Do any of you have experience with bypass surgery? DH is having a quadruple bypass on Thursday. It all started two weeks ago, on our anniversary, when he started having chest pains and various other heart attack symptoms (jaw pain, arm tingling, nausea, etc.). I called 911 and an ambulance took him to the emergency room. They gave him some nitro, but tests showed he didn’t have a heart attack. He was released after several hours and told to make an appointment with his cardiologist. As DH put it, “When I thought about spending my anniversary flat on my back in bed with restraints, this isn’t quite the way I pictured it!”
Over the next few days he had chest pains several more times, so the cardiologist had him take a nuclear stress test on the 24th. The test showed that 15% of his heart wasn’t getting enough blood. The cardiologist did a catheterization on the 29th, expecting to replace or add a stent or two. He was shocked to find massively clogged arteries.
The good news is that DH’s heart has very minimal damage, even though he’s had two heart attacks (the most recent one was ten years ago). After he recovers from the bypass, he’ll be practically as good as new. Until then, however, I’ll be a nervous wreck…
Our stockbroker and one of my Board members have had quadruple bypasses and are still busy and active many years later. So glad they caught the problem and can fix it and his heart hasn’t had much damage. “Silent” heart attacks really catch people unaware!
If he can have a cardiac rehab program, that would be great for helping him exercise and get as fit as possible after the surgery. Good luck!
My mom had a quintuple bypass…nearly 30 years ago. This was back when they cracked you wide open and went in through your thigh all the way up. She’s still alive and kicking! Yes, it’s scary and there is a recovery time, but afterwards her coloring was better and she felt better than she had in awhile. In the past few years she’s had stents as well. Keep in mind she’s in her 80’s now!
The key with everything I believe is the rehab.
Please keep me posted on how he does! I said a prayer for him for a full recovery.
No advice and no experience, but as long as the operation will be performed in an experienced hospital with an experienced surgeon, the outcome should be excellent.
My dad had Quintuple bypass in 2003, one artery was 90% blocked. He felt pressure when lifting golf clubs out of the trunk of his car. He continued to play golf for several more years.
My experience with bypass patients is several years old, so take this with a grain of salt…
I used to prepare my patients’ families by telling them that when their loved one is brought back to the ICU straight from surgery, they will look like they are on their deathbed. They are usually still intubated, and there are many IV drips going, etc. They usually require some intense one on one care for a while. If you leave to go home to bed, you come back the next morning to find them sitting up in a chair eating breakfast!
Best wishes for an uneventful surgery and full recovery for your DH.
FIL had one in his early seventies. Went in for catheterization, came out with bypass. He lived another ten plus years, dying from something else.
His journey was rockier because he was a more melancholy personality. Physically he was fine and recovered well, but mentally he had lingering fear. He stopped swimming out of fear of drowning after being a swimmer for years. He worried about every little change in how he felt, like if he felt itchy, he would freak out. We tried to work with him. We took him out on walks and took him swimming in shallow water. Take solace in the fact that he lived abroad, had his surgery abroad, and where he lived there wasn’t any rehab. I wonder if a doctor had been guiding his rehab and told him he would be fine he would have believed it.
Sorry to hear that your H has to have surgery ( and collapsed on your anniversary), but hopefully it will be routine and improve his health. Before my D was born, FIL had either quad or quint by pass. The immediate week following the surgery was tough for him, and there were some bumps in the recovery, but all in all it was better than fine. He was over 65 and he lived at least 20 years after that. I doubt he would have lived long without the surgery. Before surgery he couldn’t walk a block or two without pain. After recovery, he was back to a routine of walking. His surgery was like what eyemamom described and involved something with the leg, and a complete opening of the chest. If they have improved on that, so much the better. It was harder on MIL in a way than on him, which had a lot to do with the type of person MIL was.
@Lizardly, post op depression is not uncommon among CABG patients. Some do have fear based reactions-little chest pains that you and I might notice for a moment and then disregard can serve as frightening reminders of the underlying condition that necessitated the surgery. Others have depression of unknown origin. They know they SHOULD feel happy to have their lives extended, but for some reason they can’t shake the sadness or general feelings of depression. I believe Robin Williams and maybe Jack Nicholson talked about this depression. Or maybe it was David Letterman who brought it to the public attention.
Anyway, it’s prudent to know that depression is a possible challenge after bypass surgery.
Thanks Nrdsb4. I will remember this information. Every other bypass story I heard was so positive that I attributed our troubles to differences in personality and culture.
My dad had triple bypass in 2004 - everything Nrdsb4 mentioned is excellent information. Dad had a difficult recovery due to an underlying clotting disorder, but an otherwise uneventful recovery. His blockages were actually discovered when he was hospitalized recovering from cancer surgery, so he was in the best possible place (if there can be such a thing!). Cardiac rehab is a must and attention to diet as well. He actually experienced some depression as well - I think if one is prone to or suffers from depression prior to surgery it may be more pronounced post surgery. Best wishes to your H - if your area has a Mended Hearts chapter they can be incredibly helpful as well.
This operation has improved so dramatically that in a short time odds are very, very strong the story will become “thank heaven” for the operation and that he’s not as good as new but better. Speaking from observation of relatives and older friends/acquaintances. I happened to be talking to a gym friend cardiologist about an elderly relative sailing through valve replacement that not long ago was dangerous or not an option and we talked about the improvements in these surgeries as well.
Sorry to hear this, but if he’s 90% blocked and has previous history, you want to do this bypass ASAP. I had a 100% blockage and had a full cardiac arrest at home (at age 51). Only reason I’m still here is that S2 was home and kept CPR going til the paramedics arrived to defibrillate me, as I was flatlined. I didn’t have a bypass – they didn’t have time – so they placed five stents instead.
Best of luck for an easy procedure – it is not as bad as it used to be. My dad had a quad a few years ago and he said his knee replacement was far worse.
I will sing the praises of cardiac rehab to the skies – I know a lot of folks hate it, but for me, it was the best part of the whole terrifying experience. It helped stave off depression, it was a safe place to test my physical limits, and the staff is so positive and compassionate. Even though I am medically cleared to go exercise elsewhere, I have gotten into the routine of going there, and for me, that is everything. I’m not sure the local gyms would take me with my cardiac history, anyway. The rehab also has additional exercise classes, patient education about meds, devices, depression, diabetes, etc., as well as a nutritionist – and it’s all included the cost of rehab. My insurance covered rehab, and now that I’ve graduated from Phase 3, I just pay a set fee each month for as many visits as I want. If there’s a problem, I’m 350 feet from the ER.
“tests showed he didn’t have a heart attack.” Nor did they for my mother, at the hospital, but the paramedics had run tests in the ambulance, fortunately.
She had a triple a few years ago, no depression. But plenty of confusion in the first week, while on so many meds. The nurses and PA’s tend to be awesome. We were allowed into her unit 24/7. Ask about that.
Sad part, my mother refused rehab. Her heart is fine, but she missed the pat where the confidence and strength are rebooted.
My dad had one 30 years ago. Now in his 90s so I guess it worked! They fortunately warned us about depression/anger afterwards that may last a few months. My normally easy going “take it in stride” dad turned sour to say the least. My mom said that if she hadn’t been warned she would have divorced him during that time.
