walt

[mule45]

my husband had triple bypass 4 months ago and is experiencing stabbing pains in is chest muscles, is this normal? and how long does it take to feel normal again?

[kenkeith]

I would advise you to follow up with your cardiac surgeon. It may be that you are having some pain related to the sternum healing, sternum infection, articulation, migration of sterum joint due to defective wiring.  

With heart issues it is always wise to make sure pain isn't coming from the heart. For peace of mind your doctor can help sort this out.

Thanks for sharing, and if you have any follow-up questions you are welcome to respond.  Take care.

[ed34]

If the stabbing pains have been there since surgery, then I doubt if it's an issue because the Doctors would have seen any problems before discharge. If they are a recent thing, then it would be a wise move to seek a professional opinion. I had a triple bypass in 2007 and the pains were incredible for me. Everytime I inhaled, it felt like someone was twisting a sharp knife in my ribs. Other aches and pains seemed to come from everywhere. I seemed to recover quite slowly, it took about 9 months for the pains to start going away and after 12 months I felt nothing at all.
Breathing exercises are very important. He should breathe in until it hurts, then take in a bit more air and hold his breathe for about 10 seconds, then exhale. Repeating this several times a day did seem to help me.

[Yvette BG]

If he's having stabbing chest pains, you should get him to a hospital as soon as possible to make sure he's not having a heart attack. Also, if he has not already done so, he should take an aspirin.

Good luck,
Yvette