Four weeks ago I had quadruple heart bypass surgery, I am just at the start of week five post surgery and I’m struggling.
The recovery is a lot slower and more challenging than I ever imagined.
I feel permanently sick, can’t taste food, can no longer drink tea or coffee, am always tired and it takes for ever to do the simplest task.
To anybody reading this who has been through a similar procedure, is this normal and when do I start to feel better?
I haven t...I have A fib .....but I can understand...please reply and at least we can chat
Hello I'm 9 weeks post double bypass. Couldn't find enough veins or arteries for the triple. I felt just like you. You're doing well. It takes for ever to get up shower and dress yourself. Then I was back in bed for 2 more hours rest.. It will take a couple of more weeks to get stronger. Walk around the house and try to get out for walks in the fresh air. You will get stronger. We have no guide lines to go by due to Covid19 as no Cardiac Rehab.. Take all the help you can get. God bless Xmas
It’s very tough psychologically, had a double bypass in October 19 and am still in recovery. We have to remember that as individuals we recover at different rates . Part of the key is not to focus on the long term but to look at the now, what can I do for maybe ten minutes and see how that goes. Giving yourself permission to’be’rather than to do is quite a challenge for most of us. The one thing our body needs is time to recover and what we have in this weird season that we’re in is time. Look after yourself to the best of your ability. Unfortunately there are no short cuts, as my friend said to me be gentle with yourself. Bless you.
Hi Disney,
You sound exactly like I felt 5 weeks after my surgery. I had a quadruple CABG end of November last year and expected to be back to 'normal' after 5 to 6 weeks as the literature suggests. Instead I wasn't able to dress myself, take a shower or join meals at the table with the family. Energy levels were so low, I could only go up and down the stairs 2-3 times a day and I spent most of my days in bed. I have to say though, that after the surgery I had low haemoglobin levels and a pulmonary embolism. I am now in week 12 and walk 3 km a day and do my cardiac workout 2x a week. In the last 4 weeks I have progressed enormously.
My advice might be the same as what you might have heared from a lot of people maybe. Go with the flow. It is lockdown still and you're not missing out on anything. Sleep when your body tells you to. Ask your GP for a haemoglobin blood test to rule that out. I found it a strange experience at first that I didn't feel tired after some 'exercise', instead I felt sick and couldn't eat. I was told I was pushing myself too hard.
It will get better, slowly at first, but it will get better.
Jacqui
👍
Hi Disnet59, I agree with all the other comments, you know your own body and its limitations. Don't be despondent about progress. But I would add one thing and that is you have to push yourself as much as you can, the body will take as much as it can, your muscles, lungs even your heart will deteriorate slowly if they don't get some exercise. I'm not saying go for a run every day, but if you CAN do some activity, it will pay off in the long run.
Hope this helps.
I had a quintuple bypass March 2019 after having five stents March 2017. Right now it’s tough for you isn’t it!
We all recover at different rates and under different conditions.
My saying was “every day in every way I’m getting better and better”.
I set myself a goal on my daily walk to “walk to the next lamp post” or “get to the corner of the street”. As the walks got longer it was “to the big holly tree”.
12 weeks to the day after my operation, at the age of 66, I got up early and excited because I was told I could ride my Triumph Bonneville 900 cc motorbike then.
I was out riding before breakfast. I said to my wife I would take it easy and be back in ten minutes.
Oppssss. I remembered when I got to the next village that my wife was waiting for me to return home.
I phoned her with apologies, trying to hide the massive smile on my face.
Thankfully she was fine even though she was worried and said “enjoy, just don’t over do it”.
You’ve been through quite an operation. But you’re on the road to recovery now and it will get better.
The scar on my leg, from ankle to groin, that gave me pain and problems has become my bragging point that I’m proud to upset many a dinner guest with.
Hang on in there!!!
A Bonneville! I have a terrible pains in my chest reading this . I think it is called jealousy.
Hahaha sorry about that. I had my first Triumph in 1969 at the age of 16. Unfortunately I sold my Bonnie last autumn at the age of 67. Not because of my heart condition but because of my knees! I now have an SLK 280 3 litre V6 convertible (old but fun). Long may my "Midlife Crisis " continue 😂
Hi Disney. I can totally understand your frustration. My husband had a quad bypass in November 2018. It was some (quite a few!!) weeks before he felt he was getting back to normal. The main thing he tried to do was move about slowly at first. Going up and down stairs was a chore but he pushed himself as the loo was upstairs and he refused my tongue in cheek suggestion of a downstairs bucket!.
Recovery is slow but if you can do something extra every couple of days (walk a few more yards or potter around a bit more). If you make a note of these little additions, you'll see you're getting a bit better.
He too went off coffee for 3 or 4 months and then one day I made him a coffee by mistake. That was a turning point! What he fancied to eat was limited for a few weeks. Beans on toast became a favourite but gradually his appetite recovered. Some of the tablets he was given when discharged from hospital caused nausea.
Don't give up on yourself. Recovery is slow and this flippin' pandemic and the dodgy weather
certainly doesn't help.
Keep in touch. Sending virtual hugs your way xxx
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Your husbands symptoms are not dissimilar to mine. In a strange way it’s reassuring to know that others have been through similar experiences - and have come through to the other side so to speak. I hope your husband is OK now.Best regards.
Hi Disney,
I am also 5 weeks (well 4 weeks and 3 days) post AVR, aortic root and single bypass surgery.
I am 54 and have found it tough as well.
I have had problems with missing heartbeats starting this previous weekend, peeing blood from complications with kidney stone and wafarin and (stupidly) missing a dose and panicking all day. **please note, I am still here and breathing 😁💗**
I have been walking, every other day, only 2000 steps and just to get out of the house to stop going nuts. FYI once I have been out (the wife drives to a flat park) I feel mentally better and lifted for that day.
I agree completely with you, can't taste food at all and I force myself to eat everyday and have gone off tea....I have found, for some reason, that coffee with evaporated milk is palatable.
Strong tasting cold foods are better for me.
It took me everything to shower and dress but it gives me a boost to have done it, even if I have to sleep for an hour after.
I really hope you the best for you and you get through this part of your recovery (and this is what you are going through). Good luck on our journey. Keep in touch, this is a great group.
Gary
Hi, ir is 6 months since my heart attack and 5 months since my last stents were fitted. I felt so much better straight away, my heart was failing a long time before my heart attack, but I found slight exertion left me breathless and feeling nauseous. I have had no aftercare due to covid but I do as much as I can each day and stop and rest when I need to. I can now walk a mile before feeling tired and feel a lot more positive. Nobody will tell me how damaged my heart is but I do what I can and 6 months on it is getting easier. Take each day as it comes do what you can, gentle walking and don't over do it. Good luck.
Hiya. I am now almost 5 months double bypass surgery and almost 3 months post emergency cardiac surgery due to complications. I couldn’t drink coffee (before surgery i drank 10-15 cups a day) i was drinking hot fruit squash!!!i couldn’t taste food either, i was horrified to think i wouldn’t get these back but gradually they did.
We have had our surgeries at the most vulnerable time during covid, so many restrictions and no services. Your cardiac nurse should be in touch via phone call. We all recover at different rates and find our little ways of getting through this, take each day as it comes, step by step, listen to your body, rest when it wants to, sleep when it wants to, eat and drink what you fancy whenever you want, normal routines will return eventually in good time. You are doing amazing so far. Stay safe x
I had a quadruple heart bypass at the beginning of the first lockdown last year and it is hard. My recovery I felt very isolated my recovery (no Cardio Rehab, lockdown etc) but at least the weather was good and was able to exercise. I couldn't walk more than 100 yards at first, but slowly increased it, walking each day until I was walking 3-5km a day. I also tried Leslie Sansone's walk at Home You Tube videos but I like the videos led by Nick because he forces you to smile. Getting outdoors is hard in this weather and with lockdown so reach out to people on here and Facetime friends. You will be tired, your wounds will hurt (I got a infection in my sternum) you may have very little energy - I bought a stool to sit in the shower because I couldn't stand even for the length of the shower, and at first my daughter had to wash my hair because I couldn't hold my arms above my head.
Keep moving, eat little and often, I found eating a big meal was actually painful as having a full stomach seemed to push onto scar tissue. It's a big op. You're not meant to get over it in 5-6 weeks - your sternum doesn't heal properly for months making sleep on your side difficult, you have to build up strength and fitness, adapt your diet. But it's difficult for everyone and you need to give yourself a break, and have a look at my posts from last year, and others, you'll see that we all had different experiences but found everyone on the forum very helpful. I was even interviewed for the BHF Heart Matters Magazine (bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...
I went back to work part-time after 4 months and full time after 5 months but working from home and still wasn't 100%, in fact I don't feel 100% now, a year later, my scars have turned keloid and I'm feeling the cold in my sternum. I even lapsed with my exercise routine through the winter and am only just getting going again now. It's an ongoing process but as a nurse said to me whilst in hospital...everyday you find something you can do you couldn't do yesterday and everyday you make another step forward.
Hi Disney59, I had my bypass 17 years ago! I do remember how despondent I was at the slow speed of my recovery, some days were better than others, but gradually I learnt to look back on a long time frame, weekly and then monthly and you start to see the difference. I didn't have any idea how restricted my life had become before the op until I had fully recovered. The NHS had given me a new life! I wish I'd had access to the support of a this forum as there will always be people to support you on your journey. Be patient, you'll get there.
Hi how are you recovering now. I'm 12 weeks post up and feel good. Bruises from fall changing colour. Sternum is less painful. Lucky didn't break anything. Saw my GP yesterday. Refering me for Heart Scan. Still doing some walking every day. Cardiac rehab going to telephone me on Friday to give me some exercises. Keep up the good work and stay safe x x
Thanks for the note and my apologies for the delay in replying. I saw my Surgeon last week and he’s pleased with my progress. I’m now 8 weeks post surgery and getting stronger every day although I do get tired quiet quickly. I look forward to reaching the 12 week mark which will be a big psychological boost for me. Sorry to hear about your fall, hope you are OK. Take care and I hope your recovery continues positively. Regards.
Good morning. Glad you improving. I'm 13 weeks post op.(double bypass on 14 th Dec ). I'm going for Cardio Rehab walking test this morning. I'm out walking every day (weather permitting) . No after effects of fall only still bruised. Keep going and stay safe. Thanks for your reply x
So sorry to hear your story.Yes I had a rough time after my triple bypass because of the drugs I was on. I had an upset stomach and felt sick all the time. I had to take anti sickness pills and diarrhea medication for some time until my cardiologist took me off all medication apart from aspirin. Over a year later I still cannot drink tea or coffee because I get get a UTI infection but I’ve always been prone to that before my op anyway. It will take time so go at your own pace and you will feel so much better and feel the positive effects of the operation . I think you ought to discuss your drugs with a cardiologist . Also as soon as you can do go on utube and select one of those terrific post cardio op exercise programs - they really work
Hi I went to the cardio walking test today. My walking needs to improve. Booked me in for face to face classes on 8 th April for 8 weeks. It is quite a long way for me. About 3 hours round trip including exercise class. It will do me good. I'm no good for doing exercises at home. Saw a nurse and phsio. Put some egg electrodes on me and timed me on a scale. Have a heart scan on the 1st April to keep a check on me. Take care and stay safe x x
They are clearly looking after you in a very proactive way which is good to hear.
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