Going For Heart Cath Thursday, Take My Machine/Mask?

[MrStein]

I had a stress test done recently and sw my cardiologist yesterday. He said I have what appears to be a substantial blockage.
So I am scheduled for an angiogram Thursday morning and they might put in a stint. If so, i will have to stay at least overnight in the hospital.
They did tell me to pack for a stay just in case.Should I take my machine/mask with me? Has anyone here had this done? I am a little worried.

[chunkyfrog]

Yes. You will be sleeping.
If you can't use yours, you will have to use whatever they have handy--
And Good luck! Get well quickly!

[jencat824]

Yes, definitely take yours. Hopefully you won't need to stay, but as frog noted, they will use whatever they have around if you don't have yours with you. Also, label everything. If you have a label machine that's best, if not use a sharpie. Especially if you have a heated hose, label it if you ever want to see it again. When I had my first knee surgery I 'lost' my mask, even though it was in the case when the 'engineering dept' checked the machine out & somehow, no one ever saw my mask. I had my hubby to bring another from home. If you have a 'back up mask' and a 'good mask' I'd take my back up. Labeling would have probably kept me from losing my mask in the first place. Second surgery, I labeled everything, even my case, just to prevent mistakes. They would not let me use my machine the second time, but that was due to electrical reasons, I had electrical tape on the wires from a short-out & the hospital was well within its rights to make me use theirs. At least I had my mask & hose.

Now, good luck with your heart cath, I'll be thinking about you. Post as soon as you can that all is well.
Jen

[quietmorning]

I took those little labels that come in the mail (usually asking for a donation) to label everything I had before taking my cpap equipment into the hospital. They are small and stick well.

Definitely take your cpap machine with you - and tell the doctor to tell the nurse who attends you in recovery - DO NOT take the oxygen supply out of your nose until you are fully awake and about to be rolled to your room. (This happened to me, my oxygen dropped like a rock.)

[chunkyfrog]

I think I'm getting out my little engraver, after work today.
http://www.harborfreight.com/micro-engraver-98227.html

[CUatX]

The engraver is an excellent idea. Things, especially expensive ones, do "get disappeared" very easily.

Heart cath is no big deal, I've had several, plus some stents. You'll be sedated and probably conscious. The most painful part is the prick you feel when they inject the local anesthetic where they're going to insert the catheter. In fact, you may find it interesting to watch the screen when they inject the dye, if it's placed where you can see it. Fascinating stuff! If they install a stent, they'll probably put you completely under, though.

[cosmo]

Good luck space man!

[purple]

I had a stent put in on 1-15-13. Take your machine and mask. Wash the mask when you get home. I ended up sitting up in a hospital bed, in a sorta contorted position. I slept pretty well. For the new comers an apnea person usually should not sleep on their back. If we can sleep sitting up, often the parts of our body which block our airway do not block our airway. Sleeping sitting up, and not in a recliner on our back, usually solves a big part of the problem for OSA.

Also what I was told to get when I went home: Weigh every day, immediately call the doctor if my weight goes up two pounds in one or two days. Use a hand mirror to view the site where the cath went in. I had bought a scale only a few days before the test.

Hospital socks are best. They will keep your feet warm, and I doubt they will allow your home slippers in the cath room.

As I went home I had to get some relative to pay for my prescription of Plavix, the generic version of an anti-coagulant. Which was sixty dollars.

You might think what is your threshold of when to let the doc do a stent versus open heart surgery.

Taking Plavix for a year is both risky and difficult. Apparently there are some anti-coagulants which would be better than Plavix, if one can afford $$$$ them.

Best wishes.

[Sir NoddinOff]

Been there, done that... don't worry about the angioplasty, it's been around for decades and it goes pretty quick with all the new developments. Take your CPAP machine and also take lots of wipes, plus loose clothes for the next day. They'll give you anything you may need to sleep or to reduce pain (not that there's much)... remember to take your daily prescriptions for the next morning.

[avi123]

Tell the Docs that you're on XPAP. They all know what to do about it. Thy most likely
assign an anesthesiologist to you who would intubate you and hook you up to a ventilation machine that could
do all the possible programs of ventilation available on any XPAP machines. So you will be totally asleep like
in the operation room. Usually for an angioplasty (with stenting) that is done during a routine angiography they don't put you to sleep.

p.s. If I was ever going to do it, then I would go with a bypass surgery instead of angioplasty.
This might be too late for you to consider.
In this case, I agree with your motto:
"It is what it is, and that is all it is", especially if it is emergency.
Good luck Mr Stein!

[hyperlexis]

Honestly this is a good question -- but for a different reason.

I don't know whether I would want my home CPAP machine brought into a hospital environment. Could it pick up pathogens and bring them home?

I wish someone knowledgeable could answer this definitively.

Hospital respiratory therapists provide CPAP loaners to patients, along with disposable masks, hoses, etc., and, I assume, the equipment is clean and sanitized. However, if you bring your own machine in, no one professionally sanitizes it for you once you take it home....

Assuming, of course, the CPAP machines actually even need special sanitizing in the first place if used in a hospital.

Any respiratory therapists out there with advice?

[Slartybartfast]

I had a stress test done recently and sw my cardiologist yesterday. He said I have what appears to be a substantial blockage.
So I am scheduled for an angiogram Thursday morning and they might put in a stint. If so, i will have to stay at least overnight in the hospital.
They did tell me to pack for a stay just in case.Should I take my machine/mask with me? Has anyone here had this done? I am a little worried.

Don't bother taking your machine; they won't let you use it unless you are staying several days. And then they still may not; it depends on their policy. Catheterization is done on an outpatient basis. If they find anything, then you will need to be monitored and they will insist on using their equipment. What you CAN do, though, is make sure your sturgeon knows that you have sleep apnea. The anesthesiologist should know as well. And it wouldn't hurt to tell the admitting nurse to not your xPAP pressure(s) on your chart. There should be ample opportunity to let everyone know about your needs while you are being admitted.

It looks like you're in good hands, but just in case someone else is in your situation one day, I'd like to relate a little tidbit that everyone ought to know about. Cardiologists come in two flavors: Diagnostic and Interventional. The diagnostic cardiologist is qualified by licensing and training to diagnose a patient's condition, but not to perform interventional procedures like angioplasty, surgery, etc. That is the purview of the interventional cardiologist. My wife works in a hospital that has a full cath lab, but lacks the capabilities to perform any interventional procedures. So if the cardio-Doc sees something that must be taken care of right away, the patient is closed up and an appointment is made for the procedure to be done at another hospital. No kidding. So the patient has to go through all the joy of getting poked and opened up again. She occasionally admits patients for the cath lab and comes home very frustrated because she can't tell the patient about the limitations of their capabilities. And to add insult to injury, Insurance is fine with that, although the cost must be extraordinarily high.

[Chuck Connors]

Best wishes to you with the procedure. Thinking positive thoughts.

I just recall when I picked up my new machine and ClimateLine hose last year, the DME provider also gave me a non-ClimateLine hose and told me to hang on to it for use at a hospital, if I ever needed to stay overnight. I don't know your equipment, but it may be worth a quick call to your DME to find out if there is anything you need to know as it regards using your equipment at the hospital. Also, I don't think it's a bad idea to bring a surge protector to plug your machine into. -Chuck-

[DavidCarolina]

Never sleep without your gear. Anywhere anytime.

Good luck with the stints. A friend of mine had one put in, and he said he felt wonderful after the stint, so you have much to look forward to!

Hopefully you can begin walking after the doc approves and eat a healthy diet and keep those arteries clear and your health optimal.!

[MrStein]

Thanks everyone for the advice and words of encouragement. My Cardiologist's nurse actually called me this morning and told me to bring my gear.
I was lucky enough to find a brand new zero-hour back up PRS1 Auto on craigslist last Christmas for 200$. Best 200$ I ever spent apparently.
I will be taking it, and my extra hose/mask/gear. and a butt-load of wipes. and new micron filters. lol.

I am freaked-completely-out about this procedure, but it is comforting to hear from those who have been through it and are now better than before.
I have been so miserable from the high blood pressure and the terrible chest pains, that it has ruined all the benefits from my cpap therapy.
My numbers are good and leaks are low, but I have just been out of it, physically. I have gained 25 lbs since start of therapy.
I actually eat less than before. I have been doing a mile a day on my treadmill. The heart thing at least does explain most of these issues.

Hopefully I will be able to report back to you all the results of this adventure.