Hi everyone, my partner had his urgent CABG last Monday so is 7 days Post Op. Thank you for all your help and support to date
He was discharged on Saturday. Op was ok but a few biochemistry glitches but he was up and about & transferred from CITU to Cardiac Ward by Wed. He was a bit traumatised as two guys in his bay had Cardiac Arrests on consecutive nights and it was triggering to watch crash team etc.
He is getting on ok at home as such but he insists in wearing a thick padded anorak jacket all day as he's cold despite our home having central heating temps of 86⁰F / 30⁰C bcos he's complaining of feeling cold.
His skin has a yellow tinge to it but reddens when he walks about. His Haemoglobin is 110 on discharge. I've asked GP for home visit but they said they will send paramedic if necessary. I'm thinking of requesting Hb and Bilirubin levels.
His night sleep is disrupted bcos of furosemide and needing loo and also feeling cold ( he even wore his big jacket to bed. ( He isn't shivering but complaining). He's eating all meals, no temperature, drinking fluids frequently,
no issues re-his waterworks or bowels, no nausea, no headache, no abdominal pain, no dizziness, no wound infection. He is not getting good sleep even during the day.
His heart rate is 70 (smart watch) . I need to buy another BP machine as we left ours at a friend's a few weeks ago.
I don't want to catastrophise and overreact as he has no symptoms to cause concerns atm but I was wondering if it's normal to feel this cold and if your skin tone was pale/ beige / yellowy .
He's on
Bisoprolol x 1 daily
Ticagrelor x 2 daily
Aspirin X1 daily
Lansoprazole X1 daily
Furosemide X1 daily
Thx again for listening to my witterings.
Regards
Carol
Written by
Kincavel
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My temperature control didn't work very well for weeks after my OHS. Not sure whether it's the anaesthetic or being on the pump, but something definitely screws with it.
Thanks that really helps as I was worried but he has no other symptoms.
I think he needs a good night of quality sleep ..I know when I've been extremely sleepy deprived I go very cold and ashen so hopefully his colour returns soon. Thank you again.
My husband,also had the effects you describe and I woukd say his colour was worrying ..he is normally a really nice tanned colour but he was almost beige yellow at times. As we've gone on he still feels the cold but his skintone still is not as it was. He feels well and is back to doing everything he did before but gets more tired quicker. Hope this is reassuring x
Sounds pretty normal to me , I felt cold for moths after , blood thinners , ACE, Beta blocker etc can all contribute plus whatever chemicals are still swilling around post procedure. I was discharged post quadruple bypass as slow they anaemic too. I started to feel warmer once I had stopped clopidogrel after 12 months .
I certainly suffered with the cold post CABG and definitely I never fully returned to my pre-op temp range, but just living with it. 🥶😪.
Going to the toilet at night was another problem, I was sometimes going 7/8 times per night for weeks after my op. Diagnosed with enlarged prostate and meds have sorted that. I wasn't sure whether there is a link to do with the catheter during the op procedure and prostate getting bigger, but an interesting coincidence
Still early days with your husbands recovery, but I hope all goes well
I had a HA in summer of 23 I was frozen all during the mini heat wave , going to bed with electric blankets on full, socks, jumpers etc etc. It lasted for a God 8 maybe more months. Even now the heating is on constantly. The Heart Failure nurse said it was a mixture of meds & heart not pumping enough blood around the body.
Feeling cold is a common thing. I felt cold for a long time after my CABG x 4. Once I stopped taking Bisoprolol it improved massively but I do still feel the cold more than pre-op. Probably down to the blood thinners I guess.
My skin colour was ok but I remember being cold and having to be well wrapped up despite it being June. Sleep was also not great at any point for the first few weeks after op.On a positive note everything improved although my internal thermostat is still a bit temperamental nearly 6 years on but I assume that's partly due to being on warfarin.
alas I used to be always to hot. Post CABG I am always to cold. I purchased an Oodie ( come of giant fit lined sweatshirt for wearing around the house. What a game changer I now have several it’s also great to be able to pull the hood over when taking a nap. I’m not associated with them but it has proven a great solution And much more acceptable than turning the heating up given present costs
Skin tone I don’t understand but a lot of the drugs can impact the likes of kidney and liver function so I’d recommend get that checked by the medics
Furosemide…. Aaarrgghh my doctor agreed to reduce the dosage to half and I take them only first thing in the morning and at lunchtime. No later. This at least cuts down the ‘nighttime interruptions)
Yes, I'm thinking that the paracetamol and painkillers he was on in hospital may have impacted on skin tone. He's now saying he can't sleep because he is now so conscious of his breathing that if he does drop off he thinks he will stop breathing and feels he has to gasp for breath (I think it's panic).
That feeling of having to gasp for air is a well known side effect of ticagrelor which i see he's on. I had it after my heart attack and it was so distressing I begged to get it changed to clopidogrel. It feels like you're going to have an asthma attack yet you are breathing normally. You just get this sudden need to gasp for breath. My sats were perfectly normal.
I’m no doctor but his heamoglobin seems low, because I’m on apixaban as my valve repair has created an AF I had to get a blood test done by my surgery post op.
I’ve been rung by my doctor to say my heamoglobin is low, that it should be 130 or slightly over and is 127.
And as it is I’m going back today to give more blood to see if there’s any improvement.
So if they’re concerned at 127 I would say 110 is too low.
And funny enough when I first met with people I know after the op quite a few said I looked pale and yes I do feel the cold more especially my feet I put this down to my circulation and will improve as my heart gets stronger.
Conversely I get warm in bed and have to kick the quilt off during the night.
The toilet routine calms down as you lose the water out of the system and I expect this week to be taken off furosemide and spironolactone ( 8 weeks post op)
Hi Carol,I had a double CABG 2 years ago and I can completely empathise with what you are saying. The feeling cold is perfectly normal when you are put on a betablocker ( bisoprolol) the higher the dose the colder you feel. It gently slows your heart rate and also helps stabilise your blood pressure. It will take time till he feels better. Maybe better to wear layers instead of a coat? Baby steps for both of you. Just take it easy and take care.
Hi. Always follow your gut instinct and seek professional advice re health. Especially adter CABG- I was told that if I had any questions or worries to contact GP or any cardiac contact I’d been given.
The yellowing sounds standard- I came out of hospital last August and when I saw how healthy everybody looked I realised how terrible I looked despite thinking I’d done great in hospital.
Feeling cold isn’t nice but make sure he’s getting his bits of exercise in. Warmer weather on the way hopefully- sunlight is amazing for our health, mental and physical.
The furosemide nights- urgh. They won’t last forever. These next 4wks should see improvements. Some days will feel like a backwards step but 7months on it feels like a distant memory for me now.
A few thoughts which mostly back up what others have said.
1. Yes, feeling colder is very common, after 9 months, I still feel the cold more than I used to. Maybe down to blood thinners as my heart is fine and pumping with a decent EF. Funny thing about the circulatory system, if your extremities get cold, the circulation is drawn back to protect the vital organs, so you can then feel even colder. Getting to a base level of feeling warm and maintaining it helps, which is why we can feel too warm in bed but chilled once we are up. I have found that layers including a thick body warmer and warmer footwear than I was used to pre-op, have helped me. Also, moving is good, even though it will probably have to be indoors until Spring is finally sprung.
2. Heart rate seems a little high, although there are many things that could cause it this early into recovery.
3. Hg level is low. Mine is and only just been picked up because I mentioned it to the GP. The GP's don't necessarily get the hospital blood test results.
4. Worth mentioning the skin tone to the GP as it's not a common side effect to the normal med cocktail but may be worthy looking at as some of the meds effect liver function.
5. You should have been given release notes which will point out anything the cardiac surgeons think is relevant to ongoing care by the GP. I think there is an assumption that someone at your GP practice will read the notes, but that's not always the case.
It tests the hearty's patience, but the first few months can be challenging as the body not only starts its journey to healing but also has to get used to a bunch of pretty hefty drugs as well.
The good news is, an awful lot of us have got through it, albeit with a hiccough or two enroute. Hope this helps.
HelloI can relate to everything you described, even virtually the same medication. I am two years post triple bypass and am still cold all the time !! All the post op symptoms you described are very normal. I was exactly the same. Time is a healer and things will ease , just make sure he does as he is told and try to get him up and about walking. You will start to see daily improvements. He needs your support more than ever , mentally and physically but also look after yourself. Your welfare is just as important and it's a big shock to you as well. Come here for support, you will always get it here. If you need any help, you can message me anytime. Take care and keep strong 👍
Hi All Thank you for your brilliant support and great advice..it really is so appreciated.
Here is an update
I liased between the Cardiac Centre Cardiothoracic SpR and GP .
Cardio Medic requested GP to review 0² Sats (97%) review ankle oedema (slightly puffy) and refer for chest x-ray. The GP also listened to his heart, chest all good but thought the yellow tinge was worth investigating so he's having a Liver Function Test ( bloods).
It's really reassured him. He's even took his jacket off this afternoon 😊
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