It's been 28 days since my triple bypass

[BlueCollar]

Ask me anything...

[Kali]

1. wow!

how are you feeling?

[BlueCollar]

2. Better now

I'm off the post-op meds finally and can walk and even take a shower without assistance.

[rurallib]

3. Gonna be around for a while?

[BlueCollar]

4. If I listen to my cardiologist

and start behaving like a responsible human being....:-)

[MiddleFingerMom]

5. I got right up to the pre-surgical sedation for a triple-bypass...

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...and woke to them telling me that they had done literally last-minute
tests and determined that I really didn't need it after all.
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They also told me, oh... by the way... since you're not going into
surgery... you can eat again.
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At that particular moment... I'm not sure which piece of news made me
more ecstatic.
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Congratulations. What your cardiologist will PROBABLY suggest to you
in terms of lifestyle changes will probably not be very onerous...
expecially considering the alternative.
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.

[BlueCollar]

7. I had to have that damn tube

inserted twice down my throat...The second time for five days.

The suggestion to quit smoking is not onerous at all...

[Redstone]

6. Wake-up call, wasn't it?

I need one of those myself.

Redstone

[BlueCollar]

8. Damn straight...

I found out I'm not bullet proof...

[Uben]

9. What's the velocity of a coconut-laden swallow.....

....flying into a 40 mph headwind?


LOL! Glad you are on the road to recovery

[BlueCollar]

10. Thanks...

It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut.

[DFW]

11. So, how much rehab do they want you to do?

I was sent in on an emergency basis, but only because I had one VERY alert cardiologist recognize what
was going on with me. Otherwise, I would have collapsed with a heart attack, and needed a bypass--IF I
survived the heart attack.

Luckily I got away with 2 stents and a severe warning to change my diet or die.

I changed my diet.

[BlueCollar]

18. 24-36 sessions

Had my first one Monday...Second one today.

I'm glad I can get started...I was going out of my mind with boredom.

[abq e streeter]

12. I'm not sure there's anything I want to ask, but want to say I'm glad you're alive and on the mend

I'm starting my third week out of three , of wearing a heart monitor to see if they can figure out the cause of the sudden return of my occasional fluttery, irregular-feeling heartbeats (originally diagnosed as pvc; premature ventricular contractions) that I'd been successfully dealing with through the use of beta blockers. Best wishes to you on your continued recovery. And yeah, been exercising and have lost about 15 pounds with 10 or 15 to go.

[hippywife]

14. ...

:hug:

[abq e streeter]

50. Thanks for that.

It'll be interesting wearing the monitor and electrodes tonight at an outdoor concert with a 20 % chance of thunderstorms (Los Lobos and John Hiatt )...I once got a really bad electric shock on stage, but never in the audience. Always a first time I suppose. I 'm actually not too scared of what they're going to tell me they found out, as long as they found SOMETHING out. My greatest fear is along the lines of, gee, we don't know why that's happening . Oh well, that'll be 2 thousand dollars please.

[hippywife]

52. Excellent show on for tonight.

Go and have a great time and leave your worries at home. :hug:

[BlueCollar]

19. Thanks for the well-wishes

and accept mine to you. Hope they figure it out and you never need to go through anything more drastic than meds.

[grasswire]

46. just a thought here....

....I suffered from PVCs for years. On a trip to the ER, the doc there suggested a magnesium supplement. It has made a stunning difference for me. That plus CoQ10 has totally changed my cardiac status for the better. You might want to read up on both, and then ask your doctor.

[abq e streeter]

49. Thank you-Started COQ 10 a few weeks ago. Will ask the cardiologist about magnesium at my Sept 10th

Just not sure if this is just the PVC , or something more, or even just muscular...The worst episodes lately have been after (and even during) musical performances where I do both wind instruments and singing (and I sing real hard; I don't have a naturally smooth voice so I make up for it by really "belting it out"). But these episodes do feel the same as the PVC which the beta blocker had gotten under control for a couple of years. Thanks for the suggestions.

[hippywife]

13. Glad you have that over with

and are on the mend. Wishing the remainder of your recovery be a speedy one. :hi:

[BlueCollar]

20. Thankyou

:hi:

[applegrove]

15. How is the emotional trauma part going....I hear some people have a hard time

in that regard.

[BlueCollar]

22. I have to be honest

Sometimes I break down for a few minutes...but I think they are tears of gratitude that I have a second chance.

[applegrove]

32. We always learn something after a few tears. I think it is underrated. Glad you feel gratitude...

right on!

[UTUSN]

16. Gosh, congrats that it's over. I dread the day when it comes for me.

I was 50% blocked backin '96 and who knows now, but they said they don't operate until 90+ blocked. The things they've done since--stress tests, echograms---don't tell about blockage. Anyway, glad for you.

[BlueCollar]

23. Hopefully you'll never have to go through it

and I hope they can keep you out of it. I just never paid any attention to my BP, cholesterol and I smoked like a chimney so I was just asking for it.

No smoking now though....

[old mark]

17. BC - I had a quintuple bypass in 2003 and a pacemaker installed in '05.

I'm doing just fine. I get massive tests every few years - the grafted arteries are all as clean as when they were installed-there is no sign that I will have any problems with it in the future. Also, just had the yearly in-house pacemaker check last week and it's fine, should be good for another 5 years, then get a new top end installed, which is minor surgery compared to the big zipper job.

Welcome to the survivors club.
Enjoy your extra time!

mark

[RandomThoughts]

21. Surviving is different to different people.

It depends what you think living is. Including if living includes life after death.

Some judge surving as defeating others, some judge it by not thinking like that. Some don't even know. Or maybe nobody knows what surviving is. Giving ones life to find it?

What is surviving? What is winning?

[BlueCollar]

24. Wow...,.

I'm so glad to hear you're doing well...and thanks for the welcome

[old mark]

29. I'd wish you good luck, but you have already won the lottery...all the best. nt

[BlueCollar]

33. Thanks...n/t

[femmocrat]

25. Glad to hear you are on the mend, BlueCollar.

Best vibes on your healthy recovery. :hug:

[BlueCollar]

34. Thankyou for the vibes...n/t

[av8rdave]

26. Glad to hear you're well on the road to complete recovery!

Also, congrats on stopping the smoking. After watching my Dad try for 30 years before he succeeded, I know how difficult that is.

Here's to many, many long and happy years ahead!

:hi:

[BlueCollar]

35. Thankyou

The smoking thing is going to be a one day at a time thing but not having that damn tube down my throat again is a strong incentive

[davsand]

27. Open Heart is creepy stuff, for sure.

It is good to hear that you are bouncing back and on the road to recovery. I dunno if your docs put it this way or not, but that first 60 days is the worst in terms of pain and adjustment--at least that is how my 80 year old mom's docs explained it to her. They said it might take up to 6 months before she feels like she used to, but that it really was gonna get easier wiht the passage of time. Cardiac Rehab is no cakewalk, but it will sure help out in the long run.

Best of luck, and a speedy recovery to you!



Laura

[BlueCollar]

36. Started cardiac rehab this week...

I'm just happy to be in a position to post here...very happy.

I'm fortunate, good insurance and plenty of sick leave to work my way back...


and friends...in the world and here on DU for support.

:hi:

[gvstn]

28. Great to hear your doing well.

My mother had triple bypass 6 years ago and never had any problems. They sent her home in a week and never even asked to see her again. She had to call them and ask if anyone wanted to look at the scar to make sure it was healing ok. They just had a nurse check it out. Way casual to me but she is ok with it.

You may enjoy the exercise. My mom joined a fitness center after rehab ended and I went along because she no longer drives. I learned to really enjoy the elliptical and basic weight machines.

If you need inspiration take a look around the cardiology department of your hospital. If it is like mine all the doctors practice what they preach. Not an ounce of extra weight on any of them. Rather creepy but there must be something to their advice.

[BlueCollar]

37. Thanks for stopping in.

My cardio group all practice what they preach. They look good and some are involved in the rehab program.

No weight work yet....just leg work...

[Altoid_Cyclist]

30. Congratulations!

You made it through the worst part so feel good about that! Be prepared for good days and bad days and of course there might be times when you really hit a plateau. Keep plugging away, it will get better in time.

The most important thing is to stay focused on improving your lifestyle for the long term and not slipping back into bad habits like some people do. Depression and/or anxiety are common after a cardiac event and the heart/lung machine seems to increase the chance of that side effect.

I never had bypass surgery, but I have had two MI's and 6 stents so far.

Cardiac Rehab really helped me both times. I'm still taking part in what they call the Maintenance Program here. It continues what the rehab worked on and allows me to go for as long as I want although it does cost $5.00 per session. I figure that's still cheaper than another MI sine I don't have Darth's coverage.

They were doing a catheterization after the first MI since they thought that it was just my only stent at that time had re-stenosed. I was a little shocked when the Cardiologist started saying things like: I don't believe what I'm seeing and wow, is this bad in here. He then asked if I wanted to go upstairs and have multiple bypass surgery. I was sedated a little, but I still tensed up when he asked me that. We decided to try multiple stents (4) instead. After the first two were inserted, I heard him say that they were about to lose me if they stayed in there any longer! Oh yeah...I freaked out a little when I heard that.

He asked if it was alright if they waited a month to do the other two since they weren't life threatening like the first two. Let's see....he just said that they're about to lose me if they stayed in there..uh yeah, a month from now is fine with me.

The second MI 8 months ago wasn't as bad as the first one, but until then I had no idea that the first one had caused a lot more damage than they let me know. It really sucks to see an Echocardiogram report that uses the terms Akinetic, Hypokinetic and Dyskinetic to describe most of your left ventricle.

Oh well, I'm still alive and doing fairly well so...........

[gvstn]

31. My mom

had a heart attack in a rural area. The local hospital told her she needed multiple stents but they didn't want to do it there because a couple would be tricky to place correctly. They sent her to our larger hospital. She was laying there naked on the operating table when the surgeon came in to begin the operation. He took one look at her images and said "I can't do this", canceled the operation and said you need bypass. I'm thankful that both surgeons had enough sense/humility to know their limitations and get her the experienced care she needed.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

38. I think that I might have made a different decision had I been in a better hospital.

The second MI was caused by a problem with one of the stents placed after the first MI.

Although it's a 100 mile drive each way, I now see a Cardiologist in Pittsburgh so that if there is a complication during a catheterization or stress test, I know that the Surgeon and Hospital are of a higher caliber.

The worst part is knowing that on both occasions, I got to the local Hospital in time to prevent heart muscle death. Both freaking times they insisted that I wasn't having an MI and only discovered the truth AFTER the muscle death had taken place. They never did admit that if they had followed proper protocol both times for a known CAD patient presenting with MI signs, most or all of the heart muscle death could have been prevented.

I'm glad that your Mom was fortunate enough to be treated by Dr's. who didn't let their ego get in the way of proper treatment. That is almost unheard of around here. A lot of people do go to Pittsburgh like I do, but as in my case it's usually because they are almost killed by the local Doctors.

I think that if I'm having another MI, I'll ask to be flown to Pittsburgh and take my chances on their treatment.

[old mark]

40. AC - finding the right doctor is absolutely life and death, and is still a crapshoot...

For 4 years before my several heart attacks, my family doctor told me the pains in my chest were bronchitis and the pains in my arms and neck were carpal tunnel syndrome. I had chest pains one morning on the way to work, and went to a local hospital instead...I had a cardiac stress test and I was diagnosed as normal, but they did find I was diabetic...
1 1/2 years later, in the ER, I told them about the stress test - they pulled it, and it was obvious to everyone that it had been totally mis-read. I had 85% blockage in my best functioning artery, and total blockage in most of them, I had all 4 re done, plus a large artery in my chest, making a quintuple bypass.

I feel very lucky to be here talking about it.

mark

[Altoid_Cyclist]

43. A lot of us are glad that you're still here!

The worst part about the second MI was that not only did the ER Doctor say that it wasn't a heart attack, both of the Cardiologists in the practice that I visited here stopped in to see me and ruled out another MI.

They said that it was "a cardiac event of some sort" but not another MI.
Of course it was Friday evening and they were both dressed and on their way home when they stopped to see me. They put me in the ICU for the night which wasn't too bad except for the family of my roommate constantly asking her if she wanted them to pull the plug. I found out that it actually was an MI at midnight when the nursing staff shift was taking place and I overheard them talking about me.

One of my Cardiologists stopped in Saturday morning and said that guess what; I actually had been having another MI afterall. He acted like it was no big deal since I made it through the night and couldn't understand why I was depressed. The fact that the ICU Nurses were fantastic is the only good thing about the whole experience.

The Cardiologist that I see in Pittsburgh is great. He never talks down to me and now he is being extra careful in monitoring my heart. He decided that from now on, ANY anomaly be investigated to the fullest extent possible. He even did his own catheterization a few months ago just to double check everything after an echocardiogram done here showed possible valve issues also.

The fact that we're both still here just means that our work of over throwing the evil empire was meant to continue.

:hi:

[old mark]

51. I went to the ER thinking I had pneumonia - they took me right in, gave me an EKG.

I closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew, there were about 15 people in that room , running around, and I thought,"Oh, SHIT...I must really be sick!"
The doctor said I was in the middle of a heart attack at that moment, and I thought, well, the ER is probably the best place to have one...

I NEVER thought about dieing till months after I was back at work...someone told me that 62% of first heart attacks are fatal...I believe I had 3 of them...

My work here is not done...I am playing guitar a lot more now, and I am very happily and quietly retired.

Advice: Think about things you really want to do and do them.

Enjoy yourself. You are on overtime.

mark

[gvstn]

42. You really do have to be your own advocate.

After witnessing the whole episode with my Mom, I question much of what I saw in terms of her treatment and timeliness of it. From the paramedics to the ER and her aftercare. The cardiologists were the most professional of the bunch but of course they are not the first responders.

The thing is no matter how much you know about a condition you still have to rely on the doctor's advice. If he recommends stents versus bypass of course you accept his judgment. You want to be able to trust your doctor and get the psychological benefit of having an expert tell you things are going to be OK.

I'm glad your doing well. Here's hoping you don't need any further treatment for quite some time.:toast:

[Altoid_Cyclist]

44. Thank you for the well wishes.

I extend them to your Mom also.

One of the problems with being my own advocate is that a lot of the Doctors around here take that as a sign of being a Hypochondriac.

I've stopped going to some of them just for that reason. Almost all of the Doctors that I see now encourage and endorse doing your own research and asking questions.

:hi:

[grasswire]

47. I'll second that

In my experience, some doctors don't like a patient who has taken the trouble to self-educate on the trouble at hand. I won't see that kind of doctor twice.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

60. I had one exchange with an Orthopedic Surgeon that was beyond surreal.

I had already had 4 surgeries on my right knee including an ACL Reconstruction. The news after the 4th was that at least 85-95% of the meniscuses was gone and that the articular cartilage was also breaking down.




After the 5th surgery, I asked the Surgeon (the one who did 3 & 4 had retired due to early onset Parkinsons) if there was a chance that injections of Synvisc would help. First of all he said that he had never heard of it and he then proceeded to say that it was pronounced Syn a visc and not just synvisc like I pronounced it.

OK....if you're telling me that it doesn't exist in the first place, how can you say that I'm not pronouncing it correctly???? I also asked him about cartilage replacement surgery and he said that he had never heard of that either. He sent me to PT instead where I met another of his patients going through PT after....... you guessed it...cartilage replacement surgery.

The most arrogant Doctor or human that I've ever met. I think that it was all because I mentioned things that he hadn't brought up.

I finally wised up and won't give Dr's. like him a second chance.

[BlueCollar]

39. I'm glad to see

you're doing well. I feel better each passing day and am determined to avoidfalling back into the lifestyle behaviours that got me into the situation in the first place.

I was under the impression I was going to get away with a stent but as soon as they saw how bad it was, they stopped and we decided to go with the bypass. My situation was complicated by the fact that I was a heavy smoker and I had serious issues with being able to breathe on my own after the surgery.

Good luck...

:hi:

[old mark]

41. BC, don't be so quick to blame it all on yourself, either - many of us would have

cardiac problems even if we had lived exemplary lives - in many cases it is at least partly genetic.

You have enough to do without adding guilt.

But you should really stop smoking....

Keep going!

mark

[BlueCollar]

54. Cigarette-free since July 6

One day at a time...

Thanks for the encouragement and support.

[UndertheOcean]

45. Was it painful ? or are the pain meds adequate now ?

[BlueCollar]

55. Truthfully I don't remember

a lot. The attack precipitating my visit to the ER was....I was on a lot of medication for the first 6-7 days after the surgery...some of which was morphine but I'm sure there were others.

Five weeks later, I'm off all of the meds. The only pain is very occasional when I cough, sneeze or yawn...then there is a short but intense moment of pain in the area where they cut.

I have pain medication available but I only take it before I go to sleep....doesn't seem to be necessary during the day.

[mnhtnbb]

48. How's that low fat, veggie overload diet doing to satisfy your craving for a potato chip?

Seriously, glad you're doing well.

Don't forget that having a sense of humor helps immensely with reducing stress.

:hi:

[BlueCollar]

57. Actually...not too bad

but this is the middle of summer here in Texas so cold fruit and juices are easy...

Winter may bring on its own set of challenges though...

[kwassa]

53. My MI was in January.

A single stent. Atypical symptoms, no known risk factors. I think it was the genetic luck of the draw. I went to the hospital with a pain in my back.

I did the full cardiac rehab, and now run on my own, 3 times a week for a little over 30 minutes. I've lost 23 pounds over the past year, and will lose a little more. I never felt better than I do know.

The cardiac rehab was important, and important to stick with. I know you can do it, and can also stay quit from smoking.

[BlueCollar]

58. I'm enjoying the rehab

and spent yesterday tuning up my bikes...I have two that I used to ride a lot and just stopped...

The smoking thing is getting easier...one day at a time...

[kwassa]

61. Quitting smoking is easy, I've done it hundreds of times.

and I apologize for that old joke.

I smoked two and a half packs of Marlboros every day for 14 years, and finally succeeded in quitting after a number of attempts. I've been quit for 26 years now.

Best single thing I did for myself.

[xchrom]

56. sorry you had to go through it -- glad for you and yours you are still here. nt

[Dinger]

59. How About A Heads Up On Tomorrow's Lottery Numbers?

That'd be cool.:)