85-year with DVT after Pacemaker Implantation

Thanks to so many people for their advice concerning the problems my dear husband was having over the weekend with swelling in his arm. Some advised me to get him to the ER, and I so much wish I had taken him there; but on the advice of the NP on call for the weekend, she had told me that the amount of swelling he was having was normal. Well, it wasn't!! We did get worked in today at the heart institute where he had the surgery and after ultrasound it was discovered that he had clotting in his arm. I asked the electrophysiologist that we saw (not the one who performed the surgery) if DVT's were common, and he said they had not been normal until today and that he had seen "some" patients today with them. He did not seem to want to discuss the number. My question is: Could there be some connection with the type of PC or the type of leads that were used to have "some" people on one day with DVT's where he normally does not see patients with this? I'm just very concerned for my husband especially because of his age. I also thought the treatment was to hospitalize and start treatment with heparin or some type of blood thinner and then change to something else for home treatment. His treatment was to send him home on Xarelto once a day. I have been on Xarelto previously and had good success with it.

I feel as though I failed my sweet husband by not getting him to the ER on Friday night when I first saw swelling in his hand. I've learned a great lesson today and that is to trust my own instincts more than some RN or NP on call. My own instincts and the advice of people who have been there and done that would have served me better in this case.

Truthfully, I am very scared and nervous. I just don't know what else to do to calm my fears. I am so afraid that he will not recover from this. Are those fears normal? I know so many of you have gone through near-death situations and have come out okay and seem to be enjoying and living a full life. I just want some assurance that my precious husband will recover completely--and I guess that is in God's hands at this point.

Thanks for listening to an upset old lady.
Anna

8 Comments

Yes, THese Fears are Normal, but...

by donr - 2014-01-13 09:01:18

...NOT the swelling.

I'm very disappointed in the NP who called you. For an 85 YO man this is a serious situation.

For a 78 YO woman taking care of him it's normal to be fearful.


To quote a TV character - "It is what it is." Now you have to play w/ the hand you have been dealt - that means watch him closely & get him to help at the first sign of anything that your instincts tell you are wrong or bad.

BTW: There are several members who have had DVT's of the Arm. They are treatable, but take patience & alertness.

You at least have personal experience w/ Xarelto, so that is a plus.

Anna, only YOU can calm your fears. It will not be easy, & the last thing that will help is a bunch of people telling you to relax. The best thing is to observe Bill closely & try NOT to infect him w/ anxiety. At this point, he needs a calm, relaxed, CONFIDENT wife to assist him.

DVT's in the arm are NOT usually a function of the PM or leads implanted. They just happen randomly. Perhaps a small blood clot escaped from the surgery site & migrated down his arm. There are many situations that could cause it, usually rare & not expected.

Do not be surprised if it takes several days to resolve itself. You want the clot to dissolve itself slowly & evenly, rather breaking off in pieces.

Keep us posted on progress.

Don

How

by Bostonstrong - 2014-01-13 10:01:05

Could the np on call say the amount of swelling he had was normal without looking at it? Glad he is being treated, prayers for a speedy recovery.

ER

by Alma Annie - 2014-01-13 10:01:06

I am so sorry that you have been put through all this. What Donr says is all true. If you are ever worried about your husband's condition, take him straight to emergency, if necessary, call an ambulance. It is always better to be told all is well than to leave a situation. Xarelto should do the job of blood thinning, I have had it myself. Do you have a follow up appointment? Your husband should recover well now he is being treated, but if you are still worried, please go back and see the EP or whoever started him on this treatment.
I can understand about how you feel about your precious husband. I have a dear one too, and yes I worry about him when things are not right. Yes your husband is in God's hands, but a prayer for him is always good, and for you, which I will do.
Take care,
Alma Annie.

I agree

by Grateful Heart - 2014-01-13 10:01:15

Don't beat yourself up. You did help your husband. The Nurse on call should have erred on the side of caution. When in doubt now, just go to the ER.

Prayers for you and your husband. You could use some TLC too....try to find some.

Grateful Heart

It's harder on the caretaker

by Theknotguy - 2014-01-13 10:01:34

It's harder on the caretaker. When I was going through my situation I had the easy part. All I had to do was survive.

The caretaker has to think about everything, watch everything, do everything. So you have the harder part.

You should try to calm your fears. You were alert enough to catch your husband's problem before it became real serious. You got him taken care of in time. You should pat yourself on the back for that.

And yes, your fears are normal. As I said, it's harder on the caretaker. My wife had a screaming phone call with me because my therapy went over in time. I had screaming hysterics on the phone from her because no one called her 15 minutes after the normal therapy session ended. I told her the nurses would call her if anything was wrong but that didn't allay her fears. So, yes, your feelings are normal. Your husband is lucky to have so caring a wife.

And yes, some of the situation is in both your husband's and God's hands. You can only do what you can do. After that, it was going to happen anyway.

So if you see your hubby's hand start to swell, you know what to do.

As soon as you can, get mental therapy for yourself. I don't have answers for you because, as I've indicated, all I had to do was survive. My spouse has refused help and I feel that's a mistake on her part. You don't have to make the same mistake.

Hope things start to get better.

Theknotguy

3 thoughts in retrospect

by donr - 2014-01-14 05:01:11

1) If the swelling was great enough to measure a difference, it was great enough to warrant "Bring him in to the ER."

2) Good idea - but it is not unusual for the limbs to be two different diameters - especially for the dominant arm to be greater than the other.

3) If it is great enough for the layman to see, it's unusual & significant enough to warrant the trip to the ER. This is not faulting you, Anna, but the NP on the other end of the phone line.

Don

Thanks to All of You

by BillRussell - 2014-01-14 12:01:37

I appreciate so much all of your kind answers. This forum makes life in the pacemaker/ICD lane so much easier to bear. First of all, to answer Bostonstrong's question about how the NP knew how much swelling there was: I had taken the measurements on his left biceps and elbow and compared them to his right arm same areas, so she knew approximately how much swelling there was by my measurements. I still wonder about her advice though but I can't hold onto that as an excuse. I will definitnely go to the ER the next time my instincts tell me something is wrong. In fact, I haven't taken my bags out of the car that I took today anticipating at least an overnight stay to start heparin drip or some similar.

You people are just wonderful to help me out. I will keep you informed on how he progresses. I am feeling more confident that he will recover without further damage. Your prayers are so much appreciated.

Anna R.

Thinking of you

by Moner - 2014-01-15 12:01:39

Hi Anna,

Yes indeed, your husband is lucky to have a caring wife by his side. I hope he recovers quickly.

Prayers for a speedy recovery.

I'm glad you found this wonderful site.

You know you're wired when...

Friends call you the bionic woman.

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