My mum is 2 weeks post a quadruple bypass op and has been with us for just under week.
She is in a LOT of pain (all normal we think) and the paracetamol she was told to take on leaving hospital is not touching the pain. She is in pain however she sits, lays in bed or on various chairs and is getting no quality sleep during the night but is napping during the day. She is about at her wits end with it all.
Did any of you take anything stronger than paracetamol or should I call the doctor to ask.
Also did any of you suffer from an 'upset stomach' :o( as this seems to be a problem for her as well.
Any advise greatly appreciated!
Written by
cherrie22
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hello and welcome to the forum! I was in hospital for eight days when I had my bypass. On day six they changed my pain control to paracetamol only. I could not sleep that night as I was just in agony - it felt as if vampire hunters were out with their wooden stakes! On discharge I was on thrice daily Tramadol (cannot take Ibrufen). I reduced to zero over the next three weeks - the last dose to be stopped being the bedtime one.
So yes I am saying in a long winded way other pain killers are available. There are no rewards for suffering and pain actually slows recovery. Ring her GP first thing tomorrow!
I have never been able to tolerate Ibrufen although I understand it cannot be taken with some BP medication which is why it is best to talk to a GP or pharmacist. As I had angina for quite a while I was on a host of meds beforehand. I was put on, and am still on, Omeprazole to control acidity and reflux.
If she's really struggling then codeine and paracetamol might be a solution, but it's normally recommended for three days only as it's addictive.
The bottom line is that the first four weeks are pretty uncomfortable for almost all patients following a bypass, and your mum's unlikely to get anything even resembling an adequate night's sleep until week six to eight. Having said that, really getting stuck into the breathing exercises and into a daily routine of walking (aiming to build up to 30 minutes of daily brisk walking after six weeks) will certainly help. The lungs take a terrible beating during a bypass operation, with lots of areas of micro collapse. Reflating these areas and recovering your previous lung capacity is what primarily determines how you feel your recovery is progressing. So even though it might be the last thing your mum wants, you should encourage her to push forward with her breathing exercises and regular walking. If the weather is atrocious then it might be better to walk under cover in a shopping mall.
Chappychap is absolutely right about the breathing exercises. Whilst in hospital nurses and physios will encourage you to do your breathing exercises once discharged it it up to you to do them regularly. When I went to rehab a good percentage had not and struggled with the breathing exercises, some becoming breathless on slight exertion. It helps both breathing and pain relief.
I would seek advice and support from GP. It's important to try and keep pain levels controlled in order to encourage movement and proper breathing. People in pain often breathe shallow which is not good and hold there upper body tensely which again inhibits recovery. Paracetamol alone is not particularly effective. Codeine is likely to cause constipation and can also depress breathing. Your GP should be able to prescribe something stronger for a few days. I wonder if a low dose sedative for a few nights would help but again it's a case of clearly setting out to the GP how your Mum is struggling a bit at the moment.
Encourage your Mum not to nap as much during the day. It will be hard to sustain this, but i would encourage her in this. I had a heart attack 5 weeks ago and was told not to take Ibuprofen.
I was encourage to start moving around slowly in the first week.
But a by-pass is a much bigger operation and is a longer recovery .
Please don't panic but consult with her doctor, cardiac nurse or heart consultant in the hospital where she had her operation, what to do about this pain especially during the night.
I am sure that a solution can be found for your Mum.
And discharge with the the same .i was in pain for that night.
I was given Oramorph in hospital speak to your GP mine prescribed this for me with no questions ask its no good in suffering pain as this will not aid her recovery
I am surprised she was discharged without stronger painkillers. I had a triple bypass last May and was given Paracetamol and Codeine.
How is your mum trying to sleep? For the first 2 months I could only sleep on my back propped up by lots of pillows as the pains around my sternum was too great if I laid on my side. Laying on ones front is a no-no until the sternum is fully healed. I took the codeine with paracetamol just at night to help me sleep, so addiction was not an issue (as I was not taking the codeine throughout the day).
Your mum really should talk to her GP, as she should not have to suffer a lot of pain; that can be managed.
I had a quadruple bypass 8weeks ago and yes there is pain lots and as for sitting up all night trying to sleep because it has taken me 6weeks to lay down with only 2 Pillows I was on slow release morphine tablets For the pain which helped but you get used to taking them so now I have actually stopped taking them because I’m trying to control the pain with just paracetamol which is hard sometimes I use a hot water bottle which I find helps to put on my chest to ease the pain I used to sleep during the day for an hour two hours because I got so tired I done that and then couple of hours at night and home all I can say is just hang in there it will get better but it’s just taking its time even now I’m not sleeping very well at all to 3 hours a night and then I’m wide-awake
I can only relate the experiences of my hubby who had a quad bypass in November.
He napped during the day, sitting up with V shaped pillow I got him. Sleep at night was elusive for 10 weeks and even then, he only managed an hour or two.
As far as pain goes I can only reiterate what Chappychap and MichaelJH have said. It really does help if mum has something else to concentrate on such as breathing exercises, coughing exercises and walking around - a little bit more every day.
As far as pain relief goes, hubby was put on morphine and codeine when he came out from the op but he was hallucinating very badly. He just had paracetamol from then on but regularly took 2 every four hours until week 4 after the op when he cut the dose down gradually. After 6 weeks, he wasn't taking any.
Only your mum can say how much pain she's in so I'd recommend she gets GP advice.
Good luck and keep us posted with mum's developments. She'll get there! xxx
Hi my husband had a triple bypass and it was about 4 weeks before he could even bear to try sleeping in bed, he’d sleep on the recliner as it was more comfortable, I agree with what others are saying regarding asking for a change of pain relief if it’s too unbearable, moving is to be encouraged and every day will get better, as for the upset stomach my husband vomited every day until they stopped the Ameoderone tablet he was on, it was a nightmare, but 18 months on he’s doing great, hope your mum feels better soon x
My hubby had a quadruple bypass a year ago and was discharged after two weeks. He came home with paracetamol and dihydrocodeine. He took the dihydrocodeine only at night but kept up the paracetamol during the day. Ibruprofen is usually incompatible with anticoagulants.
It is very early days yet and lots of nerves etc will have been bruised during surgery. My husband was also given amitriptyline at a low dose rate to help with pain in his chest scar.
The upset stomach could be a reaction to one of her medications..
My husband still naps during the day but sleeping allows the body to heal so don’t worry to much, as she feels able to do more she will probably nap less. The surgeons treat it as very routine but it is major surgery with a massive impact.
Do speak to your gp or cardiac nurses about any concerns.
So sorry to hear about your mums pain, at least the op. Is done and dusted.
I would definitely get stronger pain killers prescribed from the GP. Do not worry about addiction or hallucinations, she will only need a milder version of codeine such as 30 or 50 in 100, which will probably adequately knock the pain on the head as she is on next to nothing now. Hallucinations and addiction concerns I don’t think are relevant at this stage, I’m sure the GP will reassure on that issue. Speak to GP today and she can have some relief tonight.
My quadruple by pass was 7 months ago and I was in hospital for 12 days as had to have 2nd operation as I was haemorrhaging. As mentioned by everyone before me all the suggestions are spot on. The hallucinations kept me awake for weeks but I was led to believe the anaesthetic and morphine was the major cause.
I had Paracetamol to start but that was found to be compromising my liver so I was given Nefapem which is must stronger but as I don’t like any form of tablet I weaned myself of those.
Every time my husband reminded me about the breathing contraption and the small walks around the garden I thought ‘not again’ but I have to say like everyone else on here they certainly did help my recovery and I’m still attending stage 4 rehab.
When you first come out of hospital you really do think you’re never going to get back to normality but you have to remember ‘you’ve been fixed’ and you will get there. Promise!
I had my triple bypass just over a year ago and was discharged with paracetomol and codeine. I echo the thoughts of the others and think you should get your GP to get stronger painkillers even if its taking the stronger ones at night. You may need some lactolese with the codeine as it can cause constipation. I would say I felt much better at 6 weeks and each week after that got tons better. Best of luck to your Mum who obviously has the love and support of you and your family x
I rang the GP as the pain was so bad and I was given liquid morphine. Had to take fairly regularly for about 2 weeks after my bypass and slowly cut the dose down until I was just haven regular paracetamol. You need to be pain free to recover. Hope your mum feels better soon.
I am actually staggered that so many are discharged with inadequate pain relief. The cynical side of me says it's to put the cost in the GP's budget rather than the hospital's. However, it may just be that people need to speak up more.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Safe pain relief
Post Bypass
Lady's operation 
At my witts end with pain and worry.
Two weeks after bypass. 
