Hi,
I am 4 months post triple bypass op. Today I had a telephone call from the cardiologist. They stated they wanted to discharge me as everything has gone well.
I felt 4 months post op was too soon and was under the understanding there would be some regular contact moving forward.
Also apart from have the tests and op I've never had a cardiologist appointment in person.
Can anyone share advice on there post op care?
The hospital are normally more focussed on the operation. Your on-going health and well-being are more matters for your GP. I understand there's a sense of security from maintaining a contact with the hospital cardiologist, but as long as everything's gone well then it's simply not necessary.
The follow-up after my bypass operation has had two main components. First was a six week Cardio Rehab programme. Second was an annual cardio check-up with my GP or a specialised practise nurse where you have a series of blood tests, your weight and blood pressure are checked, there's a life-style discussion, and if the check-up is done in person there's an ECG test. Comments from others on this forum suggest this is fairly standard practise.
The key thing to understand is that unfortunately bypass surgery hasn't actually cured our atherosclerosis/heart disease. What it has done however is remove the symptoms of angina and give us a second chance for medication and life style changes to slow the progress of our disease, hopefully to a virtually crawl. The annual GP cardio check-up is orientated towards this, all the tests are about monitoring the effects of medication and life style changes. If you can get a number of key metrics back in the safe zone, things like blood pressure, BMI, HaB1c scores, and lipid levels, and then layer on top a couple of key life style changes, such as quitting smoking, a healthy diet, and regular exercise, then your risk of future heart attacks or strokes can be very similar to that of the general population. That's a prize well worth working towards!
Good luck!
I was discharged after 12 weeks so it sounds the same as myself. To be honest there was pretty much zero after care checks post op that it made no difference.
Mine was at the end of January and not a single cardiologist, nurse or doctor has taken a look at my chest, arm or leg since then!!!
I have an early ten months instead of one year check up today with a cardiologist at the hospital and assuming they actually look it will be the first time since my operation.....
I had a follow up with my cardiologist at 12 weeks and another at around 20 weeks which I understand is normal procedure round here. With the first I had a test to check my EF and with the second purely checking BP. I am surprised if there is no follow up.
Your GP may know what is normal in your area , if not, then presumably the nurse at the cardio unit can tell you
My husband was discharged about a year after his quad bypass. (after two echocardiograms)
I did Cardio rehab 5 months after quad CABG and cardiologist appointment 11 months after. I have an echocardiogram and cardiologist appointment scheduled for this month which are both covered by my health insurance
Hi Carig, I had a double Bypass just over 8 weeks ago and like you no health professional has actually looked at my operation scars other than my tennis buddies one of whom is a retired pathologist. He assures me that they look pretty good so that's a relief! So, I get where you're coming from. I was called in for my Bypass at short notice to take advantage of a cancellation and have not really come to terms with the number of medications I will have to cope with for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, for me I'm with a brilliant local GP's practice who have taken the time to explain the importance of the different meds I have to take to prevent Heart remodelling. However, I've decided to abandoned the statins as I'm highly sceptical re their effectiveness but my GP'S working hard to persuade me to re-think. But not everyone has access to such a great GP surgery so it would in my opinion be a good idea if the Hospital who carried out the procedure took a greater interest in their patients in the weeks following their discharge. All the best, Denis
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