Post CABG Surgery Symptoms

[gjacabg2013]

I had CABG surgery approximately 5 weeks ago.  While I continue to have back and general chest pain, I am experiencing a significant level of stinging pain just beyond center of chest on the right.  It has continued night and day for 3 days now.  It feels like my clothes while extremely light and soft are brutally sand papering my skin through layers.  Anyone have this experience or suggestion for calming this down?  The only pain medication I am taking is Tylenol. I would appreciate any input.  Thank you.

[ed34]

I also had a numb area to the top left of my scar for over a year, which is apparently quite common. After one year the feeling came back, and it doesn't do that for everyone. You are lucky that you have a small amount of pain after just five weeks, but everyone is different. I had my surgery at the age of 47 and have always been a very fast healer. That made me think "Oh this will be no problem". I was the first out of bed from that days surgeries and the first to leave hospital. However, I had really painful ribs for about 11 months. I found the more I exercised (as advised by cardiac rehab), the worse it got. As it stands, I would never go through such surgery again, but I would feel very different if the pain didn't last so long.

[gjacabg2013]

Thank you for your response.  Today is the first day I have not had pain in my back, chest, ribs, neck and leg all at the same time.  My primary pain has been the stinging I mentioned --I am looking forward to that ending! I am not taking pain meds other than occassional Tylenol so there is little relief from it.  I was concerned that there was a problem since it is so focused in a single area and your reply made me less worried about that.

[ed34]

Just to add that the strangest sensation I had was 'wet'. At times it felt like cold water was running down my chest, and I would continually feel my skin to find it perfectly dry. It can drive you nuts at times.

[ed34]

Hi. 5 weeks is early days yet. The experience you are having are the nerves mending. I had the same kind of problems. It was as though the nerves had to mend and the brain had to learn to interpret the signals again. My chest felt hot/cold/painful/numb/tingling/itchy/ in fact, all different kinds of feelings at different times in recovery. Eventually the brain does sort it out. Patience is the only answer here, it will get there.