Hi All,Just looking for advice re my partner preparing for CABG. He's relatively stable ATM with meds. Listed for CABG in 4 Weeks .
I'm trying to persuade him to prepare beforehand with breathing exercises and managing his movements, attempting to get up and downstairs and in and out of a chair r with minimal exertion so it doesn't come as a new action to learn post op.
He's been very physically fit ( nonsmoker/non-drinker/BMI normal) he's concerned that he will not manage to get out of the chair post op
( he's thinking a rise/ recliner 💺). I'm thinking just a big cushion on our existing chair but he's concerned he won't be able to stand up from chair without using his hands /arms to leverage his body up.
Any advice/ suggestions welcome
TY
C x
Written by
Kincavel
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Good luck. They will make him walk the next day after the operation. Physio team will be there to guide him. Then they will refer him to a rehap program in your nearest hospital, which will run for 8 weeks.
I had an AVR and CABG and to be perfectly honest I had no issues with getting up from a chair or bed. If as you say your partner is relatively fit and not overweight, as I am, he shouldn't have any problem maybe just have to change his technique. I had more trouble opening doors and the fridge or filling the kettle, any movement when you have to move your arms out of the "tube"
Hi Kincavel. Just a couple of things I can recommend having had my cabgx3 end of October. I couldn’t sleep in a bed for 6 weeks post op so a recliner was a godsend. If you don’t have one then d recommend one of those triangular bed supports -look on Amazon there are some good ones. Lying down will be impossible as too painful. I also had a U shaped pillow which was deal when sleeping or sitting in a chair. Most people suffer pain around the shoulder areas on the back for a couple of weeks and it helped greatly. Fortunately your husband won’t need advice on bra supports 🤣🤣. Definitely keep a small pilllow with him at all times initially to hug when he sneezes or coughs. E45 cream for his poorly leg where they harvest a vein.dry shampoo is helpful as he won’t be able to wash his hair initially.
Hello does anyone know why sometimes, my Heart rate is okay at 66 BPM, when sitting but as soon as I stand up, it shoots up to 80 or 90 BPM. After I eat something in the Morning, it does this. It will sometimes go down to about 37/42. Thank you.
post cabg, they will have him walking the following day as others have said. Deep coughing exercises definitely need a pillow or rolled up towel on sternum but very important to do them to get any phlegm from lungs. WRT chair, it is sitting on edge and then with towel and arms crossed on chest, just stand up. If he can practice before the op then great. Sleeping, my wife got one of those memory foam triangle wedge shaped pillows so you sleep slightly elevated to help with the phlegm non buildup. If there is any pus on the scars go asap to docors, tell them he is low threshold for a disease (hospital should tell you that) and they fast track you in and out of doctors or ask for photos of problem to minimise travel and you can then just pick up antibiotics. After a week or so, gentle walking according to a schedule they will give you is great as I got stir crazy,
Hello, Kincavel. I had a Triple CAGB, in April, 2023. One thing that I think affected the recovery of my breast bone, and its surgical wound was pulling open and shut some patio doors. That really strained things. After discharge from the Op, I stayed with friends, in their house. They made up a bed for me in an extension to the lounge, entered via those sliding doors. I decided to stop shutting them, at, when I realised the strain on my chest.
Good morning, Kincavel. I had CABG x 4 last June and didn't find getting up from a chair or bed too difficult. As he's fit he should be able to easily adapt to a slightly modified (but temporary) process for standing. If he can stand up from his chair, with arms crossed on his chest, now, he will be fine. Try the cushion. As for bed, I found using my legs as a counterweight after rolling on my side near the edge did the job as it got me sitting with minimal ATM effort and then used same motion as for chairs.
I was also told that I could use my arms 'within the tube,' to lift anything as long as it didn't hurt, including the kettle! The secret is not to reach for things that are too heavy.
In hospital, I walked in ICU at 10:30 am (with physio and nurse to manage multiple attachments) after being brought round at 7:00 am and spent all day sat in a chair. Moved to a cardiac ward following day after again going for a walk in ICU and walked independently and frequently (it's so boring in hospital) from then on. Was discharged 2 days later.
Yes, I was a bit battered and bruised but whole thing was nowhere near as bad as I had imagined. Good luck.
Hi, when did you stop getting chest pain please? I had a similar operation in early september of last year but I am still getting chest pains even when I am sitting down and not doing anything. Some areas of my chest on the left hand side are still numb. Thanks.
Hi, the constant angina pain I suffered for 4 years was gone when I awoke in ICU. My sternum pain still hasn't gone completely but I'm only really aware when coughing and sneezing; spent this afternoon chainsawing and lifting logs today.
I still occasionally get discomfort in left breast muscles but put that down to the fact that area has lost a significant artery supplying blood when they diverted my internal mammary artery to my LAD. In time I hope the muscles and my body adapt to alternative blood sources in this area in due course.
To be absolutely honest, if nothing improves further (I'm sure it will) I still feel so much better than I did before surgery and have done so for many months.
Post op - nothing prepares you for the body shock - mentally as much as physically
I was like a zombie for a few weeks afterwards
It is as hard as lifting a can of beans at the start - it’s normal - does get easier
Use the cushion on chest it helps you settle , just go at your own pace regardless of timescales , sleep and sleep again
Learn to listen to your body , don’t expect over much simply …. I have
Talk the heart nurses they are excellent over anything - use this forum
Biggest thing I would say is remember the reason why you having the op in the first place - after the op is no walk at times in the park - day by day you will get there . However small steps even backward steps are normal
As others have said, he will learn so much in hospital. In hindsight it felt like I was in for weeks but usually it really is a matter of days.
Getting out of a chair was never a huge problem (as long as it wasn’t really low) but I had a V shaped cushion to prop me up.
I also slept propped upright for ages- the hospital beds can be inclined so you’re trying to recreate that.
The base of my spine was numb for months after being upright for so long!
It’s quite the journey (!!!) but the body is remarkable. There will be days of progress and some days that feel harder than others but they are few, Just don’t be disappointed when they happen.
If your husband is a light sleeper, get some comfortable ear muffs that cut out a wide range of sounds. I had a lot of broken sleep in the first few nights in hospital because of monitors beeping, noise from other patients, staff on their rounds, etc.. My son brought me these industrial ear defenders which muffled all the beeping sounds:
I found them comfortable despite their heavy-duty looks.
Back home after the op, the long wounds on my chest and arm healed rapidly because (a) I followed the 'move within the tube' advice and (b) my wife was an absolute angel and stopped me stretching the wounds open. She did things like putting on my socks for me, tying my shoelaces. We smiled about how she was back to doing the things she did every day when our 3 sons were little.
Having my wounds heal rapidly gave me a great psychological boost. Aside from not having to worry about the wounds becoming infected, I could see how much healthier I was becoming as the wounds steadily healed. In fact, as the weeks went by, I saw that any other little cuts or scrapes I picked up were, in fact, healing far more rapidly than they had in the years before the operation.
I'm almost 10 months post-op (triple CABG) which I had in large London hospital. I met lots of other 'hearties' in the 2 weeks I was there and was struck by the diversity of how people react pre- and post-op. Hence, I'm aware it may not be relevant for your husband but, for me, getting up from sitting on a chair was a complete non-issue. However, that might have been because my mother - in her early-90's- had been told that it was better for her fitness to get up from sitting without using her hands. She took great pleasure in showing all and sundry how she did it!
One other thing post-op that's especially important if your partner does not take any/many medicines now: plan out a system that will help you remember the sequence of medicines that you have to take. When I left hospital, I had 10 different types of tablet. Some were to take as needed, one was once a week, one was half an hour before eating, 2 were best after eating and then some were best in the morning, others best in the evening.
One thing that was fairly similar among the hearties I've met: virtually everyone has been immensely grateful for the care they've received and the gift of life that the operation has given them. I'm fairly sure you and your partner will feel this way too.
Assuming a reasonable level of fitness, then the ab muscles will come into play more and make things like getting out of bed and chairs a lot easier. Mine were in decent shape as I swam regularly.
Before my CABGx3 I bought an electric recliner which also pushed me upright and forward. It may have not been strictly necessary, but anything you can do to makes things easier should be considered, the mental and emotional journey may be tough at times. Confidence plays a big part in recovery.
You will probably both hear the phrase 'listen to your body' quite a lot. It's good advice. Some days he will feel like he's gone backwards. That's very normal and if it means resting, then that's what he should do.
It's worth mentioning, at some point he may feel really down for no particular reason. This is also very common and is the mind trying to make sense of what has just happened. Anyone that has had open heart surgery has been through a pretty brutal procedure and many get something akin to PTSD at some point. It's important to keep communication open and don't be afraid to keep asking questions.
I had my op a year ago tomorrow and when i first had it done after a heart attack and a stent fitted 6.months before that. You never think you are going to do anything like you used to do but i am back to work as a landscaper the first few days post op you are up and about in hospital and walking up and down the ward and before you leave you climb stairs etc .Important to do the Rehab offered you by the hospital it is beneficial to your progress in returning to normal . Your body tells you how hard or soft you work and carry a pillow for your coughing and get as fit as you can beforehand it helps and you will be Fine 👍
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