Mended Little Hearts Open Forum

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  • 1.  Frustrated

    Posted 10-02-2019 11:37
    I'm 5 months post surgery for a CABG x3 and have had a recurring complication that seems to have the doctor's stumped and wanted to see if anyone else has experienced the same issue. I have been back in the hospital 5 times since my surgery and all the doctor's do is confirm I'm not having another heart attack and don't carry it any further. (Actually, on one of those occasions, they did find that one of the bypass grafts had collapsed and had to go back in and do a stent to open up the blood flow again). 

    Anyway, my symptoms are severe (literally the worst pain I've ever had in my life) pain in my left shoulder accompanied by pain in the left side of my chest and usually with heart palpitations, as well. It feels like another heart attack but they keep telling me they can't find any more blockages. With billions of people on the planet, there has to be someone else who has experienced these same issues that the doctors can point to and say "Here is the problem!" and take steps to fix it but I can't get them to pursue it beyond the 1st level action of making sure I'm not dying and then not going any further. Anyone have thoughts on this? The only thing I can think of is that perhaps they damaged a nerve or something when they cracked my chest open but, if that's the case, I wish they would take steps to confirm it and fix it. I've always been a very positive, upbeat person but feeling so bad for so long has started to wear on me. I can fully appreciate now what people with long term illnesses like cancer go through. Feeling lousy all the time gets you down after awhile.


  • 2.  RE: Frustrated

    Posted 10-14-2019 16:10
    Sorry to hear that you have these complications
    I wish I could help
    I have pain that i belive is related to my surgery and have been "examined" multiple times with the only answer being that its muscular or costochondritis

    Pain is mostly around my chest muscles but sometimes down the middle of my chest also

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    Jim
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  • 3.  RE: Frustrated

    Posted 06-05-2020 22:26
    Brent,
    Was this open heart surgery?
    If it was, and I know your procedure took place nine months ago.
    I have had three open heart surgeries- in 1969, '72, and 76 . These were the stone ages; the strides made today are stunningly remarkable.

    After all the operations I had discomfort in my saw-in-half sternum for two years. It felt like a heart attack and made me anxious to the max. I was in my teens back then and several times asked my parents to take me to hospital,  they ran an EKG, took my blood pressure and listened to my heart.They commented on my sternum and remarked that a sore sternum can feel like a heart, but it seemed my heart was doing okay.
    Well still had panic attacks, but after many months, I seemed to adjust; I had heart palpitations also. Scared the poop out of me. Some smart surgeon soothed me by saying my heart was adjusting to the prosthetic aortic valve, so it helped a little. Back then the procedures for open heart were practically nill

    I hope you take some comfort in this, and your body is going to take some time to adjust. Nonetheless, it is easy to panic.

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    ken levine
    volunteer, retired
    802-236-8186
    kenpaullevine@gmail.com
    Middlebury, Vermont
    05753
    United States of America
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