I don't know what everyone else is feeling, but I found that after having triple bypass surgery 6 months ago, I was sent home and sort of left to it. The surgeon saw me, once after 6 weeks, did some tests and said I was fine. My incision opened up which is another story. My cardiologist spoke to me on the phone a month later (didn't see me due to Covid) and said he'd speak to me again in 6 months (October) even though my pulse is in the 50s which he is aware of. I talked to my family doctor on the phone about it and she said unless I am fainting or feeling dizzy, it's fine. Also, if it were to drop below 50 for any length of time, it's a concern. I have to constantly check my pulse??? She has recently sent me to physio because my right shoulder blade and under the armpit has been hurting since the surgery so she is assuming it is muscle strain. My chest still has mild discomfort and I have to drive with padding underneath the seatbelt so it doesn't touch my chest.
I guess my question is, is anyone else feeling like, ok we fixed you, go home? Is anyone else getting alot of aches and pains in the chest and back after 6 months? I'd just like reassurance that what I am feeling is normal. The problem where I live is that none of the doctors are seeing patients due to Covid so they are going by blood tests and what info you tell them. You only see an actual doctor if you go to Emergency.
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The general guidance for bypass patients is that the earliest back to work date is six weeks for a desk job, and eight weeks for a more physical job. A lot of people interpret that as meaning that they should be fully recovered after two months.
However, that timing is simply not realistic, at least not for a "full" recovery. Yes, you may well may be capable of a return to light duties employment, but a genuinely full recovery, ie as good or better than before the operation, can take up to a year.
It's difficult to appreciate just what a battering your body takes during a bypass operation. If you have a strong stomach and an enquiring mind then there's a Youtube video of the full operation...it really is pretty brutal. The rib cage is wedged far apart to give the surgeon access, your arms are twisted up behind your head, and both your lungs collapse and remain collapsed for the duration of the operation.
This is why you have to pass a lung capacity test before the operation, and it's also why breathing exercises at least five times a day, daily walks (building up to a 30 minute brisk walk after six weeks) and the daily shoulder roll exercises, are all so important. Because bouncing back from bypass requires a fair bit of effort.
In the pre- Covid era all of this was spelled out to us in the face to face Cardio Rehab training. It's a real shame that the current crop of hearties aren't getting the benefit of that advice.
Anyhow, please don't feel anxious, everything you're going through is par for the course. The good news is that over the next few months the aches and pains should finally recede, and you'll re-discover just how amazing life can feel when you're again free from the symptoms of angina!
Dear KaliThe worst of my pains eased a lot within four months.
Shoulder pain is common possibly because the surgeons need to pull you around during the operation.
I was promised rehab, but when the hospitals got back in to action, they couldn’t fit me in. They were too busy with current patients.
I am now 16 months post AVR and I still do the huffnpuff exercises every morning. These exercises do help and suddenly the pains in my left leg eased right away.
I also take a gentle walk, ideally twenty minutes, chatting as I walk.
Yes I feel that the NHS have abandoned us, so we have to help ourselves.
Good luck
Colin
Hi. When I had my bypass I was told it takes about 18 months to heal and at 6 months post op I had a lot of aches and pains. Im now 19 months post op and while I generally feel far healthier and fitter than I did pre-op I still have considerable aches, especially across my chest. I have mentioned this a couple of times to my GP and just been told it's the norm and takes time so am not worried about it. I also had horrific shoulder pain after my op and after being examined was diagnosed with Scapular Dyskinesis. Fortunately, that responded very well to physio so might be worth discussing your shoulder pain to the GP?
I’m just over 2 years & still have aches- tingles- soreness at times in chest & upper back- although it’s gradually got better. I just think it’s part of being opened up- yoga helped me. Also it does feel like you’re fixed so that’s it- I no longer see a cardiologist- they said it’s only if something goes wrong I’d need to go back. That’s quite scary at 1st esp if it’s an ongoing condition- but that’s how it often works- the NHS are brilliant but it’s act when things happen sometimes. I took it as a positive to just get on with life.
Just a few points from personal experience to add to the other comments that have been made.
As has been said, the surgery is quite physical. Three years after my surgery I still have a problem with the car seat belt and need a pad. The discomfort is on the left side of my chest, so I only have this problem when driving, not as a passenger. If I am in the back of the car, I try to sit on the left.
Even well before Covid, the level of support post-surgery was not very intensive. I had all the relevant checks and the local hospital did find out what had contributed to my HA. Rehab was just an intensive exercise class without any follow up after 8 sessions, but by then I was back to climbing Scottish hills, so I don't think there was much else they could have done. I suppose it was once I was passed fully over to the care of my GP that all support ended.
With regards to pulse rate, mine is always in the 50s when resting. I am on a very small dose of Bisoprolol which keeps it down. I know that it does slip into the upper 40s from time to time as I have recorded it when taking my BP.. I have to be careful when getting up after sitting for an extended period as I feel like I am about to pass out. It's just something that I have learned to live with.
I have recorded my blood pressure for many years, in fact since I was diagnosed with high BP. I bought an oximeter and added my oxygen readings after my surgery. In some ways taking readings can be counter-productive as it adds something else to worry about. Now I have reduced this to once a week, usually taking readings at 8.30 a.m. and 8.30 p.m. My GP practice likes averaged readings, so I give them these as well. Some are actually recorded in my medical records, but not all.
Keeping a positive mental attitude is key to recovering from surgery and for the future. I find the occasional personal challenge within reasonable bounds to be helpful and regular exercise certainly helps me, but then I do have a vested interest in keeping fit with my interest in hill walking. Standing on top of a 3,000 foot mountain is always a thrill and a time to thank my surgeon and his team. 😀
I had a quadruple bypass 6 months ago. Had a telephone call (not face to face due to covid) with one of the surgical team about 6 weeks later and was discharged into the care of my GP & local cardiologist. I was contacted by the cardio rehab physio at local hospital and went in to be assessed - step tests etc - and was pointed in the direction of the BHF rehab exercise videos online which I found useful. The physios also gave me a target heart rate for exercising. I stopped doing the BHF videos but have been referred to a local gym now and also walk & cycle regularly so I'm breathless but within my safe heart rate range. My resting rate is usually in the mid 50's but often drops to late 40's; I've been told that as long as I'm feeling OK, thats fine. I've still got quite a bit of musculoskeletal l chest pain & numbness but I gather that that's normal at 6 months; as others have said it's a brutal & invasive operation!My main concern is making sure there's some form of ongoing monitoring post-op, to that end I've recently rung local cardiologist and arranged an appointment to discuss.
Much like others. I'm just over two years on from a double bypass. I don't feel abandoned at all; the post-op physio (pre-Covid) was good and my GP is there if needed. But I still get chest discomfort. On a couple of occasions I've checked with my GP about this, and once I was sent to A&E for a really thorough check, which cleared me of anything cardio. It's pretty clear that it's actually my chest still recovering - it may never go away, who knows. But generally I'm really fit and very happy to have had the surgery!
Don’t worry! It get better, just needs time. 11 months post op, phone call with surgeon, few months later saw cardiologist and he was v happy, which was a confidence boost. He said after 6 months things will mainly settle down, but still feel things up to 2 years. He was right, my twinges did get less after 6 months- haven’t gone away but lot less. Exercise helps, and will bring heart rate down. The tablets keep it low. You have a new normal rate. Was getting abdominal twinges which put down to scar tissue so have started Pilates which is helping. Doc also says although physically healing, mentally it takes longer. Be happy each day for the extra time we have.
Thank you all for your replies! I am so glad to hear I am not alone with the aches & pains I have been feeling. I have not been doing that great on the diet aspect, but I did quit smoking, cut out alcohol, walk 2 - 4 miles a day and I do feel fitter than I have in my whole life. Would love to walk those hills!
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