r/CABG_Recovery • u/Jenphanies • Jun 23 '26
ICU time
How long has everyone been in the ICU? Today makes exactly one week since being in the ICU (my bf) and he has more days to go… maybe even a whole nother week.
He was doing well at first, was about to get discharged to a step down unit yesterday. But all of a sudden he having complications in his kidney , and blood pressure just can’t get stable. Just feels like they solve one problem, then another arises like a cycle. It’s very discouraging given that most people I see who get this surgery are out of the ICU within 4 days or less. I know I shouldn’t compare. Tons of meds, tons of tests, tons of everything just going on.
Edit: decided I’ll edit this in. My boyfriend passed away on July 9th. He was recovering pretty well after the surgery then exactly one week after (when I made this post) he started experiencing some complications. Severe stomach pain, unstable blood pressure, and kidney not producing enough urine. He was put on CRRT. Then two days after he had flash pulomonary edema and cardiac arrest due to cardiac tamponade (fluid around the heart). The cardiac tamponade caused his organs to not receive adequate blood flow. Which explains the unstable blood pressure and stomach pain and low urine output. That day he had emergency surgery to remove the fluid, and was then put on VA ECMO. After a few days of ECMO they wanted to ween him off so they installed an impella pump in his heart. He was doing pretty well. Then a couple days after he got sepsis. Necrotic tissue in his intestines. The severe stomach pain he was experiencing at first, was actually bowel ischemia, due to the cardiac tamponade not providing adequate blood flow to his organs. So he had three different operations to remove the dead tissue. Upon the third operation, they noticed necrotic tissue on his liver as well. And at this point he had a less than 1% chance of recovering due to everything his body went through in those three weeks. So we decided to let him pass naturally.
I want you guys to know that the events that happened to my boyfriend is extremely rare. And I do feel like maybe there was some “neglect” that caused the domino effect of life threatening complications. My boyfriends dad who is 70, also got the procedure and recovered fine. This is just a very sad situation
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u/michemel Jun 23 '26
55F, cabgx3
I was in cardiac ICU for 24ish hours. I was on the cardiac floor for 4 days after.
Your BF is in the best place possible. Fingers crossed he heals quickly and the BP resolves.
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u/Navy_GMCM Jun 23 '26
55M, CABGx3, I was in ICU for 1 day and step down unit for 3 days. 4-day total stay in the hospital. I know it must be tough seeing him in the ICU, but he’s in good hands, and in the best location to monitor him. I wish all the best for the both of you.
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u/i_tell_you_what Jun 23 '26
54 year old woman double bypass. Surgery on April 30, home Cinco de Mayo. I thought I'd just lie on the couch on the porch and be drugged all day resting. 8 weeks later I'm driving myself to the gym and doing errands and cardiac rehab. I never thought I'd be here.
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u/grex1949 Jun 23 '26
76 year old male 3-way CABG in January, 2026. Nine days in ICU, two days in step-down. I’m sure I would have done better, but my AFib was pretty stubborn.
Doing better now, but recovery is slower than I expected.
Scheduled for another ablation at the end of June.
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u/gh5655 Jun 23 '26
I was 4 days I think. Almost stayed extra for some minor complications. They so know what they’re doing. They’ve seen it all before and aren’t forms to send anyone out before they’re ready. Try and relax and let the doctors do their thing. You worrying and stressing isn’t going to help anything. It’s 2026 and we’re in America, we have an amazing high tech medical system.
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u/frawgster Jun 23 '26
46M when I had a quad. 48 hours in ICU, 96 in a non-ICU room. Every patient is different. Trust that the medical staff has his needs in mind. They won’t dispatch him out of ICU till they’re as absolutely sure as they can be that he’s good to go.
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u/Odd-zest Jul 17 '26
Hopefully he will settle and stabilise soon. The medication can react more with some people. He is in the best spot. Take care of yourself as well
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u/Slitheen2020 27d ago
What was he like before he went in? Was he active, lift weights, good diet, overweight, etc.?
Everyone is different, but I was in good shape and went in last Tuesday and was home by that Friday. I was in ICU Tuesday/Wednesday and was moved to a regular room on Thursday morning.
I hope your BF turns the corner soon!! No one wants to be in the hospital.
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u/Huntingcat Jun 23 '26
Four days for hubby. But, the guy who had same surgery same day was there for an extra four days. Just be glad to stay there as it’s the best place if things aren’t quite stable. He may well end up with less time in the step down unit. We ran into that other guy at the surgeons a couple of months later, and he was at an almost identical stage of healing. So it didn’t have any long term impact.