Vein harvesting site oozing blood 2 weeks post CABG surgery

[WorriedWife24]

My husband had a double bypass on 2 October and last Thursday the top of his leg wound began to bleed (very little). Has anyone else experienced this. There is no infection as far as I can see but it is and always has been a little swollen. Eventually got a District nurse to agree to assess and dress it but she didn't turn up! My husband also has a chest infection and has been told not to go out, he also caught COVID while in hospital so waiting around in A&E is not something we want to do.

[fishonabike]

iI'm sorry to hear this - if you have a number for the district nurses you could try contacting them to arrange a visit asap - in the meantime you could call 111, they can arrange for a GP visit among other things

if you can wait until tomorrow, you coul try contacting your husband's cardiology team (there should be a number on his discharge letter on on the relevant part if the hospital website)

p.s. if the wound is still seeping you could apply more dressing material (or layers clean kitchen towel ) on top of the current dressing, rather than disturbing it, and change that as necessary, but please focus on getting attention as this is only a temporary measure

[WorriedWife24 in reply to fishonabike]

I should say here that about an hour after I posted the district nurse turned up, knew nothing about the Friday appointment but we were so grateful to see her we didn't pursue the matter. However many thanks for your reply it was so helpful and informative .. One of our problems is the hospital that performed the surgery is over 300miles away so I have dismissed any possibility of help from that quarter. We are now reassured that although there is a slight haematoma it should dissipate over time also we have two more visits scheduled. Again thank you so much, I was never sure how helpful 111 could be.

[fishonabike in reply to WorriedWife24]

i'm glad for you that someone showed up - i used to be a distric nurse (pre mobile phones) and understand how worrying stuations like your can be - 111 can be very helpful and i have used them myself, generally with a helpful or very helpful outcome

even though the hospital is 300 miles away they should advise on post-op care, even if they don't provide actual follow-up, although it might be energy sapping to track down someon who is willing to listen!

[WorriedWife24 in reply to fishonabike]

We did contact the hospital when the wound on his forearm began to bleed and they did help saying apply pressure until the bleed stopped. But they couldn't tell us if it was a vein or an artery. I'm afraid I rang 999 who came, removed the dressing, cleaned the small cut and put an elastoplast on it. Felt embarrassed and guilty. I should say we were still away from home as we all had COVID and needed to recover before going home so there was no point contacting our own GP. Very reassured by your comments re 111, thank you

[Mancunian1]

hi. I had very similar experience to your husband, I’m 8 weeks post double cabg tomorrow. It will settle I am certain of that, it ironically usually takes longer than the main chest wound to settle but settle it will.

I had ( am still having) an issue with a few randomly placed stitches ( polypropylene I thin) at the top and bottom of the incision still in when they should apparently have been dissolvable ones but I’m back at the wound clinic tomorrow to have them out…

Good luck with your husband and his recovery, for me I can honestly say at around 6 weeks I felt like I had turned a corner and have been improving steadily since then getting out and doing 4000-6000 steps a day.

[WorriedWife24 in reply to Mancunian1]

Thank you so much for your reassuring reply, so good to hear from someone whose been there. I am amazed how well my husband is doing given that he will be 79 tomorrow. He does have bad days, recovery doesn't happen in a straight line but I was prepared for that. I wish you well with your own recovery.

[Mancunian1 in reply to WorriedWife24]

Hi. Anytime, that’s the really great thing about this forum as everyone seems to have had very relevant experiences and so can speak from first hand experience. I’d forgot to factor in the blood thinning as I had a second one added after my platelet count stubbornly refused initially to come down and they couldn’t rule out inflammation as the cause. But at the grand age your husband is ( I’m only 58 by comparison) he sounds to be doing remarkably well and my best wishes go out to him for a very good recovery.

[WorriedWife24 in reply to Mancunian1]

Yes, this really is a great forum, I found such comfort and reassurance when my husband was first told he needed bypass surgery. He is only on aspirin, no idea of his platelets count. I am currently struggling to get him to do his breathing exercises (they make him cough) but we have a visit from the cardiac nurse scheduled for Wednesday maybe she can convince him. Many thanks for your good wishes, straight back at you!

[T666]

hi I’m CABG X3 had exactly the same experience. Fortunately, whilst I was still in hospital ( I was in for 2 months

Scary and worrying experience extra but not over, pressure and dressing to the wound

The body has been severely attacked by a surgeon with a knife this is then further challenged with blood thinners

The course of action short term as above. If excessive bleeding 999 or 111 and, I can see from subsequent replies … get a medically qualified person to check it out in person and face to face

Hopefully it is now all resolved and I wish you both well 😁

[WorriedWife24 in reply to T666]

Thankfully now have direct access to the districts nurses. As you say blood thinners don't help the problem either. Having soaked up a lot of information from this forum about what to expect post surgery I thought I was prepared for any eventuality - Ha! It's the sheer tenacity one needs to get anything done - it took one whole day, phone calls with receptionists, nurses, two different doctors to get them to agree to send a district nurse who eventually arrived 2 days late. So sorted until the next time. Many thanks for your good wishes and I hope your own health is on the mend.

[maggie80]

Hi, have you phoned the doctors or spoken the secretary who works for the Heart Surgeon.

[WorriedWife24 in reply to maggie80]

It was my intention to ring the cardiac nurse who was assigned to my husband this morning had the district nurse not eventually arrived on Sunday. Thanks for your reply.

[MumaLines]

I had an oozing wound 2 weeks after surgery so I called the ward I was on for my bypass. They were amazing and arranged for their lead nurse to look at it x Good job I did as it was infected so needed a small drainage device inserted. Not sure how your husband could do that as he can’t go out but it needs to be looked at especially as he has been badly let down with the nurse not showing up 😊

How can a nurse not show up to someone who has just had a Bypass 🤦‍♀️ Let us know how you get on and don’t panic x

[WorriedWife24 in reply to MumaLines]

Thankfully a district nurse did arrive two days later. Also because my husband is on antibiotics for a chest infection it may have helped stave off any infection. We were told there was a small haematoma which will take time to dissipate. My husband's surgery took place 300 miles away so I've more or less discounted them. How long did it take for your wound to heal? Appreciate your reply especially "don't panic" which is my normal reaction to things

[MumaLines]

that’s good news x Please don’t panic as it’s common and mine was all clear in 2-3 weeks 😊

[WorriedWife24 in reply to MumaLines]

The district nurse came again today and the wound is looking very much better, not oozing blood anymore and the swelling has gone down. Thank you so much - panic over.

[MumaLines]

Wonderful x

[cometwatcher1927]

good evening

Sorry to hear of your issues

Hope your husband gets well soon sincerely

I’m 10 week - 4 x CABG

Did the hospital not send you home with surgical dressings . My leg continued to bleed around the knee joint for a couple weeks , seemed ok for a few days then returned in the morning

As when I vent my knee seemed to open it up not seal

Got a surgical wound infection above he ankle and very large oedema left leg

Still bothers me today everyday and cannot wear a shoe , just slippers n crocs 10 weeks later

what I was told and found is that these issues arise and be patient it’s a matter of weeks not days .

Infections are quite common and some end up back in hospital

the care I received is and was excellent , but communication post op between the consultants , heart nurses , doc surgery could be improved

Wishing you best wishes

[WorriedWife24 in reply to cometwatcher1927]

Many thanks for your reply. Yes we had one dressing only and I did buy more. Thankfully the district nurse is now on the case. The wound seemed to be healing nicely however my husband has now resumed his walks (after chest infection cleared up) and it seems to have opened up again despite the nurse assuring us it was OK to walk on it. So sorry to hear about your problems, patience isn't always easy is it. I can see that an incision passing the knee joint must cause problems and I do hope it is resolved soon. Are you able to get out and walk? I know my husband found it difficult, both mentally and physically while he was confined to the house.

I certainly agree about communication problems, it took me a whole day and numerous phone calls to get help. Now we are on the radar, we have had a visit from Cardio Nurse and all seems to be progressing. I wish you well with your continuing recovery.

[cometwatcher1927]

good afternoon

Pleased to hear hubby getting better

I used the square dressings which st one stage was going through 2 -3 a day

Looking back bought an extra pack from Amazon .

Waking is one of my main hobbies and pursuits , good for the old mind body n soul

This morning I walked locally about 2 miles , then called on way back to get shopping had lunch , then had about 90 mins sleep on couch . I’m pretty slow walking and get tired easily .

I did a similar distance on Monday . These days I go where there a plenty of people about as I’ve lost my confidence to be out in the wilds as previous

Yesterday did some gardening so getting plenty of exercise some days

I had a six week review and the main issue was my swollen leg , the consultants panicked and thought I had a blood clot , but I didn’t thankfully - trouble is the water tablets I’m on have affected my kidneys , I’m having weekly blood tests and a change in meds been mentioned

I get twinges around my heart area from time to time which can be quite painful . Though I’ve hardly used the codeine painkillers

I’ve talked to people who had a bypass and they say they are a new man etc - yes you are to a certain extent , but I’m no where fully fit to say that

[WorriedWife24 in reply to cometwatcher1927]

Good to hear you're getting out and gardening as you say both great for your physical and mental health. My husband is doing 2 x 20 minutes for now. He used to walk miles every day with our dog but we sadly lost him about a month before the surgery. He had a double bypass, was supposed to be triple and we are asking why that wasn't done, but he has just turned 79 so I think he is doing well. I suppose everyone's recovery is different with the various problems that arise. I do hear from everyone including his cardiac nurse that walking is the best exercise. Although we do have a problem finding flat areas for him to walk as we live in a hilly coastal area.

I do wish you all the best for your continued recovery and I hope you get your meds sorted. From others on here I've learnt recovery is a slow process and never straightforward.

[cometwatcher1927]

the other thing I would say is read this forum - other people’s trials tribulations , which are common - I’ve thought am I the only one with a few issues and no I’m not by far .

There is a time delay between the various medical departments updating your records too . One say not to take a med , start these , other not aware of the changes etc - one stage was booked for a review not even had ecg yet !