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Fluid around the lungs

My husband had a quadruple bypass in Jan.had a chest x-ray done in Feb.,but has been c/o severe pain in the upper  chest area above his left breast, restlessness, shortness of breath, and tires easily.
He thought that this was normal at first, but it became worse and worse.
We called the heart Dr. yesterday and he was told (by the nurse) that when he had the x-rays done in Feb., he had fluid on his lungs (they admitted they failed to tell him this) but thought that it would go away.
He was told that if it has gotten worse tht he would have to have it drained out.
He had an x-ray today.
Why and how could this happen unnoticed and neglected by his Dr for this long?
My husband is very uncomfortable and in so much pain, always tired and cranky.
He was anxious to go back to work, will this prolong his ability to return to work?
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Avatar universal
Hi Deb,

Has your husband's condition improved? My father is also facing the same problems as described by you in your original post.

If yes, when did that happen (please let me know the exact month if possible). What were the medications that helped him recover.

All the best and hope that your husband has recovered completely.

Waiting for your response..

Regards,
Amit
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
if they said he needed it "drained" maybe it isnt CHF maybe its some sort of an empyema or something in his chest wall. for CHF they would just give him a diuretic (pill and/or injection), not "drain" it. I cant imagine them saying to just wait that soone after a CABG is he already on a diuretic? does he have signs of fluid retention other places (feet and ankle swelling? abdominal distention? leg pain?, weight gain? blood pressure variation?  decreased urine output? (peeing  a lot less then he drinks))

does he have fevers or signs of infection?   that might mean he has an empeyema (fluid, usually pus in the chest wall cavity) not CHF.

he should really see his doctor really soon or go into  the emergency room if he is really having difficulty breathing. you can go into a form of shock from CHF that is life threatening, (pulmonary edema and cardiogenic shock) plus that can put a lot of demand on the heart which isnt good for his new grafts. .. plus this all is a sign  the pump of his heart isnt working well which shouldn't be happening to a heart that now has just gotten a new life through bypass. .. that is unless he already had heart damage from a previous heart attack and had pupm problems to begin with.  He needs to see a doctor.
Helpful - 0
367994 tn?1304953593
Post hospital stay for chf I was told to weigh myself each morning, and if there is an increase of 2 or more pounds to contact the doctor...this would indicate retention of fluids and could be the result of the left ventricle failing to adequately pump the blood received from the lungs and as a consequence the blood backs up and fluids leak into lung tissues.

Your husband has/had all the symptoms of congested heart failure and should have gone to ER...not wait to see if it got better!
Helpful - 0
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