Chest pains 6 months after HA and triple CABG

[Sewing19]

I’m 6 months post CABG and HA. I’ve not had any twinges or chest pains for a few months until today. Both left and right side of chest. My recovery has been surprisingly unremarkable and I’m fit and well.

I’ve taken some paracetamol which has eased the pains but it’s frightened me a bit. I’m not a panicker.

I think I just want some reassurance that this is normal 6 months on.

[Hidden]

I just had stents no CABG but we all get these things that can be very unsettling. Did you have Angina pains before and if so did it feel at all like them? I presume you have a GTN spray did you try it and did it make any difference? If paracetamol took it off it's probably muscular have you been doing anything that could have caused anything like that. Even after 6 months I would have thought it may be operation related I am sure someone who has had a CABG will be along to reassure you.

[Sewing19 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. My HA was out of the blue with no angina. I think it’s maybe muscular as paracetamol has eased the pain.

[gilreid1]

Hi sewing19. I had HA and an emergency stent followed by a triple bypass October 2019. I occasionally have chest pains but I put this down to over excretion. After playing golf or riding up garden. Probably should do more chest muscle exercises but don’t. Unless this really affects your overall health I would take it easier but as always consult you doctors for correct advice. Take care

Gil

[Sewing19 in reply to gilreid1]

Thanks Gil. I think it could be muscular after lifting some heavy shopping. My overall health is really good. Just thought these twinges had stopped as not had any for quite a while. Maybe a wake up call that it’s still early days in my recovery. Thank you.

[Heather1957]

After my bypass in 2017 I suffered pains in my chest, ribs, arms and shoulder for nearly a year and as another poster said I put them down to muscular. I felt confidence it wasn't heart related as the pains were very different to what I had before and I could see they were different. In the early days I visited the GP a few times, luckily the GP I asked for had done some training in cardiology so I tended to trust him. He showed me, how the body was positioned during a bypass and how the body has been effected and how it needs to be repaired. Once I accepted that if I suffered any pain, I thought it through and popped a few pain killers and over time the pain went.

Obviously if you think it is more than just muscular seek some medical advice as it is not worth taking any risk. For some reason I could drive loads of times and out of the blue on one of these occasions it would be agony!

[Sewing19 in reply to Heather1957]

Thanks Heather. Think I’ve been overdoing it. Paracetamol has eased the pains.

[Heather1957 in reply to Sewing19]

Very easily done! It can be the most minor thing that causes the most pain, but don't rule out a call to the GP if necessary.

[LilLondon in reply to Heather1957]

I'm 8 weeks post CABG & also still have muscular pain. Also feel lumps & bumps across my chest but I just imagine this is scar tissue forming. Definitely find it frustrating !!!

[Sewing19 in reply to LilLondon]

It’s definitely frustrating. My ‘pulled muscle” pain has eased but it twinged again yesterday after over exerting myself. I’ve been told that the numbness across my chest can take a year or more to go, depends on how fast or if the nerves recover.

The scar forming pains have eased with me 6 months post op. They catch you out though and were a bit worrying to begin with.

Take care and hope your healing goes well 🤗

[Hidden]

Have you over exerted yourself, or had a period of little exercise then started exercise again? Did it happen when breathing deeply?

I still find, 3 years post SCA & OHS, that if I haven't exercised for a while, I get what my GP said is pleuritic pain, for me its caused by the lungs reacting to being pushed after a period of not being pushed!

I would call my GP tomorrow and let him know.

[Sewing19 in reply to Hidden]

Hi. Thanks for your advice. Think I’ve been overdoing it this week. Paracetamol has helped but will ease back on thinking I’m now invincible. I wasn’t before HA and CABG 😄

[fixedrider]

I'm 2.5 years on from a double-bypass. I've been aware of my chest having been operated on pretty-much daily since. I've had a few episodes of rather worse discomfort. I've been checked out on two of those, including one completely thorough going over in A&E - they tried absolutely everything - without identifying a definite cause, but giving me a clean bill of health on each occasion. I too have been told that I don't have angina.

I agree about it feeling different from the original episode. I'm pretty sure it's "structural" (bone and/or muscle/nerve rather than cardiovascular), but it is disconcerting when it comes. I try now not to rush for the phone to the doctor (or 111), because of that clean bill of health. And these are occasional problems - for 99% of the time I feel better than ever.

But the usual rule of talking to a professional has to apply, I think, as we're all different.

[Sewing19 in reply to fixedrider]

Thank you for that sound advice. I feel much better this morning but will have a quieter day. I have started to dash around, because I can, and lifting heavier things. Think my body’s reminding me that it’s only 6 months since I had major surgery. 😷