3 months since triple heart bypass - British Heart Fou...

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3 months since triple heart bypass

E16Pat profile image
11 Replies

it’s 3 months since triple heart bypass, not in very much pain anymore it’s just I don’t feel my old self, I think that I will never get back to how I was before, has anyone else had this,

Best regards

Pat 👍🏻

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E16Pat
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11 Replies
Wooodsie profile image
Wooodsie

Hi Pat, hopefully soon you will be feeling better than your old self. It is hard to imagine that you have had open heart surgery and survived. But you have. My surgeon told me when I had my review, "you can't undo anything I have done". And despite my best efforts, I can't and do feel better than I had for years before the surgery. It is just too easy to forget why you came to have your surgery. Try and remember that, and hopefully you will feel better 🤞🤞😊

Chappychap profile image
Chappychap

Did you complete all the daily walking/breathing exercises after your discharge, and did you attend a Cardio Rehab course?

After three months the NHS advises that most people are ready to return to a more physical job. However, that's not the same thing as "fully recovered". I

t might well take a month or two longer before you're really back to where you were before the operation. And the extent of the recovery does often depend on following those all important walking and breathing exercises to the letter.

Hopefully you'll continue to make more progress as we get into spring.

Good luck!

Dear E16Pat

It is something that I can really understand, if anything I feel worse than when this journey of mine began.

But I am many months ahead of you and try as they can unfortunately things are going backward more than forward.

But mine can be seen as a medical reason as my body seems to refuse to respond to the medication.

But I am here and almost certainly I would not be if I hadn't had the procedures and attention that was kindly given me.

I think that in my case I underestimated the mental side of the happening and now that I have both recognized it and am having help for it, I can begin to understand that I have a new life now and the old one { in my case } has to be let go.

I think that its only natural to want to be our " old selfs " that's where our memories and comfort lie.

Now its time to embrace our new life and make new memories .

You are doing great.

Take care

devonian186 profile image
devonian186

I think part of the issue is a mental one in as much a brush with mortality is a sobering thing. As far as recovery goes, time usually helps but it also depends on how well you were feeling before the operations. Previously I could do almost anything one day but might really struggle the next day. Since my operation I would say my best days are not quite as good as the best days prior to my operation but my worst days now are better than my worst days then. Exercise and diet are important and hopefully with time the best and worst days will improve .

You are only 12 weeks post your operation so its still early days and generally it is 6 months or more before you start to feel 'normal'.

CyclingTime profile image
CyclingTime

3 months after major surgery like that isn't long at all. You will get back to how you felt but it just takes time. That's what I found after my quad bypass

E16Pat profile image
E16Pat in reply to CyclingTime

Thank you Pat 👍🏻

MountainGoat52 profile image
MountainGoat52

Hi Pat,

As others have said, 12 weeks is early days. The return to how you were before the op will take time and to some extent depend on how you were before the op. I was fit and healthy when I had my op (hill walking in the Cheviots a few days beforehand) and I bounced back pretty quickly. However I know several people that were less fit and took much longer to recover. What I would say is that potentially you should reach a better state of health than before your op, after all is that not the purpose of having the op?

I would encourage you to keep positive. Life will get better, it just takes time. So please look to the future and embrace life! 😀

Norton profile image
Norton

Hi

3 months is not a long time to heal and repair, the surgical scars may have healed there’s a lot of emotional healing still going on though which takes time

I didn’t have surgery I only had stent following HA in November at cardio rehab they are quite clear everyone is an individual and we all progress at different rates as we didn’t and don’t all live the exact same lives

I’m just now getting ready to return to work on a phased return next week and no I don’t feel completely like my old self either however we are on a journey and sometimes it’s good to look at the road we have travelled what we have accomplished rather than the hill still to be climbed, the next time we look back at the road travelled will be from the top of that hill

It’s still early days and you are doing great

gorillaqueen profile image
gorillaqueen

Hi I’m 15 weeks post triple bypass and feel I still have a way to go before being back to “normal” whatever that is. My recovery has been hindered by being anaemic and also problems with walking as I had foot drop ( caused by the surgery) therefore my rehab was delayed due to this. I’m now starting rehab tomorrow but was meant to start in January. This is a long journey both physically and mentally and we are all different so therefore some may take longer than others to recover. I don’t mind admitting I’m struggling mentally at the moment but hey spring is knocking at the door and so hopefully will feel better. I hope you feel better soon try taking it one day at a time baby steps. There will be days when you feel better than others, remember it’s early days and try to concentrate on the positive, I know that’s not always easy but try to do little things that make you happy and build from there. I was so happy just being able to get into my garden and when I was able to walk round a supermarket and could ditch the wheelchair I was elated😄. I hope you feel better soon good luck and keep us posted on how you are progressing.

Charl70 profile image
Charl70

hi pat

I know exactly how you feel ,best thing I did was start bhf online exercises, I started with sit down level ,5 mths post quad bypass I now am level 4 four times a week ,I also plasterered my first ceiling last week ,you will get there up to 3 mths is tough but the improvements your see over next few mths will be massive all the best

E16Pat profile image
E16Pat in reply to Charl70

Thank you Charl70 👍🏻

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