cabg x3 grafts/sternum healing

[Jaweed40]

hi, cardiologist/heat experts/bypass patients.
i am 40 yr male, on oct 14 2009 i had cabg with 3 grafts, one in right artery, 2 in left artery, 95,70 and 80 % respectivley. it have been succusfully done at northwestern memorial hospital ,chicago by Dr Mc Gee edwin,
Now i m at rest in home and wondering how long it will take to get the sternum completley healed, its givivng me lots of pain  and discomfort,taking pain killers but still it hurts,
plz......anyone let me know this sternum pain will go away or i will be having this for rest ogf my life?
thanks
jaweed.j

[ed34]

I had a lot of discomfort from my CABG surgery and I too wondered if the pain would ever go away. With me, it got to 11 months and although I was a lot more active, the pains were still there. Everytime I turned over in my sleep, the pain would wake me up. I then read an unusual post in a forum on the internet and decided I had nothing to lose, I would give it a try. The advice was to find somewhere very uncomfy to sleep, something like a 2 seater settee so you have to curl up and basically half sit up to turn over. My wife thought I was nuts, but using a single pillow and a quilt, I started to sleep on the settee. It was very odd because rather than waking up feeling the usual pain, it was more like a stiffness and this was much easier to deal with. After two weeks there was hardly any pain at all, and after three weeks there was no pain, it was all gone. I have no idea how it worked or why, but it did the trick for me. I wouldn't recommend anything like this until you reach the three month mark, this is to ensure the sternum has firmly knitted together. It actually heals in mr/mrs average in six weeks but three months is the guideline to be sure, especially for lifting. Sleeping on that settee did far more for me than rehab.

[BOS999]

I HAD  5 WAY BYPASS MAR 2010  STILL HAVE STERNUM  PAIN . I ALSO FEEL LIKE I HAVE SOMETHING MOVING IN MY LEFT CHEST AREA. IS THIS NORMAL OR SHOULD I BE CONCERNED

[purple66]

I had aortic valve replacement surgery 8/31/09 which was my second (first was 1979). My sternum was closed with both wires and sternal plates. I have had alot of discomfort especially in the top 3-4 inches which coincidentally is where the plates supposedly are.

I have pain when I lay down flat, when I first get back up from laying flat and when I cough or sneeze.

I have been told this discomfort is "usual" and to be expected for perhaps up to a year or more.

Maybe ask your doctor for an X-ray to rule out any serious problems.

[HeartTwo]

I have recently (7/2008) had a 4x CABG. I feel my sternum is 90 to 95% "back". I am chopping at the bit to get back on an exercise tread-mill. I have been told that this takes 9 month, give or take, to get back to about as normal as it can get.  

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

Bypass patient here..

  I'm among the lucky that didn't have any pain what so ever from day one.  However, reading this forum I get the impression the pain should go away within a few weeks, -but-, you will have to be careful with your sternum for a few months and it wont be completely healed as a broken bone can be after two years.
(my bypass in April '09)