had the device, his breathing is so much easier.
Of course, he's very sore at the op site but is being given painkillers to combat that.
If all goes well, they expect to let him come home Tuesday or Wednesday next week.
Hard to believe one hospital wanted to send him home with a commode to die and the other has put him on the road to recovery and a return to a good qualilty of life.
We think the Royal Brompton is absolutely wonderful.
Wonderful news! He should be on the upswing now. I am so happy for the two of you.
I know my ICD made a big difference in the way I feel, and I'm sure the same will be true for Graham.
I hope the best!!
I know my ICD made a big difference in the way I feel, and I'm sure the same will be true for Graham.
I hope the best!!
The Royal Brompton is FABULOUS. Staff are so friendly and caring.
Graham is being fitted with a CRT-D tomorrow all being well.
We were asked if he'd like his aftercare transferred back to our local hospital. We said no, we would rather stay here even though it means travelling to London.
They are confident here that they can get Graham well again. They are hoping to get him much fitter than he was before all this happened.
What a difference in the attitude of two hospitals. One wanted to send him home to die, the other wants to give him the best quality of life and best care they possibly can.
Graham is being fitted with a CRT-D tomorrow all being well.
We were asked if he'd like his aftercare transferred back to our local hospital. We said no, we would rather stay here even though it means travelling to London.
They are confident here that they can get Graham well again. They are hoping to get him much fitter than he was before all this happened.
What a difference in the attitude of two hospitals. One wanted to send him home to die, the other wants to give him the best quality of life and best care they possibly can.
UPDATE!!!
Graham's being transferred to London tomorrow. At last. Will be SO glad to get him out of our local cesspit...I mean hospital.
Will be taking my laptop with me so will keep you updated on how things are going.
Wish us luck.
Fiona
Graham's being transferred to London tomorrow. At last. Will be SO glad to get him out of our local cesspit...I mean hospital.
Will be taking my laptop with me so will keep you updated on how things are going.
Wish us luck.
Fiona
That seems to be the plan at the moment - to fit him with a CRT-D but because the results from the stress echo were inaccurate he'll have a heart MRI at the Brompton which will give a better picture of what's going on in his heart before they make their final decision.
Spoke to him by text a few minutes ago and so far no word and nothing's happening. He's waiting to be taken to the orthodontic department sometime this afternoon.
He's getting impatient now and just wanting to get things over and done with, return home and recover.
He's back in the low risk 4 bed ward so at least he has the other patients to talk to. It's quite amusing. Out of the 4 patients, 3 are called Graham. Every time a nurse says "Graham", 3 chirp at the same time "Yes?"
Spoke to him by text a few minutes ago and so far no word and nothing's happening. He's waiting to be taken to the orthodontic department sometime this afternoon.
He's getting impatient now and just wanting to get things over and done with, return home and recover.
He's back in the low risk 4 bed ward so at least he has the other patients to talk to. It's quite amusing. Out of the 4 patients, 3 are called Graham. Every time a nurse says "Graham", 3 chirp at the same time "Yes?"
It's so good to hear that Graham is doing so much better. Isn't it amazing what time can do? Hopefully he will continue to improve, and I think with his drive that it will be the case.
I'm wondering if the plan is to give him an ICD, now that he is on the road to recovery. I know it made a world of difference for me, to have the ICD put into place. Just having a proper heart rythm makes a big difference in the way a person feels.
I am happy for you and Graham, and will send up another prayer for more miracles, as well as thanks for the ones already granted. I hope the best for you both....
I'm wondering if the plan is to give him an ICD, now that he is on the road to recovery. I know it made a world of difference for me, to have the ICD put into place. Just having a proper heart rythm makes a big difference in the way a person feels.
I am happy for you and Graham, and will send up another prayer for more miracles, as well as thanks for the ones already granted. I hope the best for you both....
Further update. Graham is much better. He's no longer breathless and is walking (slowly) up and down the ward.
Unfortunately, on Friday he got major toothache so had the two offending teeth removed (they were very loose anyway). He has to see the orthodontist later today for more work on his teeth and what they plan to do. He will probably end up with either full dentures or partial dentures.
He has got his appetite back but is not eating hospital food (it's disgusting). I have been making proper meals for him which he has been enjoying. Soft food over the past couple of days and he enjoyed fish last night.
It is so good to see him on the road to recovery.
The move to the Brompton is scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday. They are just waiting for a bed for him. Since Friday, everything that is being done in our local hospital is having to be sanctioned by the Brompton. Our local hospital can no longer do anything (including the dentistry work) without the Brompton's OK.
I also have my laptop working again. It used to run Vista but some of the root files got corrupted so I'm now running Windows 7. Big improvement in the performance of my laptop which I'm happy about as it will be going to the Brompton too.
Here's hoping the move happens this week.
Unfortunately, on Friday he got major toothache so had the two offending teeth removed (they were very loose anyway). He has to see the orthodontist later today for more work on his teeth and what they plan to do. He will probably end up with either full dentures or partial dentures.
He has got his appetite back but is not eating hospital food (it's disgusting). I have been making proper meals for him which he has been enjoying. Soft food over the past couple of days and he enjoyed fish last night.
It is so good to see him on the road to recovery.
The move to the Brompton is scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday. They are just waiting for a bed for him. Since Friday, everything that is being done in our local hospital is having to be sanctioned by the Brompton. Our local hospital can no longer do anything (including the dentistry work) without the Brompton's OK.
I also have my laptop working again. It used to run Vista but some of the root files got corrupted so I'm now running Windows 7. Big improvement in the performance of my laptop which I'm happy about as it will be going to the Brompton too.
Here's hoping the move happens this week.
Just had a phonecall from hubby. He is much better today. He had a long chat with his consultant but told me briefly what the plan is.
Everything seems to be resting on his thyroid levels at the moment so they are going to take another blood test this afternoon and if his T3 levels are OK he may be transferred in the next few days if not tomorrow.
As far as I understand, his consultant thinks the CRT-D is his best choice but hasn't ruled out the LVAD and the consultants at London might have different ideas. They have a heart MRI there so that might show things the echocardiogram didn't.
At least things are looking more positive.
If you don't hear from me for several days, don't worry as you will know I have gone to London. I don't know if I will have internet connection as my laptop broke down yesterday and I'm using my husband's. I don't want to take his laptop as it is a new one and I don't want to take the risk of it maybe being stolen or something. My own one is quite old so if it went missing or got broken, I wouldn't worry so much about it. My son is very good at repairing computers and thinks one of the files in the DOS has got corrupted. It is running on Vista so son is going to put in Windows 7. He's going to be busy today.
I will be going to see Graham later this afternoon so will get all the news from him then. He didn't sound breathless when he phoned today and sounded very bright and cheerful.
I really do hope he has turned the corner now and will get better.
Everything seems to be resting on his thyroid levels at the moment so they are going to take another blood test this afternoon and if his T3 levels are OK he may be transferred in the next few days if not tomorrow.
As far as I understand, his consultant thinks the CRT-D is his best choice but hasn't ruled out the LVAD and the consultants at London might have different ideas. They have a heart MRI there so that might show things the echocardiogram didn't.
At least things are looking more positive.
If you don't hear from me for several days, don't worry as you will know I have gone to London. I don't know if I will have internet connection as my laptop broke down yesterday and I'm using my husband's. I don't want to take his laptop as it is a new one and I don't want to take the risk of it maybe being stolen or something. My own one is quite old so if it went missing or got broken, I wouldn't worry so much about it. My son is very good at repairing computers and thinks one of the files in the DOS has got corrupted. It is running on Vista so son is going to put in Windows 7. He's going to be busy today.
I will be going to see Graham later this afternoon so will get all the news from him then. He didn't sound breathless when he phoned today and sounded very bright and cheerful.
I really do hope he has turned the corner now and will get better.
Glad to know that things are not going as bad as the lack of news made me thought.
All the best.
Jesus.
All the best.
Jesus.
Just a little update after a very fraught 10 days.
Hubby contracted a hospital bug - pneumonia but thankfully, seems to be getting better. He is on Vancomycin and Gentamycin intraveneously.
At the moment his heart condition is stable so they are very pleased with that.
Today he has been taken off the big monitor (again), given the mobile monitor so once again he has the freedom of the ward.
His transfer to London is on hold until the bug is completely cleared which is understandable.
It does look like he will be fitted with a CRT-D as his consultant and the senior consultant have both spoken to him about it. They say the LVAD is not an option at the moment but something maybe for the distant future if needed.
We're just taking one day at a time at the moment.
Fiona
Hubby contracted a hospital bug - pneumonia but thankfully, seems to be getting better. He is on Vancomycin and Gentamycin intraveneously.
At the moment his heart condition is stable so they are very pleased with that.
Today he has been taken off the big monitor (again), given the mobile monitor so once again he has the freedom of the ward.
His transfer to London is on hold until the bug is completely cleared which is understandable.
It does look like he will be fitted with a CRT-D as his consultant and the senior consultant have both spoken to him about it. They say the LVAD is not an option at the moment but something maybe for the distant future if needed.
We're just taking one day at a time at the moment.
Fiona
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