Still breathless 6 1/2 wks post cabgx2

[bagsypartime]

My recovery has been perfect- apart from being breathless or exhausted upon relatively small exertion.Today i carried a tv upstairs and was panting like a dog, later on my walk i was breathing heavily on every incline.

I have been posting when it would be sensible to start running again, and following your advice have held off.I looked at other posts about returning to running; not just on this forum, and found that my angst for want of a better word is quite common.By that i mean that nearly everyone who ventured an opinion had the same complaint; that pre op levels of fitness were no where near equalled, and what had been promised as a big life improvement was in fact the reverse.

There was a recent tv programme about ops that included cabg. The man was in leeds and had what the surgeon described as a pinch point on his left main.She said he could have a heart attack any time without the op.That's pretty much the same history as me.

How it feels to me is that my heart does not respond to extra demand and is not supplying the oxygen to my legs.

I think i'm pretty typical, has anyone got any ideas on this? It doesn't't feel right to me.

I see my surgeon on thursday, and would much sooner be grateful than churlish after all the NHS must have spent a small fortune on me, and as i say my sternum, my scar. and every other aspect of my recovery have been perfect.

[Chappychap]

Six weeks is way too early to conclude on the success or otherwise of your bypass surgery.

For one thing your lungs are no where near recovered. As soon as the chest cavity is pierced the lungs collapse, and then stay collapsed for the full six or so hours of the operation. It takes a lot of diligent breathing exercises (four or five times per day) to fix all the pockets of micro collapse that remain for months following open heart surgery.

In addition there's acclimatising ourselves to our new medication. For most of us that also may take several months.

Also, did I read in one of your previous posts that you're 78 years old? Recovery time is fairly well correlated to age, and if you are 78 that's a full decade older than the average CABG patient, so recovery would likely be commensurately longer.

It took me at least twelve weeks before I started to feel an improvement, despite enthusiastically following all the recovery schedules. And it was probably four months before it was clear that I was genuinely fitter and stronger than before the operation. From that point onward recovery really accelerated, aided no doubt by a root and branch overhaul of my life style.

Stick with the programme, make sure you attend Cardio Rehab, and there's every chance you will look back on your surgery as a transformational experience one that's left you fitter, stronger, and with more zest for life than you've had for ten or twenty years.

Good luck!

[gilreid1]

hi. It’s still early days but one thing I would say is you should not be lifting a TV let alone carrying upstairs. You have gone through a major trauma and go slowly on recovery and at your age you’re doing really well ( better than me and I was 62). Your cardiologist will advise you on breathing exercises that will help your stamina. Good luck 😉

[devonian186 in reply to gilreid1]

You should definitely NOT be carting Tv's around or anything remotely heavy. It is still very early in your recovery. You can't hurry it. If you do you will likely cause serious harm to yourself.

[bagsypartime]

Thanks for replies although they weren't that relevant to my case, i'd have got better advice from someone at the bus-stop.I saw the doctor for my 8wk check and he gave a interesting explanation that means i can now do something about it . I have been very lucky and have had a good recovery and been advised that my cardiology contact has finished-unless i get a problem.

Got home and phoned insurance up- nationwide i already have flex plus policy.Declared Cabgx2,no angina,taking cholesterol meds, plus hypothyroidism.It was £163 to pay 12mths worldwide.

Cleared for driving, work and gym.Didn't want the op and did everything to weasel out of it but it turns out it was probably a good thing after all.

Found this forum very helpful as you do feel a bit alone and lost.