Emergency Heart Catheter

Oh, Lea! Hugs and good thoughts!!!!!!!

Oh, Lealonnie, you are much much loved here. One of the kindest and most gentle of hearts with such solid good advice. You will be in our hearts during this day. I hope you will update us when hubby is out. I hope this gives you good answers and I hope there is some easy fix. Sometimes they can slip in a stent that helps the flow during this very procedure. Thinking of you. Keep a bit of pepcid on board and don't let yourself get an ulcer over it. That won't help. Thoughts with you.

Praying!
"For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, 'Fear not,
    I am the one who helps you.' "
- Isaiah 41:13

Lea, how is your hubby doing? Thinking about you.

Best wishes for a successful surgery and even more successful healing period afterward!

What relaxes you?  magazines?    scents?    I always took gardening magazines and either cinnamon or herbal concoctions from an herbalist whenever I went to the hospital.

Well, the news isn't good. My DH needs a triple or quadruple bypass surgery tomorrow afternoon. Has 1 65% occluded main artery (placque) and another that's 85% occluded and neither can be stented. So off he goes to surgery tomorrow. The doctor says he's surprised my DH is alive, and that he's very very lucky. Meanwhile, we've been fighting for 2 months to get this catheter done!

Send prayers everyone, and thanks to those who have responded. Much appreciated

I just read your post. I certainly will pray for your dear husband, lealonnie. Hope everything goes well. It is amazing what medicine can do these days. Sending you a big hug.

I am so glad they found the blockages. Wishing your husband a safe and speedy recovery. Thoughts and prayers send to both of you. Sending you a big wrap around hug.

Thanks EB.........he's going to be in the ICU for at least 24 hrs after the open heart surgery and intubated the entire time! I won't be able to visit............which would kill me anyway, to see him like that. Thank God my DD is a cardiac RN and can be there for both of us.

GA: Nothing relaxes me..............I swear I have not slept for the past month at least. I think I'll bring out my lavender and mint balm, that sometimes calms me. Thanks for the reminder

So sorry to hear this Lealonnie. Prayers going up for both of you! Prayers for a successful procedure & a smooth recovery! Make sure you take care of yourself too, this is such a stressful time. Indulge in some self care.

Hello,lealonnie. I just lit a candle and said a special prayer for your dear husband.
I asked my family to pray for him too. You are in my prayers Please take good care of yourself and try to get some rest. Hugs.

Thinking of you and your DH Lea and sending all good thoughts your way! Please keep us posted! Also sending a huge hug!

Lea, I replied then saw the part about the surgery, I'm so sorry you and DH are going through this but I am relieved for him and you that the blockage has been found and will be getting fixed!

I'm glad your DD can be there for you both too. One step at a time, and deep breaths. Sending you lots of love Lea.

{{{Lea}}}

I just found the discussion thread. I am so sorry. Prayers to you and your family. I will be thinking of you today. Prayers and speedy recovery to your DH.

Thinking about you both today, Lea. ((((((hugs)))))))))

I don't always go to discussion threads. I am so glad that I even saw your message. I am so glad your DD is a Cardiac RN. SUCH a help and will be all through this. You can get through this. Do know that after all the rehab he is going to have a little bout of depression that just hits like so much post traumatic stuff. This is a shock to the mental system, to have to go through all this. But he can do this and your DD will keep you so well informed. We are all holding you both in our hearts, and I know people will have many prayers coming your way as well. Get as much rest as you can today. I came straight in to this to see how you are this a.m., and will think positive loving thoughts of you through the day.

Prayers, hope all went well.

Dear "lealonnie1,"

I didn't know about your husband's surgery either until I was on Elaine's thread. I will be be praying for you both. Waiting is extremely hard to do!

If it's any encouragement, my ex- BIL who's 78 and has many other serious health conditions has gone through this and all went very well. Also, my uncle who is 90 whose been a heavy lifetime smoker and has extremely high cholesterol issues has also undergone this type of surgery at least twice and he's still doing what he's always been doing good or bad!

Will be looking for an update when everything is over.

In the meantime - take care!

Update: My DH's surgery *likely triple or quadruple bypass* has been postponed until tomorrow *Friday* morning. Today's surgery was penciled in for this afternoon after a morning surgery............so I think it's better for tomorrow. He's also getting the best surgeon they have........the one that the other staff pray to get when they or their own family members are in need of heart surgery. So this also gives me a chance to rest & take a breather from all the stress. He will be taken immediately to the ICU and remain intubated for 24 hrs after the surgery, where I CAN visit, as it turns out. But my DD (the cardiac RN) is telling me NOT to go visit him in there for 2 reasons: being upset seeing him in such a condition and also, the COVID ventilator patients are housed in the ICU also so being that I'm high risk, she doesn't want me exposed. What about HIS exposure though, I need to ask her?

In any event, we'll see about that, I don't know. I'm more worried about sitting alone in the waiting room for upwards of 7 hours or more waiting for him to be finished with the surgery.

Thank you all so much for the support and the prayers, it means a lot.

Lea, ((((((hugs)))))))).

My husband had open heart surgery in 2005 and I am a BIG believer in "first thing in the AM"! I recall talking to the surgeon after the 6 hour surgery was done done and at the end of our conversation he said "gotta go; I have to do the next one". Oy!

I saw my husband immediately afterwards and the only problem was that when he saw me, he tried to rip the tube out so he could talk to me. Two nurses kept him from doing that, thankfully.

Get some rest and drink fluids!! I got my hair cut the day before my husband's surgery; I was looking pretty bedraggled because I'd been living at the hospital for the three days prior.

"lealonnie1,"

Well, that was quite an anxiety and stress laden way to start off the day. Like Barb said, it really is better to have it first thing in the mornings.

Sounds like it's for the best all the way around - morning surgery, best surgeon, you getting to rest today from all the stress etc.

I am very surprised they would let you see him especially as COVID is escalating again (I wasn't even allowed in the hospital in April when my mom was near death). Maybe you can do Facetime like I did avoiding the risk to you. Our local hospital had an iPad that they passed around to patients who had families so we were able to see and talk to her on two different days. I guess I'd be concerned not just seeing him in that condition but having other patients with COVID in the same ICU.

Good idea to ask them about his exposure risk especially after a serious surgery like he's having.

Continued prayers in preparation for tomorrow!

Hi lealonnie, I am a believer when things are postponed it is for a very good reason. Early morning is the best in my opinion, the doctors are energetic and not usually tired from a long day. It is great your husband will have the best cardiac surgeon and it must be some comfort to you. I do hope you get some rest. Thanks for updating us. My thoughts and prayers are with both of you. Take good care.

Lealonnie I am so sorry the surgery is being postponed until tomorrow. How stressful that must be. But I am so glad he will be having the best suregeon possible!!!

They wouldn’t be postponing it unless they knew they could.

When my husband and I went to visit my mother today, there was a big sign that said no visitors starting tomorrow at the hospital.

I panicked because until now they said it was 12:00-600pm visiting hours but we could visit anytime 2 at a time because she is in end of life care.

we are still allowed to visit anytime. Do what your DD thinks is best. You don’t want to get COVID on top of everything. Our hospital just got more cases that is why they are shutting down visitors.

I will be praying for you and your DH today and tomorrow.

I know this is not easy but you are so very strong. You have helped me so much over these last few months.Hang in there. We all care!!

So the covid patients in the icu are kept in a separate area with negative air output. Not likely either of us will get the virus in there. My DD will NOT be allowed to sit with me in the waiting room, she's been denied access per the hospital rule of one visitor per day per patient. Sigh. I hate covid, have I mentioned that? Taking stress to all new levels here. I will be here at 6am to see DH before his 630 am surgery and sit in the waiting room alone afterward. I will not visit him in the ICU afterward I don't think I will react well, but I may change my mind, who knows?
The doctor who gave DH the cath yesterday is seeing if one of the techs can get DD a badge so she can join me. As long as HE can't get fired, that's all I care about.

Funny story..... we bought a bp cuff awhile ago at an estate sale. DH has been using it to monitor his bp for the past 3 weeks and it's been reading VERY high. False reads...... it needs recalibration and we did not know that. So. He did NOT have hi bp in reality but it was that pos cuff that finally got the doctor to agree to order the cath that revealed these life threatening blockages!!!!! This was not a "coincidence" and why I truly believe he'll be fine. It was divine intervention Earlybird!:)

Another update: DD, the cardiac RN, is going to be at the hospital all day tomorrow with DH in my place, and in the ICU with him afterward. We all decided that would be the best course of action to take, since she knows all the docs and speaks their language, and she's got a ton of experience with ICU and intubated patients.

I'll update again tomorrow.

Lealonnie, that sounds like a great idea. You and your DH will be on my thoughts and prayers tomorrow.

Giving you a huge hug for tomorrow!!
Thank you for keeping us updated.

Lealonnie....i just found this post. Im so sorry your husband is having these issues. Sincere prayers coming to you and for your husband as well. Update when you can. Love and prayers.....
Liz

Great leaonnie. That was a very good decision you made. I am glad DD is so supportive. You can rest easy knowing he is in very good hands. Thanks for the update. Look forward to the update tomorrow. Will continue to pray for your DH.

Lea, hope your early morning visit went well and that you have some fellow spouses in your waiting room! (((((Hugs))))))

Hi lealonnie, Hope you got some rest last night. Praying for your DH for Gods healing power as he goes through surgery. Sending you a big hug.