I had over 2 years of chest pain. I have eight hospital admissions with chest pain via ambulance .We have a big family history of stents and a bypasses Which was only found to be needed after angiogram. . So I asked for angiogram over 2 years ago which was rejected. The pain I got so bad I couldn't get up the stairs, have a shower or walk more than five steps without collapsing with chest pain. I was told it was reflux and there was nothing wrong with me.
I booked in with the spire for a private angiogram which was done a week later. I expected a stent with my symptoms and was absolutely floored when I was told I needed a triple heart bypass. A week later while I was waiting for an op date, I had a big heart attack and was admitted for my bypass. I then learnt on my previous eight admissions my blood's indicated heart attack and I was sent home and nobody can understand why.
I am now 13 weeks post triple bypass. I can honestly say it has been the worst experience of my Life. The first 6 weeks were the absolute worst and I thought I was getting a little bit better but now the pain in my sternum just will not go away. I'm not sure how I should be healing.
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Strawberrycrisp
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I am sorry what you have been through but really glad you got that angiogram done privately even though you had your heart attack before you got your date for the op but you have now had it done which is good
I had 3 heart attacks and they kept telling me I would be fine on meds but when I had the 3rd one and they were all in a few months of each other I insisted they did an angiogram and straight away it showed I needed a triple Bypass
When it comes to the healing of the sternum I think we can all heal at different rates some quicker than others mine was painful still at your stage but slowly it improved you have to be careful you are not over doing things like lifting heavy things etc
Has the pain got any worse from when you first had your op , is there a little improvement ? if there is none at all then I would speak with my Doctor or if you have the Rehab Nurses number you could give them a ring
Also you could phone the BHF Nurses who are very helpful
You have been through quite an experience and sometimes that makes us worry more after the op but get it checked out if you are not happy but I think even though we can only share how things were for us that unless it is getting worse you maybe just a bit slower in healing even though it is still early days
I am sure others when they see your post will share their experiences with you
Let us know how you get on x
Heart Helpline team on 0300 330 3311 Mon-Fri 9-5pm
well strawberrycrisp / this is very familiar to me as I had to wait 14 months for the angio despite bad angina /so severe it resulted in my inability to work and subsequent career end.
Need I say / you are a woman!
During my first angio the interventional cardiologist said that I needed a tripple but they then put 4 stents in. My regular cardiologist was so convinced I may only have one blockage even though like you / huge family history on my mothers side - I lost my mother after 5 heart attacks!
Since then I’ve had 2 heart attacks and after nearly dying from the last one this July I demanded a consultation with a woman surgeon, she has now spent time looking at my case and admitted there must have been an error in the decision 12 years ago as I should have had a tripple .
She is now on standby - currently my arteries are ok but with 7 stents currently. If they get te blocked I will receive CABG.
The result of the latest MI is heart failure!
You do not give your age or location - I’m in London and 70 now - it all began in my 50’s post menopause.
I wonder if you have been trying to do too much? It is quite normal for the sternum to take very many months to feel better-some people still have twinges 2 years after the event.
You have likely lost a lot of fitness which in your case will have been difficult to get back. You should have had hospital notes and exercises and do and don'ts. There is a moderate path between doing too much and doing too little.
Genie macaroni! “I then learnt on my previous eight admissions my blood's indicated heart attack and I was sent home and nobody can understand why.” I presume you are referring to troponin count indicating the heart attack?
My nstemi was confirmed by a troponin count , luckily for me the doctor at A&E did a second test as he was not convinced by my first result that came back at 74. The second test came back at at 402 confirming my heart attack. I was kept in and sent for angiogram the next day , I thought I’d be having a stent or two but was nonplussed when the doctor said “no stents for you , it’s cabbage (CABG )” I had no idea what he was talking about and said I liked cabbage and broccoli 🤦🏼.. then he explained Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery..I ended up with quadruple bypass. I had a stubborn infection in my sternum wound that needed a few courses of antibiotics. The sternum pain was noticeable for the first 6-8 months , it has settled down really well since surgery 25th July 2023 but I still very mindful of it. If your pain is still giving you concern I would certainly encourage you to contact your consultant , usually via their secretary. When is your next follow up , it’s very early days and you should also be invited to cardiac rehab classes . You could also speak to the BHF online or telephone nurses for some immediate advice , I have used this facility a number of times for peace of mind and obtained great advice.
As for the previous possible negligence, you might want to contact that hospital Patient Advice Liaison Service PALS) regarding starting a complaint ?
Sending strength and wishing you a comfortable recovery. Please keep us updated .
Luckily I haven’t had the need to use it, however there are others on here that have. It might be worth doing a search and see what posts come or do another post , explain again and ask for others experiences in following up complaints .
Hello, I had a quadruple bypass and a replacement heart valve Nov 2021. It took twelve months for me to feel like myself. I could never understand why I needed the operation. Just had the one dizzy bout . The front does hurt. Don't pick anything heavy up. It takes time. You'll get there. Take Care
I a very sorry to hear about the repeated missed diagnoses you had to go through before getting the treatment you needed.
Unfortunately recovery after this sort of surgery can be long and slow. The subject comes up fairly often. Here is a link to the response I gave a similar poster last week, this saves me typing it all again! Just ignore the bit about dogs, unless they apply to you🙂 healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...
After being told repeatedly over 4 years by different GPs, a chest pain clinic nurse and a cardiologist during a stress echo that I had costochondritis a specialist heart nurse said this time last year, 'The only way we can eliminate any issues with your heart is to do an angiogram.' Whilst still lying flat on the table in March the cardiologist lent across and asked, ' Do you want me to refer you to Southampton or the Brompton?' In June I had CABG x 4. 6 months in I still get twinges but my sturnum is generally comfortable but I still brace my chest to sneeze (probably habit.) However, at 6 weeks I absolutely dreaded a sneeze and coughing was uncomfortable and I felt every movement. At 12 weeks I still disliked sneezing but things were generally more comfortable. Post rehab I could do a lot more with only minor discomfort. We all need time to heal, some longer than others but that doesn't matter, just make sure you give yourself the time you need. Good luck and a happy New Year.
Thank you so much for everybody's input, it does help. I am due to start cardiac rehabilitation middle of January and am hoping that will help. It has been put off until now as it was found during vein mapping for bypass that I had 3 blocked arteries in my right leg that needed angioplasty. This was done,3 , weeks ago. I also had a major abdomen operation in March, so was already so deconditioned. I got worried because I felt I was doing well until I had a sneezing episode that made my sternum feel like it had broke. I have been in constant pain since. I have a lot of people telling me I should be back to normal by now (non of them have had CABG) , so I thought i was being soft. It has helped getting real people's experiences. I am 57 and feel like I have the body of a 97 year old. Kind regards to everyone.
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