Poor appetite

[JazzMiloPoppy]

My husband is 3 weeks post triple bypass surgery. He still has pain, he is still feeling out of breath when he walks up the stairs. He is off his food and he was wondering if anyone was experiencing this. Thank you.

[DodgyTickerMum]

Definitely! I had a O.H.S for a valve replacement last year. My lovely Cardiac Rehab Nurse explained that the sternum won’t begin to go ‘sticky’ until 6/8 wks before it then starts to heal. I also experienced a lot of pain in all the nerve endings for at least 12 wks post op.

3 wks is still very early days, so your Hubby is doing fantastic. Maybe give his Rehab Nurse a call just to check everything is ok. As mine regularly said to me - ‘Be kind to yourself’. His body has been through a major trauma. Hope he starts to feel better soon. ❤️‍🩹

[JazzMiloPoppy in reply to DodgyTickerMum]

Thank you I will pass that on to him.

[BeKind28-]

Hello

We all recover at different paces and what you are saying at 3 weeks this sounds like I was

I would get out of breath for months after my Bypasses our lungs have been deflated and it takes a while for things to improve

Is he doing his breathing exercises they can really help and when he goes upstairs just go slowly and take a breather if needed as you go up eventually it will get easier

You did not say where the pain is maybe the chest arms but when you think about the op we have just had they have our arms stretched up for roughly 6 hours and our chests open it takes time for all these things to heal and don't try and cope with pain if it gets to much give him some painkillers

Eating is something else that we can go of but does come back in time I would eat when I wanted as long as he is eating something he will slowly get his appetite back

This hot weather will not be helping much at the moment if you are getting it so he needs to stay cool potter about , breathing exercises and rest when he feels his body needs to

If you have any concerns then speak with the Rehab Nurses or your Doctor but I do relate to how he is

Let him know this is very early days yet and lots of us felt the same as he is x

[JazzMiloPoppy in reply to BeKind28-]

Thank you.

[BeKind28- in reply to JazzMiloPoppy]

x

[weepip]

Hi im10 weeks out from bypass and still have alot of pain in my chest although having a large boob's definitely doesn't help 😂 also nerves pain in chest and legs where they took the veins . I had no appetite for the first 5/6 weeks with a horrible taste in my mouth and had to force myself to eat but still lost a stone unfortunately it back to normal now and put half of it back on 🤪 . For me I found it all very hard work but starting to feel much more like myself the last couple of weeks. It's very easy to read others that seem to recover much quicker and get anxious but we all react differently and 3 weeks is early in the recovery road .

[JazzMiloPoppy in reply to weepip]

Thank you.

[Bluedolphin123 in reply to weepip]

I’m the same 4 weeks today post heart surgery, no appetite losing weight and an awful taste in my mouth which seems a small thing compared to the surgery recovery but it does drag you down so I’m looking forward to that improving 😊

[stevetheadi]

I had a triple bypass six weeks ago and just like your husband I lost my appetite after 3 weeks. I have lost a stone compared to my pre-op weight. I still eat a lot less than I used to but I am starting to eat a bit more.

Breathless is normal at 3 weeks. I took lots of little walks. Don't over do it though!

Pain is normal but if something doesn't feel right, talk to your GP. Don't put up with it.

[JazzMiloPoppy in reply to stevetheadi]

Thank you.

[devonian186]

This is very early days. Appetite can fluctuate and he may prefer to have small snacks, comfort food and eat at strange times.

I needed 4x2 paracetamol every day for the pain (max dose) then all of a sudden after around 6/8 weeks I stopped taking them completely.

He will find it is 3 steps forward and 2 back as regards recovery in the first month or two

[Bluedolphin123 in reply to devonian186]

Im 4 weeks post surgery and this is spot on for me too , I’m hoping to reduce the paracetamol soon 🤞

[CyclingTime]

Completely normal, he is only 3 weeks out from a massive operation.Things improve gradually but keep doing the recommended exercises especially when you get to week 6 and the cardio nurse gives you the more stretching exercises.

Things improve quickly

[DWizza]

Hi, it sounds quite normal. I had quadruple bypass last July and was off my food for quite a while , months . In the early days some foods and drinks tasted really weird, I was told it was due to anaesthetic/pain relief . My appetite gradually came back , and taste. I also had various pains and niggles , back, shoulder and of course sternum. Has he received his cardiac rehab invite to classes ? I was told I would be invited after 3 weeks but never received anything, luckily I followed up and found that my name had been missed off the list and eventually went to the classes . Well worth going .

[Jedi14]

This is quite normal post ops. My mrs was on strong pain killers for several days and paracetomol for several weeks.

[wjb2]

I was totally unfit prior to my triple bypass and this didn’t help my recovery , but honest three weeks is still very early doors. As many have said already the surgery is really violent to your body and it takes time to heal.

Some of the horror stories our nurses told us about people thinking they would back to normal with in a few weeks and not letting their bodies repair properly.

me i’m 2 1/2 years post and loving life , yep i’ve put weight back on( naughty bill). More than i would have liked too, but back on the diet and more riding my motorcycle will cure that.

I’m 70 and shouldn’t be here to be honest my health was so bad , so my advice is keep faith and don’t rush and he will improve weekly.

[fishonabike]

Others have already shared their experience and i hope this reassures you and your husband

it might also help if he understood the nitty gritty of open heart surgery:

his chest was sliced open

his breast bone was cut open so that needs time needs to repair

his rib caged was yanked open to allow access to his heart - damaged ribs are very painful

his heart was sliced open and pulled about

all this causes swelling and bruising

also his heart is repairing so it can't work at full speed to keep him supplied with oxygen and fuel, so he will feel tired quickly and could get short of breath when he tries to do stuff - this is where it is helpful to do the breathing and other post-op exercises recomended by the physio

the pain and discomfort will be distressing for him and for you, and can cause loss of appetite, disrupted sleep and make him feel very miserable - but he will pull thorough - recovery is not instant after a major surgucal trauma like this - there will be better days and bad days, but the bad days will slowly get less bad

re: appetite - small, light, tempting morsels might be more attractive than normal meals - i remember that when i was ill as a child my mum would bring me small portions of cut up fruit and little dishes of things i liked - i know there are foods which should be avoided but there is plenty of lovely fresh soft fruit around at the moment and that might tempt him

wishing you both better times

[momander]

Hi,

This is really normal for someone in the very early stages of recovery. A heart bypass is a huge operation and he is going to take quite some time to fully recover. I had a double cabg 18 months ago, and I would honestly say that between the 3 to 6 month mark is when I felt I was getting my energy back and also my appetite. I wish your husband a continued recovery. Baby steps all the way. Lots of rest and self care and not trying to do too much too quickly

[Hidden]

Hi,

I was fit before i went in before my operation but that didnt stop my leg frow swelling that much my surgeon was shocked when i went to see him.

I walked every day bit it took the full 12 weeks till i was up to pre op pace and heart rate.

I still have nerve pain and my chest hasnt fully healed yet.