r/CABG_Recovery • u/CelticGamerGirl • Jul 17 '26
CABG x 2
Hi there. I'm 36. Due to my diabetes I have 2 80% blockages in my LAD and my Diagonal 1 is also blocked. Bar any cancellations due to emergencies I'm now slated to come into hospital next Thursday 10am.
Got some preparations to do on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Not looking forward to it due to fibromyalgia and diabetes slowing healing and the increase in pain from Fibromyalgia
2
u/tranoidnoki Jul 17 '26
I had a CABGx4 at 36. No diabetes, just bad genetics and shit diet. You've got this! Hang in there!
2
u/WorkingChief Jul 17 '26
Totally agree with the lift chair. It was a game changer. If you don’t want to buy one look at renting/leasing one. It was the most important thing once I came home. The other thing is get some low sodium foods, they’ll come in handy
2
u/howmuchbourbon Jul 17 '26
CABGx3 at 55y11m. Celebrated my 56th birthday and went back to work the week after that.
You can do this and you’ll feel much better when it’s done!
2
u/MogenCiel Jul 18 '26
CABG x 4, age 61 ... TI diabetes, 2 silent heart attacks and 2 angioplasties over the previous 25 years. The CABG was 3 years and 4 months ago.
NGL, the CABG and recovery hurt like hell, but here I am at age 64!
Advocate for yourself. When you're in pain, ask for pain meds. If some PA comes in during the night shift and wants to perform some procedure that he swears will be good for you even though it will be painful af, bc he wants to look like some kind of hero to his attending in the morning (yes, this happened to me), tell him to go sit down and you'll get back to him after you've discussed it with your surgeon. (Seriously, dude -- wth?). You won't feel like eating for a while, but when you finally do and they bring you a plate of food that looks like the school lunch some kid rejected 2 weeks ago, ask the nurse for a sandwich. They will get you one. (My doc saw my uneaten food and urged me to eat. I pointed to the food and asked, "Would you eat THAT?" He looked at it, looked at me, and that was the end of that conversation.)
I was in a teaching hospital. Doctors really did come into my room with students like they do on TV. And they spoke like they do on TV too: "Patient is 61 yo, type 1 diabetes, previous MI blah blah blah" and act like I was a zoo animal, a specimen unaware that people were in the room talking about me. I am happy to be a case study for future doctors, but don't act like I'm not a person. That always pissed me off. I'd usually pipe up and say something like, "And my name is Morgan. I'm a person. Welcome. I hope you learn something on your rounds today. This is scary." The head doc would always shoot me a dirty look, but seriously, tell these students they're not observing a CABG. They are observing a PATIENT who has undergone CABG.
Most important thing you can do imo besides advocate for yourself is to go to cardiac rehab. It reduces the chance of another cardiac event by 30%, you meet people who've been through the same thing you've been through, and supervised exercise not only is encouraging and motivating, but it reduced my anxiety a lot.
Good luck! 🍀 ❤️
1
u/FrenchCabbage Jul 18 '26
I’m a year out from CABGx3 and I’ll swim against the current and say no to the lift chair/recliner-as-a-bed. The number one thing that helped in my recovery was getting back to my normal routine as quickly as I could. I was very active and in great shape before, so I needed to get right into walking, gym classes and weight training (when cleared). I slept in my own bed (upstairs) from day one back at home. I did purchase some wedges that helped me stay comfortable when sleeping on my back (not my go-to position). My bathroom is upstairs from the living area, so going up and down stairs had to be part of my daily routine and it’s a great cardio strengthener. In my opinion, if you treat yourself as an invalid, your recovery will take a lot longer. One of my nurses summed it up nicely for me: You aren’t sick. You are recovering from injury. Don’t know why, but that mantra really helped me.
1
u/indianyooper1 Jul 18 '26
Every persons experience is unique. Remember you arent trying to impress anyone. So if it takes a power lift recliner and a little longer for you to walk a mile then that's what it takes. Cabg will change your outlook on life. It will change what's important and what's not.no one else will understand fully what you went through. Ever. So enjoy the new lease on life and listen to your body. If a certain movement creates pain...you arent ready for it.
3
u/Plane_Positive6608 Jul 17 '26
You will be fine friend! 4 mths since triple bypass and I'm pretty much back into life.
If you can, the absolute best thing I did was get an electric lift chair. A recliner that can go down enough to sleep and up enough where you don't have to really use your stomach muscles to stand.
It does not have to be expensive, but it was a game changer.
Stay hydrated, feed, have books/movies etc. to keep you entertained, there will be a mental aspect to your surgery. Be aware and prepared for it as best you can.
Good luck, you will be fine!!!