Pericarditis and Pericardiectomy; Part III

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

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!

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

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!!

 

Hugs, Teri

 

Post edited for dates, originally I said 2004. :)

 

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

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

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

Hi Mrozek...

My advice...sooner vs later...it won't go away and it will just get worse and the surgery will just get more risky and complicated. My case was "mild" too...symptoms for "only" 15 months...but no calcification...and I think surgery is more straightforward at that stage from what I have read.

Cathy...SOON you will be on the other side of this all!!!!! You are in my prayers...I just know it will be successful and you will be feeling GREAT before you know it!

Henk...I have not heard a lot about clotting factors after surgery...was that an issue before surgery too or a result of the surgery? They thought I was going to have to take Coumadin too but it turned out I just had a vitamin deficiency and I supplemented which reversed the problem (low protein C) My bloodwork has been normal since that. I've wondered if that problem was from my heart....my body did not absorb enough vitamin EAD and K which messes with blood clotting and lots of other stuff. Do you see a hematologist? The red flag for me was really low cholesterol...

Have to run...wishing the very best to all of you.

Nan

Hi, everybody!

Sorry I haven't posted sooner, but I just haven't felt up to it until now.  I've been taking quite a bit of Vicodin, and it takes a big toll on my ability to concentrate.

I was released from the hospital a week ago, meaning that I was in the hospital for ten days.  Most people go home in five days, but I kept shedding fluid out of my left pleural cavity, and so my doctors were reluctant to release me.

In any case, the surgery went extremly well.  I was in and out of the OR in two hours.  Afterwards, the surgeon told me that my pericardium was 1/2 an inch thick (no calcification), and that it was sort of like an orange peel.

RE: Storri's earlier question about the temp. pacemaker---I did not have this.  When I woke up from surgery, I had an IV in my left elbow, a big line on my wrist, a main line on the right side of my neck, a bladder catheter, and three chest drainage tubes.

The first twenty-four hours post-op were painful for me, because the meds (Vicodin and Dilaudid) weren't working the way they were supposed to.  Thus, when they rolled me on my side to change the linens, the pain was horrible.

Funny that people have been comparing scars.  All of us are members of The Zipper Club, yeah?    My scar / scab is about 10 1/2 inches long, but then again I'm a pretty big guy with a big rib cage.  (I'm over six feet tall and wear a size 46 jacket.)

All right...  kind of running out of energy here...

Wanted to thank everyone for all the support, though.  You are all just wonderful, beautiful human beings.

--Mister S.

Hi and Welcome Back Mister S!!! WooHoo-You're Okay!!

 

We've all been thinking of you and sending prayers and a positive flow of energy for you, I'm glad to see you back here and posting!  Life will get better.  The pain and the healing process will be gradually wind down and you'll be up and going once again as the 'new' you!

 

Cathy, (Storri) is leaving on Monday-I think I have it right this time, Cathy!! She's headed to Cleveland to have her surgery done...She's been asking after you and worried as well-I hope she's able to get back on here and find out that you are okay?!

 

Mister, you take your time and we'll still be here!!

 

Big Hugs, Teri

Good Luck, Cathy!!!

 

Best wishes to you~I'll be holding you close and praying for you, for your sons and your family!!

 

I can't wait to hear from you post op! 

 

Big Gentle Hugs, Teri

Cathy! God Bless you...I'll be thinking of you and praying for you all week and extra next Monday! We will be on pins and needles till we hear from you. I will pray for your boys too...

You are strong, woman! You can do this!!!!!

Nan