Just over a year ago I self presented at our local hospital with a mild chest 'irritation' later to be told I had actually suffered a minor heart attack. Following a week in hospital I had a quad heart by pass, which was quite a shock.
One year on to the day,I wish I had the confidence that although not cured, my life expectancy has been significantly increased. My heart area is still tender to touch and I still have nerve issues in my left wrist
Is this normal and should i worry less and be thankful for the second chance?
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Bicesterwhite
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I’m glad to hear recovery went okay, and I’m sorry you had to experience the heart attack and then the quad heart bypass.
Once we’re released from hospital, some heart patients find that their cardiologist will refer them to rehab, did you have this at all?
Another thing is that some patients are seen every 6 months, and some are seen once a year. I think it is dependent on things like the severity of your heart condition and how likely it is to progress which is probably why heart patients, such as those with heart failure may get seen more often in order to monitor their progress and adjust medications if needed. I’ve found in my case, that if you’re stable, there is unlikely to be any follow up.
I’ve recently had to call my cardiology department at my local hospital to make an appointment to be seen as I hadn’t had any correspondence or communication from them in a long time. I also wanted to update them on my current situation regarding my heart as well.
Although I can’t comment on why the heart area might still feel tender, in terms of your wrist feeling sore, is this where you had the entry for an angiogram?
It probably isn’t impossible to rule out nerve damage as a result of the wire going through your wrist. However, this is best discussed with your cardiologist and I think it would be wise for you to maybe give the hospital a ring tomorrow and see if you can get yourself booked in.
Hi Tos Yes I did have the 12 week rehab which was helpful and did instill some confidence. I also did have an initial 6 month check up in January with the cardiologist and an ultra sound so i guess I should be heartened (no pun intended) that they did not want to see me again for until next Jan . The wrist tenderness is from an extraction point, and it is like permanent pins and needles with some numbness in my thumb and first finger. There is no loss of function and it doesn't hurt as such. Thanks for your reply
I am 19 months now after a triple Bypass and yes we should be grateful we have been given a second chance and I am sure we are but for some of us the impact it has on us mentally takes longer
I can still be tender to and my confidence is rock bottom but hopefully we will get our confidence back x
Hi BeKindYes generally I am quite a confident person or have the outward appearance of being such, however, some days I just seem to be a bit low and less so. Maybe it's just me, like other posts have stated, I have so much to be positive about really so need to think more about the good . 👍😁
It sounds like you were in the right place at the right time. Having a bypass certainly can be a life changer for the good. I had mine electively after the doctor that dealt with my heart attack by inserting stents thought that I would benefit from a bypass and referred me to Papworth. I will shortly celebrate the 5th anniversary of my surgery.
The only issues I've ever had are with the chest wound and the sites where they harvested a vein and an artery in my leg and arm. All three exhibit numbness and a degree of pain from time to time, but I consider it worthwhile for the benefits the operation has brought. I've certainly never had any problem with the actual bypass.
Don't forget that your body has been through a lot physically and it will have suffered a measure of trauma through the operation procedure. I hope the issues you are having with the tenderness in your chest area improves. I find massaging the area helps and I use Ibuprofen gel on the harvest sites if they ache. Keeping active certainly helps as well.
So please do keep positive and look to the future. I'm now 71 and I still climb mountains in Scotland. I feel very priviledged to have had the operation. Had I been born a generation earlier, I could well have been 6 foot under by now courtesy of the fact that there were no stents or bypass in my parents' day.
Hi GeraldMany thanks for your reply, it has indeed helped and I will try the gel approach. I am sure it is only minor nerve damage and I need to man up and as you say be thankful for the second chance. Keep enjoying Scotland 👍
next month it’s 2yrs since my heart attack. I’m still improving now. When I look back to last year my confidence was no where near to what it is now. And I never had major surgery. Give yourself time and look back to where you were a year ago and all the things that you have done and how you’ve improved.
I also had an unexpected quad heart bypass just over a year ago. Your life expectancy will be perfectly normal provided you deal with any underlying problems that might have caused the HA in the first place. This can range from diet to exercise to being overweight to stress and much else besides.
Statistically your life expectancy might actually be better than people of similar age and disposition as there are many people out there with heart and other problems which are not picked up until too late, whereas you and I would have had a battery of tests, xrays, surgery, blood tests, medication etc.
Overcoming anxiety is key and naturally people are nervous of every twinge, but provided you have not been given warnings of likely concerns you should try to live healthily and put the HA out of your mind and get on with things and listen to your body.
It is a time of very high pollen so it is possible you might be feeling breathless and that will make you nervous. Generally heart patients are told to keep out of hot sun, avoid excessive exercise in hot conditions and adjust to the weather accordingly
Thanks for you reply, I agree I certainly feel healthier and fitter than before the HA unsurprisingly. I am also eating more healthily, and doing more exercise so all heading in the right direction. I am sure as time goes on I will think about it less. Best wishes
Totally understand where you are, I am coming up to 3 years since a similar situation happened to me.
The shock and mental trauma of the situation can not be underestimated, mine happened at a time of chaos and little support when I was discharged, so perhaps different.
I suffer from issues that I put down to the fact it was a major operation. I expect the nerve damage will never fully heal and tissues under the skin around the wound sites must be as scared as on the surface. Twinges and tingling are a regular occurrence as well as more worrying muscle discomfort when I push my exercise a bit harder. Also, like others I have seen, I get stabbing pains where they harvested the vein from my leg, that is now referred to as my “war wound” when I react and swear at it, but those incidents are getting further apart so you never know they may cease altogether.
We are not the same as we were and although we have been given a new life it is easy to greave for what we have lost, I try to stay positive and look forward to the fun stuff, but the demons creep in from time to time and it is easy to become anxious when this happens.
I take a lot of solace from the positive stories I see on here and hopefully you can too.
Thank you for you positive reply and yes you are right and it is good to see and read the positive stories. I do consider myself as one of the lucky ones, particularly being dealt with so quickly in hospital. Big up the John Radcliffe in Oxford👏
Positive is the only way to go, believe me if you don't stay positive life will become quite difficult.
It's difficult to describe what has happened to you, as you have been lucky but a lot of people don't survive an HA followed by bypass surgery. I do have an understanding of these things and I am very positive and I do look forward to the future.
Hi Yes I had a HA in 1982 , Bypass surgery 2015, Stents 2018 and my already bypassed LAD opened up in 2022 with a quite large stent. My Heart Failure can move from Severe to Moderate with a not to bad 38 % ef. Every day I feel Positive only down side all the bloody pills, still can't complain now down to just 7 a day with Clopidogrel just been stopped a year after last Stents LOL As I said I do have a little understanding of the problems !!!
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