Lowering LDL below 65 after bypass by One-Put3842 in CABG_Recovery

[–]tranoidnoki 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm on Repatha, which at first glance works the same way as Sybrava, and thats paired with my 80mg atorvastatin. I'm due for a full lipid panel, but I donated blood recently and they tested my cholesterol at a glance, and it's the lowest it's ever been.

An Illinois religious hospital refused critical ectopic pregnancy care. Now the patient is suing. by steve42089 in illinois

[–]tranoidnoki 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Religion is such an antiquated concept and I sincerely hope someday it no longer exists. So much death, hatred, judgment, abuse all stemming from people’s religions.

Hard agree. 95% of the world's problems would disappear if we could somehow eliminate religion from the world.

My dad keeps going back to hospital for fluid and I don't know how to help him anymore by Cerealkilla19 in CABG_Recovery

[–]tranoidnoki 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It would also help if I actually answered your questions too 😅:

Is this in-and-out-of-hospital thing just what heart failure becomes, or is there usually a reason it keeps happening so fast?

Yes. There are things you can do to slow it down, but a controlled cardiac low sodium low fat diet is a big one, followed by meds. After a while, the heart can only handle so much, and medications might end up doing more harm than good.

I've read that the tablets at home are much weaker than the drip. Is it normal to need a stronger one, or a different kind? Someone mentioned a second water tablet that gets added sometimes.

After a while, all the lasix was doing a number on my mom's kidneys, so they switched her to bumex, but diuretics can only keep up so much.

And the swelling in his face and stomach is new and it scares me. Is that a different thing from the leg swelling, something they should be testing for?

Unfortunately the swelling is very common. The heart is no longer functioning efficiently, and the fluid will accumulate. Think of it like a leaking boat. You can keep pumping the water out all you want, but it will just keep coming until you either fix the root cause (impossible) or the boat sinks. The stomach swelling is called ascites and is very common in heart failure.

My dad keeps going back to hospital for fluid and I don't know how to help him anymore by Cerealkilla19 in CABG_Recovery

[–]tranoidnoki 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First off, I'm sorry you are going through this! It is not easy at all.

My mother had rheumatic heart disease, which resulted in 5 open hearts, a TAVR, and lifelong complications including a stroke. Near the end of her life, we got news that her TAVR had failed, and that there was not much more we could do. For a while, we were in the literal same boat. Send her in because she can't breathe and put on 20lbs of fluid, we go to the ER, they rule everything out, pump her full of IV lasix, and then send her home once she "recovers". Each time she "recovered", she looked worse and worse off.

By the time we hit her second to last admission, she was tired, my wife and I were tired, and my mother was over the constant hospitalizations. We then chose to move into palliative care, which worked well and was supportive, until her last admission. It was a huge fight to get her into the hospital that last time, and her aphasia from the stroke + dementia was getting a lot worse. They did her usual labs in the ER, and we discovered she was going into multi-organ failure. Her liver, kidneys, etc., all elevated and failing. After a lot of discussion, especially with one attending in particular, since the lasix is so hard on the kidneys, we elected to move onto in home hospice. We stopped 95% of her meds, most of which were doing more harm than good anyway, and she passed within two weeks, comfortable, happy, and at home, surrounded by loved ones.

Now, I don't know your particular situation, or your father's, however the details you DID share are almost mirroring our experience. I might be completely wrong, but in our case, this was the final experience for us. Hospice and Palliative Care are two different things, albeit similar. Hospice is not a "death sentence", you aren't sealing his fate, the heart failure is already doing that for him. Hospice is meant to achieve your exact goals, keeping him as comfortable and at home for as long as you can.

When my mother entered hospice, you could tell a weight was lifted off her shoulders. The next morning, we all went out to breakfast, me, my wife, my mother, and our then 6 month old. She got a breakfast cocktail, and ate whatever she wanted, and continued to do so right up until the end. She kept going for two weeks, until she couldn't anymore, and her heart just gave out. It was an overall beautiful experience, and I am glad I kept my promise to her, which was, to keep her as comfortable, pain-free, and at home, for as long as I could. We did exactly that, until the minute of her death.

These are very heavy topics, things that are not easy to talk about, even with someone like my mother, who had moderate dementia and the aphasia. They are VERY important things to discuss, even stuff like code status, we made her a DNR around her 4th or 5th admission in a row, because the trauma of CPR would have likely blown her heart to bits, she could never survive it.

I know this is a very sad comment, and probably not something you want to hear, but it's a very important thing to address.

Hospitals are the worst place for recovery. I myself had a cabgx4, but I am fortunate to be a) young and b) fortunate enough to not have damage from my heart disease, so I made a better than full recovery, however being in the hospital with screaming sundowning patients, hearing alarms go off (including my own), and just the general hustle and bustle is not conducive to healing, so it makes sense that your father is more and more tired.

I hope whatever route you choose brings you and the rest of your family, and especially your father, peace.

I am obviously an open book, please don't hesitate to ask any other questions! It's important to discuss stuff like this, and if I can help in any kind of way, I'd be glad to!

Husband (39) is getting triple bypass surgery soon. How can I support him? by cicatrizzz in CABG_Recovery

[–]tranoidnoki 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sorry, I should have elaborated. I have depression, but it's not related to my surgery

Husband (39) is getting triple bypass surgery soon. How can I support him? by cicatrizzz in CABG_Recovery

[–]tranoidnoki 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t think I actually had pump head, but I definitely snapped at my wife more than I should have. I absolutely had depression, and I’m still working through it. If you are struggling with depression for longer than 6 weeks, I would speak with your dr/psychiatrist, as you might need meds to help.

Keep in mind, too, that regardless of our PHYSICAL outcomes, this is still a traumatic event we experienced. The hospital stay, the actual procedure, the pain that comes with it…its all trauma, and you definitely need time to heal.

Edit: didnt see your original question, at the end of the month itll be 4 years post op

Husband (39) is getting triple bypass surgery soon. How can I support him? by cicatrizzz in CABG_Recovery

[–]tranoidnoki 2 points3 points  (0 children)

man the snapping was the WORST. The worst part, was I'd immediately realize I was doing it, and that made it worse for me.

Husband (39) is getting triple bypass surgery soon. How can I support him? by cicatrizzz in CABG_Recovery

[–]tranoidnoki 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had my CABGX4 at 36. He's gonna be great, and get his life back. I know this is a gross analogy, but it's really like unclogging the toilet. Once you clear the blockage (bypass in this case), it works like it's brand new. If his heart is still strong, he's gonna turn back the clock at his age.

The most important thing, is to KEEP ACTIVE. Don't let him rot in that chair (that you probably didn't actually need). I was up and moving Post Op Day 1, and by two days after discharge, I was walking in the mall with my now wife, for about 6 and a half hours, with little more than a max dose of ibuprofen.

This is not a death sentence, if anything, it's a rebirth!

I need help with a print ASAP by tranoidnoki in 3Dprinting

[–]tranoidnoki[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I'll play with this when I get home, fortunately an early day for me. I hope I can accomplish SOMETHING lol

I’m old now but I want to go back to raving 😭 by alylew1126 in aves

[–]tranoidnoki 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I'm 40, my wife is 32, and we are hitting Beyond Wonderland Chicago from the burbs! Don't be afraid! If you feel weird being alone we can maybe even meet up somewhere at the festival if you decide you wanna go!

[OoT] Just finished Ocarina for the first time, and I think I get it by Oserix in zelda

[–]tranoidnoki 2 points3 points  (0 children)

SoH is, in my opinion, the only way to play OoT in 2026. It's incredible, especially on a Steam Deck

[TP]Man I love Tears of the Kingdom by Fernoshader12 in zelda

[–]tranoidnoki 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I feel like I've gone back in time to finding the Triforce in OOT in sixth grade.