Dad has to have bypass surgery...

[DrumminBoy]

Found out today that my dad has to have bypass surgery on his heart. He had two operations this summer after a heart attack to clear blockage, but they have not been successful. How much risk is involved with an operation like this? Any info would be great, thanks.

 

[Riprorin]

Personally, I would exhaust all avenues before I went under the knife.

I've heard that chelation therapy works wonders with some patients.

 

[DrumminBoy]

Originally posted by: Riprorin
Personally, I would exhaust all avenues before I went under the knife.

I've heard that chelation therapy works wonders with some patients.

that was his second surgery

 

[Pliablemoose]

It's relatively safe, are they going to crack his sternum in 1/2 & do it the old way or do the newer windowing technique?

I've seen maybe a 5% failure/screw-up rate.

Best suggestion I can give you is for him to go somewhere that's affiliated with a medical school & does a lot of bypass surgeries.

I'm assuming he's having chest pain & activity intolerance?

 

[Riprorin]

Has he considered EECP?

EECP

 

[DrumminBoy]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
It's relatively safe, are they going to crack his sternum in 1/2 & do it the old way or do the newer windowing technique?

I've seen maybe a 5% failure/screw-up rate.

Best suggestion I can give you is for him to go somewhere that's affiliated with a medical school & does a lot of bypass surgeries.

I'm assuming he's having chest pain & activity intolerance?

suprisingly, he's had no pain. The doctors say he is close to another heart attack, and that he has to keep from any strenuous activity until he has something done.

 

[TMPadmin]

It sounds that as far as risk goes he has better odds with the surgery which is HIGHLY successfull these days. When I was 17 I had heart surgery (Cracked the Sternum) patched me up and I have a nice scar up and down my chest. Wasn't bypass but heart surgery is getting more and more common. There is risk in every surgery but odds are in his favor.

Hang in there, you and your family are probably under a lot of stress but it should turn out okay.

 

[Pliablemoose]

He'll hurt for about a year after the surgery, the 1st 6 weeks is pretty tough, much easier each week after the initial 6 weeks.

Get him a health club membership or encourage him to buy one, the more rehab he does, the better his quality of life will be. The whole family needs to get on board with some lifestyle changes to help him.

 

[Riprorin]

Here's something to consider:

COMPARISON OF INVASIVE VS. NONINVASIVE THERAPIES AND RELATED STUDIES

and something else:

Heart Surgery Does More Harm Than Good

Good luck to your dad.