After Bypass - Hot Flashes

[easydoesit]

I had quadruple bypass in August 2004. Since that time I have have been
having hot flashes and cold sweats. The sweats breaks out on my neck and all over my head. I feel cold all the time. The room temperature may be 70 but I am in my recliner covered with a blanket. I wake up in the middle of the night sweating. I am almost house bound because I am afraid to go out because I know I will be cold.

My primary care doctor and my heart specialist ordered blood tests that came back good. I did have a echocardiogram 2 weeks ago but the results are not back. I am also nauseated most of the time and have no appetite.
My feet feel cold to me all the time.

Both of my breast are swollen and very tender. My doctor said it was probably a reaction to my medicine and that the swelling would probably go away.

I take Klonopin, Synthroid, Nexium, Plavix, Lisinopril, Toprol, Ambien, Zocor.
When needed - usually in the morning and at night I take 1/2 a pill of hydrocodone. The hydrocodone seems to help a little.

Has anyone out there had these problems and what can I do? My doctors seems stumped.

[babag]

Originally Posted by EASYMONEY

I had quadruple bypass in August 2004. Since that time I have have been
having hot flashes and cold sweats. The sweats breaks out on my neck and all over my head. I feel cold all the time. The room temperature may be 70 but I am in my recliner covered with a blanket. I wake up in the middle of the night sweating. I am almost house bound because I am afraid to go out because I know I will be cold.

My primary care doctor and my heart specialist ordered blood tests that came back good. I did have a echocardiogram 2 weeks ago but the results are not back. I am also nauseated most of the time and have no appetite.
My feet feel cold to me all the time.

Both of my breast are swollen and very tender. My doctor said it was probably a reaction to my medicine and that the swelling would probably go away.

I take Klonopin, Synthroid, Nexium, Plavix, Lisinopril, Toprol, Ambien, Zocor.
When needed - usually in the morning and at night I take 1/2 a pill of hydrocodone. The hydrocodone seems to help a little.

Has anyone out there had these problems and what can I do? My doctors seems stumped.

i still have occasional symtoms as yours and can't figure why. after my atriial fib/flutter operation in may these symptoms appeared. i also have cold feet and am cold and hot on and off. also, my migraines returned. gee, i hadn't had hormones for years now. i am 64. i also had tiredness, weakness, fatigue and dizziness and was near fainting at times. these symptoms came after the operation too. i never fainted in my life before. after my last visit to my cardiologist, he took me off cardizem and coumadin and reduced my rhythmol. he no longer hears any fib or flutter in my heart. i am still on toprol xl and aspirin. you sure take alot of meds. all of this seems to be tapering off after reduction of meds. now i have the feeling that if your medical problems don't kill you, the meds will. just kidding! they seemed to give me pill after pill for awhile and it's hard to tell which is causing any of your symptoms. maybe we just gain stress that cause some of this.

[goldenwings]

Hiya Easymoney,

Just to reply to one of your points.

"Both of my breast are swollen and very tender. My doctor said it was probably a reaction to my medicine and that the swelling would probably go away."

I had my surgery 20 months ago. My chest area is numb, but so very painful too. Sounds very odd, but it's true. When you think about it, we have been pulled, pushed and bashed pre-surgery. Then our chests are cut, our ribs cracked open, our hearts taken out and put on bypass, work done, and then everything is put back together. We have stiches all down our fronts which pull the skin back together so we are bound to have so much tenderness and soreness afterwards.

I am not a medical/surgical doctor but as I am going through the same, would honestly say that this is why I think you are having so many problems.

I do have other medical issues that have caused my own personal recovery to take longer than the norm, but the way you are feeling is natural for this type of surgery. I am only letting you know this in case you are worried that the medicines aren't working properly, and this is why you are sore.

Thanks for mentioning the hot flushes. I have these myself and didn't know whether it was a normal thing to happen. I have nobody where I live for any follow-up care after surgery, so it is helpful to read your post.

Hope you continue to do well, if you need to chat I'm here.

goldenwings

[babag]

my heart ablation was thru my vein and done with radiowaves inside the heart but...my husband's quad bypass had some of the nerve problems you mentioned. his dr. said he would have weird feelings as his nerves tried to reconnect in his chest where they cut. he also said that some my never connect and leave you with a kind of numbness. i hope they cut you and left you with a fine scar. my husband's looks like red rolled tobaco. i think it been a year and 1/2 since his.

[goldenwings]

Hiya Babag,

Yes, my scar is very much the same. Very lumpy and horrid looking. The ones on my midriff have a wonderful pattern to them though. No points for the needlework skills of my team he he.

My veins were all taken from my chest, I think that perhaps this is also another factor why my chest area is still so numb. I have a nerve and muscle wasting illness and my legs weren't strong enough to take the veins out of them.

I used to be a bit embarrassed by my scar, but hey it's the sign of what saved my life.

I hope your husband continues to do well.

goldenwings