hi there
I was hoping to get some information about fatigue following bypass.
My boyfriend had a heart attack and then required a bypass. He got one about 1.5 years ago. But he is struggling with tiredness to the point of exhaustion. He exercises about 5 days/ week.
Will the tiredness improve over a longer time frame?
mid really appreciate your response if you are in this situation.
Thank you
Hello 
Some medications we take can cause tiredness it is worth checking if any he is on might have that as a side effect Bisoprolol does I am not sure if he takes that but worth having a medication review as well as making sure he is up to date with his blood tests which he should have at least once a year it might be worth getting his iron levels tested as this is something else that can make you tired
Get him to make an appointment with his Doctor and discuss these things and I hope he manages to sort it out
Let us know how he gets on x
I had a triple in March so not that long ago in comparison. I felt really tired for months but after seeing the Dr and readjusting my meds I'm exercising more and feeling less tired. I'm in bed at 9 pm and don't manage the same level of exercise but things are improving. Has your boyfriend tried seeing his Dr and checking his meds?
Has your boyfriend had a good chat with his GP recently?
Maybe he needs a good summary of how serious his heart attack was, and how much recovery to expect. What effect his meds might be having now on his energy levels, and whether anything has changed in his health.
They may also advise on his exercise levels.
my husband had a bypass in February 2020. He was exhausted a lot and felt sick at times. We discovered eventually that the majority of that was the concoction of medication he was on. He does still get more tired than he used to but he can usually now work through it.
I was on Nebivolol at just 2.5mg. These lowered my hr to about 45. Every afternoon I had to have a nap. Doctors said they wanted hr up to 60 and stopped Nebivolol altogether. My hr is still only about 50 but I rarely sleep during the daytime now. I have more energy.
I had Nstemi heart attack in July this year and quadruple bypass. I’m training 3 times a week , weights and jogging on treadmill plus a strenuous yoga session once a week . A training programme provided by a cardiac physiologist specialising in resistance/weight training for cardiac rehab patients. I also do physical work around our small farm, lifting hay bales, pick-up horse poo and moving a big heavy double wheeled barrow .5km Toa new dung heap. I don’t have the energy for late nights anymore , been to a couple of dinner parties and they really knock me if a late finish ( I don’t drink , I drive my wife now). I also have a feeling of fatigue during the day sometimes, like I could really sit and nap. Sometimes I get the time , other days I’m too busy. I think the meds account for a lot of this. Bisoprolol has been reduced to 1.25 but have added half a 1.25 Rampiril ( also have clopidogrel and aspirin , artovastatin at night and pantaprazole before breakfast).
It’s only just over 4 months for me since surgery , I have been told that it takes a while for things to settle down, 6 months to a year. Seems that others have experienced the fatigue, some saying it hasn’t passed.
How much training /intensity is your boyfriend doing? What type of heart attack is he recovering from ? What does his consul/GP have to say about his current meds/training ?
I’m glad I have the oversight of a specialist coach and I look forward to the reviews of my meds. If I don’t feel right I make an appointment with GP or write to my consultant at hospital . Might be worth him pursuing with his team.
All the best Wizza
Wow - you look very healthy in your profile. Any idea what cause the blockages?
I had no idea that I had a cardiac issue. At the beginning of this year I had noticed that I was getting very tired , a heavy fatigue some days. I just had a feeling that something wasn’t right with me. I used to come in from working round the farm ( retired from 41 years service in Law Enforcement) write out my weights training plan and get it done 4 times a week. That turned into me writing my plan and falling asleep at about 4pm , waking up and sacking off training as I felt tired and knew I needed my energy for the next day. I started reducing the weights I was lifting . My wife thought I was malingering, as some days I wouldn’t do much work outdoors either. I thought my testosterone might have dropped , or just put it down to getting old , I’m 61 but in in good shape. It was really playing on my mind , it just wasn’t like me to keep skipping training. I eventually thought I’d better get in front of a GP, made an appointment in June . I rxplsin d that I felt like I had lost my vavavoom, the fatigue etc hand maybe my testosterone had dropped . GP said she would test my B12 and thyroid as well. No problem with heart rate ( was testing average in low 50s) and blood pressure was ok . All tests came back normal . 6 weeks later I had what I thought was trapped wind , very painful , right in middle of chest . My wife called 111 and I described the trapped wind pain, they sent an ambulance to check me out. I was hooked up to ECG and told that everything was ok with my heart , whatever had happened had passed. The medics explained the only way to confirm if I had a cardiac event was to got to hospital with them to get a bold test for an enzyme that is secreted after such an event. They said that they couldn’t make me go but they would really insist. It seemed a sensible option. Git to hospital at 13:00 , a blood test and booted into the A& E waiting corridor , waiting on the result. I was still in my shorts , vest and flip flops from a yoga class, looking tanned and healthy 🤣. 6pm I was told I needed another blood test as first inconclusive. Had a chest X-ray too. I was getting very fed up waiting , it was a typical A& E ,busy , no food , my wife managed to get some sandwiches outside of the hospital. 23:15 a doctor called us in to an office and said “your first troponin count was 74, the second reading was 402 , I thought I was sending you home, look at you ! A picture of health. I’m afraid you’ve had a heart attack and you’re going to be staying with us “ . We were all shocked!
Angiogram next day . All the medics I spoke to said thatthev fatigue was a huge signal for a cardiac issue . It wasn’t picked up as I didn’t present as a cardiac risk, I just didn’t look like a heart attack waiting to happen. Angiogram confirmed at least 3 blocked arteries that weren’t appropriate for dye tv. I was even more shocked to be told that I would need open heart surgery and a triple bypass! Ended up quadruple. I was asked if I understood what was happening. I said “ I understand implicitly what’s happening , I’m going to have triple CABG, but I’m struggling to understand what happened!” The consultants said it could be down to decades of gradual furring. I did t have any significant high cholesterol , no family history . I was a big drinker , loved a social with rugby mates , work . Did a stressful job for 41 years .. kept myself fit( a lifetime of sporty, rugby , martial arts , swimming , cycling , tan NY & London marathons ) but probably not enough on the nutrition side of things . Have a listen to them Graeme Souness podcast on the Ticker Tapes , so fit , shocked to be told he needed a triple bypass!
I’m sure you and your boyfriend will find your way on this journey . I’ve seen it as a rebirth, another opportunity. I feel so lucky , so glad I went in to hospital to get the blood test done and so lucky that my wife phoned 111 for trapped wind 🤦🏼👊🤣
I had mine around the same time. I exercise about the same amount as well but don't suffer from any tiredness.
Suggest getting checked out at the doctor plus also how does he exercise.?
I am a cyclist and I do 1-2 hard sessions in a week and then three at what's called zone 2 which is much lower effort but burns fat. I also never do more than two days in a row, the third day is a recovery day, no exercise just a bit of walking.
Hope that helps
Like others have suggested, a review of his medication may be due. I had to get my beta blocker reduced as it was causing tiredness and even feelings of impending doom. At times my pulse rate was in tge low 40s. I did have to argue the point with my GP. Thankfully he referred me to the pharmacist at the practice and she was much more switched on as to what was happening.
Heart bypass
Stents V Bypass -Update
lad bypass
Still waiting bypass
bypass
