Post op checkup

[Dickyticker26]

The appointment was for yesterday 2.10 pm at St Thomas' where I had a bypass on 28 August-so just 8 weeks ago

I had chosen St Thomas' rather then St Georges' Tooting for the operation because of access

Tooting (described by Pevsner as "a mess" ) is murder to get to by road from Kingston (that's why they have a helipad on top of the hospital) and the parking is a nightmare forcing you out onto the side roads

By contrast the "Surbiton Flyer" gets to Waterloo in 15 minutes (I think I have done it in 12) and St Thomas' is only a short walk away-fortunately out of earshot of Steve Bray

My daughter and I arrived at 1 pm and popped into cardiology to say we were there and just having a wander round till the appointment time

However it seemed that 2 other appointments hadn't turned up and we were waved into ECG and then weighed and measured and had blood pressure taken-I had given bloods at the surgery last week ready for the appointment

I found that I had lost some 5/6 kg since the surgery and had fortunately lost the "pregnant-male" look

A new doctor was waiting for us and said that the surgical wounds had healed nicely and listened to my heart and lungs and I confirmed I had no more chest pain or rapid heart-beats

He surprised me by saying that although I had been recommended for a quadruple by pass they had "only" done a triple

The doctors in the ward had told me that they had also put my heart back into sinus rhythm but that was the first I had heard of the number of bypasses being reduced-no reason or explanation given-perhaps the vein they "harvested" from my leg (from ankle to groin) wasn't long enough to provide all the grafts

The only pain or discomfort I still have is extreme sensitivity in the centre of my chest and sometimes a protrusion there which feels like a spring coming through a mattress

However I was told that in a few weeks it would be all clear and that the hospital would be signing me off and I could resume the activities I had before the operation

This had included grass cutting and hedge trimming, taking recyclables to the tip, walking for an hour across the common to church, shopping and household chores, and going up to Town to see my daughter and I am not even back to driving yet!

My next appointment is at Kingston Hospital for a halter-monitor to be fitted-one of the procedures I have not had despite visits to 6 different London hospitals

Last week Epsom Hospital felt that I would not benefit from rehabilitation-once again the travel would have been the downside

I often feel that the hospital visits are themselves enough for the day never mind the medical problem and if you can make it there then you cannot be too bad

[Hidden]

I really enjoyed reading that. Thank you Dickeyticker26

[Dickyticker26]

Thanks Deano-nice to be appreciated! I always read your posts

On checking I see that Nicolas Pevsner said that Tooting High Street is "an indescribable mess"

[dickielex]

Good for you. I hope that I can make your optimism even cheerier by telling you that the 20th anniversary of my quadruple CABG falls next month- so long as I don't fall before the due date. And yesterday I had my six monthly check on my implanted ICD and it was all smiles. As you point out implicitly, we are the lucky ones who have had chances our grandparents' generation could only dream about.

[Dickyticker26 in reply to dickielex]

Yes thanks for that-having had a taste of angina and SVT I am more than grateful for the wonders of modern science!

[Handel]

Glad to hear you're doing OK. In contrast to your triple instead of quadruple, my husband was given a quadruple instead of the planned triple!

All the very best to you xxx

[Dickyticker26 in reply to Handel]

Many thanks for your response

I have sent an email to the very helpful Clinical Nurse Specialist to see if she can give any further information

She is away till Thursday

In the past she told me that I was given Fentanyl not Morphine which probably caused the Delirium

She also said that she visited me 3 times in intensive care but I didn't recognise her!

[Handel in reply to Dickyticker26]

Hubby's been there!! It was morphine and codeine together! that caused the insect invasion in ICU and the high dependency ward!! I had to point out that it was on his records that opiates were a no no!! xxx

[Dickyticker26 in reply to Handel]

I was mentally prepared for the bypass but the delirium was unexpected

The entrapment scenarios are still as vivid as biblical dreams and I found that I had unresolved grief and guilt over the early death of my youngest brother some 20 years ago which I had never really recognised before

The experience was similar to "trips" on LSD I have read about and I cannot understand how people can use it as a recreational drug

But don't let me depress you!

[Handel in reply to Dickyticker26]

I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. I hope you're OK. Never understood why people use drugs at all.

You're not depressing me at all. xxx

[Hidden in reply to Dickyticker26]

My son in law had a triple bypass age 50 in the chest and heart hospital London back in 2012. He was very disoriented for 3 days and could not remember those days at all. He is now fit and well and back to painting and decorating,his job.

[Dickyticker26 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for that-it is so encouraging to hear these success stories!

[Dickyticker26]

The consultant's report on the post-op checkup has now come through-it was not the surgeon but a "Specialty Doctor in Cardiac Surgery" I had not met before

It mentions that "he complains of chest pain located in his right side in the cartilage costal cardiac junction, most likely muscular skeletal related pain"

Medication: apixaban twice a day Clopidogrel 75 mg bisoprolol 5 mg atorvastatin 20 mg lansoprazole 30mg

"ECG shows sinus rhythm 66 bpm, BP 152/77, Oxygen Saturation 98%...he is due to have a cardiology appointment for a Holter monitor 24/48 hour tape by the cardiology team. At that time we can review if apixaban can be discontinued He will have to continue with Clopidogrel and betablockers"

The apixaban is in fact 2x5mg and I would welcome the idea of dropping medication

The statins have been changed by the gp to Rosuvastatin

The Delirium which I found so troubling in hospital and the memory of which is still so strong was not mentioned

(Elsewhere I have read that Fentanyl can be 100 times stronger than Morphine)

It is now 9 weeks since the treble bypass and I am feeling strong enough to press on with my recovery programme

Today I drove down to the Tip with 3 months' worth of recyclables-we have 5 adults in our household

I have to admit that the chest pain is not so bad -no more pillow-hugging

This morning I had a sauna (our one luxury at home) and rubbing in the E45 afterwards on the scars was actually quite pleasant

The return of some sunny weather makes going outside a pleasure again and I plan to walk 2.25 miles to church tomorrow through the woods and across the common-but I will get the bus back

Otherwise the big one is going to be catching up with the gardening including the overgrown lawn if the weather keeps fine and even getting down into the stream at the front to clear the enormous weeds though they will be dying back now

(Just before I went to hospital my wife's Hyundai got shunted into the stream by a passing car and had to be lifted out by crane )

Our parish priest insists that when you are retired every day is a bank holiday! However I have a teaching assignment with Polish students on 20/21 November in Sutton to look forward to and I need to pick up on my Wednesday commutes to Town to do some research and have lunch with my daughter

I will then be back to the level of activity I was at before the operation though I am not sure whether I would be able to raise it -20 miles a week (40,000 steps on the Fitbit thingy) is probably my limit

20 November in fact will be 12 weeks since the bypass My notes say "full recovery" and "heavy physical work" though I also have "6 months for sternum to heal" which takes us to next February

The Holter monitor appointment is not till Christmas eve The Clinical Nurse Specialist thinks it is not necessary but I think I will go through with it and have some discussion on medication

[Hidden in reply to Dickyticker26]

I do enjoy reading your reflection’s Dickyticker26.

[Dickyticker26 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks so much for your appreciation!