James's Journal

I was having trouble breathing and was more tired everyday. The visiting nurse agreed that my condition was going downhill so she call an ambulance to take me back to UPMC. My right lung was deflated ,hospital gave me 5 oxygen, and there was water around my lungs. I feel much better. I am supposed to get the fluid removed from around my lungs today. They are going to do an echocardiagram today also. I was sble to get a good nights sleep .

I had a cow mitral valve and it was failing. Echocardiogram showed the blood that went backwards too. I had surgery on the 1st of October. Part of the bad valve had to be cut out....resulting in a very thin place on the wall of my heart. The opening in my side had to be 10" to allow the surgeon to repair the hole with a patch.( This resulted in a broken rib) I was doing pretty will (in five days) and was getting ready to be discharged. They took me on one last walk. When I came back to my room and sat down...all at once it felt like I was hit on the back of my neck with a baseball bat and then it hurt from my back forward to the front of my chest. Nothing looked bad on any of my monitor readings but I kept saying how bad it hurt so they did a 3D CAT scan and saw that a hole a little larger than a quarter had blown in my heart. Because of the patch the stitches shredded that part of my heart. I then had to go for an emergency heart surgery through opening the heart down to front of my chest. It has been very painful and one of the worst pain is now caused by breathing and making the broken rib click. I now need oxygen as it is 85% and they need to do a nocturnal breathing test. (I guess for my insurance) I am now using my sons' oxygen so I can sleep at night. I have been home over 10 days and nurses come to the house and still no word when they will do the lung test. Has anyone ever had these problems? The physical therapist said no exercises until I get the breathing problem solved.