Bypass surgery scar care advice needed

[Smudgebuttonjessie]

Hi all. Its been 11 weeks since my bypass surgery and 11 days since i had HA and needed emergency surgery for 2 stents put in as one of the grafts had failed. I was in so much pain relief prior to the stents and didn’t notice any scar pain, now i am only on paracetamol morning and night but find i am getting disturbed sleep due to scar pain and tenderness, i also get like a sharp pinprick stabbing pain at top of sternum, has anyone else experienced this? what has been the best advice you have received for scar care?

[QuadroVEINia]

Hi,

Sorry to read of your HA so soon after the bypass. I had a Quad bypass 5 weeks ago so still healing....

I am not sure from reading your message if you shouldn’t go back to see your consultant again as it does sound unusual that you have this pain. My pain in the scar area stems from the sternum but understand I am only 5 weeks in and need to sleep flat on my back. I ‘was’ also on paracetamol AND codeine combo to manage the pain which was very effective but that was only the first 3 weeks.

I have tremendous pain in my left shoulder but that is not the scar and I manage that by taking a single paracetamol before bed. I do get a sharp stabbing pain just to the right near the bottom of the scar and lots of ‘pinching’ pain in different places to the left of the scar where I know they utilised my mammary artery... but I am reconciled this is part of the healing process. I also still have a lot of numbness directly down the centre where the scar is but again expect this is the cutting into nerves which are still healing....

Sorry I can’t be more help but as I have already said best to see your specialist given your unique circumstances with graft failure.

Wish you well.

[Smudgebuttonjessie in reply to QuadroVEINia]

Hi. Thank you for your reply, i wish you well with your recovery, i also still sleep upright on my back, can’t wait to be able to sleep on my side again, it’s me trying to do that which is causing the scar pain at night i guess. I had quite a complex list of complications but finally got sorted last week. I feel a wimp now moaning about the scar pain which is trivial compared to the pain i was experiencing for 9 weeks.

Some of your pains you describe sound like the normal post op pains but your shoulder pain doesn’t sound normal to me, have you had it checked by GP, You sound like you are doing great with your recovery x

[QuadroVEINia in reply to Smudgebuttonjessie]

You’re welcome.

Nothing wimpish about you reaching out. Pain is the body’s way of telling you so you are doing the right thing making enquiry. I can’t imagine what you have gone thru with your circumstances.

Yes, I have consulted my rehab specialists about my shoulder pain and apparently it is quite common with many patients experiencing this given nature of procedure with bypass... they have said 12 weeks will be the key milestone with making full recovery so I am not even half way yet.

Take care and good luck.

[Smudgebuttonjessie in reply to QuadroVEINia]

HiGood luck with the rest of your recovery, sounds like you’re making great positive progress already x

[Hidden in reply to QuadroVEINia]

If you're still having shoulder pain after 12 weeks might be worth chasing it up with your GP. I had horrendous shoulder and back pain after my bypass and was recently diagnosed as having scapular dyskinesis. Am currently having physio treatment which is working wonders thankfully.

[QuadroVEINia in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. Will keep that in mind if still struggling at 12 weeks. I don’t have related back pain as such so that is one blessing. Good to hear your treatment is working...

[Smarticus]

Hi, from a medical point of view as long as the scar is not weeping, swolen, red or hot to the touch it will be ok. It does take a time for the pain/sensation to go away and you do need to take pain killers longer than the "usual time" they like to tell you. Make sure you dont stretch the scar as there is a lot of skin (depth) to knit together and heal. If it continues it might be neuropathic (nerve damage) which can be treated with meds, but I would wait for the three month point. The pain at the top is the "tail" of the wire in your sternum, it is quite usual to develop nodule/lump at this point and for it to be tender. I wouldnt worry too much at this point, just rest and take care of yourself. HTH

[Smudgebuttonjessie in reply to Smarticus]

Thank you for your reply, it’s reassuring to know it’s normal x

[Thanksnhs in reply to Smudgebuttonjessie]

Hi sorry to hear you still have pain in your scar, I would see if your cardiologist or gp could review your pain relief, mine feels that if you are in pain your blood pressure rises and you aren't as mobile which slows down your recovery, if there is any lumps or tender red bits I would get it checked out in case of infection, my transplant was in July so my scar is well on the mend but still tender in parts particularly just below neck, sorry to hear you had some complications, is it them that are stopping you sleeping on your side? The nurses helped me as soon as I was out of icu, they made me a little nest with the pillows, they were so kind, I had a collapsed lung after surgery but sleeping on my side was fine very comfortable, I was able to manage ok when I got home, take care and I hope you feel better soon char

[Smudgebuttonjessie in reply to Thanksnhs]

Hi. Thank you for replying. I’ve spoke to my cardiac nurse who has reminded me that i am in early days of recovery from the HA and that my sequence of events is the opposite way round to most people. I do have stronger pain relief should i require it but i was hoping that someone on here had a secret tip to share that eases the scar issues.....i hear quite a few people say bio-oil. Glad to hear you are making good progress in your recovery and such a traumatic event. Keep strong and safe x

[1043590 in reply to Smudgebuttonjessie]

Hi, I'm now ten months on from a quadruple bypass. I don't recall having pain from the chest wound. It was the leg be wound that was painful initially. I took paracetamol for about three months after the surgery and tramadol for about the first month. As long as the scar isn't weeping or smelly or bleeding, you should be fine. It really is true that time is a great healer and I've been amazed at my body's capacity to heal itself. My leg wound can still be a little sensitive to the touch but most days I'm not even aware of it. My chest wound still gets itchy and the left hand side of my chest still sometimes feels numb or compressed as if someone's sitting on it. In my experience, the three month timescale for a full recovery is far too optimistic. After three months I felt 85% recovered but after ten months I would say 95% recovered. Good luck with your recovery. I'm sure you will be fine!

[Andytriumph63]

25 months since my Bypass and the scar is still easily irritated and sometkmes itches when cloths rub against it.I also have a scar that resulted from drajn tube removal that gets very dark and some times bleeds lightly.I was warned the scar is the longest to fully heal and was highly sensative for about 4 months. The wires do somtimes irritate but we must remember its Major surgery even though Cardiac surgeons are blaze about it all and will take time to heal properly.