Back on February 27 I underwent "open heart" surgery for a triple bypass.

Let me say right now that all of the cheeseburgers, fish sandwiches, french fries, etc. aren't worth the price later on. I had no idea how badly bypass surgery would kick your ***. When they cut open your breast plate they also cut through all of the tendons attached to it. Those tendons and the muscles attached to them range from your diaphragm to your ribs, shoulders, and base of your neck. Critical in your recovery is to not fall. Any landing could put enough pressure on your chest to rip apart the healing tissue.

Initial recovery was a week in the hospital. Upon my release I went home, where it took 3 passes to walk up the stairs (14 steps) to the main living area. 4 or 5 steps and sit. I didn't venture back down the stairs for another week.

It's now been 5 1/2 weeks and I'm well ahead of most recovery schedules. The surgeon has released me, as have the home health nurse and physical therapist. My cardiologist doesn't want to see me until June. I'm driving, walking, and doing most everything I want as long as it doesn't involve heavy lifting or upper body stress.

That surgery is a lifesaver. But not needing it is even better!

~Bass

 

Holy cow brother! Was wondering where you've been.

I'm pleased that you're doing well and just know that you're missed in the club.

Hopefully the plumbing job was performed before any damage was done to your heart.

Get well soon brother.

 

Bass...hoping your recovery continues to go well. I had a couple heart attacks about a year and a half ago...cardiac catheterization and a couple stents took care of me...rather lucky.

As my father used to say..."If I had known I was going to live so long...I would have taken better care of myself."

Hopefully folks who read this will take your words to heart. (No pun intended)

 

Bummer. Back in 2016 they opened me up and found surprises in there. What was supposed to be a routine out patient surgery turned into 2 weeks in the cardiac unit. They didn't open my chest but did cut 60% of the abdominal muscles. I was told recovery time would be two years to fully recover. After two years, I was mostly pain free when using my abdominal muscles. On the other hand, 8 years later, I still get charlie horses where they cut me. Those are as bad, or sometimes worse than the ones where your big toe pulls away from your other toes.

 

Ken -- I was lucky. I've got a family history of cardiac issues so at my physical last year I asked my doctor for some routine heart tests. The stress-echo showed that the lower half of the heart wasn't beating as strongly as the rest of the heart. This is apparently typical of bad blood flow in the coronary arteries. So we scheduled a heart cath to insert stents into the partially blocked arteries. They found the central artery (AKA "the widow maker") was 80% blocked and the other two 70% blocked. I wasn't a good candidate for putting stents in all 3 arteries so they ended the procedure and scheduled the bypass.

I'm extremely lucky in that we found the issue before there was heart damage. No heart attack, stroke, etc. This should last me the rest of my life. Hope yours lasts you, too!

 

More power to you sir!!

 

Continue to get better Bass!! 🙏 plenty more fishing to do!

 

I hope your great recovery continues!!!!

 

Thanks, guys!

It's now 7 weeks post surgery and I continue to heal, slowly but surely. I'm actually a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Barring a setback of some kind I'm probably 6 weeks from returning to the gym for a light workout.

~Bass

 

Holy Smokes Bass. I havent been here for some time and to see this. God speed Brother. Katie and I wish you all the best luck