What To Expect And Side Effects Of Heart Bypass Surgery

A heart bypass surgery is basically done to treat the coronary arteries or any heart disease of the heart in which the arteries are blocked. Doctors decide to do heart-bypass if the side effects of surgery are lesser than the bypass benefits. Hence to make way for the blood flow another pathway for the blood is created. After surgery the patient is supposed to spend 1 or 2 days in an intensive care unit (ICU). During time of bypass surgery it is very important to check the patient’s heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels.

In the patients arm’s vein an intravenous line (IV) will likely be inserted. This IV line will enable the doctors to insert any medicine in the blood to control blood circulation and blood pressure. A tube in the bladder is likely to pass to drain urine and a tube to drain fluid from your chest. The breathing tube will remain in the throat for some hours unless until the person is able to breathe on his own. In the ICU the person would most probably be bandaged on the chest incision (cut) and on the areas where an artery or vein was removed for grafting. After leaving the ICU after 2 or 3 days the person would be moved to a less intensive care area of the hospital for 3 to 5 days before going home.

Home recovery period After Bypass

When the patient gets back home they feel slightly different from the way they used to feel back then. They would feel tired all the time. After getting back home for 3 to four weeks one must take care of the healing of the incision, be in contact with the doctor, regularly check the body temperature, the heart hare, blood pressure and the chest wound.

Side effects of heart surgery

A. Discomfort or itching from healing incisions

After every type of surgery the patient has to go through this pain of the stitches and the wound. When the incision is being healed the person undergoes a kind of itching and feels discomfort. However it is very important to take care of the cut and stitches after the surgery. Chest pain around the site of the chest bone incision is very common after heart bypass surgery. Full recovery from these pains may take 6 to 12 weeks or more.

B. Swelling of the body area where artery was removed

One of the common side effects after a heart bypass is the swelling which is experienced by several people after the surgery. The patient must not panic in this situation but if it worsens then they should contact the doctor.

C. Muscle pain in the shoulders and the upper back after Bypass Surgery

After the surgery when the patient gets back home they feel tired for two to three weeks and also feel pain in the shoulders and upper back. Due to this pain they always feel like lying down or not doing any physical activity. Even after a nap in the afternoon they feel tired.

D. Fatigue , sudden change in mood , or chronic depression

Since the patient feels unusual for the first weeks they either feel depressed and stressed or tired at some times of the day.

E. Problems in sleeping or sometime loss of appetite
One of the side effects After the surgery or heart bypass is that the patient also faces problems regarding sleep. Sometimes they are awake during some hours of the night or sometimes asleep all day long

F. Constipation After Bypass

The digestive system of the person might get disturbed for a couple of days. Hence it is very important to take in a healthy diet recommended by the doctor and use of fruits should be necessary. These side effects are normal for a person after the heart bypass surgery. However if they feel that the problem is getting worse then they should get a checkup from the doctor

The patient’s doctor will advise them when they can start physical activity again. However, it varies from person to person, but there are some typical time frames devised by specialist doctors to follow up. In most of cases people can resume sexual activity within about 4 weeks and driving after 3 to 8 weeks. It is common to return to work after 6 weeks, unless your job involves physical activity.

Care Heart after Heart Bypass Surgery

It is very important to take extreme care after any surgery. An open heart surgery requires more care. Care after surgery includes periodic check up with doctors, different tests like EKG, Stress testing, ECG and sometime CT scan is also advised. These tests will enable doctor how your heart is working. It should be kept in mind that heart bypass surgery is not a cure and your doctor may advise you lifestyle changes to stay healthy in future. Lifestyle changes may include changes in your diets, quitting smoking, doing some physical activity and try to lower stress. If possible you may choose to follow Dean Onrush program of reversing heart diseases.

It is also very important to take follow up medicines prescribed by your doctor a part of care after surgery and to avoid serious heart surgery side effects. The doctor may prescribe medicines to manage your pain after during recovery, lower cholesterol, blood pressure, reducing the risk of blood clots forming.