Memory loass after bypass surgery

[Rahulraina]

Hi,
My father had undergone bypass surgery this Mar07. His recovery is very normal & now he already started long walks 2-3 kms in morning. Plus he is strick food diet.

He is in general experiencing the loss in short term Memory after this operation.

[shriram1]

Basically, This depends on age of the patient. My dad had a Dis-Orientation for a week 10 days. Doctor told that this is normal. But 2 years is a long time. There might be several things that we need to consider like the patient mental makeup (willpower, Fear  and so on). He might need your support and constant re-assurance.

I have understood through experience that we need to make minor adjustments here and there and the patient will be able to lead fairly normal life. The main problem i have seen in my family is the fear that something will happen. I guess people need constant support and re-assurance. Also, we need to lower our expectations - Before the surgery we don't know and try to do whatever we want. We are not aware of the adjustments that we need to make depending on our age. Once you know that there is a problem and you need to make adjustments and age also is a very important factor to be considered.

I am talking from my personal experiences here and this might not apply at all. If you are not sure, You can go back and consult the doctor again and get a second opinion.

[tag106]

It has been 2 years for my husband and still he has such problems that he has anxiety attacks from the difference in his "makeup." He knows he is not the same man. He had to sell his business beause he can no longer function in that capacity due to his memory loss. I think it is mostly a distraction/loss of focus issue more than a loss of memory.
Is there anything we can do to help him be able to "focus ans stay focused" to be employed. I love having him at home...a Mr. Mom sort of thing, but he feels worhless as a man.

[Mert724]

My father just had a triple bypass and valve replacement.  Now he has memory loss and just says he life has been turned upside down.  He doesn't know where he is and who people are.  What can I do?  Is this normal?

[Itschuck2c]

The theory is that in scavenging the blood during surgery that tiny tiny bits of fat (we are taking capillary size) actually block blood flow to a few brain cells causing tiny strokes, which in turn lead to memory problems. It will pass, mine did.

[jim62]

"pumphead"---------that's the word I couldn't remember.  Whoops!  Maybe it's not as better as I thought.............

[StephPT]

It is best to keep in mind that bypass surgery is no small undertaking...especially if one was on the heart-lung bypass machine.  There is a phenomenon called "pump head" which refers to memory loss and personality changes after open heart surgery due to being on the bypass machine.  There is research out there that the speed at which they rewarm the body after surgery can affect the extent of memory loss/personality change.  I work as a PT at my hospital, and see lots of patients after surgery who i knew before surgery who are now just "different".  it's hard to explain.

The other confounding bit is the possiblity of post-bypass depression.  This is a fairly common occurrence as well, and can interfere with memory.

Either cause should get better with time, and it sounds like he is well on his way to a good recovery.  Give him a pat on the back, and lots of encouragement!!

steph

[jim62]

I thinks that memory loss is a pretty normal thing after bypass surgery.  It does get better though as time passes.