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Heart Triple Bypass patient - has unexplained symptoms-bedridden
After 12 nightmarish years of heart disease, 4 heart attacks, numerous stents, dibilatating symptoms where my brother literally has become prisoner of his room, unable to do much of anything without shortness of breath, chest pain, heavy fatigue, etc..., we finally convinced him to have heart bypass surgery in Jan. 2006. He had major heart disease and had a triple bypass with great hope to live a normal life again.
Here's where we need help if anyone can relate. After his 1st cardiac rehab with exercise, he began to have dizziness, racing heart rate and pulse, unable to stand. This continued for days after, and now is almost everyday...to the point of passing out.
He is dizzy laying down or standing, legs become like jelly and arms, he falls if he tries to stand, near fainting. He said his home blood pressure is normal usually after he is able to check and pulse..slightly elevates during these chronic episodes. Sometimes, he becomes confused unable to understand...He has no insurance, and hasn't been able to work due to all of this health nightmare. His cardio just recently rechecked with ekg and said ok..had a dopplar done on a carotid artery and is okay.
He says his mind is in constant fog, dizzy, unstable, short of breath, a water fluttering feeling from his shoulder to chest, some chest pressure, tingling forearms and hands...intense head pain over the eye, sometimes sees specks during this, almost faints showering.
Any clues are welcome..please! We are having problems trying to get him proper care without insurance or finances...Any other tests or info welcom
Here's where we need help if anyone can relate. After his 1st cardiac rehab with exercise, he began to have dizziness, racing heart rate and pulse, unable to stand. This continued for days after, and now is almost everyday...to the point of passing out.
He is dizzy laying down or standing, legs become like jelly and arms, he falls if he tries to stand, near fainting. He said his home blood pressure is normal usually after he is able to check and pulse..slightly elevates during these chronic episodes. Sometimes, he becomes confused unable to understand...He has no insurance, and hasn't been able to work due to all of this health nightmare. His cardio just recently rechecked with ekg and said ok..had a dopplar done on a carotid artery and is okay.
He says his mind is in constant fog, dizzy, unstable, short of breath, a water fluttering feeling from his shoulder to chest, some chest pressure, tingling forearms and hands...intense head pain over the eye, sometimes sees specks during this, almost faints showering.
Any clues are welcome..please! We are having problems trying to get him proper care without insurance or finances...Any other tests or info welcom
Thank you, I definitely want to post on the heart forum..each time I have tried it says it has taken its limit for the day. I am in the pacific time zone..in U.S., so I will keep trying.
thank you so much.
thank you so much.
countryrose.
Try posting on the heart forum on this site. Cardiologists from Cleveland Clinic will address your questions & hopefully have some better suggestions. I know how frustrated your brother is & how it has affected everyone concerned but don't give up. Maybe one of the heart doctors at Cleveland Clinic can help. I'm trully sorry to hear anyone has to go thru this with the knowledge this country has at it's fingertips.
Good Luck, TJ
Try posting on the heart forum on this site. Cardiologists from Cleveland Clinic will address your questions & hopefully have some better suggestions. I know how frustrated your brother is & how it has affected everyone concerned but don't give up. Maybe one of the heart doctors at Cleveland Clinic can help. I'm trully sorry to hear anyone has to go thru this with the knowledge this country has at it's fingertips.
Good Luck, TJ
countryrose,
Do you live in the US?
If you do...take him to the ER either at a nearby hospital or to a major medical center such as a teaching hospital they will have to do a work-up on him due to his symptoms. Don't hold anything back. Most, if not all, of the hospitals that I know of have financial relief programs for those with no or little incomes. He will be treated first & the money aspect will be addressed afterward. They require some paperwork but it would be worth it to get him some help. They also have medical social workers that will help him fill out the paperwork for a state assistance program. This type of thing is what these programs were created for.
They have to treat him & find out what is wrong because if they don't & something happens they are liable.
I would venture to say something isn't right with that surgery..He definetely needs follow up to see what is going wrong.
The money aspect will fall into place but he needs to be re-evaluated as soon as possible.
Let us know how he is doing...ok. He's in my prayers...TJ
Do you live in the US?
If you do...take him to the ER either at a nearby hospital or to a major medical center such as a teaching hospital they will have to do a work-up on him due to his symptoms. Don't hold anything back. Most, if not all, of the hospitals that I know of have financial relief programs for those with no or little incomes. He will be treated first & the money aspect will be addressed afterward. They require some paperwork but it would be worth it to get him some help. They also have medical social workers that will help him fill out the paperwork for a state assistance program. This type of thing is what these programs were created for.
They have to treat him & find out what is wrong because if they don't & something happens they are liable.
I would venture to say something isn't right with that surgery..He definetely needs follow up to see what is going wrong.
The money aspect will fall into place but he needs to be re-evaluated as soon as possible.
Let us know how he is doing...ok. He's in my prayers...TJ
When I re-read your post I'm furious with that heart doctor...he needs to do more than an ekg & doppler of the carotids.
Am I reading correctly & these symptoms are new since his bypass? If so, I don't understand why this heart doctor isn't digging in to see what went wrong post-op. He hasn't done an echocardiogram or any other tests to make sure there isn't a leak somewhere?
They can't refuse to treat because he has no insurance.
How was his triple bypass paid for? If you don't mind me asking...
I'm sorry & ashamed of the health profession that this is happening to him & your family. Where's the humanity in medicine anymore?
Am I reading correctly & these symptoms are new since his bypass? If so, I don't understand why this heart doctor isn't digging in to see what went wrong post-op. He hasn't done an echocardiogram or any other tests to make sure there isn't a leak somewhere?
They can't refuse to treat because he has no insurance.
How was his triple bypass paid for? If you don't mind me asking...
I'm sorry & ashamed of the health profession that this is happening to him & your family. Where's the humanity in medicine anymore?
Let me add what you had asked about symptoms new... A week before he had a heart attack #4 or #5 at home and didn't know it,and didn't go to the hospital. Following that episode, he started having the symptoms I now mentioned dizzy, head pain, jelly arms legs, confusion,unable to stand. It happened 2x after this latest heart attack,about 2 weeks later than a month. When he had the 2nd dizzy, confused state, and he kept falling, 911 was called in. He thought he was having a stroke and was going in for observation instead he had a major triple bypass done...He had a long painful recovery, and we noticed that he wasn't getting any better but he wasn't dizzy, but he did have breathing problems and confusion in hospital, so he started cardio rehab, and after his first day, immediately started back up with the original symptoms only worse that had taken him to the hospital originally in Dec 05-Jan06. Since then, those symptoms have only gotten worse to the point that he has them almost daily, and when they strike, he is very weak for almost a week, bedridden.
countryrose
thanks for your help!
countryrose
thanks for your help!
Thank you for caring. Yes, our family has been livid over many things regarding his treatment, and we frankly feel that this cardio is no longer working in my brother's best interest ever since the surgery and some major fall out, where my brother was having symptoms had called his cardio, who ignored his calls and his office told him that the cardio was on vacation, and never bothered to see my brother in the hospital during his angst about having the triple bypass or not..,so when the surgeon performed the CABG, after he told my brother that his cardiologist had been in town the entire time, and wasn't on vacation.My brother was shattered over this and told this cardio once he did see him, ever since his aftercare has been poor with this doc. I believe this cardio has left out many things even before, but my brother feels with no insurance, he has no choice and has to stick with him.
His op was covered by county program, but they now want to stop it and see if he can get medi-cal, which he's applied, but no word yet...He's had to rely on donations from his elderly mother and family and whenever a county program kicks in, but they don't kick in for testing..This is in California.
I appreciate your insight about returning him to a hospital. I know he has had so many bad experiences now that he has become very afraid of going back to the hospital after some of the poor treatment he received during this CABG. We will try to convince him..because the other way is just taking too long and I fear that could endanger his life.
Bless you for your prayers!
His op was covered by county program, but they now want to stop it and see if he can get medi-cal, which he's applied, but no word yet...He's had to rely on donations from his elderly mother and family and whenever a county program kicks in, but they don't kick in for testing..This is in California.
I appreciate your insight about returning him to a hospital. I know he has had so many bad experiences now that he has become very afraid of going back to the hospital after some of the poor treatment he received during this CABG. We will try to convince him..because the other way is just taking too long and I fear that could endanger his life.
Bless you for your prayers!
Well, that's part of the problem, getting him good care without any insurance is sadly been an issue with some of his current doctors...Currently, the cardio just changed his meds, and has not yet put him on a holter monitor nor suggested this, but I agree with you that should be done. He will folo with cardio next week, so far his GP and now cardio have not been able to place the source...His GP suggested a neurologist as well. The only other finding was that he has insulin intolerance, for whatever that's worth.
Thank you so much for your response
countryrose
Thank you so much for your response
countryrose
I'm wondering if he isn't having an issue with an arrhythmia. Have they considered doing a Holter monitor on him? A 24 hour one might not be a bad idea.
Has he ever had any neuro issues before? Whatever this is that is going on, I'm thinking the doctor needs to be taking this very seriously. Is the doctor still looking into it?
Has he ever had any neuro issues before? Whatever this is that is going on, I'm thinking the doctor needs to be taking this very seriously. Is the doctor still looking into it?
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