Andrea
Post Edited By Moderator (Teri16) : 6/2/2005 6:18:51 PM (GMT-6)
Good God Cathy, haven't you had that surgery yet...I talked to you 6 months ago and told you not to worry about the little things and get the darn thing over with. If you cancel this one you are crasy...Hi everyone I had mine on June 24th last year if some of you remember. I have'nt been back to this site since I still have'nt felt great yet but it has to do with Lupus and all that goes with it. The surgery itself as I told you before is relately easy...in your case you've waited so long it maybe a longer recovery...but just do it...I couldn't wait to get it over with. If I find out you don't do it on the 27th I'm coming down there and dragging you in...anyway Good Luck!!
Andrea
Andrea
Hi and welcome back, Andrea! 
I'm glad to hear that your surgery was successful!! 
You sound like you have a great attitude! We need positive influences here for those that are still waiting for their surgery dates and are very worried about their outcomes. So I'm sure glad that you are here!!
You sound like you have a great attitude! We need positive influences here for those that are still waiting for their surgery dates and are very worried about their outcomes. So I'm sure glad that you are here!! Hugs, Teri
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
"I Hope You Dance".............LeeAnn Womack
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Thank you Teri it's good to be back...I got a lap top for Christmas and it's easier to use the computer now. You'll see more of me I'm sure.
Than you again,
Andrea
Hi Andrea...
Yep, I am still hangin in here, but not because I canceled any surgery date, or even because I changed my mind. Dr. Lytle (the cardiothorasic surgeon) was hurt over six months ago in a motorcycle accident, and was not working for three months, so we were shooting for June 6th, as that was Dr. Lytles first opening, then Dr. Klein, who is my cardiogist took his vacation the first few weeks in June, so they knocked me back to June 27th. So none of it was due to me
procrastinating the surgery. When I first went to the Cleveland Clinic, I was not symtomatic, and they actually told me to go home, get my affairs in order for a year....did that...then all the doctors felt that since I was doing so well, and I was ALREADY SEVERE, that instead of risking my life in surgery, i would be better off buying time, so that is what we did up until about six months ago...when the swelling started etc...
If you can get into surgery early into the disease and you are lucky enough to have doctors who can find out what is truly wrong with you. The chances in surgery increase dramatically. My doctors for over the last ten years thought I had two leaky valves...that was it. We did pull all the past records, and on one itty bitty cat scan over ten years ago, on the bottom the tech wrote:
"possible pericardial calcification, follow up with a cat scan". My cardiogist either didn't see it, or chose to ignore it, but, either way, we had never heard of it. So by the time I was diagnosed properly, I was over 14mm's thick. Which is considered to be heavy/severe/dense.....
One thing that everyone agree's with in las vegas, is we have the worst doctors in the U.S. They say its because the medical malpractice insurance is the highest in the country here, so it drove all of our good doctor's out. I don't know what the real reason is, but truth is, its really bad here. Just last week a man dropped dead on the hospital parking lot because they refused to admit him.
Massive heart attack. Needless to say...major lawsuit.
Nan..your too cute....I have two fourteen year old boys, so they keep me up to date with the computer lingo, and I just recently found out what POS means.....
PARENT OVER SHOULDER
so I watch closely for that one!
Needless to say...I was laughing more than my B*** off....it just strike me at the right time, my husband walked in and thought I had lost my mind laughing out loud at my computer...he could be right...!!
well 17 days and counting...time is flying by; and there doesnt' seem to be enough time to get everything done.
One of my son's is getting leaky about going to surgery. He told me last night he is scared...I imagine as it gets closer it will get worse...
I am having such a hard time breathing that I wish it was tomorrow. this is like torture...
I will be glad when we hear from Mister....he has been on my mind a lot...
Cath
Cathy, You hang in there, I'm still here with the others in your cheering section, counting the days with you!! Do you think there'll be room in your purse for me and some of the others so we can come along with you?? I promise to be very very quiet. It'll be hard, but I could do it. lol
I'm sure hoping Mister is recuping right now and will be posting in a matter of days!!
Best wishes and Hugs, Teri :)
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
I'm sure hoping Mister is recuping right now and will be posting in a matter of days!!
Best wishes and Hugs, Teri :)
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
"I Hope You Dance".............LeeAnn Womack
Please allow HealingWell to continue helping others by donating:
Cathy...if your husband thought you had lost it...I wonder what the nurses who will be prepping you will think when you burst out in a drug induced fit of laughter minutes before heart surgery :) What a great way to go in! Well...think of it as one last reminder of your big cheering section here! :)
I'm so glad it is getting closer for you.
Have a good weekend!
Nan
Teri...thanks for the translation...I knew it would be something obvious but I just could not figure that out.
I'm so glad it is getting closer for you.
Have a good weekend!
Nan
Teri...thanks for the translation...I knew it would be something obvious but I just could not figure that out.
Hey Teri...
With the sizes of the handbags I carry, you would surely fit...lol, I would love to have you with me...with your positive outlook, I couldn't help but succeed. Speaking of handbags, that is what has kept my mind off of this for so long, I have been selling designer handbags on the internet for the last year, and met some incredible women, and what a great diversion it has been!
Ahhh, I took Misters or was it Les's advice and ran out and purchased the book they suggested, "The Pericardium", what a great book, finally more than a paragraph on constrictive pericarditis. I found this paragraph to be very interesting...and it makes sense now as to why all the doctor's told me not to rush into surgery....cept one doctor, who was very creepy...
"Not every patient with cp needs a pericardiectomy, when the right heart filling pressure is less than 10mmHg, the patient can safely be watched and treatement can be delayed until there is a further increase in central venous pressure, fatigue or evidence of fluid retention. I usually do not recommend pericardiectomy for patients who have no, or minimal symptoms, who do not require diuretics or strict limitation of fluid intake......etc
"Not every patient with cp needs a pericardiectomy, when the right heart filling pressure is less than 10mmHg, the patient can safely be watched and treatement can be delayed until there is a further increase in central venous pressure, fatigue or evidence of fluid retention. I usually do not recommend pericardiectomy for patients who have no, or minimal symptoms, who do not require diuretics or strict limitation of fluid intake......etc
This makes perfect sense, as they do not have this surgery down to a perfect science and they had expressed to me, why chance it in surgery now, when you are asymptomatic. I actually did not have any symptoms until this last year, and I wonder if pushing myself by building our house didn't speed up the process a bit. They had told me to take it easy, and altho the quality of my life was not what it should be, the quality time with my family was. Thus the reason the doctor's kept a close eye on me, but did not push me to have surgery. Now that my symptoms have increased, it is without a doubt time, but, I don't regret not going earlier...I think the timing is as important as the surgery.
BUT, to quote my favorite comedian Dennis Miller.."thats just my opinion, and I could be wrong!" BUT, I didnt want anyone to think I was dodging surgery in the past, I was actually doing what the cardiothorasic surgeons were telling me too do.
Nan..I would welcome a drug induced fit going into surgery...I had realized the day you wrote that, I had not laughed in awhile, and it was weird, because I hadn't noticed how long it had been since I laughed, til I read what you wrote, and as I said, it just hit me at the right moment, it was hysterical...so, thanks for the smile..!
One thing is certain, I couldn't ask for a better cheering section, and honestly I truly can't wait for this, I know your sick of hearing about it, cuz I am sick of thinking about it!...so we have two weeks left...whoooo hoooo...cleveland here I come...Ter, Nan...thanks for all your support!
Cathy
(Smiling Cheering Section, that never get tired of hearing anything!) Guess Who?! lol"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
"I Hope You Dance".............LeeAnn Womack
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Hi Cathy...I was trying to find that book "The Pericardium" and found a few with that title...who was the author? Was yours a textbook? These are all over $150...am I looking in the right spot?
Funny...I was just talking about you to a friend last night...she has bought/sold many handbags and belongs to some discussion boards etc...we were talking about how much you can think about someone you've never met...and she was talking about these women she's met on her website. I remember thinking that was funny because I'm talking about the bond of heart surgery and she's talking about the bond of a great hand bag...then I come home and your post was on about selling hand bags over the internet! You two have probably met and she and I may have both been talking about you. It really is a small world :)
I bet Mister is going home today or tomorrow!!!
Nan
Funny...I was just talking about you to a friend last night...she has bought/sold many handbags and belongs to some discussion boards etc...we were talking about how much you can think about someone you've never met...and she was talking about these women she's met on her website. I remember thinking that was funny because I'm talking about the bond of heart surgery and she's talking about the bond of a great hand bag...then I come home and your post was on about selling hand bags over the internet! You two have probably met and she and I may have both been talking about you. It really is a small world :)
I bet Mister is going home today or tomorrow!!!
Nan
Wow, Nan that is freaky.........you are right tho; its a small world, and as massive as the internet is, it too proves to be small. When I was told to take it easy the last year and a half, it was hard for me, as I was always hyper. When I was pregnant, they were invitro babies, so I was put to bed my second month, and remained there my entire pregnancy, that was a lot easier, because I would have DONE anything to insure my babies were born on time, and when they came at 7 1/2 months, I was baffled because I had done everything right, I was able to shower once a week, ugg, and I could use the bathroom and that was it. At three in the morning my water broke, and they could not give me an explanation for eleven years. Thus the CP was diagnosed, then they knew my heart must have struggled pretty hard to pump for a twin pregnancy. They said it was a miracle I held them that long. Had I not spent every moment in bed, they would have never made it. But, when I was diagnosed, that explained everything.
NAN.....I bought the book on AMAZON...The Pericardium, by Ralph Shabetai Hardcover. There must me fifty or more pages dedicated to constrictive pericarditis, and like I said, I could never find anything but the same old stuff. Here are a couple of sentences, I found interesting...hope you do too..
The Pericardium is something of an enigma, Like the appendix, we can very well do without it, yet when it becomes diseased it can, because of it's strategic position, place a stranglehold around the heart and thus threathen life itself. and there was another part, I really wanted you to read, and now I can't find it. I just got it yesterday, and I already read so much of it, that I can't remember the place,but I will find it. I can't remember what I pd for it, but, whatever I pd it was worth it. SO interesting, I have yet to ever find any book like this, that offer's so much about CP and the pericardium. Talks about why they feel we need one..how many things it can affect, it goes on and on.....so informative, and educational. I am a junkie about wanting information on anything that affects my family or friends or even myself.
btw, Nan, did you see a cardiogist at Mayo by the name of Jay K Oh? I know that is not spelled correctly, except the last name, but he is quoted quite often in this book, and he was who I saw with Dr. Danielson at Mayo, they have done quite a few studies, one in particular that I was able to get the entire study, was called, "calcific constrictive pericarditis, is it still with us". The study is LONG, but they talk about all of their patients from literally the first case they saw...how many lived, how many died, what they died of, if they were late deaths etc. That in fact was the most detailed information I had ever seen. There is now a shorter summary of it on the net now, but, if you can find the abstract version, it has such details. When I told Dr. Danielson I found it on the internet, he asked how I was able to access it, I told him it was easy, it was unlocked. Literally the next day it was locked down, and I could not access it again. Thank goodness I printed it out..but, I believe it still can be accessed if you can find it. Its about fifteen pages long, but very informative. Some of Dr. Oh's findings on that study are in this book.
Have any of you taken Rythmol? It's an anti-arrythmia medication I have been put on; and was on ten years ago, until it made me so deathly sick that I threw up so violently one night for hours, they had told me at the time, it had become toxic with me, but, knowing that, they still put me on it last week, and I was wondering if any of you had taken it and if so, what side affects you had. I am having a hard time already, and I have only taken it a week. I can't eat, and when I took it last, I ended up at 103pds. Mind you, I am five foot eight...so that is very skinny for me, I looked horrible. I was wondering if it just happens to me on this, or if any of you have experienced this.
Another thing that baffles me, is I have noticed that all of us have experienced extreme "shake and bakes", they call this disease idiotpathic if you have not had TB or radiation, previous heart surgery, (which causes scar tissue not calcification), or a blow to the chest BUT all of us have had the fever at one time or another, but they are not acknowledging that. I wonder why...it says in the book that pericarditis can be brought on by staphylococcus or pneumococcus. First time I have read that.
Well, when I find that other quote, i will let ya know...I was up all night again, as you can tell, I am still having trouble sleeping...its like I don't want to sleep a moment before surgery. Time is so precious to me right now, I think its doing a number on my brain...anyho, have a great day guys!
Cathy
Nan..here ya go: ONLY one copy left!!! Cathy
Post Edited By Moderator (Teri16) : 6/4/2005 2:52:44 PM (GMT-6)
One more thing, its a bit pricey...but very very worth it.....
You will never find this much information on this subject in layman terms, so you can actually understand it...Mister rfound an excellent book....(thanks Mister...hurry back!)
okay, I am GOING to bed....nighty nite.....Catherine
Storri,
Yes, I suggested the Shabetai book... I was able to get it from a university library, I loved it and it was amazing to me that EVEN I understood most of it... most information I saw about CP ever...
By the way, Dr. Shabetai is the "father" of everything related to pericardium in the US and his book is used to teach med students on the subject. As I understand he is still working in San Diego at the VA Hospital...
Cheers Mrozek
Mrozek
THANK YOU!! I had searched and searched for something, anything and could never find anything more than the same sentences over and over, so when you had mentioned that book, I ran for it, and have not put it down since I got it...I really appreciate it, and it has really educated me greatly on everything that I wanted to know. I had heard from one source that without a pericardium, your heart has a tendency to beat harder; and you can feel it more, and it "anchored" the heart. And with this protective lining, it held your heart in place, along mostly softening your heartbeat. SO, it really put me at ease, after reading so much about it, and that none of that is true. I had been to SO many book stores looking for anything, and if you look at all the heart books out there you either will not find anything about constrictive pericarditis, or the same old paragraph that you see when you look it up on the internet. This is so broad and has so much about it, i am still not done reading about it and it has so much information, the book is a bit pricey, but well worth it....it tells you EVERYTHING about every disease of the pericardium, plus pericardiectomys, PLUS everything you want to know about CP and more..
SO thank you again for bringing it to our attention, I would have never found it. I noticed the author is a doctor from the University of California, San Diego, boy would I like to talk to him!!
anyway...great stuff...thanks again Mrozek!! Cathy
Cathy, I saw your post, but unfortunately due to Forum guidelines and rules, I had to edit part of your post...
I'm glad that you've found something that's offered you so much comfort and knowledge about pericardiectomies. As you well know, I'm behind you all the way!! With big hugs, Teri :) xoxoxo
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
I'm glad that you've found something that's offered you so much comfort and knowledge about pericardiectomies. As you well know, I'm behind you all the way!! With big hugs, Teri :) xoxoxo
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
"I Hope You Dance".............LeeAnn Womack
Please allow HealingWell to continue helping others by donating:
Here's another article that I just located that you all may or may not have seen...Hugs, Teri
"The pericardium helps keep the heart in position, prevent the heart from overfilling with blood, and protect the heart from being damaged by chest infections. However, the pericardium is not essential to life; if the pericardium is removed, there is little measurable effect on the heart's performance."
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
"I Hope You Dance".............LeeAnn Womack
Please allow HealingWell to continue helping others by donating:
Hello all...
I'm a little troubled...in the past couple weeks I haven't felt the greatest but I've also had a cold. In the past 3 weeks I've put on 10 pounds. And today my stomach is distended. I'm trying not to be paranoid but it's hard not to compare to pre-surgery...but...how could I have symptoms if I don't have a pericardium (lupus etc was also ruled out)...is there a higher chance for CHF after the surgery? Has anyone read up on post-op risks/complications? I'm a little more tired...but today a little short of breath and distended. Any insight? I finally got in to the doc June 21st...
I'd love to hear any info on post-op stuff...I look 5 months pregnant tonight and I'm not sure why...no swelling in my ankles though...
Hopefully I just have a bad sinus infection and constipation :)
Nan
I'm a little troubled...in the past couple weeks I haven't felt the greatest but I've also had a cold. In the past 3 weeks I've put on 10 pounds. And today my stomach is distended. I'm trying not to be paranoid but it's hard not to compare to pre-surgery...but...how could I have symptoms if I don't have a pericardium (lupus etc was also ruled out)...is there a higher chance for CHF after the surgery? Has anyone read up on post-op risks/complications? I'm a little more tired...but today a little short of breath and distended. Any insight? I finally got in to the doc June 21st...
I'd love to hear any info on post-op stuff...I look 5 months pregnant tonight and I'm not sure why...no swelling in my ankles though...
Hopefully I just have a bad sinus infection and constipation :)
Nan
Nan, Please don't hesitate with this-Call your Dr. and get this checked out!
There are post surgical complications sometimes, but bloating itself can cause SOB-please call your Dr. on this!
Hugs, Teri :)
Keep us posted!
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
"I Hope You Dance".............LeeAnn Womack
Please allow HealingWell to continue helping others by donating:
Hi Nan...yes I have been feeling that why for a while now off and on mostly on now...I keep complaining to my cardilogist but he keeps saying it takes time...it's been a year at the end of the month...I've put on 12 pounds and my stomach is big, I'm short of breath etc. I called him last week and told him again and that I want some tests so I go Monday for an echo and stress test...so I'll let you know. I'm thinking I have a blockage because after surgery someone came in and told me I'd need a stent later...but when I asked about no one knew what I was talking about.
Andrea
Nan, if you can handle about 6 ounces of Prune juice warmed up...drink that and see if it doesn't help at least one problem. :)
I still think you need to get this checked, like Andrea did, be persistent-way to go, Andrea!! :)
Big hugs, Teri :)
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
I still think you need to get this checked, like Andrea did, be persistent-way to go, Andrea!! :)
Big hugs, Teri :)
"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas
"I Hope You Dance".............LeeAnn Womack
Please allow HealingWell to continue helping others by donating: