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759277 tn?1234875057

My 53 yr old husband

Had a triple coranry artery bypass surgery 5 weeks ago..
After the surgery there were complications..
He was running anywhere from 104 to 105 temperature for several days in ICU..
Once hus temp started dropping to a low grade fever he was moved out of ICU and into a private room.
But he just didn't seem to be getting better..
He was and still is having memory problems...

He was given a drug for pain that he is highly allergic to...
So, that didn't help matters!
7 days after the surgery my husband was released from the hospital with a FEVER and his blood pressure was still going to high..

That night I had to call an ambulance because my Husband could not BREATHE..
He had been having trouble with his lungs after the surgery anyways..
My husband was taken back to the hospital where he had the surgery..

The ER Dr asked me what Dr released him from the hospital because he had Double Pnuemonia!!
I couldn't believe it...
There is no way he could have developed Pnuemonia in just a few hours of being home..

Then matters became worse..
My husband's blood gases were not looking to good and two days later after being re-admitted back into the hospital My husband was being intubated and his heart stopped beating for three minutes!

Then I was told that my husband had developed Sepsis & MRSA "Staphylococcus aureus bacteria" in the lungs...
He was on life support for 8 days...
When the life support was removed he still could not breathe very well..
After my husband developed MRSA I had him moved out of that hospital and into a new one..
He was in the hosital over a month...
He's been home one week today...
At night he is on a oxygen concentrator set to (One Liter.)
During the day he doesn't use it unless his oxygen level drops below 88..
My husband has been through so much..
I am worried about him though because he wants to sleep all of the time..
He doesn't sleep good at night... Has anyone else had a similar experience like my husband's?
6 Responses
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717077 tn?1234556743

Your  husband is  indeed a survivor..
But as I tell everyone ....My wife went through a LOT more than I did (must be strength in the name you share..... Sharon)


I too had renal /kidney issues and was on dyalisis a couple of times and then an injected drug called aranesp weekly then monthly and currently have no need for it  

I am diabetic as well ....inject insulin up to five times per day ...3 times Rapid and twice NPH

Time and prayers are great healers ....keep up the good work Sharon and be there for husband .........it means more than you will EVER know...I still can't believe what my Sharon did for me and the prayers offered by family and friends
Helpful - 2
717077 tn?1234556743
May 8 enter hospital short of breath and have an angiogram that shows numerous blockages

May 11 open heart surgery lasting 7 hours and comprising of five bypasses and one valve ring support

May 11 -25 Life support as the Dr's cant awake me and they tell my family that they don't know if i'll ever come out of it

May 26 fourteen days after surgery I wake up

Still unaware of my situation i am weaned from all of my IV's

I am moved to a recovery floor where a groin infection plagues me

I am then moved  to a rehab floor where upon complaining about a sore lower back a surgeon removes a cyst

June 13 my original surgeon looks at my incision and he sticks a finger in it up to his knuckle and then informs me that he is going to have to tiighten a wire holding part of my breast bone in place and so..............

June 16 i am back in surgery to tighten the wires holding my sternum and ribs in tact

I was home in July but dropped in our drive in August

Gee since then i was back in hospital with a massive infection and that resulted in them removing my sternum/breastbone in August again  i was out of it (coma) for 14 days and the family was all gathered but i pulled through and was finally out of hospital mid october

I am still off work (don't know if I even have a job) but it is GREAT to be alive

I was implanted with an ICD pace/defib in July of 2008 and am part of a study from the Ottawa Heart institute ( RAFT study) I attended a Cardiac rehab exercise pgm and continue at a  a diabetic clinic on a regular basis as well as quarterly visits to a Heart function clinic and cardiac implant clinic ...I was at a Renal clinic today ...our health care system really works when you need it here in Ontario.

I have been in touch with butterly50 and openchestman here on this forum both have had radical sternectomy and have given me hope in knowing that I am not alone. If you feel the need I can provide you with more personal contact information for us ( I say us as my wife may be better able to see it from your side) I will provide you with email info and from there we can send phone numbers...I think Sharon would be great to talk to as she was there all along doing the hard work while i slept LOL ....  
Helpful - 2
759277 tn?1234875057
I agree with you..
My husband is a survivor..
He has been through a whole lot and still keeps on fighting..

My husband went in for a checkup last week because his kidney test came back adnormal... his bun creatine showed a level of 2.7..
The Dr said it should be around 1.0..
It was 2.3 when he was released from the hospital..
We were told that the antibiotic that he was on to treat the MRSA can cause Kidney problems...
But he said his  potassium level was in the normal range..

The Dr is hoping that the kidney problem will go away on it's own in time..

I am worried though because my husband has Type II Diabetes...

I just keep praying that things will finally turn around for my husband in a positive manner!

Helpful - 1
242508 tn?1287423646
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Your husband is a surviror.  He's been through so much and I hope that from now on things will improve.  This does happen very infrequenly but I have seen it before here at the cleveland clinic.  Because hospitals are loaded with these drug resistant bacteria some post-op patient develop pneumonias which are very difficult to treat.  Because there are so many other reasons for patients to have lung findings on Xray such as post-op effusions or atelectasis, these rare pneumonias are missed especially in the very young pts, the fifty year olds, who typically do very well post op.   Sorry about everything that has happend to your husband.  Again, I hope things will improve from now on.    
Helpful - 1
1120131 tn?1259196646
A related discussion, Triple Bypass, sternum removal and acidosis was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I feel for you and your husband I had a bypass 1 year ago with many complications 2 weeks after the bypass I felt shifting in my chest area over a few months it got worse to the point that I went to 3 cardiac surgeons the result was I had plates and screws put in to support my sternum three weeks after that surgery I ended up with a life threating situation infection they opened me back up took the plates and screws out an abcess formed and burst in the OR and I ended up with an infection throughout my bloodstream and bones. After 2 weeks of being there was sent home and on home I.V.'s for six months every four hours I am worse than ever now .
Helpful - 0

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