Hi! My 62 year old husband is due to have OHS for a triple bypass at Papworth this year (he had LDA stents in 2011 following a heart attack which have since failed).
We don't really have any information yet apart from that.
Any advice on what to expect during and after, what recovery looks like, things to look out for, warning signs for things being amiss, anything he may need during his hospital stay and anything we need to prepare for when he gets home would be much appreciated 🙏 I'm trying not to Google anything as I don't want to stumble upon mortality rates or anything that will send me into panic mode!
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Had triple by pass 10 years ago. No problem. They take a vein from your leg . I was out after 5 days and walking slowly for a week or two. I also had an aortic valve replaced at same time. So recovery was about 3 months in all. But that includes the heart valve. Will be shorter for your husband
Your husband is about to have a triple bypass in the best hospital in the country for this. My husband had the same many years ago, (1996 when he was 63). Before, he took four days to check tyre pressures, one a day. He was in Papworth for 7 days, and 14 days after coming home was up a tree cutting off a branch.
He had no problems with his scar or compression stockings and walked a lot rather than do specific exercises. Things have moved on since then, but how you manage things depends on you and your husband's approach. Be positive. Ask your surgeon or cardiac specialist questions. Congratulations on avoiding Dr. Google.
Hi I had mine at Papworth 2.5 years ago, the hospital is great, individual rooms so easy to sleep and recover.I was back at work after 3 months and out cycling quite large distances.
Main thing is to let him sleep when he needs to at home but make sure he does the exercises in the book they provide and then after 6 weeks then exercises from cardiac rehab. Also for walking initially you can't do a huge amount so do two smaller walks each day, the ability builds very quickly though.
If you can then he ideally needs to be in a separate bedroom as turning in bed etc is difficult initially. Do not let him lift anything remotely heavy in the first six weeks as he needs to let the wires knit to the bones.
For yourself it will feel stressful, they basically send you home from hospital and that's it, it's down to you and your husband at that point, my wife felt we had been abandoned as not even a single nurse visit. Getting the compression socks on and off every day is a challenge but you will learn the technique 😄
Good luck, and look forward to a better world. I'm super fit now after my quad bypass so it can be a life changer
I had a triple at Papworth 8 months ago and it really is the top hospital to go to. When you go to your appointments prior to the op they will provide you with everything you need including a manual to read. After the op the cardio nurses are in contact with your husband. My op went extremely well and I am now living life to the full. All the best to you and your husband x
Hi, I have recently been discharged by my cardiologist after CABG x 4 surgery in June. Brought round from sedation at 7 am in CICU following surgery the previous day; sat in chair at 8 and eating breakfast at 8:30. Went for a walk around CICU (with help) around 11. Moved to cardiac ward the following morning and was independently mobile; home 2 days later. I did have a nurse place my packed suitcase on my bed for 2 days as a hint!
You feel pretty battered and bruised for a while and sleeping propped on your back is not the best but I found I could sleep on my side between 2 and 3 weeks post op. For the first few weeks I needed a bit of a nap in the afternoon.
My chest incision was glued and healed really quickly; the 3 drain incisions took a little longer; my donor site was my right leg and the vein was harvested using keyhole surgery so that also healed relatively quickly. Although there was no incision the top of my right leg was very bruised and sore for several weeks as a tourniquet was applied whilst harvesting.
I was discharged from hospital with a limited medication regime (some people have many more) of beta-blocker and aspirin in the morning and statin and blood pressure tablet in the evening.
Although coughing is uncomfortable he'll be shown how to do breathing exercises which involves a sort of cough but it really helps to do them conscientiously when he gets home; they will aid his recovery. By far the worst is sneezing, I placed a firm hand (or 2) on my chest to limit the movement but it still wasn't a pleasant experience.
I walked every day and did more each day, was up to 12,000 steps by the end of week 3 and my wife allowed me out on my own with the dog at that point for unrestrained (the dog not me) short walks. Started cardiac rehab at 7 weeks which has been useful. Recently started cycling again.
That is my journey but everyone is different, his may be quicker or slower but as long as he is making progress that is fine.
I hope he gets a date soon and that all goes well. Regards, S
When your husband is discharged he'll be given a booklet explaining the next steps. most hospitals use pretty much the same document, here's an example,
There are two really important steps following discharge. The first is that he religiously follows his breathing/coughing exercises several times per day along with his daily walk. The lungs collapse during open heart surgery, and stay collapsed for the six or seven hours of the operation. Fully reflating the lungs is a long job, but it's absolutely critical. So even though these exercises are pretty much the last thing you feel like doing, it's important to dig deep and make the effort.
The second important step is that he signs up for a Cardio Rehab course. This is organised by the hospital and commences roughly six to eight weeks after discharge. Cardio Rehab explains is clear and patient steps exactly what you need to do and why. Bypass surgery and stents don't actually cure us, but they buy us some time for life style changes and medication to slow down the inexorable march of our heart disease (atherosclerosis).
I had bypass surgery nearly six years ago, and the intervening period has been some of the best years of my life. I really doubled down on life style changes; exercising regularly, losing weight, eating healthy food in moderation, and now I feel virtually twenty years younger.
The first few weeks following surgery are no walk in the park, but if your husband knuckles down and adopts a seriously healthy life style, then there's every chance he'll also enjoy a tremendous recovery.
I had two stents, AVR and CABG in Papworth in May/June 2023. I cannot praise them enough.
I was walking two miles non stop within three weeks, prior to surgery I’d have to stop to recover after 300 yards or so. I now do a 5k (3 mile) run most weeks. I’m not a runner, never ran regularly before my operation. I’m now 72.
Post surgery rehab classes are essential, I still do a post cardiac rehab class most weeks as well.
I was nervous, two family members had CABG surgery, one was incapacitated after a stroke in theatre, the other died a couple of years ago just shy of 100, some 30 years or more after surgery. Anybody who says they weren’t nervous is either lying or a fool.
My donor graft for the CABG came from my left leg, the scar is all but invisible now, my chest scar is more obvious but only if I get very cold or hot. I’ve lost 2 stone in weight since surgery and I am slowly losing a bit more, my BMI is in the normal range.
I live a completely normal life apart from daily medication and limiting my alcohol consumption. My local hospital cardiac unit have said they don’t need to see me until 2026. My GP practice see me once a year for a ‘long term condition’ review, it’s almost impossible to see them any other time.
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