first time felt like writing since AVR + Triple bypass opp on 7th October. Back home now 5 days and on my own. Only time i can get to sleep is when i pass out with exhaustion. Lots of pain and discomfort, a really annoying and painful pain is in my arms. I was told it was a result of putting my arms under my body while in 8 hour anaesthesia. Anyone else experienced this? All going well otherwise and wounds healing nicely and all docs say everything good. Had morphine patch added to pain meds today so hope that helps. Feel like a horse kicked me in the chest and breathing gets a bit panicky at times is this normal? being severely deaf made it very difficult while in hospital to feel i was understood, still does but getting better. My heart goes out to all as pandemic shrinks services available at this time it just makes it all that much harder... But hey made it through and so grateful for our NHS .. x
Written by
joel132
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi, great to read your home, those aches and pains will ease remember to carry on with your breathing exercises, I called them huffing and puffing, they really do help, your lungs take a hit when you are on bypass and need a bit of help to get back to normal. Gentle walking also helps with your breathing.
The sternum like any broken bone needs time to heal, I had Aortic valve replaced and bypass and they harvested my artery from my mammary so for 6 months plus the left side of my chest was numb. I used to get the feeling of someone had pulled an Elastoplast off. Really used to make me jump.😂
Remember you are now on the mended heart road and things will get better. I am 4 years on from mine and grateful every day to the medical team who gave me my life back.
Take good care, and the best of luck with your recovery
Yep, my surgeon at my post op check said when they harvest the artery they rip it out! and the nerves take sometime to sort themselves out to join back up again 😂 he said it would take 6 months and he was on the money.
Great positive ending to your post. You have brought back a lot of feelings I had. But things get better with time and I get the feeling you will be strong enough to get through this.
AVR and double bypass on 26/02/2020. Well done, you’re on the mend!
Just to echo others’ advice, breathing exercises are very, very important as is walking.
I found it really useful to measure my progress by how far I could get along a very quiet country lane, starting from a deserted car park outside a then, sadly closed, country pub. Having a dog helps...
It takes a while, and you need to be careful to listen to your body but 8 months on 10k steps a day is no problem at all and I can manage much steeper gradients. It made a great difference to see that improvement.
My scar is now barely noticeable, if sometimes a little itchy, and the only lingering symptom I find is a “tightness” across the chest which comes and goes, but which you get used to and isn’t debilitating.
I still avoid lifting anything heavy, but I’m not excused from housework any more!
Apart from that, my life has returned to pretty much what passes for normal these days and I was surprised how much sooner this happened than I was anticipating.
I did miss out on rehab classes as Covid put a stop to these but have found this forum really comforting and reassuring.
Best of luck. It’s not easy but it’s not as difficult as I feared either, and the future, on the heart front anyway, looks a lot brighter...
Hi Joel, my right shoulder gave me awful trouble, possibly had right arm pinned up during op. 7 months on I still get niggles from the op. All normal the body needs so long to heal. Walking is important as is the rehab when you get it. Take care, still early days.
Hi there Joel, i had a quintuple bypass about nine weeks ago and just wanted to say that things do get easier. I definitely can relate to the feeling of that horse having kicked you in the chest!
After you come off the morphine you may find paracetomol is more effective than you might think, especially if you take the max dose and keep yourself topped up with it throughout the day (which my nurse advised me to do for the first month after discharge).
Sorry to hear about your arms, i have heard from cardiac nurses that that this sometimes happens due to what needs to be done on the operating table. I still have a very numb left upper thigh (from the leg not used to harvest vein) which i suspect was caused in the same way, but the very bad stabbing pain there that i previously had for the first four weeks after op has now gone away. I am told these surgery related injuries do heal up over time.
I find that following advice of cardiac rehab team - walking every day, keeping mobile throughout the day (i.e. getting up and walking around a bit after an hour sitting on the sofa!) and doing the recommended breathing exercises - are all very useful to reduce aches and pains.
I also found i could only sleep propped up on many pillows for the first few weeks. Am only now just starting to lie on my side, but still feel better on my back due to sternum wound.
Also i find hot water bottles are brilliant on my shoulders and back to reduce pain (i learned this in hospital when they supplied me microwavable heat pads when i had reached the max allowed painkiller medicines. Hot water bottles have the same effect.). They might help on your arms.
I also drink plenty of water and enjoy eating healthy soups which seem to help reduce pains from the inside...
I believe that keeping mental resilience strong is essential in these times of lockdown isolation. But i think us older people are quite good at this, having had more life experience and also remembering parents and grandparents who lived through the wars and the Great Depression.
So do take care of yourself and in a couple of months you should be feeling a lot better. You've been through a lot but it's still early days in terms of your recovery so as we say in Wales "da iawn ti': 'well done you!".
Just thinking of what my husband went through after his quad bypass 2 years ago next week.
Really bad arm and shoulder pain for a few weeks that was sorted with just paracetamol (he hallucinated with morphine and codeine!). I think someone has already said what the body goes through once they 'put you under'! The surgeon told my hubby afterwards that they had to secure his arms behind his back and when you think how they get in to mend the heart, this made sense!
He made himself have little walks to start with and did breathing exercises which are really important. He gradually built up walking distances and speed.
Sleep was difficult to start with but a V shaped pillow helped him doze in a bit more comfort.
Sounds like you're doing OK though. All the very best to you for a speedy recovery xxxx
yes all of the above for me... the "V" shaped pillow is amazing for being able to sleep. And getting the walking in now. thank you for your reponse .. x
I'm 17 years on from my bypass. 17 years I wouldn't have otherwise had. There will be good days and bad days, but you're on your way back to a good quality life that I hope will last you many, many years. Keep your eyes on the goal and good luck on your journey.
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.
Home or hospital - which?
Surgery done, home safe
Ideas for home exercises?
Hopefully home tomorrow 
