Hi everyone,Feel a bit embarrassed writing this, but I really could do with some words of advice/positivity.
I'm nearly 3 weeks post triple bypass surgery and although the early days after discharge from hospital were positive, it no longer feels like I'm making any progress and it really is getting me down.
My chest and leg wounds are still sore and I can hardly tollerate clothing on them, I have shoulder ache every time I lay down, which is effecting any chance of sleep patterns and I feel sick for most of the day and have no real appetite, so am losing weight.
My wife and kids have been brilliant and I couldn't ask for any more support from them, but I know I'm becoming more and more short tempered and miserable and I just can't see any light at the end of the proverbial dark tunnel.
Any wise words would be appreciated.
Jon T
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jonterrell
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I totally sympathise- the first few weeks are tough. But push through. See every little improvement as a win, keep doing the exercises, get out for short walks, take the pain killers. It gets better. My shoulders were the most difficult to cope with. But 6 months on it’s great - work after 6 weeks. Doing all the rehab work - gym 5 times a week.
The short term pain goes away - the long term gains are coming!
The first thing to remember is that you are at home with your loved ones and they are there to support you . You have had major surgery and undoubtedly have bad days as you begin your recovery.
I had a CABG x4 in September 2021, totally unexpected and only detected due to experiencing stable angina whilst exercising . Something more sinister could have happened if I did not have the warning signs .
The recovery takes time both physically and mentally. The bruising and soreness is still with you after 3 weeks and likely for a few weeks more. Your body has undergone a huge trauma in the shape of the procedure . You must view it as an initial 3 months of recovery . Do the walking that is prescribed , attend rehab classes and seek medical advice if you are unsure about anything .
Life gets better I promise and over time you will feel stronger physically and mentally. I started back light training after 3 months and started playing golf again after 6 months. You need to listen to your body and exercise accordingly. And exercise your mind mentally by reading or taking a new hobby up etc.
Everything you're experiencing is totally normal and will pass in time.
The physical issues will ease over the next few weeks, the behavioural 'problems' may take a bit longer.
You might want to Google 'ohs pump head' or postperfusion syndrome and share the results with your family. I only found out about it recently and it explains a lot of the issues I had after my CABG.
Its often 3 steps forward and 2 steps back and sometimes this is reversed.
However, week on week you should be feeling better. Its useful to keep a health diary so you can see the progress you are making.
Anxiety and short temper are perfectly normal.
None of this will be helped if you don't get enough sleep. Are you sleeping by yourself? That helps as you can be restless, listen to the radio, get up and walk around and may want to go to bed earlier or later and adjust the bedclothes/pillows constantly.
Again, having a variety of places to sit is useful during the day, what might be comfortable in the morning might not be in the afternoon. I found that sitting in the car some days for an hour or so enabled me to get into a comfortable position as seats can be adjusted, music put on and you are in familiar surroundings and get a different view than in the house. Assumes you have a car, a driveway and it is in the sun!
I took the max paracetamol for 6 weeks after my quad bypass then suddenly didn't need it. Are you taking painkillers as that should help your shoulder?
I found I retreated for a time into my own little world so whilst meant well, the close attentions of children might be a bit wearing.
Hi and thanks for your reply.I am taking paracetemol and Codein, although the later makes me feel very sick, so am trying to reduce the amount I'm taking.
Great shout about the car, I could adjust the seat and listen to a few podcasts etc, that would indeed change my surroundings for a while.
Really helps to know others have exprrienced this, as although Ive got a brilliant family, this can be a very lonely place, as Im sure you know. Thx again.
I took maximum paracetamol for 6 weeks which is 2 tablets 4 times a day. I needed the maximum and felt pain if I missed a dose. At 6 weeks I suddenly was able to give it up and haven't taken any since. . I didn't take codein at all.
Hi Jon, I think many of us can empathise with you and share our experiences. I felt pretty much the same on discharge. My body was swollen , the stitching looked like pie crimps, me and family joked that the surgeons must have been pissed when they sewed me up , 4 x bypass , both legs and an arm plus sternum.
The first few days were pretty awful , struggled to get off my bed without hurting myself 🤦🏼.. I got stuck the first morning , my wife though it best to sleep in another room and when I tried to get up I missed my landing pad (quite a high bed ) and was bent backwards for 20mins shouting for help 🤦🏼🤦🏼🤦🏼🤣🤣🤣.
I then got an infection in my chest wound that oozed green/brown thick gravy 🤢.. I had about 3 doses of antibiotics and had to send daily photos of the wound . I followed up the rehab classes , was told they’d be in touch and ring me after 2 weeks, hadn’t heard anything , discovered my name was left off the list . 🤦🏼 I started walking locally , set targets , little increments and within a few weeks I completed 5k. Then added increased intensity intervals. Smashed the rehab classes , other patients thought I hadn’t had a heart attack until they saw my scars, they kept asking what are you doing in this class ? 🤣. I really believe I had (prob still have ) a touch of PTSD. I couldn’t watch certain things on tv , I reacted differently to sudden noise , I reacted very differently to certain situations .. sometimes totally calm other situations if just shout noises 🤦🏼.
I set other goals , 5k park run, cycling , working physically round my farm , had a weekend camping booked at a music festival , other gigs booked , birthdays to celebrate . Started making my own breads (less salt & sugar ) . I made a couple of changes to my nutrition , got knowledgeable about my meds ( had a hiccup with a statin or two) . I totally accepted the new me and my rebirth. I took part in this forum and Enjoy the support and trying to give something back.
I found this quote and it resonated with me .
We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.
Confucius
It’s a pretty long journey , accept the new you , you’ll find your way , it’s only 3 weeks. I couldn’t wait to celebrate my 1st anniversary but that didn’t go to plan 🤦🏼🤦🏼🤦🏼🤣🤣.
I had an AVR and CABG 6 months ago at 61. I left hospital after after a month in hospital, 14 days post op. I came home with the most excruciating left shoulder pain, it was and has been the most painful part of my whole experience. Mr Dr gave me morphine for the pain which did help and after a week or so the pain was bearable but still there. After about 6 weeks I went to a fantastic osteopath who worked her magic and and shoulder pain was gone completely. Apparently it can happen because of the position you're in for surgery especially if it's for a long time, I was in theatre for 8 hrs.Recovery is not easy, the first six weeks are really tough. It really was a case of 1 step forward 2 steps back. Eating was an issue as well, my wife tried to "fatten me up" but I could only manage small amounts, little and often and I didn't worry about if it was healthy or not to start with. I continued to loose weight after I left hospital and went down to under 10st. My Dr put my on Fortisip.
6 months on I'm doing fine, completely pain free and just under 11st, pre op weight was just over 11st.
Sorry to hear where you are on your journey, the first weeks are the hardest, my only advice set yourself targets and goals even if it revolves around breathing exercises and movement put them on your phone to keep a record.
I assume you had physios take you through breathing exercises and exercise before you left hospital and you also given leaflets with to remind you when you returned home.
Set yourself up for hourly routines initially, so if your sitting it will make you get up and say walk up and down the stairs or around the house, same with your breathing.
Hopefully as your body mends itself so your results should improve and you can do more, one of my sayings “ by the inch it’s a cinch by the yard it’s hard.
Remember your brain is a powerful tool in the aid of getting yourself back on track and probably the one side of the operation not covered in detail is the mental health of patients when they’re discharged.
I’m into my eighth week of recovery by following my own advice I can cover over 5 miles, I’m not breathless and walk up hills, I’ve seen my rehab nurse have not been put on a physio programme as I’m ahead of the curve although today I’m going today as I volunteered myself to see what parameters they will set me as I want to get back in the gym asap, also meet with consultant Thursday expect my medication to be reduced and final discharge from the hospital.
As you can see from the replies you’ll receive everyone is different and everyone’s journey takes a different road hang in there I decided to take the motorway and for me it’s worked out, some have to take the country roads and obviously it’s a lot slower till you reach even an A road.
Sorry to hear about your struggles. Keep in there. I’m 8 weeks post CABG. and can concur with everyone, that you will make progress. That said I felt like I was hitting a brick wall at about 3 weeks post op. My blood pressure was constantly low, and I was always breathless and felt I was unable to function .After discussing this with my GP, he suggested taking a lower dose of the beta blocker and stop taking the water tablets. After that, I started feeling less lethargy and less breathless, and started making progress. Everyone is different and I’m not sure if you’re struggling with the same issue but I would say it’s worth discussing your current meds with your GP to see if anything might be limiting your ability to function? Good luck and let us know how you get on?
Thank your lucky stars! Your family has got you back and it's up to you to make the most of it.
Have you started cardiac rehab? I found this very useful, taking the partner with me to these sessions. Start doing activities with your family members, cherish every moment of the second chance, remember this may have never happened in the first place. With modern science and technology we get to go around the circuit once more!
Keep monitoring your progress, as things can change rapidly and you need to be on top of it. As you progress you may need to adjust your meds (with GP approval). Let us know how you get on.
hi. No need at all to be embarrassed , you’ll find everyone on here nothing but supportive.
I had a double last September and I’ve been on a holiday for the last 60 days,
3 weeks is no time for the surgery you have had. You body has been through about the most traumatic thing anyone can go through and survive. You need of give yourself time and be kind to yourself.
I recall feeling like things would never get better and slowly but surely they did. Take things an hour at a time not even a day, don’t put pressure on yourself physically or mentally and you’ll come through it.
Your body knows better than you what it needs to get through it so let it be the judge of your progress. For me, and I know it’s different for everyone, but for me I noticed a turning point around week 6. I suddenly felt like things were clearly improving, pain subsiding and my independence returning. I also got approved to drive again which really boosted my confidence. So take your time, recovery from this is a marathon not a sprint.
6 months on I’ve gone back to work, part time but planned, I’m on my second overseas holiday and done a round the world trip. Been averaging 15- 20,000 per day and one day did 30k.
You’ll get there I’m sure just give it time and take the advice and support your getting
Thank you so much for your reply. Im feeling so much better and less lonely, with the responses such as yours and it really has helped over the last 24 hours. Thanks for taking the time to read my post and thanks even more for the written support. JT
Anytime. Your on a journey and it will take time but the main thing is your going to be in a much better place physically having had the surgery. It will take time but day by day it gets easier. There will be not so good days for sure but they will soon enough be outweighed by the good days.
I am writing as the wife of a CABG recoverer (if there is such a word). I noticed at the beginning of his journey his personality had changed somewhat and was told that this was quite common because of the surgery so I went with it and messaged on here a few times for support. My husband had his op literally just as covid was starting so we didn't get a lot of support from the outside medical/family world but walking definitely helped him as soon as he was able. He would set himself little time challenges, knocking off the time it took him to walk the same distance, he also took a golf club up to the local golf course and putted it around a little bit to keep him moving. Gradually, his mood improved and he went back to what can only be described as a slightly new norm - he is much calmer than he was pre-op. He definitely had a bit of PTSD like symptoms about the whole operation and recovery though at the beginning.
OHS is brutal. It's a wonder our bodies recover at all, let alone as well as they do. Your mind and emotions have been assaulted as well as your body and there's a 50-50 chance of a hearty getting PTSD like symptoms. When you take into account the chemicals and the effect on your brain of the on-pump procedure, you're really doing pretty well.
The wounds will get better, there's a mass of nerves in your chest which will have got damaged and take some time to heal and your leg wound doesn't have the benefit of being wired in place, so often takes longer to heal. There is also a nerve just behind where the donor vessel was taken, so that may have got damaged and take a bit of time to heal.
Having said that, I have had to apologise to some family members who helped out immediately post CABGx3. Suffice to say, they didn’t experience the best version of me! Keep going, you won't believe how much better it gets. I can say that now, 9 months after the op 😉
I’m now 9 weeks post 3 x CABG surgery but for the first several weeks I had the same issues as you Jon. However, the leg and shoulder pain does recede meaning that your sleep becomes better and the grumpiness goes away when you can see the progress. It will take several more weeks but it will get much better.
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