It’s gone a bit pear shaped

[Jako999]

I posted the other day about having a stress echo, I knew it hadn’t gone well after all it lead to an angina attack. I’ve been having mild chest pains ever since my quadruple CABG last June which I thought would improve but it hasn’t. My surgeon called me today to tell me it looks like there is a problem with two of them and he wants it sorting as soon as possible and he has booked me in for an angiogram on the 3rd March to see exactly what’s happening. It’s going to be a waiting game to find out what needs doing, I thought it was all over but no here we go again.

Personally I feel that if two have failed and because I’m still not really recovered from the other surgery I would rather have them redone, I know it means being opened up again but at least it will be like a continuation where as if they they stent it or something, I’m going to end up in 5 or 10 years having to have it done anyway. I’m being put on a slow release 24hr gtn and I’ve been told to take it easy and no stress, if I get any stronger pains call 999 or go straight to Ed. He seemed quite concerned and said “ I really don’t want you to have another HT”😳😳

Has anyone gone through the same and what was the outcome?

The whole thing has already given me PTSD and I did think things were improving but this has not helped.

Thanks for reading.

[Anon2023]

hi. I’m absolutely gutted for you, I know how it feels as I went through something similar when I had my first mitral valve replacement. All I can say really is that it’s good news that your surgeon is on to it and that at least they are aware of the problem and are looking at ways to fix it. The waiting is horrendous but at least you on their radar. Im sure that it won’t be long before they do something. Best wishes. X

[Heyjude31]

Really sorry to hear Jako999, not experienced it myself but I am wishing you every success with the surgery and you can concentrate on getting properly well. Judi

[deniseinmilden]

Oh bother! Best thing is they are on the case and looking after you. Once you're in the system they really will do all they can and do have a very good success rate. As you've had the problems they will be even more careful from now on so your chances from that point of view are much better than before. Try to think of it as taking a bit of a holiday between now and then, and do all the things you'd like to do in the way of puzzles and games and watching TV or maybe doing some online learning or whatever, to distract yourself. Maybe contact friends and family that you don't quite get around to catching up with usually - they will be pleased you've thought of them and you'll get the benefits of doing so too - it's good to talk!

Make an effort to reply to comments on here - I'm sure you can help others in all sorts of ways m

Take the time to plan all the good things you're going to be able to do once they've got it sorted and you are well again. Look up places you'd like to go and that sort of. It's good to dream so you can take a flight of fantasy and look up places you might not expect to get to but are interesting, nonetheless.

If it's OK to do so, get out for walks as much as possible - it good for the mind and body.

And eat well - use your time when you're not allowed to charge about to learn more about healthy food - lean meat, fish, and lots of fruit and veg. You'll feel like you are doing something positive to help yourself and you will benefit for the decades to come once this is sorted.

[devonian186]

Jako

Sorry to hear about this as we both had our 4 way bypass at much the same time. Did the mild chest pains and the likely problem manifest itself in any more measurable way, such as a rapid or a slow pulse or abnormal blood pressure readings?

Was your EF abnormally low or were there any other indications of failure?

Many of us get twinges after such a major operation so just wanted to ensure that mine and others on this board who get twinges will know they are not indicative of anything more serious.

I can understand what you say about wanting a permanent solution so presumably you will let us know the results of your angiogram on 3rd April? best wishes.

[Sljp0000]

Hi Jako999

I don't knownif you remember me. We commented on each others posts a while back.

I had CABGX3 in September last year. 5 months yesterday to be precise. I had major blood clots after I was discharged, it was all very scary. Anyway, to cut a long story short I had Angina as soon as I started walking round the block. I had an Angiogram last week which showed all of my grafts have failed . There's no blood getting through any of them. They don't know why. Could be clots, bad surgery or my body rejecting them. I have very narrow arteries and veins apparently. Been told no chance of further surgery, it wouldn't work.

On Wednesday next week I am having stents in all arteries. I am praying they manage them in my blocked LAD which apparently is going to be a complicated and long procedure. I must admit I'm getting anxious about it but it's my only hope.

In the meantime I'm on Isosorbide Mononitrate (as well as all the usual stuff) to try and keep my arteries open.

Sounds like we're in a similar situation. Although my grafts clearly didn't work from day one. I still haven't had an Cardio rehab.

Let me know how you get on. This just isn't fair is it?

[devonian186]

So sorry to hear of this. Very best wishes on your forthcoming operation for stenting. You will let us know how it goes won't you?

It seems as if it was angina that alerted you to the failure of the operation. Did this also manifest itself in low or high blood pressure or a fast or slow pulse or any other symptoms? As I mention above to Jako many of us continue to have twinges well after the operation and I wanted to ensure they are not indicative of some ongoing problem

[Chappychap]

"Personally I feel that if two have failed and because I’m still not really recovered from the other surgery I would rather have them redone, I know it means being opened up again but at least it will be like a continuation where as if they they stent it or something, I’m going to end up in 5 or 10 years having to have it done anyway."

Hello Jacko, so sorry to hear of these problems.

Did the doctor actually say that fresh bypass surgery was a possibility? I only ask because my understanding is that even though re-surgery is common for heart valves, it's pretty rare for bypass surgery.

But even without new bypass surgery, medical science still has a few tricks up its sleeve. As Thatwasunexpected pointed out, stents often have a very long service life. True, you may need additional stents in the future, but that's not necessarily a problem. Some people seem to collect stents like panini stickers and do just fine!

Another thing to remember is that the surgery has still given you some real benefits. Your previous arteries are still in place as they weren't touched, and the mammalian artery that is generally used to replace the LAD is exceptionally robust, so even if just this one graft has worked then that's still an important win.

It's also the case that as a relatively young patient you're well placed two enjoy the fruits of an awful lot of medical research that's taking place in this area. I'd just point to two areas that may produce breakthroughs in the next decade. First is the holy grail of heart disease, drugs that reverse plaque build up. We're not there yet, but plenty of very bright minds, and some truly giant budgets, are focussed on exactly this problem. As I said, it truly is the holy grail of pharmaceutical research, the first company that cracks this will be bigger than Tesla, Google and Apple combined, so there are massive incentives to pouring huge research budgets into this area.

The second area is all the progress made in keyhole heart surgery. Twenty years ago keyhole heart surgery in areas like valve replacement was considered so risky it was reserved for exceptionally frail patients who were unlikely to survive an open heart operation. Today it's routine (much to the chagrin of traditional heart surgeons by the way, as they're not the people who conduct these procedures). And as it becomes more common place there are plenty of spin off benefits being discovered in the area of stenting and micro procedures to repair damaged arteries.

I recognise what a devastating blow this must be, but in your case there's still a big, shining beacon of hope left on the table, so dig deep and hang on in there Jacko.

Good luck!