After the initial shock of needing a bypass after a heart attack, I was discharged from hospital having what felt like the sweats and palpitations in my chest, neck and back, reassuringly the ECG at hospital was normal.
It turned out I had a chest infection, meaning I spent another week in hospital and now the wound is slightly infected so I am in another course of antibiotics.
I was discharged from hospital with very little info on what to expect, the after care hasn’t been great.
I eventually phoned the BHF cardiac nurse and she explained everything to me, I got more info from her in 30 mins than I had speaking to consultants and doctors over 3 weeks in hospital.
I’m really hoping that week 4 will be the start of some proper recovery where I start to feel better.
Unfortunately I’m on immunosuppressants for so I’m thinking this could be why my recovery hasn’t been as straight forwards as others.
Blimey this has been a roller coaster ride for sure. Has anyone got any advice how to deal with the emotional side of recovery?
Thanks for reading, sorry my story isn’t so upbeat!
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Poppy-Pops
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I had a triple Bypass and I soon realised that everyone's recovery is different some get back up really quick and others me included take longer but that does not matter what matters is eventually we get there and so will you
I got an infection right at the bottom of my scar and it was a nuisance getting it to heal I had to have it dressed every day for weeks but it eventually healed and again so will yours
I am so pleased the BHF Nurses helped so much they are really good and explain so much so that is a positive
The emotional side of recovery is a tricky one some seem to not suffer to much after yet others struggle a lot more myself included again
But we have to think what our bodies have been through it is a big operation our minds can be slower in processing it all this is quite normal
I think accepting how you feel and letting yourself know it is normal for lots to feel this way but it will get better with time this is very early days
When you feel down try distracting yourself watch a movie or something you like a nice bath anything you enjoy till these feelings ease
Be kind to yourself and I mean that nurse yourself like you would offer to do for a friend going through this
Have a good cry if you feel like one and talk about how you feel do not keep it all in and try and deal with it on your own
Things will get better and don't compare your recovery with anyone elses because you are you and they are them we have been through the same thing but we are still individuals but know in your own time you will get there
Thank you BeKind 28 for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.
My infection is at the bottom too just going under the boob, luckily I have seen the practice nurse and she’s dressed it. I’m lucky my daughters have been helping me shower and seen the wound, so they keep an eye on things.
You’re right I need to adjust to what’s happened. I only lost my Mum 20 months ago, so have broken down on many occasions as she was my go to throughout life for 58 years, the tears flow freely I’m afraid, despite trying to be strong and holding things together for everyone else.
Think I’ve had a bit of a wake up call, maybe partial retirements on the cards xx
Mine was right at the bottom in-between my breasts so it did not help that it was hard to get any air to it but eventually we got there even though at one stage I did wonder if we ever would
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your Mum I lost mine 21 years ago now she was only 65 and she was my go to person always the one that could calm me down and I still miss her just as much today
Try and imagine what she would be saying to you if you close your eyes and imagine
It has been a lot for you to deal with in a short space of time and you should not force yourself to stay strong I think that adds extra pressure when we do sometimes we need to allow ourselves to be the one that others help rather than we thinking we need to be strong for them we to our human and need help sometimes
You sound like you have two lovely Daughters supporting you even though having grown up children myself my emotional state I do not like to worry them with that but other things I accept their support but if you have friends or family confide in them how you feel and you can let your Daughters know as much as you are feeling this is harder to deal with emotionally than you thought it would be
It will get better though honestly this really is early days you need to give yourself time go at your own pace and eventually I know you will be doing a more positive post and I look forward to seeing it x
One of the most important elements in a successful recovery from open heart surgery is daily breathing, coughing, and walking exercises. Your lungs take a terrible battering during open heart surgery, they effectively collapse and remain collapsed for the entire five or six hours of the operation. Fully reflating them is a long, long job; but how well you judge your recovery to be progressing is largely a function of how well you're reflating your lungs.
The last thing most of feel like when we've been discharged is a daily walk and multiple rounds of deep breathing/coughing exercises. But dig deep and get it done, it genuinely makes a huge difference.
The second key factor is to get yourself enrolled on a six week cardio rehab course. This should be organised by the hospital about six to eight weeks after discharge. You'll learn so much, and all in a safe and supportive environment with some wonderfully experienced specialist nurses and a group of friendly people experiencing exactly the same issues as you!
It's been over five years since my bypass surgery, and they've honestly been some of the best years of my life. Sure, the first couple of months are pretty tough, but in the long run it really is all worth it. So dig deep and get the hard yards done now...put the effort in up front and you can look forward to an outstanding Christmas and New Year! Seriously, my wife and I are now the first couple on the dance floor and the last to leave...and if you stick to the programme you'll have exactly the same zest for life.
Many thanks for the recovery plan Chappychap, I didn’t receive such a detailed plan, I guess because I had a heart attack on the Friday and bypass the following Tuesday with a move between hospitals in between.
The chest infection and being in hospital has hindered my recovery for sure as I was on a heart monitor for another week on an assessment ward.
I’m thinking i’ve lost about 2 weeks walking now, looking at my watch I was averaging 55 mins walking daily and now it’s 5, so slowly I can start to build on the length and times gradually.
I had to telephone the rehab team Thursday to let them know about me, and they contacted me Friday to arrange dates at week 6, so that’s another step forward.
The BHF nurse mentioned pottering around the house and climbing stairs which I do during the day. So all is not lost.
Thanks for your help! I’m sure once I’ve seen the rehab team and know my boundaries I will feel much happier.
Hi poppy-pops I think Bekind and Chappychap have covered it all. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you feel better very soon. Good luck 🍀🍀take care and please keep us updated 😊🌞X.
Excellent advice so far from BeKind and Chappy Chap. Unfortunately there isn't that much support once you've been discharged from hospital. That shortcoming affected my wife rather than myself. I was just concentrating on taking each day as it came, listening to my body as I had been advised I should.
As regards the emotional side of recovery, try to keep positive and look to the future. Take note of what you are achieving and not what you hoped you would achieve. Slowly you will find that you are achieving more and more, often making improvements on a daily basis. I recorded my progress, but thats just me, a bit OCD. 😀 Even those of us that were very fit before our op have found that it knocked us down more than we expected. I was walking in the Cheviots a few days before my op. Afterwards I couldn't even walk up the slope on our road. I didn't let it get me down and took it slowly and soon I was walking miles.
I wish you all the best for your recovery. Life will get better.
Thanks Gerald, I’m with you on the ocd thing, I’ve got a diary that I’ve completed some days, apart from the hazy hospital days.
I will keep trying to improve every day, I’ve walked this similar situation 4 years ago after sepsis, I had to learn to walk again, sheer determination and grit got me back to health.
Thanks for your words, I do feel better knowing this will get better the more effort I put in.
Yes, well just take it steady and it should come naturally. A diary note is a great way of recording your progress. I appended my notes to my blood pressure readings. Looking back, I see from not being able to walk up a slope after coming out of hospital, I was managing 1 mile at two weeks post op and generally adding a mile a week. Some days good, some bad of course. Alkways important to keep positive. At 8 weeks post op I managed to walk 10 miles non-stop in 3 hours which I recall I was very pleased with. At six months post op I was back climbing hills in Scotland with my friend and out-walking him... and he's 5 years younger than me! Now 6 years on, I find I have more issues with other bits of my body than my cardio-vascular system... oh the joys of getting older! 😁
Crickey that’s some serious miles walking from week 2 to week 8, my pre-op walks were 4-5 km a day, I’m sure once my confidence grows my pace will increase and I’ll be able to take my dog on her favourite walks again, I have a 38 kilo German Shepherd so walking her isn’t an option right now, my daughters are doing it.
Long may you continue to have lovely walks and may your other ailments be minor. Thanks ever so Gerald .
38 kilo German Shepherd.... hmm, yes you're certainly right to wait until you can handle her. On one of my walks I met a guy with an Akita - lovely dog, but at 50 kilos it was apparently not easy to cope with when it wanted to sit on the owner's knee! 😂
Hi Poppy-Pops, sorry to hear that you haven’t got much info , not even discharge notes on your condition , meds and rehab ? Did you see a physio while in hospital before discharge to home ? I had quadruple bypass July 2023 following Nstemi heart attack on 13th July 2023, was transferred from Maidstone hospital to Pembury for angiogram then back to Maidstone and on to St Thomas’s in London where I had 2 cancellations waiting ( industrial action and an over run operation on another patient) eventually had surgery on 25th July ..
I also had an infection in my chest wound, very stubborn to clear up, about 3 courses of antibiotics but it did clear up.
Follow up your rehab classes, my name was left off the schedule , I hadn’t heard anything after 2 weeks so I followed up. Rehab for me was great but not always linear . Very much up and then a couple of downs . Walking was the foundation , managed to get to 5k then started adding efforts in , just quicker for a minute or two repeated. Keeping arms in a tube, was the description by physios when lifting things at home such as a kettle. Keeping arms close to body , no strain on sternum.
Mental recovery … that really is different, I’m sure I had /have a touch of PTSD, certain things I couldn’t race watching on TV, loud noises really sent me in a tizz.. a year on and I’m a lot better , almost back to normal 👍🏻. I was very fit and strong prior to heart attack , it was a huge shock to everyone, even the doctor at hospital that did my troponin count thought he was sending me home as I was walking about the A&E corridors looking healthy 🤦🏼.. it takes time to sink in, acceptance really helps and acknowledging that we have a rebirth and a new opportunity.
One job to do , keep those new pipes clear , small changes in nutrition, reduce salt and sugar , cut out ultra processed foods as much as possible but still enjoy the odd treat when appropriate at functions, birthdays , celebrations. I’m living life to the full , I was back on my motorbike within 3 months , working round my farm within 4, back to yoga classes after 6 months, running 5k park runs , passed my full motorbike test and bought a Harley Davidson in 11 months , camped at a 3 day music festival.. it really is a rebirth.
Wishing you a speedy and comfortable recovery , make the most of the support on here and you spread know how good the BHF nurses are 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻❤️❤️❤️
Thanks DEizza, I remember seeing a physio after coming out of HDU where I stayed for 5 days because I needed a blood transfusion and potassium top ups.
Literally walked me up the ward on a Friday and re-assessed on the Monday fit to discharge, when I got home I did start walking up to 6 mins 3 times a day but then the chest infection hit and back in hospital for a week.
The tube thing I’d forgotten about in my tramodol haze, l was reaching a bit, so trying to stop that.
I’m on it with the rehab team, so that’s positive.
Same as you when I went in to A& E the doctors didn’t think it was a heart attack until the Triponin count trebled in 2 hours, even then it was a minor heart attack , the cardiologist said we’re doing an angiogram to put stents in, then revealed I needed a double bypass and when operating discovered it was triple.
You have done amazing, a real inspiration, not that I will ever have the urge to ride a motorbike 🤣. Partial to the 80s festivals but then that’s my era, so if Cookhams on next year that’s a definite!
Understand how you feel. The emotional impact is huge and very hard to accept and get used to. I found this site invaluable. It’s comforting to know that there people out there that have been through the same and know exactly what you are going through. My HA was 6 weeks ago and looking back I think the best advice was to rest and give your body time to recover and heal from the initial event. I hope in time you get chance to go on a Cardio rehab programme. It will give you the confidence and strength to start to rebuild your health and chance to meet and talk to people who understand.
Good luck with your recovery, better days are on their way 😊
Hi I had a double cabg 19 months ago. The emotional side of the recovery was the worst for me. No one told me what to expect. Luke tou, I got very little advice whilst I hospital and the aftercare was very poor. I was discharged with a bag of medication and that was it!! BHF we're very helpful, as we're CHSS. Maybe it depends on the hospital?? Unfortunately, mi e wasn't the best experience
I am very very grateful to the surgeon as he definitely saved my life, bit the staff in the cardiology thoracic ward were not the best, especially the doctors. The students were the kindest!! I hope you co ti ie ro recover well a d ger stronger every day. Take care.
So sorry to hear you're having a tough time but good to hear the BHF nurses were so helpful. My husband's CABG is scheduled for 2 October and he feels the need to talk to someone about what to expect, so I will suggest he contacts them. I do hope things improve for you soon. Having read the experiences of many on here 4 weeks is early on in recovery. Good luck.
I found my bypass (6 grafts) recovery like being dumped into a body I didn't know and didn't trust anymore. Once I started doing the physio and going back to a normal life, things got a lot easier.
Nearly 5 years post surgery, i almost forget I ever had it done.
So here I am again 4 weeks post op, one of my scar sights has virtually healed, the sternum hasn’t quite healed but apparently isn’t infected.
I have started going out for little walks this week, saw the doctor yesterday as my blood pressure has been on the low side, so she has stopped the furosemide and lowered the bisoprolol to 1.25 mg.
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