day 2 after bypass surgery

[Finmum]

hi all, my hubby had his triple bypass yesterday)finally after 3 cancellations in 6 weeks!) thr op went well the surgeon said snd he was recovering well. This morning just before they were moving him from ICU to high dependency his oxygen levels dropped and so they kept him in icu and gave him extra help. The chest X-ray they took today showed some fluid on his lung which they are obviously concerned about and are encouraging him to do his deep breathing exercises. He is very tired and keeps falling asleep tho so I am worried about how hr will be overnight? Anyone else have this issue after bypass? Hoe long did it take to clear?

[Carlg]

I had a bypass in late July. Although I didn't have fluid on lungs there was lots of coughing and splurtering in the early stages.

I was low on oxygen and was kept on the nose tube for a few days. I was also given a nebulizer breathing mask throughout the day.

On my ward many seemed to be given lots of different things personal to them. It was quite normal to see use all do random breathing etc. We even made a joke of it.

Also it is normal in the early days to be in and out and sleeping lots. The body is healing. My partner would tell me I would fall asleep mid conversation etc.

[ChoochSiesta]

They kept me in an extra day because my oxygen levels were too low.

[Hidden]

Hello

I had a little bit of fluid on my lungs not enough to keep me on ICU any longer they put me on antibiotics when I was on the ward which cleared it up

It is very common after this kind of surgery and they will sort him out so please try not to worry

As for him keep sleeping he has just had a lot of anesthetic which along with any pain relief he is having he will keep falling asleep

Please keep us updated if you can how he is getting on but he will be fine and back home before you know it x

[AndyDrums]

Didn't have fluid on my lungs, but it was a few days before I even realised the float thingy, (technical term,) actually moved.

I also slept lots as the body is healing.

I'm sure like me he will be fine.

[CyclingTime]

Yes I had those issues, pretty standard I think the hospital certainly wasn't overly concerned and I was out after 6 days

[Lydia_1]

my uncle recently had surgery, sleeping a lot is common. The body is trying to heal itself. Please don’t worry, this community helped me loads

[devonian186]

fluid on the lungs is pretty common which is why they encourage you to cough and do breathing exercises

[Mart25]

Please do not be concerned. Fluid in the lungs is very common - indeed it's rather normal. It's often not explained to patients that the lungs collapse as soon as the surgeon opens the chest to do the bypass surgery and the lungs don't like this much and fluid starts to build up. After the operation the lungs re-inflate but the fluid doesn't go so quickly. A chest X-ray is the routine method of checking the fluid - so this is normal practice. Your hubby will have been taught how to do deep breathing exercises to help clear the fluid and it's vitally important that he does them. It's really hard because your chest hurts and coughing the goo up is painful - but it must to be done! In my view, the most important thing to do after a bypass op is to look after your lungs. The surgeon has done the clever stuff on the heart and it looks after itself - but the lungs need some help from the patient.

[Hidden]

Dear Finmum,

Day 2 ! my goodness that seems a lifetime ago for me { over a year } and yet when I read your post it was as if it was yesterday.

There is nothing that can take away your worry over your husband, that is a big part of love and certainly both your concerns and love for your husband shines out of your post.

What I remember { and believe me neither of you, like me, will ever forget } your husband seems to be following the same path as I did.

I had fluid on the lungs and also a drop in oxygen saturation , both, with help, I got passed and onto recovery.

Your husband is being looked after and I hope the same is for you, you are an extremely important part of this journey .

Slowly, slowly, small steps forward and onto your new life .

Look through the health problems and stare into the love that brought you both together, it will keep you both strong.

Good luck to you both

[Finmum in reply to Hidden]

thanks so much for your lovely reply. He seems much brighter today and oxygen support has been reduced but saturation levels seem stable which is good. They don’t seem too concerned about the fluid and said hopefully move to the ward tomorrow

Thanks again your reply was very comforting x

[devonian186 in reply to Finmum]

He will likely be out on day 4 or 5. You need to prepare for his homecoming in advance as that is when the hard work and recovery starts.

[Sljp0000]

Hi, good to hear your husband has done well so far. He will be sleepy for quite some time, the anaesthetist and the trauma of the surgery certainly takes it toll and it will take him a while to recover.

I had 3xCABG in September. Unfortunately I wasn't given any breathing exercises to do. I had a collapsed left lung and it was half filled with fluid. This is apparently normal in about 60% of heart surgery cases. To answer your question on how long it will last I still have mine 3 months later.! I saw the Respiratory consultant last week and he said it will gradually get better. Its not an easy ride but the sooner he gets up and walking the better. I'm sure he'll be fine and although slowly, be up and at it very soon! All the best.

[Chappychap in reply to Sljp0000]

I'm shocked that you weren't given any breathing exercises. It's a fundamental part of recovering from open heart surgery, in fact it's the reason we all had to pass a lung capacity test before our surgery, because unless our lungs are in reasonably good shape before the surgery there's too high a risk of problems after the operation.

I was told that as soon as I was discharged from hospital I should repeat the full cycle of breathing/coughing exercises at least five times per day, in addition I should begin a daily walk that increased in length until I was covering at least a mile each day.

I really didn't feel like doing either of these, to put it bluntly they were uncomfortable bordering on painful. But assuming the operation has gone reasonably well and the patient doesn't have serious co-morbidities, this is what we need to aim for in order to enjoy a full recovery.

Here are some NHS leaflets giving more details on the breathing exercises, hope these help and good luck!

kentcht.nhs.uk/cardiac-reha...

acprc.org.uk/Data/Publicati...

[Sljp0000 in reply to Chappychap]

Exactly. This is probably why I ended up with a life threatening Thrombus in my heart, a saddle PE and clots in my lungs. Still in a bit of a mess 3 months later but at least I'm alive 🙏

[Heather1957]

I never made 'High Dependency'. I was discharged after 4 days as they needed my bed so I was discharged from ITU directly home.

I decided not to panic, yes my oxygen levels initially was a problem so I made a point of gulping fresh air when it dropped.

Personally I was just glad to get home, I spoke to my GP for any advice but here I am 5 years later safe and well.

[Bloodredroses]

sounds like a very good hospital . Very stressful 3 cancellations . Body is adjusting to shock . Tired means he needs to just rest . Because of tension pre op, often exhaustion must be part of needing a rest after that also ?

[Finmum]

Greg is still on ICU as still needing support with oxygen but doctors don’t seem to be concerned. His oxygen sats are up to 98 but still on 40% high flow oxygen and he was a bit dizzy this morning when they moved him to a chair. Think they are just being ultra careful and keeping him safe

[Charl70]

hhello

yes I had exactly the same my oxygen levels went down and I was given oxygen then they gave me a blood transfusion which was painless and took about 90 mins it did the trick I also got collapsed lung after and the breathing exercises really help also sit up in chair asap as lying in bed won't improve ,the lung issue I think is quite common as your husband chest would of been open ,the nurses are amazing and give unbelievable care I hope your husband starts to improve ,breath8ng exercises are so important

[Finmum]

Greg was stepped down to ECU last night and sats much better but had a temperature so they swabbed him snd he now has covid so very uncomfortable and I can’t visit..