Quadruple By-Pass Heart Surgery

I assume you are writing about coronary bypass surgery. How soon after such surgery one can drive depends on their age, recovery time, general health status, etc - so this is an individual matter to be decided by the patient's physicians. It is nice of you to offer "to talk about" your surgery, but please keep in mind that every patient is different and one has to be careful about generalizations.
Do be aware that I am unable to diagnose medical conditions online.

Dear Doctor Miller,

I understand that, all I was trying to do is get tips on what to expect next in my recovery. I saw in one place a Lady said her Husband had a hard time with a Seat Belt and she said she used a small Pillow between it and his chest. That is what I was mainly looking for.

As for me I am 63 years old and have a very good Doctor, but explaining what was going to happen wasn't his strong point.

I'm the type of person that has to get himself physicked up before something major like that was.

It would have really helped me if I could have talked it over with someone who already went through it.

That is why I though of making a Diary of each Day and what I have gone through since January 2, 2012. This has also helped me in seeing the progress I've made so far.

Thank you, if you'd like to talk more in here or by E-Mail my name is Rick.

Thanks, again

I am also looking for what comes next in my recovery and tips on how to cope with the next step. It's hard to believe its been just 15 Days since the Surgery and how far I've come already.

I go to my Heart Doctor this Thursday for a Check-Up so I'll know more then. Maybe I can lose my Oxygen then too.

Being 63 Years Old I figured I'd be going through a lot more pain than I have so far. I do have a strong pain threshold though. I walk almost everyday now, but.....with living in Michigan with Snow and Ice sometimes it is hard to do. On those Days I try and ride a Stationary Bike as much as I can.

I really hope I can talk to other people on here that can help or I can help. I still keep up with my Diary too and it really helps out. If anyone out there has a big Surgery it really helps to see how far you've come.

Thanks, Rick

I got five by passed on March 24, 2012. I am 63 years old and an Agent Orange Vet with an 80% disability for diabetes and heart, PTSD, and hearing. I retired in July of 2011 after 38.94 years with the compant. I was the senior mechanic in a sawmill. I got my stent two years ago and I kept telling the Dr. that I did not feel well. I have always liked running, lifting and I used to be very active. I am a week end musician doing four hour shows on week ends in clubs. I was having trouble doing my shows. Now that the by pass has been done I feel like walking again; I walk about two miles a day, one mile in the morning and one mile at night, and I plan on starting to jog witch used to be my passion.
I am talking two pain pills a day every, one every 12 hours and I am getting my energy back. I noticed that my blood pressure is down from 90/140 to about 75/130 or so, my blood sugar is down from 160 or so to less than 100. I still have not gotten my appetite back, I have lost 14 lbs or so;I weighed 199lbs when I went into the hospital.
I was up and walking the day after surgery and I had no trouble except for the pain. I was playing guitar the third day after surgery and I did a 45 minute set on stage after three weeks and i did a two hour set non stop on May 25, 2012 for a private party.

Hi Rick,

It sound like you are doing good after your surgery. My father is having a cuadrupal bypass surgery tomorrow and I would like to know a little bit of what you experienced to know exactly what my father will be facing.


I appreciate your response.

Thanks
Mayra

I started by signing a piece of paper (living will) that let them know what my wishes were if something went wrong. There was an apartment house that was about two blocks away for family to stay at a $25.00 per night stay, it is there for cancer patient family as well. It was ironic that just a few months back I had been involved in show to raise money at the Northwest Casino near Spokane, WA for just such a house for breast cancer patients and their family. I guess what goes around comes around. It was explained to me how every step of the procedure would be. My preop was on Monday and they stop the heart for as long as it takes them to do the repair. They simply cool it until it stops; I think your lungs are stopped as well. They hook you up to life support of some kind that keeps the body supplied with blood and oxygen. They do all that preop stuff like mark where the arteries on your legs will be harvested from and shave you. I am a guitar player and performer, I had been on stage with Jim Ed Brown on April 14, 2012 in Kennewick ,WA and he was telling me that after his stent surgery he started losing feeling in his fingers and feet. So I had some concerns. I guess some people have neuropathy, loss of memory or even Alzheimer’s after the surgery, there are those that have crying spells and depression, but I don’t have any of that as far as I know. They have no idea why some people get it and others don’t, but your blood supply is interrupted so I guess there could be an oops there somewhere. The success rate is 82% or so and the most of the ones they lose are the ones that have waited too long and have heart damage where the artery gets completely plugged up and part of the heart dies.
I awoke from the surgery in a lot of pain and discomfort. I had about six or seven drain tubes in my stomach area, one in my chest, a tube down my nose, two wires sticking out of my chest in case they had to shock my heart, and another tube down my throat. The only ones really causing pain and a lot of discomfort were the drain tubes in my stomach. Their first concern is getting the pain under control. It took the whole first day and one half to get the right amount of morphine to control the pain and not make me hallucinate. I kept seeing TV screens all over the walls all on a different channel; not too scary stuff, but I knew it wasn’t right.
I guess the painful coughing is bad. I felt bad for the smokers because they coughed ten times worse than me. They give you a pillow to hold against your chest when you cough, but it still hurts. I was up and walking the first day after surgery as soon as they took the nose tube and mouth tube out. They took the stomach tubes out about the third day. That hurt, but it helps when you think about how much better you will feel without them coiled up in your gut. I was walking without assistance; baby steps about the third day also. I guess I recovered a lot faster than most people do, but I have always been that way. I have a high tolerance for pain as well, but that has to be the most pain that I can remember in a long time. My right leg just below the knee on the inside is where they harvested the artery for the repair and I had swelling for about four days and not very much pain. I only had a one inch scar where the artery was harvested I guess they just pull out what they need and it is not as invasive as an 18 scar like they used to do it. I never had any pain in my legs or very much discomfort. I got to take a shower about the third day as well.
They wanted to let me go home the fifth day, but I live about 100 miles away and they were afraid of complications so I stayed six days in the hospital and went home, and I guess that is the fastest that anyone ever gone home, but it’s a fairly new hospital. They also gave me a prescription for a hospital bed, but I felt I did not need it after getting home. There is also physical therapy that the insurance or VA will cover, but my family Dr. did not think I needed it. It has been about 30 days and I am walking about a mile twice a day. I still have not got my appetite back. I lost about 14 lbs so far, but I was 199 lbs and I am only 5’6” so I need to lose the weight. My blood pressure is down and my blood sugar is down even though it spiked to about 260 for about two weeks. They warned me that it would do that because of the medication. Last week my Dr. released me do a one hour show for a fund raiser that I hated to miss. I have some good friends that pitched in set up my PA system and tore it down after the show and helped by doing the first 45 minute set for me. This Friday May 25, 2012 I did a two hour nonstop show for a private birthday party and it went very well. I have my driving privileges back so I am driving. VA should kick my disability to 100% for at least the 90 days of recovery. If your father has a VA rated disability he should get that. Make sure and hook up with a VA rep. God Bless and good luck you will be in my prayers

Some people that I have spoken with feel that once that you have had heart surgery you get checked much more often and have a better chance of detecting more health issues. I had had a stent put in two years before and I complained to them for about the last six months that i did not fell well so I guess you have to get on them also.