Today it’s one year since I had a double bypass. I was determined to focus on a positive recovery and said to myself that one year on I would be not just be better but a new improved version. So how have I done?
Without question I am vastly improved physically and the anxiety and fear of having another cardiac event (I had a major MI before the op) whilst not entirely gone is now more about the annoyance of having niggles and discomfort than fear of something horrible happening. The care I have received and support has been fantastic from the medics, family and friends.
I now accept that I still have a little way to go to be the better version I was hoping to be. The op, meds and lifestyle changes have meant that the adjustments still continue. Whilst writing this I still have soreness in the chest (muscle and nerves I guess) and frustratingly get nausea and fatigue fairly regularly which is a drag. But at the same time I can regularly ride 10 miles on my bike and walk for ages so there is some balance.
Lesson I’ve learned is to listen to your body, push yourself within manageable boundaries and try not to let fear take hold. Also I now keep Dr Google at bay. Time is a relative thing. In the grand scheme of things 1 year is really nothing and I know I will get to that better version - when is not so important anymore so long as I’m am a little improved each day! Good luck to all you hearties out there...stay positive.
Written by
Ferrari10
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Good for you Ferrari i know it has not been easy but it is my experience in watching and talking to others that a good consistant recovery is greater when the patient has a goal and a healthy level of positivity. I have an elder friend who has always had a very unyielding faith in the creator. She had no pain and no worries going in for open heart surgery at 75 yrs old with 5 blockages. When she came home she had all these pills to take and many warnings from the medical staff. She took the pills and threw them in the garbage 15 yrs ago. Turned 90 this month and very chipper and healthy.
Don't get me wrong i am not preaching or by any means suggesting that anyone stop their medication it is merely an impressionable example of being strong and staying positive in healing. You will get there maybe just a deep breath and a yes this is good where i am right now. Cheers
Congratulations on your biaversary! 😁You are right about both listening to your body and Dr Google. I found in the early days if you pushed too much one day you paid the next! 😒
That’s great to hear, to be able to do that exercise is fantastic. Do you attend a heart failure clinic/have heart failure because of the heart attack?
No thankfully the MI only caused scarring on my heart wall but no other damage as I was seen really quickly at the cath lab (within an hour or so of the event) where they performed an angioplasty in my RCA. My heart performs normally in terms of ejection fraction and also under stress which was confirmed in a recent Cardio MRI scan where they inject a drug to put it under pressure and see what happens. That was a major relief.
One of the best things about this site is reading another Heartie is celebrating having a Heartaversary - congratulations on yours and may you have many more!
Sadly. I was hoping it would pass. The incision often stings quite a bit (apparently scars will do that after a while) and as my mammary artery was harvested for the CABG the left side of my chest has remained quite numb and sensitive.
Hi, had my mammary artery harvested for my bypass when I had my post op check the surgeon said when they take the artery they rip it out so the neves take a little while to sort themselves out, trying to join back up. The left side of my chest was numb for over 6 months, even now 4 years later there are times when it feels a bit numb.
Allow your emotions to be free and have a good cry. Everything gets turned upside down. Rather than worry about the chores, work stuff etc you have to start to consider that your own mortality is suddenly at risk way earlier than you could have imagined. Puts everything else into sharp context. So it’s a big thing. Time is a healer helped by steady recovery and encouragement from those you care about and who care about you.
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.
No energy and no appetite after bypass
Breathlessness after bypass
Annual Review after Bypass
Blockages After Bypass Surgery 
