It never rains..........

[Heather1957]

Having had a bypass myself early June I had a phone call on the 26th January at 8.20 am from my sister - in - law saying my younger brother (3 years) had been rushed to Southmead hospital Bristol (where they live) as he had pains in his back and neck. They said they thought he had fluid around his heart and they were going to drain it.

About 1.50 pm she again phoned from Bristol Heart Institute saying it was more serious and they had transferred him via emergency ambulance to the BHI and he was having an Angioplasty to help the heart function and as long as he was stable they were going to operate.

Long and short they found that sometime in the last 4 - 6 weeks he had a heart attack and then in the early hours of Friday morning his heart had 'blown' and he had a hole in his left ventricle. The miracle of heart surgery led by Professor Ascione and his team managed to sew up the hole using the scar tissue left by the heart attack and after a nearly 6 hour operation they deemed it a success after them giving it a 50/50 chance of success.

He remained under sedation and on a breathing tube for days. I went over on Sunday afternoon and took turns with his wife and son to sit and talk to him. It was emotionally draining but I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

On Wednesday evening the tube came out and he was slowly brought around.

I eventually came home to Wales yesterday and he has been moved from Intensive Care to High Dependency and any day now he will go onto a cardiac ward.

It has been a very emotional week + and we had to prepare for the possibility he may not survive but he has been given a 2nd chance and he has come on in leaps and bounds in the last few days, even eating ordinary food and slowly having a walk using a zimmer.

I will forever be grateful to the magic hands of the cardiac surgeons that worked on my brother especially Professor Ascione worth at least twice as much as any premiership footballer.

I am not naive enough to think that my bypass was 'nothing' but what they did to save my brother is just phenomenal.

During the early days of recovery, when he was still on intensive care, he has volunteered both of us to lead a charity welly throwing competition (I have no idea where THAT came from) to raise money for the heart institute.

So hopefully that is the last of the heart trouble for my family, there are 5 of us siblings and I would like to think that enough is enough.

I had my first long relaxing bath last night and have exchanged e-mails with my brother (he is doing so well)

Cardiology has come on in leaps and bounds and the medics ALL deserve our deepest gratitude and I mean from the surgeons, doctors, anaesthetists and nurses who have been so bloody fabulous.

The care my brother received was first class from everyone concerned. They have even talked about discharging him in the next week or 2.

So as the heading says, it never rains!!!!!

[Ethel13]

Hi Heather,

What a rollercoaster of I time you have had, I am so sorry to hear how poorly your brother has been, it must have been such an emotional time.

I am so pleased that he is making a good recovery thanks to the skills of the marvellous surgeon and his team.

Good to hear that you were able to have relaxing bath as your brother turned a corner.

Take care of yourself.

With love, Dory xxx💕

[Heather1957 in reply to Ethel13]

Thank you - the rest of the family have gone to see him today but he needs his sleep.

We were all aware as he lay still sedated that it was the 39th anniversary of my father's sudden death of a heart attack on 30th January. So a very difficult time indeed.

[Ethel13 in reply to Heather1957]

I’m so sorry to hear that the critical stage of your brother’s recovery coincided with the anniversary of your father’s death. A very hard time for you all. I do hope you can all look forward to a healthier future.

With love, Dory x💕

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

It must have been very stressful for your brother and the rest of the family. Hopefully his road to recovery continues without further problems.

The fact that in your second post it mentions that your father died of a heart attack suggests to me that there is a family tendency there. Although it is hard to establish the exact cause of death when you go back more that a couple of generations on the male side of the family they (my father, his father and his brother) all died from heart disease so when I was diagnosed with CVD is was a shock but not a surprise!

With this in mind I would suggest if they have not already done so your siblings see their respective GPs and, as a minimum, have their BP and cholesterol levels checked. Their GPs may even suggest an ECG or stress ECG. Maintaining a healthy BMI, following a healthy diet and not smoking are, also, all beneficial. Apologies if I am stating the obvious to you.

[Heather1957 in reply to MichaelJH]

Thanks - yes we are aware that there is a genetic tendency to heart issues and the other 3 are doing their bit.

All the factors mentioned above are being looked at but sometimes although you know something to be the case it can be hard to make all the necessary changes no matter how sensible they are.

I have to admit I found it incredibly frustrating to see how many people were sat in wheelchairs outside the heart institute puffing away!!

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Heather1957]

There is a blood test Lp(a) (Lipoprotein-a) that shows the genetic tendency for CVD. However, it is hard to get it done o the NHS - the argument, apparently, being that there is no way of lowering it anyway.

The one thing that puzzles me about hospital staff is that besides some standing outside smoking is the number of obese ones. I suspect that cut-backs in canteen facilities have resulted in may missing out on regular meals and snacking!

[Heather1957 in reply to MichaelJH]

While in many ways I agree with you if they are good at what they do I don't mind if they are overweight.

One of the nurses told us that Professor Ascione has recently lost 20 K but even if he still carried that weight he is an exceptional surgeon.

Sometimes it is easier to do as I say and not what I do.

I think all of us are aware of what causes the risk factors but knowing what they are and doing something about it are often 2 different things.

[Rosie1066]

I hope he makes a speedy recovery. I feel for you as my husband had to have emergency heart surgery back last August and is still in hospital.

[Heather1957 in reply to Rosie1066]

Wow!! That's a long time in hospital!!

[Rosie1066 in reply to Heather1957]

Yes, it’s been a terrible time. My husband suffered a tare in the Aorta (a Triple AAA), survived the emergency op but suffered a stroke during the operation. He then had kidney failure, in intensive care for three weeks then transferred to stroke unit. Also suffered a collapsed lung and fluid on the lungs and had problems with high calcium levels and not eating hence lost a lot of weight. He came home two weeks before Christmas but Christmas Eve I found him unconscious and the ambulance service talked me through doing CPR on him. He was rushed to hospital where he suffered a major seizure . Finally seizures appear now under control but he is now Epileptic. He has now just started to start to walk again, he is still in hospital but hopefully will be transferred to a local cottage hospital for intense Physio. He had the emergency heart surgery back in August 2017. I don’t think it could have got any worse.

[Heather1957 in reply to Rosie1066]

How awful for you both but lots of pressure on you!!

I hope he is moved soon and it makes life a little easier for you.

[JakJenLew]

I’m glad your brother is on the road to recovery thinking of you and your family ...♥️

[Sina-6491]

Yes it is good to hear he is now on the mend Heather.

It must have been especially scary stressful for you after what you have already been through yourself.

Very best wishes for a brighter future for you and your family. I am sending hugs to you all, Jo xx 😊

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star]

Gosh, what a stressful time for you all, but amazing to hear what can be done. Wishing a speedy recovery for your brother and a less eventful time ahead for all your family. Lots of love x

[HeatherForanSmith]

Sounds like you have all had a rough time but hopefully you are on the right side of it all now. Best of luck with the welly throwing it is a great idea x

[skid112 Heart Star]

Hi Heather,

what a very stressful time for you all, glad he is recovering well and heres hoping no more shocks for you and your family

take care

Mark

[Heather1957]

Well after all he has gone through and only waking up on Wednesday he went home today - to say we are shocked (but in a good way) is an understatement. The heart scan and chest x ray were fine and they say he does not require any nursing it was felt that he was better off at home than unnecessarily taking up a bed so he was discharged from the High Dependency Unit!! He was walking with the aide of a zimmer yesterday and with a stick today, we even walked to the canteen (with permission) for coffee before he was discharged.

I went over just for a visit little knowing I would be accompanying him to his scan and x-ray and then be there when he was discharged.

I suppose once they had stitched up the hole in his ventricle the healing would be similar to my own, I just hope he remains as well as he has.

2018 has started off with a bang - let's hope it settles down from now on.