Question for anyone that has had open heart surgery?

Hello

I have a few questions for anyone who has had bi-pass open heart surgery. My father 53 years old had a 5 way bypass October 19th he has came home and is sleeping in a hospital bed. Even though he is out of the hospital he is still not able to sleep very well he is taking about 7-10 different meds at one time and has even been taking half of a sleeping pill and was told to take a tylonal pm this has not helped and making him fill weaker. Did anyone have any of the same problems i like to say to him he's not alone on this problem may make him fill a little better. Also if anyone knows of anyway to find support groups for him that be great to and any other encouraging advice you might give for them would be most helpful!

Thank you!

Hi, open heart surgery is a tough procedure and tough recovery. I had it 4 years ago. The recovery is pretty long. One reason why he is not sleeping too well is because he is still sore where is sternum was broken. It is just a soreness that you cannot describe unless you have been through it. I can only describe it as, and excuse my language, the damndest soreness I have ever experienced. It is just awful because you cannot get comfortable, and then you get stiff also. I did not sleep much either for a while. I promise this will pass. As time goes by it will get better. I too, did not think I would EVER feel good again. I also became sort of depressed during this time which my doctors told me was normal and this happens to many people who undergo open heart surgery. I was also very anxious at times. It was about 3 months before I could comfortably lay down and and stretch out the way I wanted in my own bed. That is something I will never take for granted again. As far as all the medications are concerned, this is pretty much par for the course. I too was put on a lot of medications and his body is adjusting to all of this also. This will get better too. I know he does not feel like things will get better right now, but they will. I felt the same way. Also feeling weak for a WHILE is normal. He must walk every day to build back up his strength and I know from experience that is tough because you don't feel like doing it, but he has to. The more he does it and as days go by he will become stronger, no doubt about it. Tell him to hang in there, he is definitely not alone. Also have him talk with his doctor about instead of taking all his medications at one time, disperse them throughout the day, I take 4 in the morning and 3 at night. This may help some also, but again, this is only for his doctor to decide.

Best wishes to you and your father. It will get better. It is just a tough road of recovery, but it will pass and it takes a good while to get your strength back. I was out of work for 3 months and even when I went back, I tired easily. It took me about 6 months before I totally felt pretty good again and normal. Some people does not take as long, some takes longer.

This website is a good support group:
http://www.mendedhearts.org/

First I would like to say I'm glade he's home. And as for not sleeping well I didn't do too much of that when i got home either, at least not for like 6 or 8 weeks. Took me a long time just to go to bed at night I would just sit in the chair and watch TV till my wife got up for work. BTW I am 36 and had an aortic root replacement just over a year ago. As far as any advice well rest eat and do as much walking as possible to get that heart rate up. GL You and your dad are in my prayers.

I'm 56 and I had by-pass surgery day after New Year's this year. It does take some time to get back to "normal". For the first 12 weeks, walking is very important. I did not have many problems sleeping, as long as I did so on my back. If I tried to lay on my side, I was very uncomfortable and could not sleep. Try sleeping in a recliner, if you have one. Some times raising the legs up helps. Also, it is not uncommon to become depresed, for a multitude of reasons, one reason was I felt useless, since you can not do much of anything for the first 8 weeks. Also, he has to watch what he eats, especially when it comes to sodium.The hospital usually hosts a support group, one national group is Mended Hearts. I hope your Dad has a speedy recovery.

A detailed bypass surgery like that is very traumatic. He has been through a long cardio pulmonary bypass procedure in addition to the operation to harvest his vein. General anesthesia, and subsequent medication will all work to produce many side effects, which mainly affect sleeping patterns.

It is natural for there to be an anxiety about the out come, which is a potent sleep destroyer.

Non-denominational meditation, and slow walking helps. How about some good classical music to reduce anxiety?

Hi,
I've had open heart surgery, I was 24 at the time, I'm now 32 and am doing great.
Even though I was younger than most it was still quite an ordeal to recover from. It's so invasive and I remember getting up out of bed hurt so dang bad until my sternum healed. Agh.
To be honest with you, the pain killers that they gave me were a Godsend initially but after awhile I started to feel really weird from them after awhile. I'd wake up and I'd cry a lot - some of it was probably post traumatic stress, but some of it was loopiness from taking so many painkillers. Once I got to the point where I could tolerate the pain I stopped taking them and I felt much better.
I wouldn't be surprised if your poor dad was super anxious after experiencing an ordeal like that. I was, and sometimes I still am! Maybe you could chat with his doctor, tell him what is going on and see what the doctor thinks might be causing him to sleep poorly. It could be a side effect of the medication, but it could be anxiety. Many doctors are great at helping the body, but aren't too great about taking their patient's mind into consideration, you know?
I hope he's better very soon. Good luck.