Hi. I am a 39 year old woman and I'm about to go and get my heart checked out. My biggest fear is the surgery and how I'm going to feel when I wake up from it. I'm very anxious and get very scared when I don't feel 'right' and am terrified of waking up in the recovery room and freaking out completely. My other fear is that as I'm so young, how long do bypass operations last for and what is my expected life span if I have one at 39? I have a really strong family history for heart disease. My father had a bypass at 56, his father died of heart disease at 62 and all my grandfather's brothers died of heart related problems. Would those of you who've had surgery please let me know about the recovery period? Thanks.

hi, i went through all the fear and worry which is only normal, mine happened fairly quickly from the er to local hospital then off to another hospital 2 days later surgery. i was petrified!!! I am 59 not overweight, no diabetes, former smoker though. Doctors gave me a 98% of pulling though and I did. I had no complications was home in 4 days . The pain only was bad from the chest tubes not the actual surgery. After they took the tubes out 3 days I think I felt good ,weak but good. i had and still continue to be more forgetful but they say it will keep getting better. I will give you a word of wisdom WALK WALK WALK, no matter how slow at first get moving. Like you I have a horrible family history of heart problems.
Hope this helps some best wishes Beckie

Thanks. Appreciate your response. :)

Is there anyone else?

Hi. I am a 39 year old woman and I'm about to go and get my heart checked out. My biggest fear is the surgery and how I'm going to feel when I wake up from it.

Hi Trixi, Have you had the angiogram yet? I get the feeling from your post you havent had your "heart checked out "yet? An angiogram is always done before bypass. You might not need bypass, your angiogram might actually be normal

Angiogram, btw is done under local anaesthesia only, takes about 20 mins and you are totally awake. Just a puncture and no stitches reqd

Hving a family history of heart disease on the male side of your family does not mean you will have heart disease. If you have had the angiogram and they have ascertained you do indeed need a CABG (bypass), you will be out of the hospital in 4-6 days (avg 5) and the recovery is 6-8 weeks. The surgeon is "routine" now and as you are a young and Im assuming healthy female, your odds of doing well are very very good.

6 to 8 weeks recovery time for open heart in general or just by-pass?
Would one expect to be off work for about 2 and half months then....counting hospital time? Sorry to jump in this way....but I am looking at valve replacement and wondering how long I will be off as my finances are not that great and that length of time would be very hard on my family. I work a desk job with no lifting, so would 6 to 8weeks still be expected?

Mileena

Mileena
What normally happens is you do not have followup with your surgeon for 6 weeks and they will not let you return to work until seen by him/her. If you are having your valve replaced by doing a sternotomy, you will prob require 6 weeks after the OR to recovery and prob wont want to work anyways. Normally in cardiac bypass you also have an incision down your leg that needs to heal as well as the sternotomy ( chest incision). The leg takes longer to heal as you are using it ( bending the knee,etc).

Some valves(not all) can be repaired percutaneously (through an arterial puncture in your groin),which means no chest incision, but that depends on many things, these need to be discussed with your cardiologist/surgeon.
Goodluck