Had my CT Scan yesterday to clear me for an ENT proceedure. Heart Doc calls and says CT scan no bueno. Currently in the hopital awaiting a heart cath with a triple bypass surgery likely on Monday. Really crummy timing as I'm knee deep in a renovation of a house we just purchased. Any insights on recuperation time would be appreciated.

I’m knee deep, with few answers, in medical stuff. Ultra sound, CT, MRI (yesterday. I left my house at 5:50AM, got home after noon. 18 mile drive). I hope the procedure goes well and your recovery is excellent.

I do not need to tell you to do what the Dr. says you should do. When it is time, your team will tell you what you can do. You have to have faith that it is going to turn out well.

Best Bob B

Best wishes for successful operation and speedy, full recovery. Longest May be the PT afterwards - slow buildup and endurance. Lots of folks have gone through it!!

I've my fair share of CTs in recent years.
Good luck to you and Godspeed.
You got this

You’ll feel great when it’s done. Amazing how much better it is when the blood flows properly.

Best wishes on your procedure and a speedy recovery!

I’m hoping for all the best for you. My dad, a corporate pilot had a heart attack at 53 ending his career as a pilot. He moved on and retired from his second career at 65 and neede a bypass at 73. That lasted till he was 87 and his heart just stopped. They are pretty good at this type of repairs these days. We are all looking for a few more good years.

Charlie

I'll pray for you. Don't know if he knows the name 914rrr but lets give it a go anyway.

Sorry to hear that, but it sounds like this was discovered before a major cardiac event took place. That's a HUGE upside right there.

It's not my practice area, but I'll address your question about rehabilitation time...it all depends upon the procedure, your preexisting medical conditions (diabetes, etc.), and any intra operative and post operative complications (if any). In the days when it was routine to split the sternum to access the heart there was an extended recovery time and lots of physical limitations in the initial six months. Minimally invasive surgery has a much quicker recovery time, and as @PanelBilly pointed out you may actually feel quite a bit better right after surgery as there is no substitute for well perfused cardiac muscle. Not sure if the plan is to use saphenous vein or radial artery for the graft, or some other vessel, but expect some discomfort at the donor site. Listen closely to your medical team and follow the post operative recommendations carefully. Expect a few months of cardiac rehab and a gradual return to activity. Renovating your house can wait, renovating your heart can't. I know it is frustrating, and there is never good timing for an event like this, but try to think of this as a short term inconvenience that comes with a long term benefit.

I really hope you do well and are back at it shortly. I'll keep my fingers crossed on Monday, both for you and your family.

The mother-in-law of one of my co-workers just had triple bypass surgery. She's 58. Went in on a Thursday a couple of weeks ago, complaining of chest discomfort (not even pain). They CAT-scanned her and scheduled her for surgery the next day. Surgery went well, and they sent her home the following Tuesday. So, four days from being opened up to being sent home. And, she's feeling much better.

And, as stated above, FOLLOW YOUR DOCTOR'S INSTRUCTIONS! Can't state that emphatically enough. Also, be careful not do over-do it afterward -- you'll start feeling better and it will be too easy to do too much and cause problems. You'll recover much faster if you stick to the medical instructions.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and advice!

On the plus side, I beat my dad's first bypass surgery by 10 years to the good! He lived to be 90 after 2 triple bypasses, several stents, ablations, wearing out 2 pacemakers prematurely , etc.

My heart doc commented that my CT scan was the worst one he'd ever seen (due to blockage size and placement), like ...Hey, you gotta check THIS out!

Sorry to hear that. On the other hand, finding the problem with a scan is a lot better than losing a lot of heart muscle when the vessels clog up for real. It is really hard to lie there while other people take care of renovations and everything else. Good luck with that.

Best wishes for a successful op and recovery. Been there. You’ll be surprised how much better you feel after you complete rehab.

Finding it and fixing it prior to a heart attack will help quicken your recovery. You will breathe much better, but expect a few month to let all the wounds heal.

My son works in the coronary care floor here at the local Essentia Hospital. Lots of success. You should do well with great care.

Speedy recovery. My father-in-law had a triple bypass when he was 80. He passed away at 98. They are pretty darn good at this stuff these days.

Best wishes! My father had a quintuple bypass at 81 and is 91 now…

Today’s technology is amazing and will help reduce the recovery time.

Lets us know how you feel afterwards.

Good luck and a speedy recovery. As others have mentioned your in good hands nowadays. My dad had the 2nd open heart surgery in TX in '71. There were 16 in the surgical team out of Houston. The surgery consumed 19 pts of blood and lasted 11 hours. He told me he hurt so badly afterwards that he tried holding his breath so he would die. He was given a 5% chance of recovery. In 1981 he had his second OHS. Four hours later they wheeled him out and had him up and walking down the aisles that evening. So yea, you got this. And throw away those cigarettes if you smoke.

Best wishes

Usually, bypass decision follows heart Cath.

If you do go to bypass, thoracic epidural is a good choice. Recovery is much quicker than 40 years ago. Six month recovery was common. Now, a week plus. Good luck!

Heart cath today confirmed CT scan. The cath lab Dr. was shocked by what they found and commented on how lucky I was to still be around. .Triple bypass here we come, surgery tommorow am.

Best of luck brother!

Prayers for a successful surgery, and a speedy recovery.

Good Luck Rob

Wishing you the best!

Best wishes. Need to take care of your self first. House and cars can wait. Mark

Sending care and healing energy => >>>>>>>

Wow, just saw this , sorry to hear but glad that you caught it before the massive one got you !! like others have said here, follow your doctors advice they will tell you what to do , i havent had oper heart but 30 years ago my dad did 2x, and i know he was freaking sore afterward.

personally i have been able to escape the full open heart proceedure, i was on that same cath table back in december after having had sudden onset of exercise induced angina! crazy thing for me was that my CT was really good very low calcium score etc, But out of no were i had this come up, on the cath table i looked up while the dy was being place and i could see the blockage, and as i was listening to them talking( they thought i was out but was awake, verssed does not work well on me, they are saying "wow thats a bad spot hope he can get the stint placed there if not well have to open up" they brought in the specialist and was able to place them so i am very lucky and blessed to not have to be opened up at 58 years old! once you get those done you are going to feel soo much better, i had no idea i was feeling so tired and lack of energy was due to a 95% occlusion in my right coronary!
we'll be praying for a successfuly proceedure for you and a very quick recovery!

Phil

Best wishes on your procedure and hoping for a speedy recovery !

I just had two more stents placed for blockage in front of a previous stent in Late Feb. I'm very fortunate to have avoided bypasses up to now but anticipate having to have them in the future. I have great cholesterol numbers but somehow mine likes to stick.
Caught a bad respiratory virus in March and just getting back to feeling normal. Good weather this weekend at Air/Water helped me feel normal again.

Wow. All the best wished for a great recovery.
You got this!

WOW, fast diagnosis to surgery! Up here everything takes months and months and months. For me, a colonoscopy was ordered last Feb. Labeled urgent by my FP Dr. Procedure date? Late July.

Thanks again for all the advice, suggestions, prayers etc. !!

Ended up being a double bypass instead of a triple. Cardiac and Surgery docs did a great job in expediting everything. Surgery doc told me I would have likely not had a heart attack and simply dropped dead if they hadn't caught it. It was that bad. My wife was an amazing caregiver, to the point where the nurses were telling her to stop babying me too much. Really glad to come home yesterday. Feeling better everyday.

I am curious, why do recliners in hospital rooms have to be so gawd awful uncomfortable? The one in the ICU was horrible and the one in my regular room was only slightly better.

Uncomphy so visitors don’t hang around all day?

Yay! Great news. So glad it had worked out. Now, on to PT!

Just saw this thread. I did the same "Death March" in November of 2016. Wasn't fun but the results speak for themselves. Hope you heal quickly. Took me thru the following spring to get my stamina back. Like they say "Stay away from the light."

Very glad you are home and recuperating.

Rob,

We are pulling for you!

You have automatically been enrolled in the "Survivors Club"!

We are just like our cars ... cut out the rust (clots, cancer, etc.) ... weld (suture or stitch) a patch and keep it running!

Cheers, Eddie914

Great news!!!!!

Great just follow the docs orders.

Best of luck and a speedy recovery. Had carotid artery done 3 days after CT scan. Said it needed to be done NOW.

So, where is the hell hole?

Glad to hear it went well, Rob!

You’re going to feel better and healthier! The recovery takes some time. I had a 4x in January 2022. Things that have been helpful for me…Exercise consistently, eat healthy (lots of veggies, cut out the high cholesterol foods) and get plenty of sleep.