Day 5 out of hospital from a d bypass & mitral valve replacement, why am I so dizzy whilst walking a few steps/heart pounding/feeling clammy

[Bugsie55]

Hi, I’m new here. Day 5 from discharge from a double by pass and mitral valve replacement, is it normal to feel very dizzy whilst walking a few steps then feeling clammy and heart racing? None of my pre op meds have been changed apart from reducing the Ramipril. I appreciate it’s early days but apart from the healing did not experience any of these new symptoms in hospital and am worried

[ling]

I'm sorry I cannot be of much help but please DO call the hospital to check or just head to the emergency to get yourself checked out.

Best wishes.

[Bugsie55 in reply to ling]

Thanks for your comments, will not be going to Basildon hospital atm. Scary there. Today dizzy ness hasn’t been so full on

[IrisCarter]

It is completely normal to feel terrible after OHS. Your body has been through a terrible ordeal. You need to be kind to yourself. At first I just made sure that I got up and walked across the room every hour. You should also be in touch with cardiac rehab to help you recover.

[Bugsie55 in reply to IrisCarter]

Thanks Iris, unfortunately the discharge was a bit quick and I probably should have asked more questions but didn’t have the symptoms whilst I was there so was getting more anxious as the day went on. Will call Cardiac Rehab on Monday , just wanted to know it was normal.

[IrisCarter in reply to Bugsie55]

I am sorry that you were discharged so quickly. I found that often medical staff underplayed the effect on your body to encourage activity. The advice is to make sure that you get up and move regularly and that you don’t lie in bed all of the time. However, if you are dizzy - rest and check your BP. If it is low (below 100/60) drink some water. If you are tired - rest. I was exhausted for 5 - 6 weeks and rested every afternoon as well as early bed times. It took at least 10 days before I could do more than walk to the bathroom and back without feeling worn out. I set myself a target of walking 10 minutes every morning and afternoon. I was told to walk until my heart started to pound a little, then stop. Everyday I could go a little further.I was also diagnosed with heart failure so your recovery may differ to mine, but it is absolutely normal to feel terrible. If you could see what they did to your body you would know why you feel awful and why it take so long to recover!

Don’t forget that having your appendix out - a small incision and 20 minutes or so under an anaesthetic takes 6 weeks to recovery. You had your chest opened, your heart operated on with bypass and 3 - 4 hours (or more) under heavy anaesthesia!

But we do recover and I’m now walking up to an hour and back to almost all of my previous activities. Had my surgery in June 2020. ☺️

Keep asking questions - this site and its members are fantastic!

[Lavendermay]

Hi bugsei , l had open heart surgery 11 years ago , when I had a triple bypass. I was 51 . I was led to believe you should feel a lot better quicker, but I felt so ill , I used to say how can you feel so ill and still be alive. I was under papworth Cambridge, I ended up with blood poisoning and my scar burst open, I was terrified , but believe me in the end it was nothing that couldn’t be sorted out by my own doctor. All I saying is everyone’s different and it took me year to get well, stop listening to the heroes, and take your own tiny steps. your not alone.

[IrisCarter in reply to Lavendermay]

Oh Lord yes! The emphasis on getting back to normal as fast as possible, running half marathons a couple of months later and ‘putting it behind you’ really irritates me. We live in a culture where it’s normal to deny the need to take time to recover - just look at women post childbirth who are expected to back in their jeans, at pre pregnancy weight and back at work in three weeks! Every recovery is different and while there are guidelines we should be guided by our own bodies. We do need to move about otherwise we can get worse, but this should be according to our own limits.

[Steve9999]

Hi, I agree with iris you need to rest unfortunately I was in a bit longer than five days after my mitral valve repair and a bypass with a chest infection, if your worried about your heart which is quite natural you should seek professional advice i did several times when i was recovering its a very stressful time when you come home i felt much better when i started my rehab at my local heath Centre great people

[Bugsie55]

Thank you all. The one positive is that my appetite has not taken a hit, and I’ve just had a bacon and egg roll , an indulgence I know but I needed it😆I must be one unlucky patient - went in for d bypass and mitral valve repair- got through that fine but came back from theatre with a slow bleed , so after 5 hours was taken back to theatre, cracked open again and they found the bleed in my lung lining , discharged 4 days later and somehow managed to put on a stone! I realise most of it is fluid but ankles and legs like tree trunks I could have done without😳

[Ianc2]

Hi Bugsie55Your chest is held together by staples. The body burglars have been having a field day, stopping this and that, cutting and switching this and that. For that reason they don't usually start rehab until 8-10 weeks after the event. Realistically you need to allow about 3 months to gently get your strength back.

[Bugsie55 in reply to Ianc2]

I think I e been lucky as I have no staples - I’ve been superglued and already bits are flaking off

[Davewm]

Good morning.Good to hear you’ve had your surgery.

My experience was that I collapsed while waiting for surgery and was put on a number of tablets to “protect “ my heart during the 6 months wait.

In July 2019 I had a Triple Bypass and Mitral Valve Repair at Basildon Cardiology Centre. When I went for the 8 weeks follow I presumed the medication would be reduced. I was told I would be left on the same meds as before to be reviewed at the 6 months review. At this review I was left again on the same meds.

Last September I started to get a bit more breathless and was told that the valve still had a slight leak. I was due to see Cardiologist on 4th January but this was cancelled due to Covid.

Last week I collapsed and was taken in to hospital and stayed for 3 days for tests etc.

The conclusion to this has been that I now have a diagnosis of Heart Failure but at least I’ve had my medication completely revised and I’m hopeful that this will now help me.

I feel that there’s always a reluctance to revise medications once one doctor has prescribed but I’m grateful that mine have now been assessed.

May I wish you all the best for the future. Keep safe and well.

Kind regards

David

[Bugsie55 in reply to Davewm]

Thanks for the info, couldnt make out that my blood pressure is now totally normal but still on the same amount of BP tablets- been told my cardiologist will do the follow up consultation on 22.04 (Basildon Hospital/Mr Khan) so already started a list of questions.

[funnyfennel]

Were you on your own, post op ?