Bypass surgery

fudo

fudo

Joined
Aug 27, 1999
Messages
4,531
I'm going to have a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft on June 1. It's scary. The Doctor says my risk is 4 times normal. :(Has anyone been through this surgery?
 
FIL just went through it in March.

He's out in Vegas for the last month or so. Not bad for 73.

Do what the Dr's tell you and DO NOT push through and do more just cause you can. You'll get better faster.
 
The folks I know who have had it, without one exception at all, all were very happy within a month after it was over. All of them said they felt the best they have felt in a long time.

Keep the faith. A bunch of us are going to be pulling for you.
 
This is a common operation. My mother went through it.

There is no question; surgery is not pleasant, and it is scary.

This is a reason that you don't see people who work in medical professions having too many elective surgeries--you need a really good resaon.

If your doc says that you need a coronary bypass--that is a really good reason.

It was amazing to see the improvement in my mother's health and welfare afterwards.

Keep us posted on your progress. I'll add an extra prayer on June 1 from the Holy Land. Don't worry about the cost; from here it's a local call.

:D
 
My father had a different procedure, angioplasty. The operation is risky, as all are, but I'm confident that the doctors added years to his lifespan.

Best luck to you, and have a speedy recovery.
 
I had five bypasses in 1994 at age 48. I was obese and had a very bad back, very inactive. 100% blockage and 70% blockage to my heart. Doc said I was living on "capillary action".
The best thing I had going was that I never had a heart attack, I just went to get some odd pains checked out.

To me, a large measure of post-operative success lies in your hands. I took the in-hospital lecture on nutrition very seriously and have lived a low-fat lifestyle ever since. I also took the exercise regimen thay gave me very seriously.
Went from the first week of shuffling my feet around the den for five minutes to a year or so later doing a 1/3 walk-2/3 jog for about 6 miles a day. Lost 65 pounds. Stress-cracked a foot running, broke a metatarsal, and took up weight training while on crutches. Have done a high-intensity style weight workout for the last 12 or so years.
Somewhere in that time period, my back problems have greatly abated.

On a follow-up stress test a few years ago, the doc said he was "stunned." He said that I had the test of a man who had never had any heart problems. He also says I am obsessive/compulsive about diet and exercise, which is perfectly ok with me.

I will be 63 in June, and now consider the by-pass surgery one of the best things that ever happened to me. It changed my life.
 
Thank you, gentlemen. Another question, my surgeon says that I won't be able to lever up out of a chair, because it would be too much stress on my wired-together ribs.
Do you thyink I will be able to continue to shoot My Marlin 336 in 30-30, or my 12 Ga. shotguns? Or am I going to have to sell them off?
 
fudo said:
Thank you, gentlemen. Another question, my surgeon says that I won't be able to lever up out of a chair, because it would be too much stress on my wired-together ribs.
Do you thyink I will be able to continue to shoot My Marlin 336 in 30-30, or my 12 Ga. shotguns? Or am I going to have to sell them off?
Click to expand...

What?

I had my aortic valve replaced in January, and the only thing the doc said about getting up was that I couldn't push off with my arms for about three weeks. I lived in my recliner for the first month, and when I needed to stand, I just stood, not using my arms.

I was just cleared to resume my normal, pre surgery activities today. My only restriction is to avoid lifting or pushing anything over 50 pounds untill sometime in the fall. That is when he says my sternum will be completely healed up. You'll be restricted from shooting for a while, but it won't be permanent.

Do what the doctor says post op. DO NOT OVERDO IT! I returned to work exactly one month to the day post surgery, and it was too soon. I got way too tired by the end of the day, and it set me back a bit. Follow the diet restrictions, take your meds correctly, and make sure you do the cardiac rehab. You will recover much more quickly, and your energy will also improve faster.

The absolute best thing you can do is have a positive attitude. Smile. Make sure your family knows that this is for the best, and even though you will hurt like hell for a few weeks, SMILE!! Most of your pain will be from the incision, and from the split breastbone. Know it will heal, and you'll gradually be able to get off the painkillers.

The only difference in my surgery versus a bypass is that my aorta was cut open, the valve cut out, and a new valve sewn in, and my aorta at the incision was covered in mesh. Bypass is grafting a vein from your leg to a blocked artery. Chest is split open the same, ect.

If you have questions, you can PM me, and I'll answer them for you.

:)
 
fudo said:
Thank you, gentlemen. Another question, my surgeon says that I won't be able to lever up out of a chair, because it would be too much stress on my wired-together ribs.
Do you thyink I will be able to continue to shoot My Marlin 336 in 30-30, or my 12 Ga. shotguns? Or am I going to have to sell them off?
Click to expand...

I work in the Cardiac field, PM me if you have any questions.

As for shooting, a friend of mine had bypass in mid February 2000. He had to qualify with his shotgun in June of 2000. Shooting a Beretta auto with slugs and buck, he said it hurt like hell. Other guys who'd had bypass earlier said it wasn't a problem, and if he'd had a year or so more, he wouldn't have noticed. So give it awhile.
 
Fudo, my Pop had a quintuple bypass and once he got over the soreness of the chest opening, he was happy and fit as a fiddle!!!!
Like the other guys have said, we're all praying for you and be sure to mind what the doc says!!!!
You'll come out the other end feeling grand!!!
 
Fudo,

There is risk with all surgery, but honestly, with the advances in medicine, these types of surgeries are almost becoming routine.

At 41 years old, I just had a single bypass on Apr. 21st. Mine wasn't a graft, but it went very well. My hosp. roommate went in for 3, and ended up with 5 bypasses. He came through well also.

I was little nervous, but resigned myself to having to deal with it.

I agree with all that have mentioned a positive attitude. Also, like others have said, take it easy after! Do not push yourself. Your body will only heal at the rate it will heal, and if you push it, you can really set yourself back. It is frustrating to sit around after surgery and do nothing, but your body really needs that time to rest.

You can't push or pull with your arms for awhile after. I learned just to use my legs more when standing up.

Also, they may give you an incentive sperometer (sp?). It's a device you inhale into workout your lungs after. It sucks and can hurt a little at first, but it's the best thing to get your lungs clear and back into shape. Try and stick with it.

Coronary Heart Disease is not the end of the world. The treatments are just the opposite, they give us a new chance. I am damn glad I went in for my stress test.

Good luck, I'm sure everything will go well.

If you have any other questions, email or PM me. :)

Glenn
 
Hey Fudo. I don't usually visit this subforum and thought I might comment. It's been almost 10 years since I had triple bypass. First of all there is always a risk when you go under the knife. I had mine after I had a heart attack and the risk was I then too. Last check-up I had three weeks ago and all still seems well so far. The is really only two bad times when you have this surgery, one is waking up with that damn ventilator in you mouth and trying to get adjusted to that thing breathing for you. I raised so much hell that they finally took it out and I went back to sleep. The next really bad time is when they take the tubes out of your cheast and that just burns like hell. After that they usually put you in your room and then it's getting woke up all hours of the night with some thug checking your blood pressure. I could breathe so very much better after I had the surgery that everything else seems to be secondary. What helped me was that I went home and went to work on the business plan for my school and slowly began to get back in shape which took 6 months before I was back to normal. Watch the blood pressure beta blockers because if it's too strong a dose you can end up blacking out after the most simple movements. Tell your doctor when you have problems with this, I almost broke a rib when I passed out. Your chest will make some clinking sounds for a long time then the bone will heal around the wires and it will go away. You'll have a big lump on your strnum after the surgery, but it will go away after about three months. You will probably end up on blood pressure and colestral medicine for the rest of your life but that is no worse than taking vitiamins. Other than the blood pressure medicine making you feel tired from time to time you should be o.k. After my bypass my martial skills actually improved because for over half of my life I was not getting the oxygen I needed. The bypass fixed all that other than having a slight valve problem that was caused by the heart attack, I'm still doing fine well past the guarnteed time for the repair. My wife mentor had a bypass at age 70....he is now 84 and doing great.
So that's my take.......as it happened to me several years ago. I'm sure they have improved the whole procedure. BTW after the surgery you will have some strange dreams but don't worry its after effects of the drugs they give. One friend dreamed about hundreds of naked women chasing him. ....hmmm.. my dreams were about dragons. Wish I had his. All that said, don't hesitate to drop me a line if you have any questions.

Good luck

All My Best
Dwight
 
Gentlemen, thank you for your input. I am reassured and will try to improve my attitude about this thing. I was fearful of being an invalid. I appreciate you all.:)
 
You have my best wishes for a complete and rapid recovery. Rapid is relative though, as people say, don't push it. That can be frustrating, because you really will feel a lot better very soon, despite lingering pain from the surgery.
 
You've got my prayers, mate. Keep strong!
 
Fudo:

Start planning to do something during the recovery period. Set up a goal and work on that. Get into the recovery process and understand that it's natural to get depressed. When those negatives pop up use a little John Wayne on it and say " Get the hell out of here" and get on with business. You will not become an invalid, but it will make you more aware of your body and what you can and can't do.....I guess it just makes you smarter.

Best
Dwight
 
Thanks again, gentlemen. I can't do anything about the skill of the surgeon, only my attitude. You guys have lessened my stress level about this. They say that my surgeon is the best thoracic surgeon in OKC. It'll be up to him and God. I hope they're friends. I'll be wearing a hole in my prayer rug till then.
 
fudo said:
Thanks again, gentlemen. I can't do anything about the skill of the surgeon, only my attitude. You guys have lessened my stress level about this. They say that my surgeon is the best thoracic surgeon in OKC. It'll be up to him and God. I hope they're friends. I'll be wearing a hole in my prayer rug till then.
Click to expand...

Please keep in mind that it is also up to you. Patient compliance is extremely important (i.e. do what the doctor says!!).

Another important factor is the postivie attitude. Seems like you've got that one down pat. Good luck, and keep us posted.
 
Grab onto all the positives and take things one at a time.

Positive thoughts for you. Keep us all informed when you can.
 
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