Things I would have liked to know before my heart bypass. I hope some useful tips for others prior to their op. Or when recovering.

[Stilljogging23]

As a general point I think it would have been useful to have access to a ‘Heart Bypass Buddy/Partner’ system or perhaps just being made aware of this online community before the operation, i.e. being able to ask/email someone who had gone through the operation themselves and who could provide some practical insights - non-scary and not uninformed/opinion based - but just to get some practical pointers.

Things I feel that would have been useful to know beforehand (this is not an exhaustive list and I may remember some others, my operation was about 17 months ago) as follows:

* I had nausea/sickness after the operation in the intensive care ward and felt embarrassed about it - I was told by the excellent nurses at St, Thomas’s not to worry as ‘most people have nausea due to the anaesthetic’ So don’t feel embarrassed if you throw up, nurses have seen this before...

* As you progress through the various wards after the operation you will be surrounded by other patients in varying stages of recovery and some won’t look or sound so well and their family members may have concerned faces. I was on an NHS ward, so it may be a different experience if done privately. So try to stay calm yourself - other patients will be getting the appropriate care for their condition.

* Some fellow patients will have a false bonhomie to get through the experience. Others will be depressed. It can be a unnerving and confusing experience as you recover in the ward post operation - lots of check-ups/having to repeat your personal details, date of birth etc before getting pills etc, sometimes lots of noise around you..

Just be aware some fellow patients will want to be chatty and share their experience, others will want to keep things to themselves so try to adjust a bit to others. After intensive care for a day, I had one day in another ward with about 10 to 12 others before going into a bay where there were 4 of us, all in varying degrees of recovery.

* I put on 4-5 kilos in the first 2 days after the heart bypass, which I was surprised about but which apparently is normal as you retain some water. Then it comes off almost straight away.

* Nurses will try to get you on your feet within a couple of days. If you’ve had a vein removed from your leg for the bypass you will need support when walking. Don’t try to walk on your own unsupported too soon.

* I shaved my face, Razor not electric, I think on the third day after the bypass op and it took me about 20 minutes. It was very exhausting just to shave! Basic things take much longer. The first time you can take a shower yourself you feel much better, but make sure you hang on to the hand rails as you will be unsteady on your legs.

* I had never used a walking stick before but they are very useful for the first couple of weeks or so at least, so think about getting one for when you leave the hospital to go home and for your first short walks at home, inside and out as you increase your walking distance every day.

* Have people around when you attempt your first showers/baths at home. You will be unsteady on your feet still. I could have done with extra rails in the bathroom. It’s difficult to get up from lying flat in the bath as your leg without the vein will lack some strength for a few weeks. I still have some numbness in my leg from where the vein was removed. The ankle swelling took 2-3 months to go down.

* I found trying to lie down flat to try to sleep and getting up from a flat position in bed very painful for 4-6/weeks. Having someone to help you slowly lie down or lift yourself up is helpful. They should not pull you but just let you pull/hold yourself against them. Some nights I just sat in an armchair all night as trying to lie down was too painful. But it gets easier with time. A firmer mattress would been better for me.

* I drove my car after 4 weeks, note there are legal restrictions re driving after a heart bypass. I managed it but you get tired very quickly and you’ll need a pad or towel or something under the seatbelt across your chest to prevent pain from the tightness of the belt.

* Do use a towel to hold on your chest if you need to sneeze. Sneezing is painful for your chest. I think they recommend no flowers in heart bypass wards to prevent sneezing.

This is becoming a long list so I may do a further post. I hope some of these tips are useful.

Two things that were certainly true that I read about prior to my heart bypass - 1. Afterward you will be much more emotional for a few weeks, I cried watching sad things on TV for example when I hadn’t previously. So unexpected things can provoke tears - but that’s ok. I did have more dramatic/emotional dreams than previously but that settles down too. 2. Recovery at home is up and down as you will be re told and warned about: you will have good days and bad days, so be aware that even after 3-4 weeks or a period of a few better days you may have a few down days physically and mentally.

But try to adopt a positive mindset, walk a bit more every day if you can and I hope that as I experienced you will get to that Tipping Point after several weeks when you can breathe more calmly, pain has settled down, you walk further, and be grateful you’re over the worst of it.

Best of luck to you all if approaching a heart op or recovering from one.

[Gail1967]

That is a really good summary and you are right would definitely have been useful pre my unexpected surgery in April. I found finding others of a similar age to myself impossible locally as I was struggling with the why me when none of the risk factors were me- but of course as soon as I joined this community there they were- which makes you feel not alone and able to process it all.

[Stilljogging23 in reply to Gail1967]

I went through a six session Cardiac Rehab exercise programme post bypass surgery which was free on the NHS and I recommend doing it if you can. You meet fellow heart surgery patients of course and can share stories. I also met a patient who had had heart valve surgery and we discovered we lived close to each other and so we exchanged numbers and went on 5-6 walks together. He said being able to talk to someone else about concerns after surgery and to have a Walking companion was helpful in his recovery as it was for me too.

[Gail1967 in reply to Stilljogging23]

Yep finished my rehab now - I did meet some lovely people but all a lot older than me. I’ve met with a personal trainer today so taking it to next level.

[Dickyticker26]

yes really excellent

I am just on day 22 after a quadruple bypass at St Thomas' and halfway though my second week at home

I was at the hospital for 10 days most of it in the High Dependency Unit and when asked every day by the nurses if I knew where I was I could not remember and kept saying "Royal Brompton" or "Epsom"

I was also convinced I was in different countries-Belgium, USA, Canada, France and could not believe the nurses when they said I was in the same ward in the same hospital

I experienced overwhelming emotion and sentiment over family visits but still cannot really remember who came

I wanted the nurses all to myself and felt the other patients were too like me

The food was good but everything tasted of anaesthetic

I had hallucinations and delusions My bed overlooked the Thames and the Houses of Parliament and once I was convinced that central London was in complete shutdown with the prime minister unable to find the key!

I was told I had "Delirium" and it is quite common

Fortunately the worst of the delusions cleared fairly soon and I can taste my food again and I am walking 1,000 steps a day

[Stilljogging23 in reply to Dickyticker26]

Thanks for reply and Good luck with your ongoing recovery. I was also at St. Thomas’s with the view of the House of Commons. If allowed to mention by name on the community board here, I was in Doulton Ward there and was very well looked after by the team of nurses etc. I’m grateful to them.

[Dickyticker26 in reply to Stilljogging23]

Yes, I was in Doulton Ward too on the 8 th floor but as I say mostly in the High Dependency Unit

I was very impressed with the staff most of whom seemed to be Eastern European or Asian

The nurses were particularly good at keeping an eye on you as they passed by or being by the bedside as a carer

Communication was difficult with Delirium as I thought that night was day and had no real idea where I was

I became detached from reality and saw it all as on a screen as a dream which I couldn't get out of I used to ask the nurses if they were real My thoughts were very disjointed and confused

I was fascinated by the body language and cultural behaviour amongst the different nationalities something I have never really noticed before even with my own wife and her South American family

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

I was invited to a set of seminars about the surgery, pre- and post- information, diet, drugs and rehab. Whilst almost all patients are invited many choose not to attend. There were also information sheets and BHF booklets available.

I came around with no nausea, very thirsty but with no appetite. There was the odd weird dream because of morphine in the first 24/48 hours but nothing else. I did gain 9kg because of an electrolyte imbalance. Much of this was lost in the next few days but it took a few weeks to fully normalise. Having endured months of angina and breathlessness I was happy to be alive and angina free suffering no particular emotions. My main problem was last year's heat wave that started shortly after discharge which definitely slowed recovery.

I was puzzled by your reference to getting out the bath as I was told these were a no-no for the first two months. First you should not soak your wounds/scars and you should not push yourself out if a chair or pull yourself out of a bath while the breastbone heals.

Everybody's journey is individual to them. In my view it is prepare for the worse and hope for the best!

[Stilljogging23]

Re the bath post surgery and water on the scar, you are right that you should not be soaking in the bath for ages. Wound and scar care is important, but I was told it was ok to get very modest water on the chest and leg after a week and then dry carefully. No power showers. I found this useful text in a leaflet on Cardiac surgery from University Hospital Southampton:

“Once your wounds are clean and dry, it is safe to get them wet during washing or showering. There is no need to avoid using the bath or shower as normal but don’t soak for too long. Showers are better initially as pulling or pushing yourself out of the bath puts excessive strain on your breastbone.”

uhs.nhs.uk/Media/Controlled...

This is a good Guide from St Thomas’s about care after going home from heart surgery:

guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/reso...