triple bypass

[detroitfish]

im 35 m just had triple bypass surgery 4 weeks ago and i was wondering what my life expectancey is now and will i have to have the surgery again heart diesease runs in the family but i now have a very low sodium diet fat free and cholestoral free diet almost have a little of each but hardly any  i used to smoke but i havent since this happened and wont ever again and i havent drank in 7 years  any info would help oh they used vein from left forearm one from chest and one from left leg

[kenkeith]

Please, no links to another forum..You can get permission if appropriate..

[ed34]

This is the link to the web site where I think a lot of the information has been copied and pasted from, it contains a lot of further interesting information....

http://www.hsforum.com/stories/storyReader$1491

[kenkeith]

For some insight:  My brother-in-law has had a bypass surgery two times about 15 years ago.  Your chest artery bypass is probably the internal mammary artery (IMA) and is located inside the chest.  It is an artery, not a vein. thus it carries red blood under the same blood pressure as that seen in the aorta or the coronary arteries themselves. There is one IMA on each side of the breastbone (aka sternum). This unique blood vessel runs along the inside edge of the sternum, sending off small branches to the bones, cartilage, and soft tissues of the chest wall. For unclear reasons, the IMA is remarkably resistant to cholesterol buildup. In studies of people who die beyond the age of 90, only 10% will show any atherosclerosis in the IMA vessels, while nearly all such individuals have atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries and other places. The reasons for mammary artery's resistance to atherosclerosis is not known at present.  If you reduce the risk for coronary artery disease, you should be able to live out a normal life span.  Take care.

[kenkeith]

"I had cabg for triple bypass 2 months. Until then, I had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 40 years. After the surgery, I have smoked 2 to 3 cigarettes a day and am going to cut those out also. Will this hurt my heart."

For some insight on how smoking Increases heart disease risk, and it appears to be the nicotine present that causes heart disease? It decreases oxygen to the heart, causes an increase of blood pressure and heart rate.  Blood clotting increases and there is damage to the cells that line coronary arteries and other blood vessels.  I tried many times to quit by cutting down on the frequency....never worked...stopped totally in about 3 to 5 days the craving stopped, but occasionally there was a wish to smoke especially when I smelled others' smoke

Nicotine appears the problem as there is not complete agreement with smoking marijuanna.
There is a school of thought that using marijuana causes insignificant risks to the cardiovascular system. But,and most noteably, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, a marijuana researcher at Harvard University, believes that marijuana does not directly correlate with cardiovascular disease. He specifically referred to the Harvard study, claiming that marijuana causes the heart to jump 20 beats, rather than 40 beats, more per minute. In any case, marijuana's correlation with heart disease remains unresolved...

[ed34]

Yes connie, any cigarettes will shorten the life of your bypass, more so veins than any arteries used in the bypass procedure. This was something I was strongly warned about. You are doing very well to have cut down so much, but it really is worth trying very hary hard to go that extra step, down to zero. Once you totally give up, the recovery from cigarette damage can begin.

[ed34]

Due to your age and newer surgical techniques, they will have used at least one artery from your chest, an internal mammary artery. These last much longer than veins and are expected to last the rest of your natural life. In Sept 07, I had a triple bypass where an internal mammary artery was used and 2 veins. The 2 veins closed after just 3 months and the artery is still working great. I'm still here.

[Connie13402]

I had cabg for triple bypass 2 months. Until then, I had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 40 years. After the surgery, I have smoked 2 to 3 cigarettes a day and am going to cut those out also. Will this hurt my heart

[pusher]

Bypass surgery is not a death sentence.  I know many people who had bypass surgery 15-20 years ago and are doing great.  It's not the surgery that is so life altering.  It's why a person had the surgery and what steps they have taken to alter how they live that really makes the difference in the long term.  

A person may have had blockages that were repaired before they had a heart attack.  Or they may have had a heart attack with minimal damage or no damage at all.  The literature says that vein grafts don't last as long as arterial grafts.  I was told a vein graft generally lasts 10 years or so and an arterial graft last somewhat longer.  The surgeon who told me this also told me that she has patients she has operated on that never had another problem and were going strong 20 years later.

So about life expectancy.  Who knows.  When it is our time its our time.

I had CABG x 5 following a massive heart attack that wiped out 60% of my heart and yet I feel great.  I may not be able to run a marathon or even run period, but I still feel good, go to work everyday and know I am fortunate to still be around.

So for me "Life Expectancy" is one day at a time.

Good luck to you on your recovery.  It sounds like you are doing the right things.  It is pretty easy to be motivated to do those right things when you are reminded every day when you stand in front of a mirror and see that long scar.  After 4.5 years mine is getting pretty faint.