Triple heart bypass surgery

[Graham3768]

I am 68 years old and I work full time as a salesman, (but act like I am 38 + VAT) my hobby is salsa dancing which I do every weekend so you can imagine that the following has hit me hard both physically and emotionally:

On the 26th December 2024 I had chest pains and visited the GP the next day, the GP carried out a ECG then sent me to the hospital to have blood tests, I had an engiogram, following these was sent to have an operation for a triple heart bypass which was carried out late afternoon on 14th January 2025, I went to CICU for a day, my tube was taken out the same evening, the next evening went to the HDU, The next evening was transferred to the ward. I have a very bad cough and I get chest pains when I cough, when walking slowly around the ward I get out of breath, I have type 2 diabetes controlled by metformin and diet, I also have pain killers, statins and blood thinners, nebuliser, my surgeon has said that he wished all his patients were as positive as me (I was known as Mr. positive with energy previously), I have had drain tubes, electro cables removed and my catheter should be removed today.

Any help and advice would be much appreciated, thank you in advance.

Kind regards

Graham

[Elyepp]

Good morning, I am waiting for my triple bypass surgery so can't give you any advice on how you are feeling, but I would definitely mention to the staff on the ward about your pain and breathlessness. I just wanted to wish you well and I am sure others who have been through the surgery will reply and put your mind at ease. Stay positive and I hope your pains eases soon.

Ely

[Lowerfield_no_more]

From what you have told us you are only a few days on from having had a major surgical intervention to your body and so are only in the first stages of your recovery which will be not only physically demanding but will also be emotionally draining. Nonetheless you seem to be facing your situation by being positive which is commendable. I have not had a triple bypass but have had several surgical procedures in recent years of various sorts and it is painful and awkward at times during the recovery period and also frustrating especially when things take longer than you would like to return to the new 'normal'. And although we are all different one common thing that defines our recovery is age, and at 68 you will find your recovery is slower than it would have been at 38, so you must accept that and try to be patient, for all will come good in the end. Finally at the time of your discharge you will no doubt be given instructions on what you should and should not be doing after discharge, so I suggest you start thinking about that now so that you can ask questions at the time and be fully briefed on your recovery plan perhaps including a cardio rehab course when you are fit enough to attend. I hope things goes well for you and in time you are able to return to your dancing.

[GoodTea]

Hello Graham

Hope all goes smoothly when the catheter's removed. It was a very liberating feeling for me when I got free from all the various tubes and wires post-CABG.

If you haven't already seen the recent post 'Advice re Preparing and Post Op CABG', then I think you'll find the post op comments useful:

healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

especially the 'move within the tube' advice.

The bad news is that moving within the tube means you'll need to take a break from salsa until your chest and arm wounds heal. The good news is that it will help those wounds heal much faster and you can get back to salsa sooner - or even doing the Funky Chicken if you so wished.

Your optimism is a great boon. If you do a search re 'optimism and health longevity', you'll see that you have a lot of reasons to be cheerful about your likely future progress.

If the health trust that you come under gives fairly scant information about the road to recovery post-CABG, take a look at the following from the Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust:

1. From page 26 'Improve your breathing' onwards:

ouh.nhs.uk/patient-guide/le...

2. ouh.nhs.uk/patient-guide/le...

I saw your earlier post re stents or bypass and it's clear that you've got the 2 basic characteristics that make for an excellent prognosis: your sunny outlook and the way you make an effort to find out what's the best thing to do regarding your medical treatment and recovery.

Yesterday was 10 months to the day since my triple bypass. My post-op recovery went as well as could be expected. A few problems in the first 6 months relating to medications and temperature fluctuations. After my blood pressure medications were reduced to Goldilocks levels in September, I have experienced my longest period of good health in the last 15 years. It's wonderful having my health and strength returning to better levels than previously. I sure you'll be in a similar position sometime down the line.

Best wishes

[OK10 in reply to GoodTea]

When did your chest pains stop please? Thanks.

[GoodTea in reply to OK10]

Hello, Apologies for the delay in replying. Chest pains relating to the surgery were pretty much a non-issue for me.

The surgeon in charge of my operation appreciated getting feedback from his patients so I kept a log of the main issues that affected me over the first 19 weeks post-op (late-March to late-July 2024) . The only chest issues I flagged up were:

In Weeks 1-2: some irregularities in my heart rate - none of which lasted more than 30 secs or involved powerful sensations. No pain apart from the surgical wounds on my skin.

I took codeine painkillers to help me sleep until 26/3. Then I switched to paracetamol until 30/3 when I was able to get to sleep without painkillers.

End of Week 4: my surface skin wounds had healed and the scabs had fallen off.

In those months, I followed the 'move within a tube' advice re arm movements until Week 8. The few times I stretched up for things, I got sharp twinges around the wound scars.

In Week 8, x-rays at my discharge consultation showed my sternum had healed nicely and the consultant said cycling on my old 'sit up and beg' style bike would be fine. In Week 10, I spent 3 half-days clearing out brambles and other undergrowth from terraces around 2000 feet up a mountainside. No ill effects on my chest from either activity.

After Week 12, I went back to carrying normal loads.

However, like you, chest pains during cold weather have been a problem but only twice so far. I'm still figuring the best way to deal with this. Lots of good advice on this site.

Hope you feel as good as I do when you get to 10 months post-op. All the best.

[OK10 in reply to GoodTea]

Thanks for that. After my discharge i sent back a couple of pictures of my wound to the nurses and after about 6 weeks someone from the surgeons department rang me about my wound then i was discharged. No x-ray or anything else. I have now completed my 8 week rehab. But my blood pressure is all over the place and chest pains are still continuing. I think i should ask my gp to refer me to an cardiogist.

[GoodTea in reply to OK10]

If you had cardio nurses at your rehab sessions, you could try asking one of them for advice. Otherwise, ask the BHF cardio nurses: 0300 330 3311 or email [e-mail] (click the 'About' tab above to get more info).

It takes a minimum of a few days to get through to my GP. If you are in a similar boat, you'll find it faster to get advice from a cardio nurse.

Best wishes

[OK10]

Best of luck mate. Take care of your wound. Don't touch it. Shower everyday. Just tap and don't scrap. Use 2 towels, one for your upper body and one below. Always carry a small pillow or a rolled towel to press on your chest when you need to cough or sneeze. Take plenty of rest. If you can sleep during the day as well.I had my operation in early september of last year. I am still getting pains on my left, which is scary and my anxiety shoots up. It seems to get worse in th cold.

Good luck to all of us.