Complications of bypass surgery

[rustynail67]

My dad had bypass surgery 6 weeks ago. He was doing pretty good till about 2 weeks ago when he developed pleural effusion on his left lung.  He had it drained last week.  The next morning he was rushed to the emerg because the fluid had returned and he had a pneumo thorax.  He was admitted to the hospital and a chest drain was installed.  He was released after 4 days.  He chest x-ray was normal upon release.  The day he returned from the hospital, he started feeling ill after eating a large meal.  Today, he felt well in the morning but now does not have an appetit and he feels sick.  He only feels well lying down.  He has lost a lot of weight and cannot afford to loose anymore.  We think maybe the fluid has come back.  Has anyone else had this happen after 6 weeks?

[kenkeith]

Has your dad had a diagnoses for the underlying cause?   Sometimes the heart isn't strong enough to pump all the blood out that has been received from the lungs, and blood backs up into the lungs causing fluids to leak into the lungs.

It is better to eat smaller meals than one or more larger meals.  The heavy meal can stress the heart as the digestive system requires oxygenated blood, and that can reduce the blood available for other other organs. Your dad's heart may not have had time to fully heal after the bypass...it takes several months and a year is not unexpected time to completely heal.