Hello Bob
I am happy to welcome you to the discussion and support of a caring group. The complexity of your surgery exceeds that of many of us for sure. Nonetheless, I will make some comments for comparison purposes-I was on the table for my CABG (90-95% occlusion of left main artery and down the Y bifurcation to the LAD and circumflex) for 8 hours and also had complications and shortness of breath afterwards just speaking. For me, the cause was the occlusion of one of my grafts; I was also quite weak. I went to the ER at Cleveland Clinic 3 weeks post-op where they placed a stent at the left main-circumflex to remedy the problem. We share the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, our surgeries are corrective for specific obstructions but the disease itself will always require management. That's ok, our docs can do that. I'm six months post-op now; my cardiac "cocktail" of meds is controlling the angina I have that can't be managed with a stent. Life is good.
You didn't describe the nature of your post-op complications and something there might relate to your present shortness of breath. You are still under active care so be sure the staff knows in detail about the shortness of breath. I imagine you are weak too, and that's to be expected. No doubt you are urged to use the incentive spirometer to help you take deep breaths. That likely makes you cough. Then you have to rid yourself of the large amounts of mucus that are produced. Getting the mucus up and out requires some trial and error on your part till you master a routine that works for you. I found that deep gargling with warm salt water was helpful in cutting the mucus so I could spit it out. Doing this routine over a sink is good, if you can. It's time consuming but so important to keep your body oxygenated and avoid pneumonia. DO YOUR BREATHING AND COUGHING REGIME WITHOUT FAIL. And expect to do it for months.
When you ask how things turned out, I'm here to tell you that mother nature heals us in amazing ways. Tincture of Time is a key factor. It's going to take more time than you can imagine at the moment. And it's all good. Use your rest time to meditate. Count your blessings.Take naps. Manage family/social contacts as your strength indicates. When your body tells you it's tired, listen. Mother Nature is speaking.
I hope these initial thoughts give you comfort. I read your inquiry as a positive sign of your strength for the healing work ahead. This is the beginning of dialogue; not a pat answer. For so many things we are curious about the answer begins with...."it depends."
Wishing you well, wishing you comfort and peace of mind. Stay in touch
Doris
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Doris Edwards
Retired RN
Dublin, Ohio
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2021 06:19
From: Bob Nickoley
Subject: CABG5x plus aortic root and arch aneurysm replacement surgery
March 9th I had surgery that resulted in 5 bypasses and they had to replace a section of my ascending aorta root and arch. 18.5 hours of surgery and a few complications after 5 days in ICU I was moved to cardiac for another 5 days and now being moved rehab hospital. I'm having shortness of breath when talking or trying to do any activity. I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar surgery and how things turned out
Sent from my iPhone