HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

OT - aortic valve finally takes a dump ! *2-16-17 Update & Question*

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12 3 4
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/27/2016 11:28 AM (GMT -5)
smhair

dx'd almost 4 years ago with aortic valve stenosis (AVS), the thing is done - time for a replacement, one that says moo or one that says oink - not sure which one yet -

just looking for advice as to before/after things i should or shouldn't do in regards to UC management - during my 3 day stint in the hosp last week, most of the staff were fairly versed on the ramifications of certain drugs and were willing to listen to me shouting loudly when offered a wonder drug that could be potentially mess with my beloved bowels - blood thinners are big in the cardiac repair business ! uh, no thanks -

so any thoughts or ideas specific to UC or just general hospital stay would be awesome - hopefully i'm less than 2 weeks away from the table -

thanks -
Posted 12/27/2016 12:03 PM (GMT -5)
Oh wow...didn't know that's what you have. Geepers.

Rectal meds is all I can offer as a suggestion.

Hope all goes s(moooo)thly during surgery and recovery.

Please keep us updated!

q
Posted 12/27/2016 12:32 PM (GMT -5)
Stud: Sorry to here this.
All I can tell you is that my sister in law had a pig valve/cow not sure, at least 10 years ago.
She is now like 75 and it still works,but she is on blood thinners for life.

Anyhow, is the stenosis due to calcification.

Old Mike
Posted 12/27/2016 12:52 PM (GMT -5)
Soy,

Sorry to hear that, I don't think it is an OT post because every medical decision that we make could have an impact on our UC/IBD/colons.

I was in the hospital a three weeks ago to have my hip replaced (Thanks to steroids). I ran into similar complications and me and my surgeon through a big stink about aspirin, blood thinners and Nsaids that the doctor prescribed to me. My surgeon stepped in and had to justify removing those meds from my routine; to my surprise there is a doctor who oversees this stuff to prevent mistakes.

The surgeon said that Coumadin is not absorbed as well for people who have digestive issues and they keep having to tweak the dosing, so that is something to be aware of if you are on a blood thinner.

We settled on taking me off the blood thinners to prevent DVTs and they set me up with an ActiveCare SFT device to go home with for 2 weeks, it's basically those bots they put around your calves after surgery but these are portable and you can walk in them. My surgeon said there are FDA studies that show that these are just as effective in preventing DVTs as Coumadin.

My GI's philosophy is take these medications if they are necessary and he'll treat the UC if there are any complications but otherwise don't take them if you don't have to.

I agree with Quincy about the enemas but I'd probably add an oral 5ASA too.
Posted 12/27/2016 1:13 PM (GMT -5)
Soy,

about the hospital stay, are you going to have your own room or will it be a shared room?

A private room will solve a lot of problems, all you have to do is shut the door and turn the lights off.

I had a shared room during my recent stay and I bought a pair of noise canceling headphones which I wore almost the entire time I was there. I asked the nurse for a sleep mask to keep the light out when I was trying to sleep. Bring something to keep you occupied.

I always bring sweatpants or something loose fitting which makes it easier to get around when you are trying to walk. Also those gowns are drafty.

They will provide a home nurse to check on you after you get home for a few weeks. I also have a Home Physical Therapist coming 2-3 times a week, I'm not sure if you'll need that or not. Some people qualify for a home health care aid to help out around the house.
Posted 12/27/2016 2:38 PM (GMT -5)
Good luck soy, i hope they get your ticker straightened out quickly with as little hassel as is possible. Heart's kinda important, unlike a large intestine which we can easily do without (as some here can attest). I know nothing about the circulatory system, so can offer nothing helpful but well wishes smile
Posted 12/27/2016 3:02 PM (GMT -5)
Best of luck, I'm sure it will all go smoothly. Hospital food can be hard to take sometimes, so I would take some UC friendly snacks in with you.
Posted 12/27/2016 5:18 PM (GMT -5)
hey lonnie.

just wanted to know that i'm going to pray for you and hope things go smoothly.

i've taken blood thinners during all of my hospital stays and don't think they had a negative affect on my UC at all.
Posted 12/27/2016 5:54 PM (GMT -5)
sorry to hear this, but i'm sure everything will go smoothly and you'll soon forget you've ever had such a problem smile
Posted 12/27/2016 6:15 PM (GMT -5)
Sorry that you have to go thru this. I don't know of anyone personally that had this done but I have heard that this type of surgery has a high success rate. Good luck!
Posted 12/27/2016 6:35 PM (GMT -5)
I recently just got off pradaxa a blood thinner. It didn't seem to have an effect on my uc at all. Anyway, good luck, and well wishes.
Posted 12/27/2016 6:49 PM (GMT -5)
Very best wishes that it is a breeze. I will be following your reports as my valve is a bit sticky but no replacement mentioned. If it were me I'd bring VSL#3 with me to help my gut stay calm.
Posted 12/27/2016 11:15 PM (GMT -5)
'grain free/paleoish diet that includes 100% grass fed beef, raw goat milk, & local organic free range eggs, lots of all natural well water'

I can imagine the look on the nurse/dieticians face when you ramble this one off ;) haha.

Best of luck with the surgery and aftercare! And sorry to hear about the issue in the first place. Just be sure to relax and de-stress as best as possible after - and keep us all posted. That will probably have the biggest effect on your UC <-- the relaxing & de-stressing, not posting. That and good food to keep you extra healthy during your recovery smile

PS- Rumor has it Bacon Girl volunteered to cook lot's of care packages for you, haha.

All the best
Mark
Posted 12/28/2016 7:31 PM (GMT -5)

quincy said...
Oh wow...didn't know that's what you have. Geepers.

Rectal meds is all I can offer as a suggestion.

Hope all goes s(moooo)thly during surgery and recovery.

Please keep us updated!

q


thanks - i'm sure things will be fine as swine !
Posted 12/28/2016 7:43 PM (GMT -5)

Old Mike said...
Stud: Sorry to here this.
All I can tell you is that my sister in law had a pig valve/cow not sure, at least 10 years ago.
She is now like 75 and it still works,but she is on blood thinners for life.

Anyhow, is the stenosis due to calcification.

Old Mike


thanks OM - i guess, but no one has said anything cause wise - my arteries are clean so i don't have a clue why the valve puked -

typically only mechanical valves require blood thinners -
Posted 12/28/2016 8:46 PM (GMT -5)
HI Soy,
I didn't know, sorry you have to deal with this. Don't really have any advice but want to wish you well. Your "Brenda" is rooting for you! Keep us posted.
B
Posted 12/29/2016 1:08 PM (GMT -5)

ks1905 said...
Soy,

Sorry to hear that, I don't think it is an OT post because every medical decision that we make could have an impact on our UC/IBD/colons.

I was in the hospital a three weeks ago to have my hip replaced (Thanks to steroids). I ran into similar complications and me and my surgeon through a big stink about aspirin, blood thinners and Nsaids that the doctor prescribed to me. My surgeon stepped in and had to justify removing those meds from my routine; to my surprise there is a doctor who oversees this stuff to prevent mistakes.

The surgeon said that Coumadin is not absorbed as well for people who have digestive issues and they keep having to tweak the dosing, so that is something to be aware of if you are on a blood thinner.

We settled on taking me off the blood thinners to prevent DVTs and they set me up with an ActiveCare SFT device to go home with for 2 weeks, it's basically those bots they put around your calves after surgery but these are portable and you can walk in them. My surgeon said there are FDA studies that show that these are just as effective in preventing DVTs as Coumadin.

My GI's philosophy is take these medications if they are necessary and he'll treat the UC if there are any complications but otherwise don't take them if you don't have to.

I agree with Quincy about the enemas but I'd probably add an oral 5ASA too.



thanks Keith ! ya, i won't take stuff if there's an option, but pretty much have to default to staying alive vs being inconvenienced by uc symptoms - and so far, most of the medical folks are knowledgeable and understanding -
Posted 12/29/2016 1:13 PM (GMT -5)

Poppie said...
Best of luck, I'm sure it will all go smoothly. Hospital food can be hard to take sometimes, so I would take some UC friendly snacks in with you.

thanks Poppie - good idea ! i will definitely take a stash of my favorites -
Posted 12/29/2016 1:21 PM (GMT -5)

Bacon Girl said...
hey lonnie.

just wanted to know that i'm going to pray for you and hope things go smoothly.

i've taken blood thinners during all of my hospital stays and don't think they had a negative affect on my UC at all.


thanks B-girl ! that's good to hear - fortunately, with a cow/pig valve, and pretty clean arteries, i;m hoping i can get by w/o the thinners -
Posted 12/29/2016 2:20 PM (GMT -5)

ewafromwarsaw said...
sorry to hear this, but i'm sure everything will go smoothly and you'll soon forget you've ever had such a problem smile

thanks Ewa girl ! that sounds like a good plan - maybe we can both try that with UC !
Posted 12/29/2016 2:43 PM (GMT -5)

Red_34 said...
Sorry that you have to go thru this. I don't know of anyone personally that had this done but I have heard that this type of surgery has a high success rate. Good luck!


thanks Sherry ! ya, it seems fairly common - a good friend had OHS done about a year ago and he's doing great - right now my days are pretty limited so i'm really looking forward to the fix -
Posted 12/29/2016 2:55 PM (GMT -5)
Wishing you a complete recovery.

BTW why are you so sure that your arteries are so clean?
Posted 12/29/2016 3:01 PM (GMT -5)

IamCurious said...
Wishing you a complete recovery.

BTW why are you so sure that your arteries are so clean?


thanks IAC !

angiogram results -
Posted 12/30/2016 9:42 AM (GMT -5)
Hey Soy, just saw this post. Sorry I don't have any advice for you, but just wanted to wish you well. Do you have a date for the surgery yet? How long do you expect to have to be in hospital?
Posted 12/30/2016 1:38 PM (GMT -5)

Canada Mark said...
'grain free/paleoish diet that includes 100% grass fed beef, raw goat milk, & local organic free range eggs, lots of all natural well water'

I can imagine the look on the nurse/dieticians face when you ramble this one off ;) haha.

Best of luck with the surgery and aftercare! And sorry to hear about the issue in the first place. Just be sure to relax and de-stress as best as possible after - and keep us all posted. That will probably have the biggest effect on your UC <-- the relaxing & de-stressing, not posting. That and good food to keep you extra healthy during your recovery smile

PS- Rumor has it Bacon Girl volunteered to cook lot's of care packages for you, haha.

All the best
Mark


thanks Mark - yup, i'm gonna have those eatery folks hoppin ! actually, our local hospital had some ok offerings, so i suspect the seattle group should be even more fine -

yes, i am expecting some awesome goodies from the B-girl smilewinkgrin
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
1234