BYPASS RECOVERY

[yyk1]

72 years old. Had by pass last March. Still have pain in the sternum and fatigue.

Anybody out there with similar symptoms ?

[MummaSoap]

Hi yyk1

I haven’t got any experience or advice relating to your question but I wanted to wish you well with your recovery ❤️‍🩹

We’re all different and recover at different times, be patient with yourself; perhaps your body just needs a little more time 🙂

Take care and let us know how you get on.

Best wishes

Soap 🧼

[yyk1 in reply to MummaSoap]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[BeKind28-]

Hello

When you say you still have pain it has improved though since having your op ?

I am 19 months on since my Bpasses and I can still ache even though I would not class it as pain

Feeling tired can be down to medications but with both I would check in with my Doctor maybe have some blood tests done to check your iron levels etc

But we are all different with the recovery and in time it will improve

Let us know how you get on x

[yyk1 in reply to BeKind28-]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[BeKind28- in reply to yyk1]

x

[Chappychap]

The NHS advice is that 6-8 weeks after open heart surgery most people can return to lighter, office based jobs. And after 12 weeks most people are good to return to more physical jobs.

This is often interpreted as meaning that after 12 weeks (which if you had surgery in March is roughly where you are now) then you should be as good as new.

But that's simply not the case.

Being fully recovered and being fit for work are two very different things, we can work even if we still don't feel 100%. What the NHS advice really means is that after 12 weeks most people are past the stage where they can harm their recovery by over exerting themselves. In fact many people say it's up to a year before they feel fully recovered.

Were you invited by the hospital to attend a Cardio Rehab course? This is one of subjects that was covered in great depth on the Cardio rehab I attended, and it was very re-assuring to realise that full recovery can be quite a long, slow process.

But to finish on a more positive note, I'm now five years post bypass surgery and it was absolutely transformational. I sleep like a baby and wake refreshed and full of energy, my fitness levels are back to where they were decades ago and I feel ten or twenty years younger. So stick with it, it's worth it in the end!

[yyk1]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[Allyboy1973]

I've had two seperate Bypass ops 20 months between each other , Due to my own problems last being 2016 . I found i had Sternum pain for about 6 months or so . I think its definitely an individual healing time , The Fatigue also is hard going i was the same on Both occasions . I Hope you feel better soon and enjoy years of good Health .

[yyk1 in reply to Allyboy1973]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[Sewingpumpkin]

I think Chappychap summed it all up nicely. One of the practice nurses told me even a year after my op that it was still early days.

I had mine four years ago and I certainly felt very tired for a very long time. (I did have a few complications which severely set back my recovery). My doctor started adjusting my Bisoprolol this year to find a happy medium with the tiredness. This drug can make you feel very tired.

With regards to the sternum mine had twinges certainly for the first year so if you are concerned speak to your doctor. I do still have tissue pain from the harvesting of the arteries and I suspect I will have that for life as it’s probably nerve damage.

[yyk1 in reply to Sewingpumpkin]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[mesally]

Hello yyk1, I had a triple bypass in Oxtober 21 and my sternum is still very tender., as is my leg where the veins were harvested. It does seem to take its time

[yyk1 in reply to mesally]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[MountainGoat52]

Hi yyk1,

I was 66 and quite a fit person regularly climbing hills when I had my bypass and it took a while for me to recover. At 3 months post op the sternum has only just healed. Even though I was used to lugging a 11kg backpack up the hills, I had to start with a much lighter load, take great care and only undertake short ascents, gradually building back up to where I used to be. I guess it was six months when I was able to say I had recovered and even then I was very careful not to take on too much.

With regards to pains I've found gentle massage can help, both on the sternum and the vein harvest site(s). As for fatigue, well you've been through a major operation, so please give it time. The beta blocker that you have no doubt been prescribed may need adjustment. Mine affected me in other ways and had to be lowered, but I still take a low dose for the benefits it provides.

I wish you the very best for your recovery. Try to stay positive.... things will get better. 😀

Gerald

[yyk1 in reply to MountainGoat52]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[Circular]

Give it time! It will come good in time.

Three months is a short time when you consider the severity of the surgery that you have been through.

I had bypass two years ago (at age 70) and it was six months before I started to regain my old energy.

Keep moving and keep positive.

[yyk1 in reply to Circular]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[Digger0]

Bones take a while to repair themselves and that is while in a cast. Your sternum moves every time you breath so will take a while to settle down. Was your op March 22 or March 23?

[yyk1 in reply to Digger0]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[momander]

Hi yyk1I'm 20 weeks post op and both sides of my sternum is tender. I dont feel fatigued though. We all recover differently don't we. It may be a medicine issue that is making you tired? I know some heart meds can do that,perhaps a wee chat with your GP or cardio team may help? I hope you find some reassurance and start to feel better soon

Let us all know how you get on. Take care. Xx

[yyk1 in reply to momander]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[Jako999]

Im almost a year now and I was told because of my life style and I was really fit I would recover quickly? Now wrong they were im still having problems and ongoing. I hope you get better soon👍

[gorillaqueen]

Hi I’m the same age as you and had triple bypass November 22. Still have some discomfort with sternum ( been told takes considerable time to heal) I agree with BeKind, Chappychap and others it’s a long road and everyone is different. I was in a wheelchair for a few months after my surgery, I have never felt so weak but this was due to being anaemic so I would definitely do as BeKind suggests and get your iron levels checked. I also had what they refer to as foot drop so was unable to walk ( caused by them taking the vein from my leg). Thankfully on a more positive note 7 months down the line I feel so much better than I did before the surgery, I would also definitely recommend going to Cardiac Rehab I have found this really helpful although mine has been hindered recently due to back problems but I’m hoping I will be able to continue. I wish you well and hope you feel better very soon it takes a while but I’m sure you will get there 😊

[Swalecliffe88]

Hello yyk you’ve had some brilliant advice already from my fellow hearties. I am 9 years past my by pass ChappyChap is so right bare with it you will soon feel the enormous benefits. Like him I was given a complete new lease of life.keep telling us though how you are doing. There will be good and bad days. Well and not so well days. We are here to support you with both. Take care

[yyk1 in reply to Swalecliffe88]

Thanks so much for your kind words!

[Dj1962]

Hi...its taken 2 years for the discomfort in the sternum to ease, in my case..

[Dogloverxthree]

I’m sorry to write this post but I think one should be honest and I have never recovered from my bypass in 2013 we are not all so lucky I was extremely fit and never knew I had heart problems, I wrote 3times to my surgeon all of which went unanswered !!! All the response I ever got from doctors is I am one of the unlucky ones just take pain killers and go to pain clinic.no explanation as to what went wrong , just to wear a bra is unbearable and as I get older it’s getting worse I’m not talking about sore or tender I’m talking chronic pain, they kept saying wait a year it will get better I wish I had ignored them and paid someone who knew what they were looking for and perhaps I could have had a normal life. I’m very bitter and don’t want people to tell me at least your alive!! Rant over

[Jedx]

hello yyk1

I had bypass last September and still have discomfort in sternum it’s like my sternum is being pinched and l think it is a nerve pain good news it will improve In time. I had to tell myself This will take as long as it takes because lm impatient. Yes the beta blockers slow you down and make you tired l had mine reduced but was still tired my iron levels were very low so please get them checked out. I’m taking iron and had my meds reduced again and feeling so much better. Hope you’re feeling perkier soon Jedx

[yyk1]

Thanks for your kind words !😀

[MumaLines]

Hello, I am 7 years on from Bypass and can remember my sternum being painful for a couple of years and even now I can’t lay on my left side or face down. I always say to myself that it’s a small price to pay as I’m still here. Fatigue, more like total exhaustion. My vitamin levels of D and B12 keep dropping too low so on super strength tablets to see if it helps. I hope this is helpful to you.