Bypass Surgery

[Kevinjt]

Just been told I need a bypass surgery, A bit of a shock/suprise, any advice would be welcome.

[Heather1957]

Hi Kevin, there is a lot of us who have felt the same as you. When I first saw the cardiologist he said there were 4 possible outcomes. No intervention needed, controlled with medication (I had angina) stents or a bypass which was very unlikely due to my age (60)

So when I had my angiogram and I heard him say 'that's interesting' I had a funny feeling it wouldn't be good news.

I had a single bypass on 2nd June last year and there were good days and bad days, in fact (surprisingly) I am this far down the road and the last couple of days have been bad days, which to be fair is a rarity.

As I said my bypass was needed after it was discovered I had angina, what was the lead up to yours and what kind of bypass will you need.

The more you talk about it the more you realise it is not as uncommon or dangerous as you think it will be.

In my opinion it is the thought of the bypass that causes more anxiety than the bypass itself.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

The first this is to make sure you are doing everything to look after yourself; eating a healthy low fat diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising as appropriate for your current state of health, drinking moderately and definitely not smoking. Another good idea is to try to increase your core strength as you will be unable to "push up" with your arms post-surgery - a good exercise is to stand up from a chair with your arms crossed.

[Alanmo]

hi Kevin i had my bypass almost 2 years ago which also came to me as a shock nearly as much as when the hospital told me I had a heart attack as I didn't have the a typical signs of one but know I am 47 in work full time .yes straight after the opp you are limited to what you can do but just let you're body do the talking like walking around lifting what you use to .but the main thing you need is definitely to keep the chest warm as you do feel it in winter .and one last thing don't let your mind keep pondering on about what could go wrong the surgeons are brilliant out there just look how many people are on British hearties on Facebook that have one also don't be scared to talk about there is more people than you think that have had one

[Allyboy1973]

Hi Kevin I've had 2 double heart bypass ops in the space of 20 months . Although the prospect of having to get the op done is scary it honestly isn't as bad as you'd imagine . If you do the things asked of you it will be alot easier in the longer term . I had mine when I was 40 and 42. I'm now back driving my HGV and feel better than I have in years . Good luck with your op .

[shopman]

Hi Kevin

I had a quad bypass nearly 20 years ago now. Knew it had worked from the moment I woke up. Took a while to get over due to various complications and eventually returned to full time work after about a year. Ended up running my own business with 3 different outlets. I certainly had a new lease of life but as others say listen to what your body tells you and if in any doubt seek help.

I'm coming up 65 now, will celebrate 40 years of marriage shortly and have had the marvellous opportunity to enjoy my grandchildren who are aware of what grandad can & can't do.

[Steadyeddie100]

I am booked into Southampton General Hospital to undergo a triple Bypass in July. We have the best health care in the world, so in a perverse way I can’t wait! There are going to be ups and downs, but positivity is the key Kevin. Good luck.

[Kevinjt in reply to Steadyeddie100]

Thanks for that, it really helps, as I'm going to Southampton can I ask how long from referral to getting a date for surgery take? Thanks Kevin

[Steadyeddie100 in reply to Kevinjt]

Hi Kevin, I have sent you a personal message.

[Hidden]

Several weeks after the procedure you will be offered the opportunity to go to Cardio Rehab do take up this offer as it's superb for rebuilding your confidence. Chatting to other attendees also assures you that your aches, pains and negative thoughts are common and just part of the recovery process. Best of luck to you

[summer49]

26 years back the best thing I did after the surgery was attend rehab .. It helped to see others at the same stage I was at, and we could freely move around with nurses on hand if anything felt uncomfortable

[controlcause]

Without CABG cure is possible.I have mentioned few details in my profile .2 screenshots are available in the below link. Have a look and ask me questions here facebook.com/ControlCauseCu...

[jimmyq in reply to controlcause]

Hi ControlCause,

I am following a plant-based wholefood diet and my BP, cholesterol ,pulse have all come down. I am working my way to getting off all the drugs.

Do you follow a Mediterranean diet? What do you eat and avoid? What measurable benefits have you had?

I am asking because we roughly followed the Mediterranean diet before everything happened after Christmas. I want to know if we were doing something wrong before. We can take this offline if you want, my email address is: [e-mail].

[controlcause in reply to jimmyq]

I do eat fish and egg couple of times in a week . So I am light mediterranean . What are the medicines you are taking . Sure we can exchange email

[jimmyq in reply to controlcause]

Atorvastatin, Indapamide, Bisoprolol and Clopidogrel.

[controlcause in reply to jimmyq]

These are given by default post surgery . You can get off if BP & HR,Lipid all under control . Best of luck . I have a screenshot from a survey from facebook group . Once I locate i shall send in your email

[sandrann]

Hi there Kevin... keeping a positive frame of mind and being mindful of your well being regards what you choose to eat..drink..and your lifestyle is beneficial for you.. building up your core strength by avoiding using your arms when sitting and getting up out of a chair will help you with coping after the surgery as you will be advised not to Push or pull for a few weeks. Keep us updated on your progress..there are nurses on this site that you can chat to if you feel the need.

Keep smiling Kevin.

[gal4God]

Bypass surgery isn’t that hard and it protects ur heart. It’s not nice hearing u need surgery tho. I was born with a heart condition so had loads of heart surgery’s.

[alheart]

Hi,

My medical bit first! Had an AVR operation and received a pre-emtive double by-pass at the same time (Oct 2015- aged 57)

My left arm was used for the harvesting for the by-pass.

Pain when coughing, sneezing, chocking and driving over pot-holes was nasty. As was tiredness which I found best not to fight.

On release, then a daily walk to the next l am post really helped with desire and confidence to building up distance to reach others soon kicked in (had to remember that to not overdo with the return journey in mind!)

Next milestone was going out in public, mixture of anesthetic and wound awareness (both knocked my confidence) made it difficult especially in crowds!

Started Physio/Rehab classes six weeks after op and they really helped.

they lasted for ten weeks.

The one thing I did miss was a support group after this ended and wish i had kept up the others around my joining period.

Pre-op exercise was difficult so made sure the "bad habits" were kicked out, cut out coffee, junk food and reduced quantity (my appetite and taste went for months after the op)

Also relaxation techniques really helped both to reduce stress and help sleep pattern.

Lots of great advice given prior to my reply - thank you everyone.

Yes I did manage to break a kettle in thinking I could lift it to refill and half way between sink and worktop, the physical strength was not as great as the mental thought - so be careful!

Now I wish it had been spotted years back. I had lived with things for so long and just thought it was me and bad living. Know have the Heart of a 27 year old and am so grateful of what has been done.

So relax, work on the bucket list of things you want to do and celebrate after the op.

[Phil-52]

Hi Kevin

welcome to the club. As someone who has been active all his life all I can say is .....It's not fair. But, I must say, I'm thankful that it was discovered before i keeled over. Two years on and I'm doing stuff that I used to twenty years ago. I run three times a week and also swim once a week. I waited three months from my angiogram to quad bypass. It is scary no matter what anyone tells you. It is also scary for your family and friends. You will be asked to get up as soon as possible after the op and become active. This is important believe me. You will have to sleep on your back for a while which like most is not normal. I would strongly recommend 'V' shaped pillows. I found them a godsend. The trip home from hospital will be a little uncomfortable. the seat belt will press on your chest so I suggest a soft pillow or rolled up towel might help. Toilet and showering I found I could still do independently but it may be advisable to leave the bathroom door unlocked just in case. Take the Cardio rehab classes, they really help. You will probably be sent home with a bucket of tablets at first. Some you will probably remain on for the rest of your life some you might be able to drop. I've found that the medication varies massively from patient to patient.

Good luck Kevin

I hope all goes well. Keep in touch

Phil

ps Here is a link to the blog that I did about my experience if you are interested philsquadruplebypass.wordpr...

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

I cannot see mention of how many arteries are being bypassed. In the replies there is also a reference to curing yourself without CAGB. About a dozen years ago a friend had a heavily blocked artery and another less so. He did quite a lot of research and concluded that the build up of cholesterol is caused by the body trying to heal itself. Scurvy that old time sailors suffered from is related to irritation of the blood vessels and was prevented by regularly doses of lime juice (hence the term limeys). My friend started taking Vitamin C regularly (as I also do) in addition to adopting a healthier lifestyle. So far he has required neither stenting or CAGB and his stress test performance has improved. It appears the restriction may have eased (he had not had a subsequent angiogram) and other blood vessels compensated. However, this approach is very unlikely to be successful if a number of arteries are involved and/or there is calcification.

[Eccleshillian]

My quad bypass was done 3 years ago. It's like putting a new engine I an old car. Now I,m walking, cycling,ballroom dancing and thoroughly enjoying life. Relax and go with the medical advice. By the way, I,m69 in October.

[Cowpat2]

I have a similar experience, although I had a cardiac arrest. I had a blocked artery and two others are compromised. They stented the blocked artery, that blocked!! Arrested again, in hospital, so they stented again, through the existing. It took them 4.5 hours.

This was all such a shock, as I am a fit 69 y/o cyclist doing on average 100 miles/week, with no signs of anything untoward!!

The consensus was to do cabg, that was one hell of a shock to me!!

I am great right now and waiting bypass surgery in around 5 weeks. Total waiting time will have been around 12 weeks, it is based on urgency I suspect. I am very positive about this decision, knowing it will give me chance to live longer!! Folks on this forum give me great confidence in the longer term.

Be positive!!

[cliffr]

Only just seen your post. I had a triple bypass 2 years ago and it came as a shock to me. I can remember the doctor saying "Good news, you can have an operation" when he looked at the angiogram results! Bear in mind that you're unlikely to be the only one having the op on that day so you'll probably have some good company. I found coming round from the op was confusing, I didn't know where I was and for the following week or two I became quite emotional. I had been warned that it could happen but I don't know how frequent that is.

I assume that you'll have some vein stripped probably from a leg to use in the bypass. The bleeding from that wound was more of a nuisance than the chest and being discharged from hospital with it still bleeding was a concern. However having been kept dressed it subsided quite quickly and the scar is gradually disappearing.

I strongly support the advice to take up the offer of cardiac rehab. It's extremely helpful and comforting to know you're in the company of professionals and others who have experienced heart procedures. I also religiously kept to daily walking which at times was quite difficult with the weather.

You're bound to worry pre-op but like most I feel much better afterwards than I did before. I'm pretty certain that you will too.