Breathing difficulties

[1AnneMcC]

Hi Everyone

Hope you are all staying well, bearing up under the heat and covid rules.

2017 as I've posted before my husband underwent heart valve replacement and triple bypass surgery, successfully.

28 12 2019 he had a heart attack and was hospitalised for almost the whole of January 2020 as 2 of the 3 grafts had failed. One was repaired with a stent. He is on the same meds you'd expect.

Due to covid follow ups and physio were stopped but his breathing became more and more difficult making it impossible for him to take his usual long walks or any exercise.

Several telephone consultations later he eventually had a breathing test at Broadgreen but a planned stress test was changed to an MRI due to the staffs concern over his health. He had the MRI at Broadgreen beginning of July 2021 with a follow up face to face on 15 July.

This, however became another telephone consultation.

The consultant said, although he did not have the complete MRI, the parts of his heart that had been repaired, the half that contracts, was working well but the relaxing part wasn't but there was nothing that could be done.

As I wasn't present for the conversation I only relay what my OH told me.

Now can anyone tell me if they are suffering or know about this problem?

A previous consultation said it could be a lung problem in which case he would be transferred to a different department.

Without the full MRI results how can this be determined?

He is in a very sorry state and it's really heartbreaking watching him struggle so. By our calculations, he was walking around 5 miles per day on 28 12 2019 but by 31 03 2020 be couldn't get from the bed to the bathroom without difficulty.

Any advice will be most welcome.

Stay safe everyone.

[10gingercats]

\this question may sound simplistic but has he had a recent lung x ray?His breathing difficulties could be exacerbated by lung(and heart) fluid.

[1AnneMcC in reply to 10gingercats]

No he hasn't. I would've thought that was a first step.

[10gingercats in reply to 1AnneMcC]

I would ask for this then. I had breathing difficulties.....somewhat unexpected and I had a lot of lung fluid and fluid around my heart. medication dealt with that and the breathlessness disappeared. Of course this may not be the reason in your husbands case but it is worth thinking about/asking for this to be done.