Re: [Paddlewise] Coronary bypass recovery

> On May 3 I had an unanticipated quadruple coronary bypass operation,
> which involved splitting the breastbone apart to get at the heart.
> During the wrap-up phase the surgeon stitched the breastbone back
> together with silver wire and glued the incision together. Until the
> bone knits (about six weeks), I'm not supposed to pick up, push, or
> pull more than five pounds, and I have to be care not to apply any
> differential pressure to the two sides of the chest when getting into
> and out of bed (no rotating from the waist!). Aside from that, I'm
> feeling pretty chipper. 
> 
> Has anyone on Paddlewise had a similar operation? If so, my wife would
> like to know how long it took before you were back in your kayak
> again. In my case the damage to the coronary arteries was discovered
> before there was any damage to the heart muscle, so I am anticipating
> pretty much a complete recovery.
> 
> Chuck Holst

It has not happened to me (I had an Angioplasty which took care of my 
immediate problems), but I have known several people who have had the 
procedure.

The main issue is the age of the patient. Younger people will 
generally heal faster.

The next issue would seem to be the overall fitness of the patient. 
Those with more highly developed musculature of the chest will 
generally recover faster.

Note my use of the word "generally" in both cases.

I would definitely not want to push the recovery too fast: I don't 
know what the consequences of an badly knitted breastbone would be, 
but I doubt they'd be pleasant. If the bypass went as well as you 
seem to think, it would seem that the breastbone is your main 
concern. Give it proper time. Check with your doctor regarding what 
constitutes safe exercise once your six weeks are up.

Good luck!!
-- 
  Darryl
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