Open Heart Surgery|Dr. Kathleen Blake | Heart Valve Surgery Tips

Open Heart Surgery – How Do Older Patients Recognize The Danger Signals?

For the first time since my open heart surgery, I woke up with two knees that looked like water balloons. Boy, was I ever surprised and a little scared too. This means that my heart is not yet healed enough to prevent fluid retention.

Dr. Blake had cut back drastically on my diuretics (medicines usually used in heart valve replacement or repair surgeries), and I apparently it was just too much of a reduction at one time. It seems that I’m one of those people that needs to reduce diuretics gradually.

I talked to Dr. Blake’s nurse about my water balloon situation, and she said to try taking the Furosemide (a powerful diuretic) every other day instead of once a day. I’m to continue with the Spironolactone (a milder, potassium saving diuretic) as before.

A question that is bothering me is, what do older heart patients do when they are not at all familiar with various medications or their own heart conditions.

Most heart patients are older, and many of them do not know how to use the Internet to gather pertinent information. Often, I fear, they do not recognize telltale post surgery danger signals that could be life threatening.

While I was at New Heart Rehabilitation doing my rehab exercises a couple of days ago, I heard the dietitian trying to explain to a recent heart attack patient the difference between his heart rate and his glucose level.

My God! He thought they were the same thing. How does this man manage all the instructions and medicines? My guess is that he doesn’t.

Symptoms necessitating heart valve surgery are totally different from those of heart burn or acid reflux, which require natural heartburn remedies, and not a scary trip the heart hospital operating room. Here is a great site for acid reflux disease: Heartburn Remedies.

I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve been closely monitored, almost on a weekly basis, ever since my open heart surgery. I know for a fact that many heart surgery patients do not get seen nearly that frequently.

Our newest saltwater fish, a gorgeous powder blue tang, died last night. Kathy and Judy gave her to us when they were here; we are so very sad. It looked like it had a little Ich, but that shouldn’t have killed it. Maybe the change from its natural habitat to our tank was just too much for it.

Will post again soon!