Need urgent Advise!

[sudeshom]

My mother who is 66 yrs old went through a CABG around 5 weeks back.She had reportedly triple vessel diseases and her EF was as low as 23%.Doctors said that her heart was extremely weak and she would take more time that any other CABG patient.

Recently she has developed some stomach problem in which case she is reporting lot of indigestion.Most of the times,anything she takes comes out in the form of vomit.She is also having a big time stool problem as sometimes she is not able to pass anything for 2-3 days.Due to all this,she is becoming extremely weak and hence recovery is being slowed down a lot.

Her cardiac surgeon says that these are all post CABG omplications which are bound to happen.We showed to a local physician and he said that she is also having a stomach problem and gace her some antibiotics.

I need help from a doctor who can advise if this is all normal and if we can take some precautionery measures(like get some more tests)to check if she is doing fine

Rgds

NA

[ireneo]

Vegetarians also eat a lot of beans which are a type of protein. I adore beans plus they're high fiber. Meat is so hard on the digestive system in my opinion. I eat it but rarely. Butter is tasty but considered a no-no for people with heart disease. All the fat that they worry about. Sigh.

[sudeshom]

Thanks for your inputs

Yes, her fuid intake is being monitored very closely and she is not allowed to take more than 1.5 litres per day which includes fluids in all forms.

She is able to take a small walk around the garden for few minutes however since her heart is so weak,she kinds of gets exerted very soon.

I happen to consult another cardiac surgeon in my area and got some conflicting view.

He proposed that all the surgery pateints should not be restricted any diet immediately after surgery as it is very much required for early recovery because if we get some diet for patient which she is not accustomed to eat,her recovery will be slowed down a lot.However once the patient has recovered,then  she should strictly follow a 'heart-healthy' diet..
Don't know which school of thought is correct as the doctor who operated on my mother has given us some diet chart which avoids butter etc.Unfortunately my mother  is a vegetarian and so the protein intake is very less which I suppose is required initially for speedy recovery.

Any specific diet you propose..

Rgds

[ed34]

I had a triple bypass in sept 2007 and I suffered from bowel/stomach problems. However, with me it was due to the powerful pain killers. After three days I was taken off morphine which gave me an appetite again. However, I was suffering stomach cramps and constipation. I couldn't come off the Tramadol pain killers until the fifth week, then only taking paracetamol. I began to eat like a horse and my regular visit to the 'throne' on a daily basis returned. Different medications can do all kinds of things to different people.
Another thought is the actual ability of the heart. With the EF so low, and very likely being on lots of beta blocker medication, maybe the heart is unable to respond to the needs of the gut. The Stomach and digestive system need quite a lot of blood to give the energy to drive food through and digest it. Peristalsis is the muscular action in the digestive tract which pushes food through and this obviously requires energy.
Maybe speak to a dietician to discuss the best foods which will make it easier to digest and pass it through. I can imagine for example that red meat would be harder to handle than soup. High protein foods such as meat spend longer in the digestive system, making us feel full for longer, this is how the atkins diet works.
I could be totally on the wrong track, but for my first five weaks I was living on low fat yoghurt, soup and lots of water.

[ireneo]

I imagine she's on a lot of heart medications as well and they may be part of the problem. I remember my Dad having to switch medications several times until they found the right combination that helped with the fewest side effects.

I don't know if her bathroom problems are different for her. Some people go every day, some every 2-3 days. With her lack of mobility during recovery, that can slow down the bowels. Perhaps her doctor will allow her to use stool softeners to help for awhile. I did after my surgery (abdominal).

And is she getting enough fluids? With her low EF I'm sure they're monitoring her sodium intake carefully to avoid fluid retention. But is she able/allowed to get enough fluid each day? If her water intake is restricted then she'll have to focus on getting more fiber in her diet to keep things moving. Obviously she doesn't want to end up with a blockage. That's very painful.

All I can say is stay in touch with her doctors, keep them apprised of what's going on and especially if there are any changes. Better to catch problems early on.