Pericardiectomy

Thanks to Mike and Barb
Looks like we will all be going through this within days of each other. I'll be done in boston and as soon as I get home I will be dying to talk to you all about it. So look for my posting and good luck to all of us.
Andrea

Yippie Barb!!! So glad this is over for you and sounds like it went very well! Hope you have a nice speedy recovery and bet you will feel better than you've felt in a long time!

Hope to hear from Mike and Andrea soon! Big hugs, Pat

PS: Have a wonderful 4th of July holiday everyone.

 To Barb, Andrea, and all who've replied to this thread.  Sorry for taking so long to reply, but my computer got dissassembled during my hospital stay.  I had my surgery on 30 june.  Had a little bit of a tough recovery, due to an staph infection, so my hospital stay wound up being a whole month.  I went home on 30 July.  Still there was really no choice but to have that surgery.  I am now down 40 pounds from when I went in and recovering well.  Probably not the best recommended way to love that weight, but happy to have it off!  Still a little sore through the chest and often tired, but better than before I went and eating like a horse.  Wish you all the best.

Mike L.

Hope all of you who had your surgery are well on your way to mending!! Pop back in and let us know how you are doing now!! Hugs, Teri :)

After I had my pericardiectomy, I was visiting with my cardiologist about my mother-in-law, 80, and not able to walk well, etc. with bad knees, about her heart valve that another cardiologist wanted to replace. He said his fear with recommending operation with older patients is not the amount of time on the table, but the ability to heal from the surgery. One of the most important things in my recovery was walking every day, getting the blood flowing, moving oxygen into the lungs, etc. If a person can't do the therapy, they may never recover fully. The lungs are partially collapsed during surgery, and complications can certainly set in if they aren't exercised afterward.

My surgeon had to scrape and "peel" some of the inner lining of my pericardium, he said that as long as it wasn't calcified, it can be cleaned up. There was a Dr. on TV yesterday that said all patients over the age of 80 have to be evaluated on a case by case basis. If this person can do the work to recover from the surgery, the decision should be easier. The bad thing is, when they told me I had to have a pericardiectomy, they called it a life saving operation. It sounds like he may not have a choice. I feel for him, he must be in misery. I hope for the best! Always get a second opinion!

Ya'll are a great bunch and I'm glad you have each other's support!! Mctoone, I am impressed with how giving and willing you are to support your friend, your landlord! :) At this point the decision is his, as you know, so as long as his eyes are open, then you just being on his side is so very important to him. Good luck and best wishes to him! Teri :)

The surgeon is supposed to call this Friday with the results that he did not have from the angiogram. I guess they were not sent to him..Some type of pressure test? I'm not sure what this is but with these results he will be able to tell if the surgery is going to do any good. I'm not sure what I want to hear. But thanks, I will definitely support my friend. No matter how scared I am.

The surgeon called today - unfortunately my landlord was not home ( he was playing 9 hole golf - par 3)...he left a message on the answering machine so he was cut off. But what he did manage to say was that he and the other heart surgeons felt that performing the pericardiectomy AND repairing/replacing 3 valves would be too complicated...but they did say that just doing the pericardiectomy would do a lot of good. Since this seems to be causing the problem. Then he was cut off! I feel a little better about this as my landlord would not be on the table for so long....I get the feeling that my landlord is a little dissappointed. He still thinks that if the pericardiectomy doesn't take that long that maybe they could do a valve or 2. When talking with the surgeon last week, he said that although each valve has a problem , not any one of them is bad enough to do anything about. But because there are 3 bum valves....well..singularly each valve is not that bad to operate on, but I guess since they are in there maybe there should be dealt with. So that's what I know. We will have to call the surgeon back tomorrow to see what else he wanted to say. Of course we got the message after office hours!

I had a total pericardiectomy in Febuary. I checked into the hospital on a Tuesday, and had the surgery the next morning. They have to split your sternum to gain access to your heart. It is a 2-surgeon operation. Mine took about 4 hours. After surgery I spent 24 hours in SICU. You will probably have 3 chest tubes in for drainage. The first night is pretty miserable, but you will have plenty of pain killer. The next day they will help you out of bed to dangle your legs, or even stand for a few seconds. After you move back to a regular room, you'll be monitored closely, and have a respiratory treatment every few hours. This is to help expand your lungs. It is not comfortable, but is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. You will have to cough, but don't worry, you won't come apart. You're wired together for good. In a couple of days the surgeon will remove the chest tubes. This does not hurt, and you will immediately feel better. By that time you should be walking down the hall (with help). Remember, do not skimp on the breathing exercises they have you do. You'll have to do them after you return home. I did mine for 5 weeks. You should remain at home for about 4 weeks. My suggestion is to do nothing but rest, walk every day, and do the breathing excercises. You will be fine, and at your age you will lead an absoulutely normal life. You are so lucky to have this diagnosed. When mine was diagnosed, a young lady died near here because the doctors mis-diagnosed her.

One other thing very few people talk about. You may get depressed after being home for a little while. Do not worry. I have discovered that this is common with heart surgery patients, although no one really knows why. Just fight through it and all will be well. If you have any other questions please ask. God bless you and you are going to be fine!!!!

I'm still here!  My landlord did not bother to call the surgeon back because he is scheduled to see his cardiologist this Thursday ( Oct 7).   He figures his cardiologist will explain everything and give him his options.  I will let you know just what he's up against.

The sooner the better, I say. Seems kind of strange they would wait for over a week. It takes 5 days for blood thinners to void your system. Calcification is a concern, indeed. Kind of a conflicted scenario, but I'm no doctor. Good luck, let us know how it comes out!

"The waiting is the hardest part"

Again, I'm not a doctor, just speaking from my experience and research. When mine was diagnosed, the doctors were sorry to hear I was taking baby asprin as they would have to wait for 5 days to do the surgery. They told me it was a surgery that needed to be performed immediately, and were glad mine had not calcified as that was in some cases inoperable. From the sounds of how well, or shall I say, the lack of how lousy your friend seems to feel, his may not be as severe as others. I was almost non functioning in life, as were others that I have spoken to. I have a feeling everything is going to be great with your friend!