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I’ve been told I need a triple bypass... - British Heart Fou...
I’ve been told I need a triple bypass but I don’t get pain ??
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Cwrw
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15 Replies
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I had a quadruple in April- never had any inkling of a heart problem- no pain or symptoms of any kind - so you can never tell what is happening inside!!! The good thing though is they can put it right and there is life after.
Same here
I am down for a quadruple bypass on the recommendation of a Joint Cardiology Conference following visits to 5 different hospitals for various scans and procedures
I have been told by one cardiac surgeon that I have the option of not having the operation as I am "asymptomatic" on medication
Originally I had SVT (episodes of rapid heart-beats) and then chest pain which led to the investigations
I no longer get those symptoms and instead my problems have come from the medication-such as Fatigue (I feel I will collapse if I don't go and lie down) Depression (in the early hours I feel convinced I am pre-destined to go to hell for eternity no matter how well I live the rest of my life) and Hallucinations that there are wild animals in the house
The medication was originally beta blockers and blood-thinners
After an angiogram (revealing severely blocked arteries) they added anti-coagulants, statins and nitrates and this led to 2 months of constant diarrhoea which I found totally demoralising
I was advised by one of the surgeons simply to drop the additional medication and the diarrhoea cleared up over-night
I have also started cutting the betablockers (bisoprolol) in half as the original dosage of 7.5 mg had been doubled by the surgery and my heart beat rate had come right down from 120 to 70-80 and sometimes 50 bpm (measured on my fitbit)
I am really back on the original prescription with bearable side-effects but I have been summonsed by the surgery to explain why I am not taking the full medication as prescribed
I keep meeting or hearing about others who are having or who have had a heart bypass-the latest was sent a bill for £32,000 so I realise the value of what I am getting
So you are not alone
Has a quadruple bypass last October- never knew I needed it, no pain only a bit of breathlessness when cycling hard. But now I’ve had it done I realize just how the blockages were making me tired and weary. Never been so fit as I am now - since my 20’s - embrace the finding as a blessing and good luck.
Hi bstano
Exactly the same here I just thought it was me unfit on the bike !!!
I only took part in a concousion in rugby trial!! . Then they said stent ?? Waiting for triple bypass now shitting myself lol
Still up the gym and out on the bike ( I’ve got a ebike now cube it’s great )
Sure you’ve been told to take it easy with the training. Don’t be scared about the op. It was one that I had always dreaded after seeing other members of my family; and friends go through. It was not easy but was only uncomfortable- not painful and the results were amazing- good luck!
Right with you. I hiked 6 miles the day before my angiogram and felt fantastic. Then I saw that my heart was a mess and had a triple bypass. I was really frustrated before but I'm much more feeling lucky that it was caught before I keeled over from cardiac arrest.
It might not feel like it now but consider yourself fortunate.
Hi Cwrw. Yes, it's very weird, isn't it. I have microvascular angina. The diagnosis was a shock as I've never had any chest pain or discomfort. Just breathlessness when I exert myself. Yet lots of people with my condition, the vast majority, suffer very badly. Sometimes I can convince myself there's nothing wrong with me but you do need to take the diagnosis seriously.
I had a heart checkup as a precursor to an op to remove a colon lump. Apart from the colon induced aenemia I felt fine. The calcium score scan did not complete because the score was too high (1800 plus) ! 6 weeks later I had been opened, bypassed, glued up and sent off to re-hab. I had no heart malfunction awareness at all at any time. I am now 12 months past the bypass, exercising 3 times a week at least and feeling fine. I am 76.
Count yourself one of the lucky folks. Most people don’t realize they have CAD. We wind up in the ER with a totally unexpected heart attack.
My husband and I were avid sailers, scuba divers, skiers and hikers. One day out of the blue after a hike he turned white as a sheet and turned clammy. Rushed to the hospital to find he had a heart attack. It actually damaged his heart.
He had a 5-way bypass and that was 20 years ago.
Today he is 84 and the last 20 years gave us a better appreciation of life. We are both healthier and fit. We’ve traveled the world, sailed, saw our grandchildren born and married, and made new friends and cherished our old friend more.
Yes there is a road to recovery before you after surgery, but the best medicine you can take is an optimistic attitude and a grateful heart that you have found your diagnosis sooner rather than later. Look forward not back because you are being given a Second Chance.
All the Best from Across the Pond
I had a triple bypass in March 2015. 2 bypasses were done by re-routing the mammary arteries and one with a vein graft.
Prior to the surgery I had an angiogram performed which sealed my fate. During that procedure they told me that my best course of action was bypass surgery. I had requested stents during the angiogram but they said it would be too risky as my main artery had 3 separate blockages.
Following the surgery I could not breathe easier as expected. I followed the post-op hospital instructions carefully and at my 30 day check up I received bad news.
The vein graft was completely occluded, and the openings where the mammary arteries were reattached to the pericardium were too narrow.
When I asked why the cardiologist said they didn't know how this occurred.
He speculated that the suturing was too tight or that there was too much scar-tissue.
I subsequently read that most vein grafts fail because the vein was not designed to handle the high pressure of the heart's pumping action. I also learned from extensive investigation that the failure with the mammary arteries was likely the angle of connection was too acute which slowed blood flow.
To make a long story short - I had two angioplasty procedures done within the next 2 months that inserted 4 stents in all, including two into the main artery which has 3 blockages.
The surgeon who performed the procedure told me prior to these angioplasties that he wasn't concerned about the risk - he was confident he could do it successfully.
I subsequently made radical changes to my dietary and lifestyle habits and dropped 40 lbs post-surgery to my natural body weight. During this period I gradually reduced the dosage of all medications and within 10 months of making these changes (October 2016), I stopped taking ALL medications completely. I only continued to take baby aspirin. Several months ago I stopped taking the baby aspirin as well due to new medical research.
The surgery was traumatic, the recovery was difficult and the anxiety has remained to this day. Every unusual feeling in the chest area causes anxiety.
I conduct quarterly blood tests to monitor my health and my diet (Mediterranean Diet) is pristine - completely avoiding sugar and simple carbohydrates.
I also exercise daily including weights 2-3 days per week and play ice hockey once per week. I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm a male 57 years of age.
The bottom line is, if you are asymptomatic prior to recommended surgery or your symptoms are mild, you can avoid the surgery altogether with dietary and lifestyle modification.
If I could go back in time, I would never have permitted the surgery and would have insisted instead on the angioplasty. Even better, I would have simply requested medications while I radically changed my diet and lifestyle and would then have avoided the angioplasty as well.
Natural solutions are always better than medical interventions. Doctors always insist on medical interventions because as the saying goes... 'when the only tool in your tool box is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail'.
Good luck!
You should never stop medication without your doctor's advice.
It's the previous post from six i was commenting on sorry
sos spell checker
For 3 months leading up to diagnosis of 4 95% clogged arteries I thought I was having mild indigestion during exercise. A ct scan w/dye lead MDs to recommend quad bypass surgery for the next day. That was almost 4 months ago. I feel good now. Watching diet and off all meds except statin and aspirin.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy is very traumatic...just need all the help I can get. 
