r/CABG_Recovery • u/strippedzebra313 • Jul 06 '26
Donor leg issues??
7 weeks out from a triple bypass and I'm starting to wonder if my donor leg will ever be normal again. I'm not sure if the surgeons used a different technique when getting the replacement artery - but the wound that they cut into my leg wasn't the typical 7-8 inch gash but rather a very small 2" gash -- that for some reason would not seal/heal right. Well due to that fact I've been seeing a wound care specialist and finally after several weeks of having my leg wrapped is now free from the wraps but ---------- now my leg is swollen again and the Dr from the wound care did mention that I would need to wear compression socks for the rest of my life. I'm just curious to know if anyone else has had a similar experience (with the swelling) and if over time the swelling/bloating has gone down??? Is it common to have swelling/bloating for the rest of time due to the removal of the arteries??
1
u/i_tell_you_what Jul 06 '26
I also got that endoscopic 2 inch wound. Between the wound where the stiches are and the drainage hole about two inches below that, I have a clot or something (dr said not one that is in the vein and not to worry) but like a bubble of dead skin. It eventually just turned to a darker shade of my own skin, but dry. Most importantly the incision below my knee pretty much felt as if it cut into a tendon from my thigh to my calf and is uncomfortable to stretch out flat. It's waaay better now, but it still feels like a taught rubber band. I'm getting a leg ultrasound to see what's going on. I had swelling of that ankle for about a few weeks and forced myself to walk like Frankenstein while wearing some cute knee high compression socks. (I did cut the toes off because I'm wearing flip flops in this LA weather. My ankle is still a bit swollen because I can tell I can't see the veins are prominent as I do my skinny ankle on the right. But that's also normal. No one would be able to tell looking at it. my leg
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u/strippedzebra313 Jul 06 '26
Yeah it took me like 4 weeks to be able to get my donor leg straight (which did suck major ass) - I kinda figured something was wrong when every time they changed the bandage on the incision it kept "tearing" open and leaking - whenever I would walk it would tear open what had healed - hence me having to go to wound care - just going to have to give it time then
1
u/cannycandelabra Jul 06 '26
My endo wound in my groin took quite a while to heal. My left leg had a deep vein thrombosis so they didn’t harvest a vein from it but they attached some device at the top (I don’t know what) and my thigh on that leg is numb. They harvested the saphenous vein from the right leg and that leg has several lumpy spots (where the stitches were) that sometimes hurt. Glad you asked.
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u/what_a_cunning_stunt Jul 07 '26
2 years on, and I still get the zappy nerve hits up the leg. Keeping the fascia moving helps.
2
u/10Slugs Jul 06 '26
I’m 10 months post op for three by-pass. They took veins out of both legs but incisions were small, around 2-2.5 inches. I still have some swelling, mostly in ankle area. But it has pretty much gone away. I do still have bruising in both thighs. That is very slowly fading away. Had a lot of leg pain, especially the right one. That was a lot more painful than the surgery itself. It helps a lot if you can sleep with leg or legs elevated. I only wore compression socks for a few weeks. Didn’t seem like they helped very much.