Welcome back an update.

[SuddenShock]

exactly one week ago I was in leicester ITU waiting for the start of a triple bypass. So many people were supportive and I said that assuming all went well I would let you know.

Some downsides, not what I was expecting. First off, I missed the main event and was waking up from the surgery. Next it turned out that my family had drunk all of my recovery water and I was going to have to wait for water until the next day (this never happened, the ITU nurse kept giving me water and I kept giving it back. If I was your patient on thisdate I am really sorry!)

I was given Jelly and Ice cream to eat after the surgery. This did happen, I though this was only for chidren having tonsils out.

I was baffelled when I moved from ITU to HDU, someone was taking xrays and posting them on a website. And they left me there over the weekend ??

Next day I discovered pain in my throat and chest. Every day I seemed to find some new hurt but everyday something seemed to hurt less as well.

I went into surgery 15/4, left hospital in much better condition 20/4 and today 22/4 was able to walk about 20 m from a carpark to a coffee shop under my own propulsion.

There are some funny bits, I am a smidge delirious - I have had to retype a lot of this message many times over as my fingers are operating on a different key layout to my brain. I am also aware that the surgeon implanted me with a Chinese open source software controlled lung rather than a bypass artery graft (I don't know if you are aware that the six million dollar man is back on tv, those stories are not helping right now!!) .

If it helps and you are planned to be going for surgery, it was easy. It felt like the only person who had not been through it many times before was me, everyone else just did everything that they had planned and trained for. I didn't feel pushed or threatened, just encouraged to progress. I cannot believe that I am moving on so well

Thank you everyone on this site, at Leicester and my home support nework

[PadThaiNoodles]

He he... your sense of humour certainly survived!

My wife claims I had a conversation with her in the ICU afterwards. I think she's making it up. It's weird that you can be conscious and yet retain absolutely no memory of it.

[maple34]

So pleased to hear things went well. I've been following your posts as im on a similar path.

To think where you were, being told that you had no options, to where you are now, it's a great story.

I was wondering whether you'd give day-by-day update on progress, but perhaps that was asking a bit much

[SuddenShock in reply to maple34]

Thanks maple34.

I was going to try to do do something like this as I get the chance. I can't make promises only tell you where I went and which parts I didn' need to worry about

[maple34 in reply to SuddenShock]

Sorry I meant I was hoping you were going to give day-by-day updates while in hospital "they're cutting me open.....just woken up in ICU...". Nope, not realistic

Please go at your own pace and update as and when suits

[Whiteghost]

Well done. Keep up the positive attitude. 🤗

[Dyllibobs]

Great news & made me giggle! 😁 So glad you're ok

[stevetheadi]

That's funny. The anesthetic does has strange effects!

After my CABG I was convinced the nurses were having an all night party, inviting people in off the street and dancing all around the ward.

I decided to complain to the doctor the next morning. Glad I didn't....

[wjb2 in reply to stevetheadi]

o i was staying in an Air B&B with stunning white thick pile carpets, till it started to move it was Loads of New Zealand white rabbits. that i was squashing every time i moved & that was one of my better hallucinations i had combination of pain meds and after effect of anaesthetic.

Such fun 🤪🤪

[Nelson71 in reply to stevetheadi]

After my 3xCABG I was laying in bed and suddenly the room tipped 90°. My bed was now on the wall and I was facing a 30’ drop onto the patient across the ward. I was clinging onto the bed for dear life till it shifted back after about 10 seconds. The nurses all came running as I was shrieking so loud. Amazing what tricks your brain plays on you 😂. I also had 3xCABG at Glenfield in Leicester. Mr Zakker carried out the surgery assisted by Nathon Tyson. Awesome guys

[T666]

a splendid read. One of my visitors couldn’t understand why I was looking at her so intently. She wasn’t even aware of the small pink crabs walking up her face

Another time a visitor said I seemed distracted. ‘Of course’ I responded “ the wall is constantly changing colour”

The authorities will want us to keep quiet for fear of an influx of addicts seeking OHS 😂🤣

Nowadays people often refer to their ‘journey’ perhaps we should call it our ‘trip’

Get well and be happy

[Digger0]

Glad to see you are still with us and so is your sence of humour!

[invictaAlec]

It's coming up to seven years since my triple cabbage. Even so, I will never forget the jelly I was given as my first meal after surgery. It was simply the sweetest thing I had ever tasted. Nothing I've ever eaten before or since was so memorable. As I slurped it down I felt so lucky.

Alec. 🙂

[Thanksnhs]

So glad all went well and you are on the road to recovery, nurses in ICU must have a good chuckle at some of the things they see and hear, my lovely young nurse was so nice and helpful I remember (just) grabbing her arm and telling her I loved her 😱she just smiled and got on with her very important job, the next minute I was screaming at her for water! I bet she was glad when they finally wheeled me back HDU . Take care Char

[A246]

God bless 🙏 you buddy. You such an inspiration to us all. Proud of you. Keep us updated of progress if that's ok

[A246 in reply to A246]

We are comrades and heroes on this site, amazing comrades like yourself got me through hardest time of my life. We lift each other. So proud of us allx

[maggie80]

What a lovely message, I wish you a speedy recovery. You sound a very lovely and funny person. Keep smiling😀

[Queserasera25]

Lol 😆 🤣. You've made my Day with that!!

[Suky2]

That was so helpful and encouraging THANK YOU

[cabgpatch]

After my CABGx3 I was convinced that I had been kidnapped and taken to a series of different rooms. Turns out I was physically only in two different wards post HDU. Can't remember anything about the CICU at all and according to my recollection, the HDU was oak panelled. I'm pretty sure that wasn't the case 🤔

I was convinced that one of the other patients was the ring leader of the kidnap plot. I didn't help my tenuous grip on reality that he was convinced he was the inspiration for Paul Simon's song You can call me Al. Fortunately, it all went away once I got home 😅

Still, it was something to share with the other hearties in rehab. Most of which had similar stories 😁

[SuddenShock in reply to cabgpatch]

Laughing at so many of these stories right now, starting to hurt!!

stitches out on Friday unless I injure myself first

[JDDrummist]

I’m kind of sad now that, after my AVR 12 weeks ago, I had no hallucinations, vivid dreams, trippy episodes … not even a dip in emotion 🤷🏼‍♂️

Perhaps I should have asked for the stronger stuff?

I did, however, get jelly and ice cream. I wolfed it down like the seven year old me….

Good to read all this positivity ,& great to hear you’re doing so well.👌

[Kelling]

Same venue 6.5 years ago. Same sort of story and although I was an emergency admission, because of my movement ability etc I was in the little ward with the six beds in! Like you I laid in bed and watched so many people go in and worryingly no one came back! I had not been told after surgery we all went to recovery so was so very relieved with seeing everyone I knew was very sore but all doing well. No one really told me about the pain immediately after the op or the size of the perspex box's receiving the three vacuum drainage pipes and really did think the nurse was joking when the nurse came to "pull" them out! Unlike everyone else, I remember every moment after waking the first time and actually had to write all of my recollections down since no one actually believed me. Because of this unusual temporary loss of memory became quite an embarrassment to one or two members of staff for a variety of reasons, but all in all an amazing team of carers looked after us. Glad all is going well for you and that recovery has not been so bad. I do have two similes I would like to mention - when I first saw the plastic pipes and box's I almost feared I was being transformed into a Borg from Star Trek and secondly, upon my very first sneeze after the op, did believe I may have swallowed Alien and was experiencing the little fellow bursting through my chest. Other than that, all was quite normal!!!!