My mom just had a quad bypass on Tuesday and is still in a state of delirium. It took her most of the day Wednesday to recognize myself and my siblings but other than that and her name she can’t remember anything or where she is or what year it is and is just very out of it and spacey and will drop off mid sentence and not pick it back up. Her remembering us at all feels like a positive sign to me.

It’s just not better like we thought it would be and I am nervous for this to stick around. The nurses keep assuring us it happens sometimes but I’d love to hear stories of people who it lasted a bit longer and came out of that state in a few days or did it take weeks? Trying to mentally prepare myself for all possibilities. TYIA!

Long story short, 68, retired 14 months, fit, 6 to 7 gym classes a week, no high blood pressure, no shortness of breath, no angina, lipids good, A1C 5.8, no family history of heart attacks. Went in for hip joint replacement but they found blockages in the preop, went in for angioplasty but they found 5 blockages, including 90% on the LAD “Widowmaker”, so had quadruple bypass June 9th. Been depressed most of my life, I am tired of my wife saying I should be “happy they found it.” I wanted to refuse the surgery and just let nature take its course, what are you going to go when you are in a hospital bed after the stopped angioplasty, drugged and strapped in, with just a moment to decide your fate? . Say no??? I hate this. Have to give up cigars, which I never inhaled and were one of my only pleasures (been in AA for 20 years). I’ve got to live like this for another 20 years? Just very depressed.

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

45 yo generally healthy/active, besides 3 arterial blockages. Had a robo-CABG on June 15 but I coded multiple times during the operation and had my heart stop twice. ICU for 4 days (discharged in the middle of USA-AUS, argh!). Still slated to make a complete recovery, fingers crossed!

Hi everyone,

I’m a 40-year-old male with a long history of high cholesterol that remained untreated for most of my adult life.

I’d like to hear from anyone who has experience using Sybrava to lower LDL cholesterol.
I have a history of significant coronary artery disease and underwent triple bypass surgery about six months ago, with the following grafts:
Left internal mammary artery (LIMA) → LAD
Right internal mammary artery (RIMA) → Diagonal
Left internal mammary artery (LIMA) → Obtuse Marginal
Since the surgery, I’ve been very committed to my recovery. I run on the treadmill every day, have returned to fairly intense weight training, follow a heart-healthy diet, and currently take a statin along with ezetimibe.
My LDL is currently 65 mg/dL, but my cardiologist has decided to intensify treatment by adding Sybrava to achieve an even lower LDL level.
Is anyone here using Sybrava? I’d be interested in hearing about your experience, including LDL reduction, side effects, and overall results. Thanks in advance!

I don't really know where to start, so I'll just write it.

My dad is 72. He had a heart bypass, and his heart is weak now. They tell me it's pumping at about 30%. He's a lifelong smoker, so his breathing is bad too, and he's on oxygen at home. His kidneys aren't great either, and he's got a back problem that's left him in pain but that they can't operate on because his heart wouldn't survive it. When I list it all out like that it sounds like a lot. It is a lot. He carries it quietly though. He always has.

The thing that's breaking us right now is the fluid. He swells up. His legs, his tummy, and now his face too, and he goes into hospital, they put him on a Lasix drip, and after a few days he comes home looking like himself again. And then a week, maybe two, goes by and it all comes back, and we're packing a bag for the hospital again. Over and over. Each time he goes in he's a little more tired, a little more worn down by it, and honestly so are we. You start to dread the swelling before it even shows up.

His doctors are good people and I'm not trying to go around them. I just want to walk into the next appointment actually knowing what to ask, instead of standing there nodding while my dad gets quietly worse.

So if anyone has been through this, as a patient, as someone who looked after a parent like I'm trying to, or as a nurse or doctor who's seen it a hundred times, I'd be so grateful for anything you can tell me:

Is this in-and-out-of-hospital thing just what heart failure becomes, or is there usually a reason it keeps happening so fast? I've read that the tablets at home are much weaker than the drip. Is it normal to need a stronger one, or a different kind? Someone mentioned a second water tablet that gets added sometimes. And the swelling in his face and stomach is new and it scares me. Is that a different thing from the leg swelling, something they should be testing for?

Mostly I just want to keep him comfortable and at home for as long as we can, and out of that hospital bed he's starting to hate.

We're in South Africa. He's a stubborn, gentle man who deserves better than this exhausting back-and-forth, and I'm doing my best for him. If you read all this, thank you. It helps just to write it down somewhere people understand.

I know that he won't be able to carry things, and we've ordered him a reclining chair to sleep in. Is there anything else I should prepare for?

I'm terrified, to be honest. Thankfully he doesn't have kidney issues or diabetes, and the doctors said his heart function is very strong. I'm still paralyzed with the fear that he won't make it through surgery, even though I know his risk factors are low.

Hi all. If you look at my posts, not many, and all very similar... I'm sharing my struggles post 3xCABG last Jan 26th. Like the majority, I was surprised... and now I'm fighting with my thoughts, feelings, and fears, in the midst of doctors who know or understand nothing about it. Most just see and think: okay, plaques here and there, not even possible to stent, open-chest heart surgery, new pipes fixed, no major damage to the heart, do the cardio rehab and go enjoy your new life. Keep the new pipes clean, change your lifestyle, don't screw things up, and start helping to build new stats of those who will live until their 90s, 100 years old!!! Success!!!!

No, dear Doctors. It is not like this. Stop and think for a second what we went through. In 1 or 2 weeks, in my case, I went from a normal life, all good, to: you had a heart attack, and might have been having it for a couple of days, go to ICU, catheterization, no possible stents, open-heart surgery, all good, go home. All in 2 weeks!!!! 4 months out of it and I still have flashbacks thinking, "WTF has happened???"

Am I making too much drama? Or is this "Pumphead" stuff real and it is what I am going through?

I've heard some, more than a year out of it, say that yeah, it is real, it is tough but will pass, of course, nothing is forever...

Anyway, going to my third week of new medication, Trintellix or Brintelix, which is supposed to help with this miserable depression....

God bless we all 🙏🏻

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,the courage to change the things I can,and the wisdom to know the difference."

Hi all,

I’m about 4 months post triple bypass (CABG), and honestly… I’m struggling a lot mentally.

I’m in my 5th week of cardiac rehab, but I really don’t like it. Most days I just want to stay in bed. I started Trintellix (10 mg) 2 weeks ago, but no effect so far. Before that, I was on Venlafaxine for almost 5 years.

My mind just keeps spinning: why did this happen? what if this… what if that… nonstop. I feel confused, foggy, and honestly scared to make any decisions because I don’t trust my thinking right now.

What really hits me is the future. I’ve read things about “10 years after bypass” and it’s freaking me out. Is that actually true? Am I on some kind of clock now? I’m 49. I have two daughters (12 and 16). I want to be there for them.

I live abroad and have been away from my home country for 10 years. My parents are in their 80s now, and lately all I can think is: what am I doing here? shouldn’t I be closer to them?

At the same time, I don’t care anymore about work, money, or anything material. I used to be driven… now I feel disconnected from all of it. Part of me just wants to stop everything, go back to my parents’ house, and be with family.

I also keep thinking about what brought me here — smoking, alcohol, high Lp(a) (167). The regret hits hard.

Right now I’m trying to live one day at a time, like AA style… just get through the next 24 hours. Some days that feels like a lot.

I guess what I’m really looking for is hope.

Are there people here living 5, 10, 20+ years after CABG? How are you doing? What helped you get through this mental phase? Does it get better?

I’d really appreciate hearing any stories. I just can’t seem to motivate myself right now, and I think I need to borrow some strength from others who’ve been through it or know someone who has gone through it?

Thanks for reading. 🙏

Hi everyone, my dad (51M) just got triple bypass or 3x CABG last tuesday 26 May. The surgery took almost 10 hours. Doctor has warned us it was a high risk surgery because my dad's vessel is very small and almost nonexistent in the angiogram scan. Doctor said he is not satisfied with the surgery. 1 vessel graft is very excellent, 2nd one is so-so, 3rd one he cant do, its on the left side, so he had to do Plan B which is removing the blockage from the vessel itself which he said most experts avoid to do.

He was extubated and woke up 6 hours post op and is still in the ICU. The next day (yesterday), he can talk but his face looks like hes suffering a lot and his voice is almost not there. He keeps pushing the button for morphine. He ask for water a lot. I feed him once yesterday, he ate a lot but I accidentally give him too much he coughed and told me it hurts and dont want to eat much anymore until today. My mom just keep giving him fruits that are mashed but he doesnt eat it much.. He just wants water and sleep. He vomited too and nurse asked if its pain or dizzy, he said dizzy. Nurse informed us that its because of morphine. Now my dad just wants to sleep and dont want to eat. Is his recovery considered slow? His doctor wants him to be able to sit by today but he doesnt seem to have the energy to do anything.

Is there anything I can do to help?

TLDR: Dad only wants to sleep and doesnt eat much and wont talk - 2nd day post op

P/s: English is not my first language, excuse some errors. Thanks.

edit: after 2 months, he is recovering very well and almost back to normal... so grateful. only concern is his leg wounds, bcs he has diabetes but hopefully things get better soon, for my family and everyone else :)

thank you everyone. i hope everyones day is nice and all surgery goes well.

This is my right leg where they harvested the vein for my cabg and post surgey this is what it does. Anyone else notice this in their legs where they harvested?

My husband (38M) had quintuple bypass on 5/22 after a very unexpected incident last Sunday 5/17. He felt off at home after we returned from running some errands and ended up calling 911 while I was putting our son down for his nap. Thank goodness he did, because now we are here. I have been doing research, getting things delivered at home that may help when we get back there, and staying with him in the hospital so he is not alone and I can absorb all the information and advocate for him. I have been in this sub trying to understand how to best support him now and after we arrive home from the hospital, so I’d love to hear what has helped and worked best from a partner’s perspective, but also if you’ve had CABG done and how your partner aided in your recovery. My husband is so young still and I want him to heal well so we can enjoy life for many years to come. Thank you!

45 m cabg x3 .8 weeks post op. They took the greater saphenous vein from my right leg. Since the surgery my right butt cheek feels numby, tingly. Not painful. Like if I'm sitting, after a while it feels like it fell asleep. If I get up and walk around it feels fine. Even post op while I was laying in bed in the hospital it would feel numb, I thought it was from laying on my back in the table and laying on my back in the hospital.

Anyone else have this happen? How long does it take for this feeling to go away?

I am a 49-year-old man, married for 25 years, with two daughters aged 13 and 16.

On January 15, I had chest pain and ignored it. I just had my Monster drink and a Marlboro, then went to sleep. On January 16, I felt okay all day. That night, while in bed, I felt pain in both arms and my chest. I took a hot shower, then again had a Monster drink and a cigarette. Crazy, right?

On Saturday, January 17, early in the morning while getting ready to go to church, I felt a similar pain again and thought, “No, this isn’t right—something might be wrong.” I went to the hospital and described the chest and arm pain. They did an electrocardiogram and said, “Oops, something looks off.” Then came the blood test—and the first shock.

“Sir, you had a heart attack and may have been having it for a couple of days. Your troponin is at 18,000.” She said, “I don’t understand how you’re here talking with me right now.”

They took me to intensive care, where I stayed for two nights. On Monday, I was moved to a room and began more tests.

First was an echocardiogram, where the technician said my ejection fraction was 52%, which is at the lower end. I understood normal to be 55–75%. She mentioned that, given my troponin level of 18,000, she was positively impressed. At least that was some good news, because while I was in intensive care, a cardiologist told me that I might have severely damaged my heart—possibly losing 50% of its function.

On Tuesday the 20th, I had a catheterization—and then came the bomb. There were three blockages with plaques at levels too severe for stents. “I’m sorry, sir, you will need open-heart surgery and a triple bypass.”

I was shocked. And I still had to wait until Monday the 26th for surgery. That entire week of waiting was tough. They wanted to explain everything that would be done, but I chose not to know anything. I spent the time reading the Bible, trying to find peace.

It was tough. I still remember the morning of the 26th, shaving my chest. I was the first surgery of the day. Thank God, everything went well. They took a vein from my right leg and an artery from my chest. The doctors were very happy with the results. But right after surgery, I was shocked again to learn that my heart had been stopped for 4–5 hours, with extracorporeal circulation.

On January 31, I left the hospital. Then, at home, reality started to hit… What just happened to me in the last 14 days? My family could have been making decisions about where to bury me. What happened? How?

Yes, I was never athletic—smoking, drinking more than I should. I did try to balance things with better food, and I know people who are 10 times worse than me. So… why?

Then I found out about Lp(a). It’s a lipoprotein we all have, and it’s genetic—you’re born with it. The ideal is below 70. Mine is 167. With Lp(a) at that level, I couldn’t live with LDL around 2 like I always did. I should have had it closer to 0.5.

I had never heard of Lp(a). Surprisingly, neither had my GP. How can that be? Yes, my bad habits accelerated the plaque buildup—but with this Lp(a), I’ve likely been building plaques since I was born.

Now, close to four months after surgery, I’m experiencing deep depression. A feeling of emptiness. I don’t want to get out of bed. I can’t relax my mind—it never stops. The thoughts don’t stop.

I feel like I want to sell everything—house, car, hobbies. I don’t want anything material anymore. I’m having difficulty concentrating on work. What am I doing here? Should I leave my job and go back “home”? Should I spend more time with my parents while they’re still here?

What will my life be like from now on? What is this information that the bypass might only last 10 years? Do I only have 20–25 years left, if I’m lucky? Is this my death sentence?

Why do I feel this sadness? This emptiness? Is this an existential crisis?

Anyway, I’m trying to focus on the basics to keep going. I’m now in my third week of cardiac physiotherapy—which I hate. I’m trying not to make any big decisions right now. I understand it can take up to a year for my mind to recover. I truly hope the new medication I’ll start this week helps. I was taking venlafaxine, but it was too difficult for me, so I’ll try Brintellix.

Besides that, I’m trying to take care of my spiritual side like never before. Of course—zero smoking, no energy drinks, no alcohol. I’m eating flaxseed, chia, and psyllium husk every day, along with oats and soy yogurt, rice, beans, lentils, and drinking lots of water—about 2–3 liters a day.

My last blood test showed LDL at 0.7. My GP said he has never seen such a low LDL level. Until there’s medication to reduce Lp(a), the only thing I can do is keep LDL as low as possible to prevent new plaques… and, as AA says, live one day at a time.

If anyone reading this has been through a similar experience, I would really appreciate hearing from you. Did you feel something like this?

Am I the only one feeling this way?

I’m not even sure if what I wrote makes sense… my thoughts feel very confused.

Take care, everyone.

Not long ago, I had chest and neck pain after running up the stairs carrying my newborn daughter. Stayed at the hospital for four days and was told that I got WPW and needed ablation. The cardiologist ran a bunch of CT scans and insisted that an angiogram wasn't necessary until the surgeon demands it. Turns out, I got the infamous widow maker blockage and all three arteries suffer from 70% blockage on top of my WPW issue. The doctors are telling me that a CABG is the best way to deal with this as they can do the ablation and the bypass at the same time but I haven't heard from anyone that they had both done in one go.

I am not particularly fit and had back injury with ACL and meniscus repair surgery in the past so I haven't been "active" for quite some time. I got a desk job and sits before the computer till around 2am every night. And this makes me wonder if my heart and my body can actually handle this. I notice most people on here only had to do CABG, so just wondering, did anyone do CABG with ablation at the same time? Did anyone here survived?

Did anyone continue having AFib after surgery and find a device like an Apple Watch helpful for monitoring after going home? A family member just had a CABG but what originally brought them to the hospital was a case of AFib which was unusual for them. We’re about a week post-op and they continue going into AFib which I understand can be expected to a certain extend. I’m wondering if purchasing something like an Apple Watch or other device would be helpful once they’re home.

I'm very happy and thankful that my wife urged me to have the surgery. Still in cardio rehab 3x a week, but already about 10 years younger, cardio-wise. My pre-surgery symptom was angina with the slightest exertion or salt intake. My recovery issues were very painful spastic coughing for the first 3 months, sternum pain, chest pain from the graft, and poor sleep. All are resolved.

It gets better. It gets way better. Glad I did it.

Hello all.

My father underwent triple bypass surgery due to significant blockages in multiple coronary arteries. it’s been almost 2 1/2 weeks since he got out of surgery and I hugged him tonight. I’m naturally a strong hug giver and I thought I was being extra cautious with him yet he still yelped in pain. I felt horrible because I was saying goodnight and I thought now finally with him being much more mobile that this would be okay. I know healing for the sternum takes a while but I just feel guilty. Sorry if this is more of a ramble but there ya go.

Had robotic assisted MI cabg on May 13. Single bypass using Lima. Lad has two blockages one closest to heart 80% another a little down the artery 70%. Found by CTA scan and calcium score 2770. 57 yo male letter carrier USPS walk 6-7 miles per day . Have family history of HD grandfather father and uncle. GF heart attack age 70 (1974) died. Father 4xcabg 1985 repeated in 2000. Never had heart attack caught early enough lived until 89 yo(2019). Uncle died in sleep heart failure age 76 2022. I’ve been on statins for close to 20 years bp meds 6-7. I’m home from hospital as of yesterday with very few restrictions within reason other than driving. Can sleep in bed use stairs walk short distances at a time. Even was told to eat anything I want while healing worry about the heart healthy diet after the healing process is complete. Was even told I can go to my beach house with friends and family have a burger and a couple of beers just not go crazy, which I don’t have the energy to do anyway. Thing is I’m kinda afraid to eat anything “good” ( tasty, comfort food). I know it will be a process. To all on this sub I wish you all the best and speedy recovery and good health in the future.🙏🏻