Need help on info

[JohnHoward]

Are there any books out there about dealing with life after bypass surgery???Perhaps written by someone who has had said surgery.Perhaps interviewing  other bypass patients...or do I need to start composing such a book???Maybe I should start at "Mended Heart" meetings and cardio rehab sessions.......Surely an idiot like myself is not the first to think of this??????? Thanks       John

[mrwjd]

Just amble around the 'net a little.  There are more sources than you can list, much less read!  Give priority to American Heart Association and other well known organizations'  sites and information,   When you are tired of that, you will find plenty of blogs where people have recounted their experience.  

You won't be able to get out of the hospital after surgery without tons of material about recovery, about when you can resume normal activities, and about life afterward.  Also the usual kind of thing, heart-healthy diet, etc.  Chances are the booklet(s) they will give you are available on the 'net, as well.

And lots of people have written about their experiences.  Some of these almost book-length treatises are on the internet, some are at subscription sites, some will try to sell you a paper book.  These have the usual drawbacks, they are about one person's experience, the writer knows his or her own case but maybe not so much general knowledge, the writer has his or her own motives in writing, and the writer is likely to reach conclusions that are not useful to you because you have no idea whether they are fact-based or just something the writer "thought of."  

Now, "bypass" has another meaning.  I'm just guessing the above answer was to your question, but the term also refers to re-routing your blood through a machine that pumps it back into your body so your heart can be stopped to work on.  It isn't always done with bypass surgery, because although you are asking about open heart surgery, it doesn't necessarily involve the heart itself to the extent bypass would be necessary.  Your cardiologist or surgeon can tell you whether that will be used in your surgery.

Don't be afraid to come back with more specific questions as they come to you..  

[JohnHoward]

Thank you for the response.I have already had CBAGx3 last year on june11.I have had a rocky road since.Unexplainable pain and the fear that now goes with it has been my primary concern.Just when I think I'm getting better....ooooouuuchh!!!! and here I go again......I've seen alot of stuff out there,some generalized heart care,some preventative plans,some hawking products that could work only by the placebo effect,but very little on patient observation and effects after CABG surgery itself specifically.All that my surgeon told me as I was about to be discharged was "Well,you're fixed now........""see ya in a few weeks....don't lift anything heavier than your shoes".After that he has handed me off to his personal nurse practitioner and has spoken to me a total of maybe four minutes The bill for surgery was just under 100 grand.I guess thats why I'm reading this board.To try to get a feel for the problems others have had with this surgery.But I realize that the only people that are on this board are the ones that are having problems...the rest have gone back to their lives...............maybe;if I am lucky;I too can be one of those people.  Thanks JHH

[JohnHoward]

Oh yeah;to answer your question I have "PUMP HEAD" also.Short term memory is awful.
I wish they had done the" beating heart" procedure but I'm not sure it would have been possible or even if a local surgeon was available skilled in the procedure.My surgery was an emergency and not expected...............JHH