Hallo Everyone I am the lady who was in a tizz over my husband's triple by pass operation recently. Well he finally had the surgery last Tuesday and seemed to be recovering well. Then on the fourth day he had arterial fibulation which knocked him back . He is now on strong medication ( Ampilodine?? ) to help control it and he slowly has to reduce the dose after 3 weeks. He came home yesterday afternoon. Since then he has spent much of his time either asleep in bed or in an armchair. Is this usual ?? I worry that he should be attempting to move around at least a little bit to help his circulation. He's also very depressed but I guess after such a major event that's understandable. I don't know how to move forward in helping him.
Thankyou
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Wheezy54
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I had a double bypass and I made myself walk 3 to 4 times a day around 1km each time by week 3 I was up to 3kms on the one go.My leg where they took my sapheous vein did swell and was very painfull but I pushed through the pain.
Before my op, I averaged around 13k steps.
It's best to excercise each and every day and walking is best to build up stamina and improve overall heart function.
I now cycle regularly and so far since April I have cycled 2600kms.
all of us recover at different rates, it sounds pretty normal from my experience. Our body has been hit with a ‘bus’ , shock, pain, loss, fear are just some of the emotions we may experience yet alone the physical ones. The best advise is to follow the advice of the cardio team, call your link person if you perceive a problem and allow your body to sleep when needed. Bless you guys, it’s a marathon not a sprint for many of us.
Good morning....if your husband is feeling low this will most probably have an effect on him feeling any motivation to do anything. It is really important to get up and move around as being imobile can cause muscle wastage which will lead to general weakness. Perhaps have a word with you doctor or the cardiology team/nurse just incase anything else is causing him to feel unable to move about. Open heart surgery can be quite traumatic in itself and is a massive shock to ones body and everyone recovers differently. Tiredness is one of the things that comes with it but I think most who have had OHS will agree that you must push yourself to get moving and active again. I hope his situation improves and he feels better soon xx
Although the operation is pretty routine these days it is still very major.
You should have been given notes as to what to do and what to expect.
We are all different but your husbands reaction seems completely normal. He must rest , not try to do too much and will experience considerable ups and downs, taking 2 steps forward and 1 back. He shouldn't try and lift anything and gradually build up the walking which at first will be a few yards then get extended. Having said that, he should try to do a little walking each day from the start, and not constantly sit around.
Assuming he is around the same age as you it might be at least 6 weeks before the pain, anxiety, depression has receded.
His recovery will depend on his health before the operation. If he is the right weight and had a good diet and took appropriate exercise then his recovery will likely be smoother than those who were not already in a pretty good shape.
After my triple bypass all I wanted to do was sleep - you don’t get any in the hospital - but I couldn’t! So I think your husband is simply doing what his body wants to do, rest and recover from what is a pretty big operation.
That said, it’s important to start getting a little exercise even if it’s just walking from the living room to the kitchen occasionally. To answer your question, I think your role would be to encourage him to do that. But gently.
If he thinks he is depressed it’s important for him to contact your GP. A CABG is an emotional rollercoaster. Certainly, I was sad, confused and tearful for a few weeks after mine. But talking about it and your feelings is the key to dealing with the emotions. Your GP and/or the cardiac nurses on this site will support both of you.
This is major surgery and it will take time to get back to any kind of normality. I was quite badly thrown emotionall by a hip replace and your husbands surgery was way more serious. Time and your loving care and attention will help enormously.
Hi I had my triple bypass 3 months ago and also developed the a fib on day 4 and put on the same medication which was really scary for me even if I didn't say it to those around me at the time. I also struggled when I got home to come to terms with it. For the first couple of weeks I just plodded round the house and into the garden it wasn't until about week 3-4 that I started to be in a better place and able to get out for short walks along the street which gradually built up . I'm able to do 3 to 4 miles a day now just took me a little longer to get there but we are all different 🙂The first couple of days are hard having a shower exhausted me and having it standing rather than sitting like in hospital is a win. Even going to the kitchen to get your own drink is good so encourage him to try and do stuff for himself even if it makes him grumpy. Hopefully as the days go on he will get more mobile and less sleepy as I did and get his circulation going xx
I was on amlopodine for about 8 weeks till I saw my surgeon and my sternum healed up. They then swapped me onto ramapril which didn’t agree so then went onto another med
Had it a couple of times the first few days I was home and none since. 🙂 been off the medication about 2 months now and no issues hoping to come off the blood thinners when I see the consultant (if I ever do lol) as he said if no a fib for 2 months I could . As I said was really worried when it happened but all good now just takes time to get your head round it all . Just message any time if I can help xx
I had stents 3 put in on January and amlodapine/Istin seriously. Disagreed with me and brought my spirits right down very quickly.. On day 3 after stents I was crying and sleeping.. Cardiac nurse and my consultant said to come off it and within 4 days I was back to myself.. Cheery and exhausted from the procedure but good mentally... Istin affects people differently and we as pharm techs watch for it... Maybe ask to replace the drug with another BP drug that won't bring his mood down.I was also on aspirin 75 coated... And as a child has a reaction to it so I was taking painkillers and difene to dampen the stiffness and sore joints.... I got the all clear from cardiac doc last Wednesday week and have come off aspirin but remain on a blood thinner and it's like I am me again.. Energy almost doubled in 2 days.. Off difene and solpadol 500.. And feel normal again.. The shock of a cardiac procedure altho without a heart attack is quite difficult to deal with and severe exhaustion is frightening.. But the Istin and aspirin really floored me
I was in a similar situation. Had 3xCABG last Dec. day 3/4 my HR shot up to 170. I was on amlopodine and on ECG for 48 hours till it came back to normal. On return from hospital I was totally wiped out. Walking up stairs to the loo I needed a chair in the bathroom to sit down for 10 minutes to recover. I had a shower chair as standing for too long was too much. The chair was also good for brushing my teeth and washing.
However, it’s so vital to start walking. At first it was literally 5 mins 4x a day. Just up and down my drive at a really slow pace. The breathing/coughing exercises need to be done every hour and get out the chair to stand up every hour as well. This is so vital to prevent blood clots and lung problems. It’s very hard in those early days as you are depressed. His body has taken an unbelievable battering and another person has held his heart in their hands. Slowly build up walking adding extra minutes but less times. I’m now 9 months gone and on holiday in Portugal. I exercise hard for 45/50 minutes every day. We have a lovely pool so I’m swimming now.
It’s doesn’t seem like but these times do pass and you will look back and you will hardly remember them. I feel and look fantastic so don’t give in. You’ve both been through a tremendous fight but the worst is over. Sending love and prayers for a speedy recovery. I’m 64
I also had AF briefly after CABGx3 in April. Surgeon and GP recommended small increase in Bisoprolol which fixed it after a few days. Tiredness is a real issue but just the body saying it needs time to recover. 5 months on and I still have waves of tiredness particularly if I’ve been busy doing something. Just listen to your body is the best advice a nurse gave me. Exercise - even small walks building up each day - is really important and will help recovery. I am sure your hubby will be back to his old self in no time. I’m 5 months on and feeling much better apart from the odd bout of tiredness and some numbness near my scars. Good luck!
you have already had plenty of helpful suggestions for others but it may be helpful for you to understand that your husband's body has experienced a very traumatic procedure: he was anesthetized (enough to leave anyone tired for ages), his skin was sliced open, his sternum (chest bone) was cut with an power saw, then his ribs were cranked open
I won't take you through the rest, but it involves a lot of damage and repair
anyone going through this is bound to be exhausted
Then your body had to focus its resources on repairing the wounds and warding off infection, while the heart is not functioning at full efficiency to supply the materials
I hope that begins to explain why you husband needs to rest and sleep
Also he might be terrified of moving because he fears damaging all the work done and is finding it painful to move and breathe - he may also be thinking that he will never get back to doing what he loves and feeling terrified of what the future will be like for him and you - and this is often worse for people who are usually active and healthy
so he would be superhuman if he were bouncing around like a puppy
meanwhile nobody prepared you for what this would be like, so I hope that you find the help and support you need her and among your friends and family - looking after yourself will be extra important at the moment, so please try to get some help occasionally so that you can take some time out
one thing I have not seen much mention of yet is breathing exercises - your husband should have been shown what to do by physios in hospital - info is also available online (e.g. guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/heal... along with more about other advice on walking etc - getting moving often needs to be balanced with pain relief so it helps to make sure the pain is controlled before exercise
also constipation can become an issue when using pain relief and being less active, so if your husband is not eating enough fibre, drinking plenty and not moving around much he may need to start taking something gentle to help keep things moving - he may already be taking something or have been sent home with something
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