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Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

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Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

Old 02-02-19, 06:59 AM
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Fredster
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Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

Just got home from 9 day hospital stay after triple CABG surgery. Three arteries were bypassed, 2 previously stented and the LAD which was clogged in an area they do not normally stent. I wasn't having any pain or anything, just was losing some stamina over the last year or so. Had a heart attack in 2014.

I came home with a few things I didn't have when I went in, anemia and aFib. The aFib should go away in a few weeks they think, but has been a bit scary. Both are not uncommon for this kind of surgery I've heard.

Also there were some problems with inserting catheter because it turns out I had prostate issues (BPH) that I didn't know I had. Put on the Flomax for that.

I feel pretty good and am looking forward to clogging up my new artery vein grafts. Echo shows good blood flow so I should feel and perform much better when I recover. A few weird things though, heart rate is much higher than it was. Maybe that will sort itself out.

Anway would love to hear your comments.
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Old 02-02-19, 09:08 AM
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Greetings Fred!

Good to hear you're home. Take precious care, let us know how your progress.
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Old 02-02-19, 09:20 AM
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A new you. Good luck to ya.
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Old 02-02-19, 05:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Fredster
Just got home from 9 day hospital stay after triple CABG surgery. Three arteries were bypassed, 2 previously stented and the LAD which was clogged in an area they do not normally stent. I wasn't having any pain or anything, just was losing some stamina over the last year or so. Had a heart attack in 2014.

I came home with a few things I didn't have when I went in, anemia and aFib. The aFib should go away in a few weeks they think, but has been a bit scary. Both are not uncommon for this kind of surgery I've heard.

Also there were some problems with inserting catheter because it turns out I had prostate issues (BPH) that I didn't know I had. Put on the Flomax for that.

I feel pretty good and am looking forward to clogging up my new artery vein grafts. Echo shows good blood flow so I should feel and perform much better when I recover. A few weird things though, heart rate is much higher than it was. Maybe that will sort itself out.

Anway would love to hear your comments.
The higher heart rate may be due to the afib. When I was in afib I had an increased heart rate and after a cardio version it dropped back to where it was prior to the afib. You may also experience a dramatic increase in heart rate when you exert yourself. My heart rate would easily go to 190 bpm when riding in afib and would stay elevated for a while after stopping, get a chest strap to monitor your heart rate when exercising if the afib continues.
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Old 02-02-19, 06:51 PM
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It sounds like a successful event. How long before you can ramp up your heart rate like riding? Any restrictions?
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Old 02-02-19, 07:02 PM
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Good luck to you Fred.

i have seven coronary stents and severe CAC (coronary artery calcification) that I owe to previously not paying attention to my diabetes.

I recently completed the Dean Ornish cardiac rehab program and I feel much better. My bloodwork numbers are excellent.

Take care of yourself man, coronary disease is not fun.
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Old 02-05-19, 05:41 AM
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Originally Posted by wsteve464
The higher heart rate may be due to the afib. When I was in afib I had an increased heart rate and after a cardio version it dropped back to where it was prior to the afib. You may also experience a dramatic increase in heart rate when you exert yourself. My heart rate would easily go to 190 bpm when riding in afib and would stay elevated for a while after stopping, get a chest strap to monitor your heart rate when exercising if the afib continues.
You might be right. Heart rate has been dropping though. It's not quite where it was before surgery but 20-30 BPM less than it was a few days ago. Cardiology has me on a heart rhythm med that they're confident will get the afib under control (or I'll be just another guy with afib).
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Old 02-05-19, 05:44 AM
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Originally Posted by jppe
It sounds like a successful event. How long before you can ramp up your heart rate like riding? Any restrictions?
That might be a couple of months. I'll probably do a cardiac rehab. If that goes well I'll get back to the riding and perhaps running I've enjoyed.
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Old 02-05-19, 05:56 AM
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Another weird thing about this surgery is that food tastes differently (usually bad) than it did. This is not unheard of, and probably has something to do with being on heart/lung machine. Anyway, very odd. My favorite foods taste too salty or too sweet. Supposedly this will go away as well. Since most everything tastes bad that can't be soon enough.
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Old 02-05-19, 10:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Fredster
That might be a couple of months. I'll probably do a cardiac rehab. If that goes well I'll get back to the riding and perhaps running I've enjoyed.
Absolutely do the rehab. IIRC, it cuts the recurrence of CVD 30% in the next five years.

I think a large part of that is that you'll need to change your lifestyle -- doing the same things that got you to a CABG will get you back there. Rehab was a good way to learn about diet, exercise (I was OK there, being a cyclist!), and medications. Since you can start your 12 weeks in a few more weeks, it'll all fall within a year, and you've almost certainly hit your medical insurance out-of-pocket limit for the year -- rehab is free!
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Old 02-08-19, 06:43 AM
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Originally Posted by pdlamb
Absolutely do the rehab. IIRC, it cuts the recurrence of CVD 30% in the next five years.

I think a large part of that is that you'll need to change your lifestyle -- doing the same things that got you to a CABG will get you back there.
I made the lifestyle changes about 25-30 years ago. Diet, exercise and later statin meds. I even amped up my aerobic activity to raise my HDLs to normal range. My labs have been pretty good all of these years and I've kept my weight down and activity up. Some of the disease probably happened before those changes (smoker) and perhaps there are genetic components involved. When I had a heart attack in 2014, friends and family were very surprised as was I. Seems like I was the last guy they expected for that to happen.
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