I'm new
Hi. My name is Daphne. Wendy told me about your group. My brother goes in Nov 9th. He already has 4 stints in his heart. The Dr. is going in & HOPEs he can fix the problem with another stint, but if not, he will take my brother directly to bypass surgery. Noone in our family really understand what is ahead of us ( including me)...I hope it is ok to join this list. Thanks, Daphne
ÿþ
Hello Daphne, I am so happy you found this support group they have been so kind and full of good information for me. Luie is still hurting allot but I am gratefull he is Alive and home. I love him so much. Happy your hear with us! Wendy
Just want to introduce myself. I am German living in Germany and had bypass surgery 2 years ago. It is so interesting to read what you all are concerned about and it is so good to read about these worries as many of the problems you have I also have. My main problem, however, is that I had also an irregular heartbeat, and it hasn't gone after surgery. I tried many drugs and now I am with 'Amedioron'. Is that drug also known under this name in the US or Britain? It is supposedly a drug with causes many side effects, but still it helps and this is why I am quite happy with it. I have never been to a selfhelp group as I do not believe in those, as I think you get depressed if you hear about others' problems too much. Here in Germany you have to go to rehabilitation which I did, but even this I was not very happy about, as they couldn't find the cause of my irregular heartbeat. I wonder if anybody of you had similar experience and would appreciate if he told me about them. regards, Peter
My husband had 5 way bypass surgery over a year ago. He has good days and bad days. Dizziness and black out spells...It's nice to know that there is a support group out there that can listen to problems. I'm so glad I found this group! Sandy from Texas
Hi Sandy-Welcome to the group. I had bypass surgery in February. Like your husband, I still have my good days and bad days. At least I'm now getting to the point where the good days outnumber the bad ones. I had dizzy spells too-turned out that the blood pressure medication I was taking caused the spells. I've changed my eating habits drastically and started exercising regularly. Because of the changes, I no longer need to take any blood pressure medication. What a relief! After the doctors ruled out brain tumors, etc., as possible causes for the dizziness, I was happy to be told that my blood pressure was too low! Pam from Michigan
Hi Peter, Welcome to our group! Amiodarone is a drug used here in the States. Yes it is very effective, but does have some serious side effects for some people. Mostly these are related to the lungs - I would encourage you to ask your doctors to monitor you closely while you are on the medication. I love how we are such a Global group! We have representation from England and Germany and the US.....am I missing anywhere?? (Sorry...long day, I have a cold, not thinking clearly!). Welcome again, Peter, I think you'll learn a lot here. Please feel free to ask any questions or share your experiences with the group. I would be interested to hear your input on diet information. I have a friend here in the States who is German and I have learned a lot from her about healthier eating, and I have another friend who had to go to Germany for business for a month and ended up losing 20 pounds simply because of better quality food with no preservatives - would love to hear your thoughts on this! Take care, Ann Ann McCrea, RN Preventative Health www.rexall.com/atm/health
Sandy, Welcome to the group! Glad you found us. This is an awesome group of Survivors and we're here to help Bypassers and their families. Jump right in if you have questions or want to share. Take care, Ann Ann McCrea, RN Preventative Health www.rexall.com/atm/health
In a message dated 11/01/2000 9:04:26 PM Pacific Standard Time, Ann@... writes: << We have representation from England and Germany and the US.....am I missing anywhere?? Ann, You forgot NJ! :) And how are you doing? Harry
Welcome Sandy, My husband had double bypass 10 days ago. We go today for our first post op visit. He is saying he still hurts allot. Sincerely, Wendy S.
Welcome Peter, It is nice to have you hear with us. I have recently joined myself and found allot of uplifting support. My husband had Open Heart 10 days ago. Luie my husband and I live in Georgia in the USA. South of Atlanta. Sincerely, Wendy S.
Dear Ann, thanks for your welcoming note! It's hard to tell what advantages or disadvantages our diet has against yours. Our food probably contains as many preservatives as yours. What I do heed, is cholestorol, although my cholestorol levels have always been reasonable. I eat a lot of fruit, otherwise I am not very concerned about food. By the way, Ann, do you know anybody who is on Amiodarone??? I wonder how she/he is getting along with this drug. I do take care of my lungs and have regular checks. My cardiologist takes good care of me. I also have regular eye and heart checks. Is Xanef a drug which is known in the USA?? It against high blood pressure. And what about Plavix which is an expensive substitute (70 pills for c. $100) for Aspirin to prevent the clogging of blood? Plavix doesn't irritate your stomach, bur as I said it is rather expensive over here. The good thing is that our health insurances (everybody has to have health insurance!)pay for all medication and surgery etc. Are there waiting lists for heart surgery in the US like in Britain? But with Europe comong closer and closer there shouldn't be problems for anybody to travel to another country for surgery. Best wishes for today and take care, Peter --- In BypassSurgeryRecoverySupport@egroups.com, "Ann McCrea, RN"
Dear Wendy, I had a 4-way bypass almost 2 years ago and I remember how much it hurt after surgery. You can't turn when you lie in bed, but wait for some more weeks and your husband will realize that he can lie on his side without pain. I still feel my chest when I lift heavy objects. But the main thing is that the bypasses 'keep in shape'. By the way, last June I went to Texas (for some marking of tests which German students take- AP tests) and I took the opportunity and also went to Alabama and Mississippi. I really enjoyed my stay, ,although I was sceptical as to whether my heart was taking the strain, esp. the humid weather. I was surprised how well it went and this is what you should tell your husband, he'll be able to do almost anything which he had done before. All the best to him and to you, Peter --- In BypassSurgeryRecoverySupport@egroups.com, "Mrs. Wendy Samper"
In a message dated 11/3/2000 11:52:00 AM Central Standard Time, huuck@... writes: << By the way, last June I went to Texas (for some marking of tests which German students take- AP tests) and I took the opportunity and also went to Alabama and Mississippi. I really enjoyed my stay, ,although I was sceptical as to whether my heart was taking the strain, esp. the humid weather. I was surprised how well it went and this is what you should tell your husband, he'll be able to do almost anything which he had done before. All the best to him and to you, Peter Hi Peter. My name is Sharon. My husband Frank had 5 by-passes almost a year and a half ago. He is doing pretty well now. We live on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Where in Alabama & Mississippi did you visit when you came to the US? Yes, the humidity here is something that definitely takes getting used to! I live about 40 minutes from the Gulf of Mexico. Sharon
Hi Sharon, it's really interesting to even get a mail from somebody in Alabama. Thanks very much. I went from San Antonio to Memphis, rented a car and went to Huntsville, Ala and from there to Nashville and back to Memphis from where I took a plane back to Germany. The time I spent in San Antonio was worse weatherwise, because it was even more humid than in Alabama, but still I made it quite alright. By the way, I went to Huntsville for the Space and Rocket Center, because I have relatives who worked for Wernher von Brown after WW II. His name is Heller and I even found his name on one of the original documents (+photo). So it was worth the trip. I really liked Alabama for its pleasant countryside and Huntsville reminded me of Germany. It appears to be a very beautiful place. I saw large fields with crops which looked like potatoe plants. But I guess it was cotton, wasn't it. Or does cotton fields look even different. I only saw cotton fields just before harvest..that easy to tell. But we simply do not grow cotton here. It's definitely too cold for it. Even now we have frost at nights. It is amazing 'heartwise' I feel better in a warm climate. So I have to wait for another 7 months at least, before our weather turns warmer. Thanks again for your note, best wishes to your husband. Peter --- In BypassSurgeryRecoverySupport@egroups.com, limbaugh45@a...
Hi Peter, Thanks for your thoughts on diet in Germany. The interesting thing is that when we have German food here in the States it is usually high fat Bratwurst! As a nurse in the hospital I gave Amiodarone many times. It is very effective. I caution you because I did know 2 patients (one was very close to me) who suffered severe lung complications. I do not say that to scare you - it sounds like you are being monitored very closely - I just wanted to be sure you knew that was a potential danger. I am not familiar with the other drugs you mentioned, but because I am now working from my home and not at the bedside as often, they may be ones new enough that I haven't heard of them. I spend a lot of time making sure I am up to date on medications, so will go look for those online. Ann Ann McCrea, RN Preventatitve Health www.rexall.com/atm/health
Hi Ann and rest of the group, Your post finally prompted me to respond ...... You did miss at least one other country - New Zealand - but then since I haven't introduced myself to the group yet none of you would know that. I found the group a few weeks ago and having been following the posts with interest. Have learned a lot already. My name is Chris and I live close to Wellington the capital city of New Zealand in a satellite city called Lower Hutt. I am male, 58 years old with 2 grownup boys (30 & 28 yrs) and work for myself from home as a computer consultant and book designer. Earlier this year (27th July) I had CABG - 5 grafts. It was quite out of the blue - only 48 hours after an unplanned angiogram. I'm still trying to get used to the idea of being a person "with a cardiac condition". I showed very few symptoms pre-operatively and certainly none that either I or my family doctor recognized. But thankfully he didn't depend on his own judgement - but decided to send me to a cardiologist. Just as well he did - or I might not be writing to you now!! My recovery post-operatively has been mostly fairly smooth and 3 months after the event I am living a mostly normal life and working about 5 hours per day as well as doing a certain amount of physical work around the house - lawn mowing, maintenance etc (we have a large garden with lawns etc.) I sleep pretty well most nights - but not everything is 100%. Two of the hardest lessons for me to learn are that: (1) CABG isn't a cure - so I have to learn how to manage myself and my 'condition" better. The cardiologist flippantly said: "well your heart has been completely replumbed - but the rest is up to you..." (2) recovery is not a straight line or a predictable steady thing - there a twists and dips in the path - and some days you just feel really tired and lousy - for no identifiable reason. eg: over the last couple of weeks I have experienced mild angina and a sense of breathlessness from time to time - especially towards the end of the day. This is the first time this has happened post-operatively. Since I have had several changes of medication in the last month I am putting it down to this (for the moment). But this does raise an issue that I struggle with a bit during this recovery period - and imagine others do as well : with all of the physical trauma the body has suffered as well as the heavy and varying doses of drugs - it can be very confusing trying to decide if this or that ache or pain or discomfit is just part of the healing/recovery process or if it is something to do with your heart and needs to be discussed with the doctor. If I contacted the doctor for every ache and pain I would contantly be on his doorstep (or the 'phone). This is where support groups like this one are so useful - being reassured by others' experiences. I will write more later - for the moment work calls. A special hello to Jenny in Cornwall. Sorry about the foul weather you are suffering currently. While we didn't visit Falmouth - we did spend a pleasant afternoon at St Mawes and crossed over on The King Harry ferry enroute to St Austall and St Ives in mid-October last year. Hard to imagine such a ferocious storm after that pleasant autumn we experienced. Hope you haven't lost too many of those beautiful big trees we admired so much in your countryside. regards to all from Chris Homepage: www.homepages.paradise.net.nz/pchco
In a message dated 11/9/2000 1:38:48 PM Central Standard Time, caw9642@... writes: << Earlier this year (27th July) I had CABG - 5 grafts. It was quite out of the blue - only 48 hours after an unplanned angiogram. I'm still trying to get used to the idea of being a person "with a cardiac condition". I showed very few symptoms pre-operatively and certainly none that either I or my family doctor recognized. But thankfully he didn't depend on his own judgement - but decided to send me to a cardiologist. Just as well he did - or I might not be writing to you now!! My recovery post-operatively has been mostly fairly smooth and 3 months after the event I am living a mostly normal life and working about 5 hours per day as well as doing a certain amount of physical work around the house - lawn mowing, maintenance etc (we have a large garden with lawns etc.) I sleep pretty well most nights - but not everything is 100%. Welcome Chris. Wow - you have sooooo many similarities to my husband Frank who had his surgery almost a year and a half ago. I could have just about written all you wrote about your surgery, etc.! Sharon in Alabama
Hi Chris-Welcome to the group. I had a CABG last February. I thoroughly understand what you mean about having to learn to manage the "condition". It took me awhile to realize that I had to manage this disease, or I wouldn't be around to enjoy life. I've been attempting to do some major changes in my lifestyle-diet, exercise, etc., so that I will not need to have another bypass. It's been a struggle, but I seem to be winning the battle. I've found that going to a cardiac rehab program regularly and belonging to a support group have helped me realize that I'm not the only one fighting this battle. Take care. Pam in Michigan
Hello to all: I'm Amy and my husband BJ had a major heart attack this past April. I guess things did not go as well as the doctors expected because the procedure to clear the blockage caused another heart attack. His extraction number is at 21 and we have started to be seen by transplant doctors at Massachusetts General. Although this disease does run in his family, we thought we were gonna beat it. He is 47, in great health (otherwise) not 5 lb's overweight and worked out at the gym 3 days a week. Needless to say we are getting an education. We are trying to read as much as possible and absorb it all. The doctors keep playing with his medications, (somehow they always forget the script of valium for me) and I recently started searching on the net for more information. So hello to all, and does anyone know anything about coenzimeQ10? Amy & BJ
Hello Amy, I am Wendy and My husband Luie who is 40 was able to beat a heart attack but had a heart catherization and found his main artery was blocked. He finally taking my Shaklee food supliments and slowly healing. He is still very sore but he has some weight to loose. He is 6 ft tall but had put on an extra 100 pounds due to 3 knee surgerys. You will find this groupe is a good support. I know what you mean about the Valium I could use some some days. But I found that taking B complex is helping to calm me some. God bless, Wendy S.
Hi Donna-You and Jenny aren't the only ones dealing with depression. I've been feeling pretty down for the last month. I'm taking medication for it, but I think I'm going to have to increase the dosage. This isn't new for me-I've been treated for depression for a couple of years. Each winter I need more medication-then the dosage goes down in the spring. The holidays are hard for me-I don't have any children or parents-and my only sibling is very busy with her children and grandchuildren. Makes me feel lonely. Right now I'm having trouble sticking with my diet, and I think that problem is related to my depression. I find that I don't really want to eat anything, which is a first for me. I've been overweight most of my life. Now food doesn't really appeal to me, which is bad, because I'm a diabetic. I've had to force myself to eat for about 3 weeks now. Lucky me-I've been able to talk to some very supportive people at my cardiac rehab group about this. It's so nice having someone to talk to about the problem. Well, I've been jabbering long enough. I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. Pam in Michigan I have been so depressed for the past month or so, eGroups Sponsor [INLINE]
Hello Amy and BJ-This must be one of the most trying times for you. All I can say is-hang in there. Come and talk to us when you need to-we may not have any answers to your questions, but we all lend a listening ear. You'll be in my prayers. Pam in Michigan
Wow, Lots of welcomes.....first - Chris from New Zealand - WELCOME! And Amy & BJ, welcome to you too. (Ok if I missed any other newcomers, forgive me, my kids are in my office "helping" me). Chris, I do agree that it is hard to decide when to call and when not to call. I think that is one of the main reasons I started this group. Quite often recovery experiences are quite "normal", that the majority of people experience certain things along the path of recovery. And since most people have no prior experience with CABG, it can be hard to tell what is alarming and what is routine. Regarding your bouts of angina, my professional opinion is that this is something you should at least let your physician know. Perhaps your medications need just another bit of tweaking - even the slightest change in doseage can bring about a big difference. And, angina is not something you want to wish away. It is a sign of something happening - most likely not something terrible - but something. Best to run it past the doc, especially since your medications have been changed a bit. Amy and BJ - wow, you are really dealing with a lot! I believe it was you who asked about Co-Q10. This is a nutrient that is naturally produced in the body - helps the body convert food into energy and is necessary for the health of all tissues and organs. It has been found to be helpful in improving cardiovascular health. Because as we age we naturally produce less, it is a good idea to supplement, especially when heart disease is present. Goodness we're really growing! Ann <-----proud list starter! Ann McCrea, RN Preventing Heart Disease, one heart at a time! www.rexall.com/atm/health
Dear Amy, My friend takes Coenzyme Q10-- He has had two heart attacks, one bypass, and has congestive heart failure. I think it helps him, and I have never read a bad thing about it. When I am low on energy (I am pretty healthy and have no conditions I know of) I take 60 mg. You should check with your doctor--my friend's doctor prescribed it for him. He is a bit overwhelmed by things, but I will try to find out how many mg he takes. His heart works at half capacity, but he does pretty well considering. I wish you strength, Floraine
In a message dated 11/09/2000 5:29:33 PM Pacific Standard Time, pamscha@... writes: << Hi Donna-You and Jenny aren't the only ones dealing with depression. I've been feeling pretty down for the last month. I would recommend the book "Coping with heart surgery and bypassing depression" by Carol Cohan for those suffering from post CABG depression. Harry K
Hello to All: First..thank you for that warm welcome. BJ and I have looked for support groups in our area and have been unable to find anything in our State. Our lives have turned upside down so much over the last 9 months, between health, work, the way family and friends treat us now., just sometimes we dont know what direction to go. All that and not even married 2 years yet..so we are adjusting and trying to learn. ( to all you guys who ever said what a way to go..guess again) Our good news is he finally got his first social security disability check, so hopefully by January 1st we can move to get some privacy, get our dog out of the kennel as she is not allowed here, and try to regain part of our lives back. So, thank you all for being there. You have our prayers. Amy & BJ