Pericarditis and Pericardiectomy; Part III

[Teri16]

Cathy,

[Teri16]

TexRose,

CP can stand for other things as well;  Chest Pain, Cardiopulmonary, Chronic Pain...Your best bet would be to definitely ask your Dr.'s! 

Hugs, Teri

---

"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas

[Teri16]

My scar is 5 inches long and like a thick pencil line. I'm just coming up to my 10 month anniversary...in the beginning it was sort of ugly and reddened. With healing it gets smaller. :) xoxoxo Teri

---

"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas

[Andrea1]

Hi Cathy The stips come off very easy and they stay on very well. You won't see the stitches their inside. My scare is about 6 inches and it really heals very well. It will be a year for me on the 24th. I really don't think bikini's are out but I'd wait before I got any sun on it...at least until you feel comfortable about it. And a nice soft stretchy sports bra will feel good...soft with no contruction...when you feel ready. And loose clothing for going home...I wore my hospital gown home because I couldn't fit in anything...I developed Nephritis and gain about 10 pounds of fluid from kidney demage because of the Lupus. But, thats just a little tip from me that I did I'm sure you'll have your own little comforts as you go alone. Good luck and keep smiling.
Andrea

---

"Life is too short"

[Nan2]

Cathy...you are making the right decision going to Cleveland...you put a lot of research and thought into choosing them in the first place...I'm glad your surgeon called you and I'm glad he was able to put your mind at ease with his expertise....a relief for sure that he is experienced with the challenging cases.

As far as my scar...it is as long as my thumb to my pinky...it is wider at the bottom than the top. It is raised up a bit on the top...not flat like the bottom. I think I pushed myself to early so it would have been smaller. I remember reaching for the light one night and tore it open just a little...so keep that in mind when you are healing...take it easy! That was hard for me to do with a one year old who wanted to be on my lap all the time. It still looks nice. I was not a bikini candidate before surgery so I can't blame that on my scar :)

Also...I wore an underwire bra home from the hospital and it felt fine...

Teri...congratulations on 10 months!!!!! What a victory!

I'll be thinking of you Cathy...like you said...it is the beginning of your HEALING!!!!!

Hope we hear from Mister soon!

[Teri16]

Mister, we're all wondering where you are!!

Thanks Nan~I appreciate the good wishes! :)

Cathy, watch your purse, we're starting to fill it up -we're getting ready for the ride!! lol

Nan, I also want to thank you for your positive influence that you've shown here and hope that you'll continue to hang around with us for a very long time!!

With Big Hugs, Teri xoxoxo

---

"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas

[Mrozek]

 

Hi,

 

Well, finally I found Pericardiectomy Part III... and the saga continues....

 

I'd love to connect with people who did their Pericardiectomy in hospitals around the SF Bay Area...  Anybody out there?

 

-Mrozek

[Teri16]

Hi Mrozek!! I'm so glad that you found us here!!  I tried to keep the sameish (is that a word? lol) sort of title so that everyone would find it!

[STORRIE]

Hey Guys!

Boy Teri, I wish I left today...not until next Monday.  The wait has been hard knowing it is right around the corner, but yet seems so far away.  I leave next Monday, but surgery is not until the following Monday..the 27th.  I arrive Monday the 20th, then Tuesday I have an Mri, echo, ekg, chest xray and blood...Weds I check into Cleveland for a heart Catherization, after I have to keep my leg still for eight hours, then I go back to the hotel late that night.  Thurs, meetings with the cardiogist and cardiothorasic surgeon, Friday they left open for additional tests.  THEN the long weekend.  i will enjoy the time with my son's and everyone flies in..brother, mother, friends etc...Early on the 27th morning...away I go....so, really I still have two weeks until actually surgery.  Be sure I will write the night before I go in, I am bringing my laptop with me...I will be sure to say so long to all of you!

I really appreciate the knowledge on the scar, it is helpful to know what to expect, and honestly its no where NEAR as long as I thought it would be.  So, that makes me feel a heck of a lot better.  Teri, thank you so much for the kind words, you have been so supportive and helpful, this site would not even be the same without you here.  Your like a guardian angel to us all.  Angela, Nan thanks for the info, it really helps so much for us who don't know what to expect.  I am ready, I do have to go to an attorney's office this week for a Will and Living Will, I am not looking forward to that.  Kinda creepy.  Well, off to bed guys...thanks again!  Cath           How long has Mister been gone?  Seems like an eternity!

[Teri16]

Hi Cathy!!! I'm packing your bags and flying you out when there's not a plane in site, hey?! Oops! lol

I'm glad ya told me, guess I can get out of your purse and take a shower now! :) Yes, that was low fat graham cracker that was sort of crushed in the bottom of your purse...but it was one of the smaller things, I figured I could eat and not make too much noise!

Keep me in line here...Hugs, Teri xoxoxo :)

---

"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas

[STORRIE]

Teri, your adorable....but with the sizes of handbags I carry, I could fit all of ya...and with the moral support you have all given me, I wish it was true!  I sure wish Mister would write soon, how many days has it been now?

Hey guys, being that the boys are 14, do you think they can handle seeing me the next day or will I be too scary?  Please let me know, I do not know what to expect, and I do not want to tramatize them....lemme know.....thanks so much!  your friend, Cathy

[Teri16]

Cathy, I didn't want to look at me!  My husband told me it broke his heart to see all the tubes coming out of me everywhere and my 30 yr. old son, had tears in his eyes.  I was in a hosp. out of town, and since school was in season, my teen daughter was unable to see me til I got home, we just talked everyday.  She was sort of horrified to see the scars and stuff and said it hurt her to see me like that.  It gave her the creeps.  Now, that's my story and it is the truth.  It's up to the individuals and how much they are prepared.  Just remember, you are their Mom and when you are hurting, so are they.  Make sure they have someone they can talk to that is open and willing to listen to them.

[Teri16]

Cathy, in re to your question about Mister S, I went back to the other thread and located his last post which was May 30, 2005 and his surgery he said was to be on Tues., May 31, 2005.  Perhaps he lost his interest for the time being to come here to post, while he recuperates.  That happens sometimes, especially if he's not feeling that good.  It's been just about 2 weeks, let's give him some more recup time.  You please take care, Mister S, we're all waiting as you can see to hear from you!!

[Nan2]

Hi guys...Teri, you are cute with those handbag comments...are you sure you weren't in my purse?  :) 

Cathy...you will know the right decision about your boys visiting.  It might help to demystify everything and talk about the tubes/needles and their purpose and then they are not so scary.  You know them best...so weigh the pros and cons of seeing you vs not seeing you.  You will have some of those tubes for several days so waiting might not change the way you look.  You'll know...involve some family in your decision making so you know your wishes will be carried out when you are in lala land...

Everyone is different...I felt better on day 2 than day 3...I was throwing up on day 3 for some weird reason and no...it didn't hurt at all.  Day 4 was better than day 5 too for me.  But overall...even with the puking...I felt 100% better than before surgery!  Now I'd say 300%!

6 month anniversary for me tomorrow!

I know I didn't post til 3 weeks after surgery...I slept a lot and had a lot of people here the first couple weeks home.  So...he's really only been home 10 days or so...but I do wish we'd hear soon!

 

Hang in there...every day is closer to your healing!

 

 

Nan

[Andrea1]

Hi Cathy...since you asked my daughter was 15 at the time of my surgery and came in to see me right after recovery...she seemed ok about it...she was creeped out over the scar when I got home...but everything seemed normal for her. I think she was just used to me being sick so much it was normal to her. So maybe your boys will be ok since they have been going thorough it with you these past years. But boys can be different when it comes to Mummies I think girls seem a little stronger in that area... Good luck again.
Andrea

---

"Life is too short"

[Teri16]

Hi!

[dancing_water]

Hi there,

I have not been on this board for a while. I understand that Cathy is about to have her surgery, I hope that everything will go well for her.

I had my pericardiectomy last year in December in Crhistchurch New Zealand, very far away from America. I have been doing well ever since. I know that I have been very fortunate. My cardiologist told me usually the outcome can be very disappointing.

My chest is still a little bit sore when I exert myself. My blood pressure was very low after the operation, then it shot up and it is now back to a very good level. One problem I have had is with the coumadin/warfarin, my INR has still not stabilised, I need more and more tablets every day. I wonder whether other people have had the same experience.

Comment on a post from 6/8/2005

I feel for the English lady who told us about her still young husband who had only a part of his pericardium removed. The surgeon must have done this for a reason, sometimes the hardened pericardium has grown into the heart, removal would cause much damage and severe bleeding. This is something which I very much feared. I have no idea whether a heart transplant would be considered in the UK. I think that in New Zeland if you have reached a certain age a transplant will not be an option. I hope that a cardiologist can come up with some good advice.

I wish everybody well

henk

New Zealand

[Teri16]

Hi Henk and Welcome Back!!  I remember you and welcome your added knowledge and support here!

[Mrozek]

 

Hi Teri16,

 

Thanks for asking... my CP is in relatively "early stages" but surgery is considered due to a suspicion that I might have active infection of the pericardium... I have some pain... it is mainly fatigue, weakness, SOB etc... take the usual drugs...  it is hard on me, I was physically very active before CP and gradually got worse in the last year or so... I cannot believe that they tell me that my case is relatively "mild" when I feel terrible, everything is an effort... I'm able to do things 2-3 hours a day max..

 

My wife is really upset, this is just a horrible disease..  anyway, you know what I'm talking about.

 

My dilemma is...  how to time the surgery?  On one hand, I want to do ASAP.. on the other hand when reading  about surgeries which don't work... I just want to postpone it. At the end, it seems, surgery is the only way out.

 

By the way, Storri's "blog" is very educational for me.. I'm also a Cleveland patient.

 

-mrozek

[Teri16]

Mrozek, I'm glad to hear from you, but sorry to hear that you are already starting to feel so badly!!  I can imagine your wife is upset?!  This is not an easy thing to watch a loved one go through.  Please tell her she is welcomed to come on board here as well and to share her concern and feel free to ask questions!!