My husband , age 88 had an aortic valve replacement (Edwards) on Nov 20. After the surgery he had some arythmia which resolved. They thought that he MAY need ...Read more
My husband , age 88 had an aortic valve replacement (Edwards) on Nov 20. After the surgery he had some arythmia which resolved. They thought that he MAY need a pacemaker. They discharged him and 4 days later he collapsed and I had to call 911. They gave him a temporary pacemaker and the next day a permanent one. I would like to hear how often this complication occurs and your experiences. I feel that I should have been alerted to this possibility. I am new to this community and feel like I have PTSD!
BB
Cindy Williams It can be overwhelming, especially if you are the primary caretaker. Hopefully he has home healthcar ... Read more
Cindy Williams It can be overwhelming, especially if you are the primary caretaker. Hopefully he has home healthcare visits to check up on him. I had to go to the ER two times, not by ambulance, but it is scary. I always worried about my husband having to deal with all of this and take care of me after surgery, how stressful it is. I think it’s harder for the spouse sometimes. This is a lot for you to handle on your own, take care of yourself, ask for help, everyone wants to help.
Marie Myers Sometimes pacemakers are necessary either while in the hospital or after discharge. At 88, it is a hu ... Read more
Marie Myers Sometimes pacemakers are necessary either while in the hospital or after discharge. At 88, it is a huge surgery, and sometimes complications happen. Thank God the problem can be fixed with a pacemaker! It is tough on the care giver as well as the patient. Seek out some help/ guidance for yourself from your doc or any local cardiac support group. Believe me, you can have PTSD from such a huge experience. And that is true for the caregiver as well as the patient. Wishing you more peaceful times ahead!
Catie B It's not uncommon to need a pacemaker after heart valve surgery, but I don't think they tend to heavi ... Read more
Catie B It's not uncommon to need a pacemaker after heart valve surgery, but I don't think they tend to heavily "advertise" that this might come up (that and the bucket of other complications that can arise). But people live well with pacemakers and they do a good job. I hope your own heart can calm down after this--wishing you both the gest.
My husband , age 88 had an aortic valve replacement (Edwards) on Nov 20. After the surgery he had some arythmia which resolved. They thought that he MAY need ...Read more
My husband , age 88 had an aortic valve replacement (Edwards) on Nov 20. After the surgery he had some arythmia which resolved. They thought that he MAY need a pacemaker. They discharged him and 4 days later he collapsed and I had to call 911. They gave him a temporary pacemaker and the next day a permanent one. I would like to hear how often this complication occurs and your experiences. I feel that I should have been alerted to this possibility. I am new to this community and feel like I have PTSD!
BB
Rose Madura Hi Barbara. I understand your concern. I had a myriad of complications after my surgery and was not ... Read more
Rose Madura Hi Barbara. I understand your concern. I had a myriad of complications after my surgery and was not warned about any of them because they were unexpected. That being said, I wouldn't think they'd tell you anything that could possibly go wrong. Everybody is different and our bodies all react differently. I'm sorry you had to go through an emergency like that. My husband had to call 911 twice in the first two weeks. Unfortunately it does happen. I trust your husband is doing better with the pacemaker.
I am from: Yardley PA
