Recovery after Quadruple Heart Bypass Surgery - Fluid around lungs

[Sherry Berry]

My father had quadruple heart by-pass surgery a month and 1/2 ago. He still hasn't fully recovered. He has been a diabetic since he turned 52.  He is now 67 years old. He has repeatedly had fluid around his lung that has been drained off by his heart doctor, but it keeps coming back. He has trouble breathing and every time this procedure is done, he has more and more liquid drained from his lung. The first time it was 1200 ccs. The second time 2800 ccs. He had it drained again today, and my mother told me that there was even more fluid. My father says that he has trouble breathing and feels like he is drowning in all this fluid. My father has had alot happen in a year's time. He had total right knee replacement surgery in April 06, eye surgery on his one and only eye in April 07 - the other eye is a glass eye due to an old coal mine accident 39 years ago - and a month or so ago this quadruple heart bypass surgery. My thinking is that he is too weak to get rid of this fluid on his own. The doctor said that the next time this happens, my dad will be admitted into the hospital for a couple of days for a procedure where the doctor will drain off the fluid again then put some sort of sealent around the lung so it won't fill up again? (I'm not sure if I'm wording this properly.) I guess, my question is why didn't the doctor do this before now? Is it a risky procedure? Why is the fluid amount getting larger and larger every time?  Thanks for your time, Sherry Berry!

[onetrueseeker]

PLEASE, PLEASE, Please, don't let your Father have this operation. I had a quintuple by-pass done almost 6 years ago and have been retaining water just as your Dad has all this time. I have had several NEAR heart attacks since because of the pressure this fluid puts on my heart. I too had my chest drained 4 times and after that Thoracic surgery all with-in 6 months of by-pass surgery. Now I take 120 mgs of Morphine Sulfate every day and have taken for 5 years. The pain is so far beyond what anyone could describe or your mind could imagine and I fight it everyday. So now I have water retention (the surgery of opening my side, scrubbing the back of my lung with steel wool like substance until scabs form to adhere my lung to my chest wall didn't help one drop) and pain so far more problematic than just the water retention. The pressure in my chest, on my heart, from the water retention AND the Thoracic surgery is horrific but still no where the problem the pain of my whole upper body now. Not to mention how hard it is to breathe. I am truly disabled now. All because I trusted my Doctors. Lets face it . . .they are a business and are IN business to make money. They make millions each year by the amount of surgery's they preform. That's why they are still practicing. All I ask is "Please God, don't let what happen to me happen to anyone else.  

[whizmt]

My 77 year old father had quadruple bypass surgery. Everything went great and he was home after 6 days. Three days later he experienced a sharp pain in his lower left chest area. Rushed to hospital, breathing tube inserted, going downhill fast. Airlifted to large hospital. After 10 days removed from ventilator but still has pneumonia after 21 days in icu. Does not seem to be getting much better. After 6 days off ventilator they finally put feeding tube in stomach because he was not eating. He is sleep deprived and malnourished and very, very weak.

[whizmt]

My 77 year old father had quadruple bypass surgery. Everything went great and he was home after 6 days. Three days later he experienced a sharp pain in his lower left chest area. Rushed to hospital, breathing tube inserted, going downhill fast. Airlifted to large hospital. After 10 days removed from ventilator but still has pneumonia after 21 days in icu. Does not seem to be getting much better. After 6 days off ventilator they finally put feeding tube in stomach because he was not eating. He is sleep deprived and malnourished and very, very weak.

[ryan186]

Hmmmm....

Ginko Biloba (Stimulates brain/body blood flow)
Ginseng (Stimulates body blood flow)
Garlic (Stimulates blood flow)
Cayenne Fruit (Thins blood and stimulates blood flow)
Vinpocetine (Stimulates inner brain blood flow)
Coleus Forshokin (Stimulate inner brain blood flow)

The most important is Ginger.  Ginger is an excellent blood thinner when taken in mass doses (please do your own research on what doses he will need)

If I were in that situation the above is what I would be taken... the above is what I am currently taking anyway.

Can't guarantee anything but at the same time what do you have to lose?

Also... other possible treatments are drinking baking soda.


Prevent him from eating vitamin K also as that causes clotting and makes clots worse.

[komal1]

Hi, my father in law had a bypass surgery a week back but doctors have discovered a clot in the brain which according to them is critical and is moving him into coma and his platelets have reduced to 50000 so they say they cannot treat him further. Could anyone please advise?

[laurelrob]

my sister just had open heart valve repair surgery and she's into her sixth week of recovery and still having a hard time breathing and fluid build up around her lungs. We don't know what to do to help, the doctors all give the same advice -- walk more-- but she can't since she can't breathe. Any help?? advice? She also just developed a cough. We are so worried about her!