r/openheartsurgery

Yes, it feels as bad as it sounds!
It happened six months ago but no doctor would take me seriously. They all said the go see someone else. (My surgeon’s office never called me back, despite multiple calls. My OHS was in November 2025 and was an aortic valve replacement.)

The thoracic surgeon who I finally got into could tell by feeling the lump on my sternum and looking at a CT. He says an 90-minute surgery will fix it.

Anyone else go through this?

My father (71) was admitted to the hospital last week where they discovered he had an EF of 35%, severe blockage throughout his heart, and a thrombosis at the apex. They transferred him to a larger hospital where after a week of blood thinners he has an EF of 49% and otherwise better vitals; however, the hospital will not perform a CABG or place stents. Instead they are sending him home with a vest for at least 6 weeks before they take any action. They have given us a host of different reasons for postponing (too much blockage for stents, chest cysts in the way of the heart for CABG), but I feel like they are just kicking the can down the road. Otherwise, my father's other organs are in good condition, he is overweight (5'8 220), but he also has been active and working as a Dentist up until he was admitted.

I want to get a clear idea of what an older patient looks like to be a good candidate for CABG.

Hey PE community. I am 44 a former D1 college athlete.
My Haller Index is 3.52 — But surgery was never a real option for me due to risk from my open heart surgery injuries.

I was born with Holt-Oram Syndrome and had open heart surgery at age 3 — median sternotomy, ASD closure, pulmonary valve repair. I still have sternal wires in my chest from that surgery. Three pacemakers. A cardiac ablation. My pectus developed as a direct result of that 1985 operation, and going back in was deemed too dangerous given everything already in there.

My pulmonary function tests show FVC at 82% predicted — I’m working with roughly 70% of normal lung capacity. The restriction is real and measurable.

So no Nuss. No Ravitch. Just learning to perform in this chest.

What I did instead was find the edges of what this body could actually do. I played Division 1 baseball as a catcher. Ran over 40 6-minute miles, Competed in bodybuilding at 42 years old. I practice Wim Hof breathwork daily and have nearly 1,000 sessions logged.

I made a video about all of it and I’m hoping it gives you all hope as well. It took me over 25 years to take my shirt off but now I’m proud to and hope this message and video gives you hope as well.

Ken

​

One of the most important lessons in surgery is that a technically successful operation doesn't necessarily mean the patient is out of danger.

Postoperative deterioration can come from problems such as:

\- Bleeding

\- Sepsis

\- Respiratory failure

\- AKI

\- Electrolyte abnormalities

\- Anastomotic leak

\- Thromboembolism

\- Cardiac complications

I think the key is recognizing deterioration early rather than waiting for the patient to become obviously unstable.

What early warning sign do you take most seriously after major abdominal surgery?

Hi,

I had Robotic open heart surgery 11 days ago to close an ASD. I had horrible coughing at first. It has gotten a bit better but I can't seem to fully kick it. Can anyone share how long it took for the cough to fully resolve? Also still feels tight when I lay on my back.

Hello. I'm 53, and I'm hoping to hear from anyone who's been through something similar.

I was diagnosed a while back with:

• Severe aortic stenosis
• Heavy calcification of the aortic valve
• Bicuspid aortic valve
• Dilated ascending aorta, 46mm

I've been in a bit of a daze since. I thought I'd done everything right. Ate well, trained consistently, hardly ever sick, never needed medication, rarely saw a doctor. I was cautious enough that I didn't even take the Covid vaccine. And I still ended up here. I've been extremely angry about it.

One thing I've noticed: the more I think about it, the worse I feel. The more I carry on the way I did before I knew, the better I feel. I haven't trained in a while, but I feel like I could pick up right where I left off. Then I read more about what these numbers actually mean and start thinking I could drop at any moment. It swings between those two.

Yesterday I had my coronary angiography. My arteries came back clean. The cardiologist put it as "you're in perfect condition, apart from what you were born with." There are moments now where I think I may as well eat and drink whatever I want.

That's the mental side. Here's what I'm actually hoping to learn from people who've been through it:

Recovery and training. How was recovery for you? Did you get back to training hard, or is that off the table for good? I'm not asking about walking round the block, I mean real loaded work.

Options I may not have found. I don't want my chest cut open, though I'm aware that what insurance covers and what I can afford may be two different things. I'm in Greece. My understanding is there are approaches through the groin or between the ribs. For anyone who had one of those, how did it go, and were you actually offered it as an option or ruled out?

The Ross procedure. I found this one and it sounds like the option most likely to get me back to where I was. It also sounds like the most complex and the highest risk. Has anyone here had one? How did you find a surgeon, and how did you satisfy yourself they'd done enough of them?

Mechanical valve. I'd rather not be on warfarin for life. I've read that cayenne pepper has blood-thinning properties, and I already take it daily. I understand it's not the same mechanism, but is there anyone here managing a mechanical valve on anything other than warfarin, or any combination approach your cardiologist has been open to? And for those on warfarin: how much does it really change day-to-day life and training?

Tissue valve. I've read they last roughly 10 to 15 years. Does that mean you're simply doing the whole thing again in your 60s, or is it more complicated than that?

Thanks in advance for anything anyone can share. Information, options, or just how it went for you. Any of it helps.

PS. Reddit disclaimer: I'm well aware most people here aren't medical professionals, and I won't be taking anything said here as fact. I'm just inviting people to share what they went through.

Has anyone here been diagnosed with this congenital heart disease?

I’d love to hear about your experience. If you’ve undergone open-heart surgery, how did it go? How was your recovery, and how are you doing now?

Thank you in advance for sharing your journey. Your experiences would mean a lot to me.

Hello! I'm 5 weeks post op and feeling pretty decent. I have to go back in November to get an aortic aneurysm fixed and I'm dreading it.

I had a very rough ICU experience and I need to know that it won't be like that again. Basically, they gave me a feeding tube and didn't get it placed correctly, so I spent the entire first day semi-conscious puking and having it sucked back out. I remember thinking this is what hell must be like.

Relatively, the rest of my stay is doable again in my mind, even if it's not exactly fun. So, any words of encouragement would be appreciated right now.

My dad (55yo) had triple bypass surgery last June. He woke up 3 days after. He didn’t have voice after a month. Doctor said his kidney was affected so he had 5x kidney dialysis, the catheter was already removed and said he doesn’t need it for now. Doctor inserted ICD. He was under observation to be discharged but then doctors found that his lungs had infection. Few weeks ago his skin all over his body, face and head peeled, like huge dandruff. He still cannot walk independently as his other leg is still numb (they took the artery from there).

8 years ago, he had TB which was already cleared. And 2 years ago, doctor said his kidney is 50% functioning.

I’m not always around in the hospital but these are the summary of what happened in the last 2 months.

Please please tell me everything will be okay. Did anyone ever experienced this? It’s like one thing will be okay, then another issue will rise.. I feel like it’s never gonna end. I feel so bad seeing my father like this. He used to be so strong.

Before agreeing to open-heart surgery, please get a second opinion.

I was 47 when I was diagnosed with significant coronary blockages. In New Jersey, I was recommended traditional open-heart bypass surgery.

Thankfully, I decided to get another opinion.

I found a surgeon at Gundersen Health System in Wisconsin who was able to perform a minimally invasive bypass (MIDCAB) instead. I had bypasses involving my LAD and circumflex/left coronary territory without having my sternum split open.

My recovery was remarkable. Within about two months, I was running again.

I’m not saying open-heart surgery is wrong. For many patients it is absolutely the right—and sometimes the only—option. But I learned that what one surgeon considers necessary may not be the only surgical approach available.

Minimally invasive coronary bypass techniques have continued to advance. Surgeons such as Dr. Husam Balkhy at the University of Chicago are performing robotic coronary bypass procedures through several very small ports/incisions, including complex multivessel cases.

My message to anyone facing bypass surgery:

Get a second opinion—preferably from a surgeon or center that specializes in minimally invasive and robotic coronary bypass surgery.

Ask specifically:

- Am I a candidate for MIDCAB or robotic CABG?

- Can my disease be treated without a sternotomy?

- If I need multiple bypasses, is a minimally invasive multivessel approach possible?

- Why is traditional open-heart surgery preferable in my particular anatomy?

The easiest operation for a hospital to offer isn't necessarily the only operation available to you.

I’m now about 18 months out, and I’m incredibly glad I sought another opinion before making such a major decision.

Obviously every patient's coronary anatomy and medical situation is different, and this isn't medical advice. But if sharing my experience makes even one person ask another qualified surgeon, it’s worth posting.

My team kept me too busy to post before now, which is a blessing. The heart surgeon impressed me by the woman who runs his practice. She just exuded confidence and easily had everything under control ...him also having the confidence to choose her made me more confident about him. I am now going to take a towel bath to be ready for my next walk.

Has anyone been told that they have a short temper and get agitated easy after they get home? I know I have been told that by certain family members.

Sigh!!!

Hi all,

I have a open heart surgery next week Friday. I am really scared . I have no relative here in us except my wife. I am 34 year old with diabetes and bp. I was scared about the tubes and the pain while sitting and standing post surgery. Can any of you who had the surgery,post your experience of this surgery. Was it helpful to you in the long run. I have 4 arteries blockage with around 100%,90,80 and 20% blockage and collateral arteries got created. I am scared like hell. I got 30 days of holiday from work. How was your experience. Please share it and also throw some light on how to manage sitting, standing post surgery and tubes. Is it really very painful after surgery. When did they allow to see the relative (my wife) after surgery. How much duration was the surgery. How did life changed after surgery like what things you can do and cannot do after surgery. Please help me by posting your experience. Thanks a ton.

How is your stamina now verses prior to surgery? Is it a noticeable difference?

I (32F) had my OHS at the end of May and since
I could work from home, had to return to desk work for a few hours a day after 30 days post surgery. Since then, I’ve had terribly sharp pain in my right pectoral/breast, kinda towards my armpit (sorry, hard to verbally describe). It gets worse after working for more than an hour or two, assuming from moving my arm to use the mouse and keyboard. Some weekends it gets better, then worse again as the week starts. I tried so hard to limit my range of motion but I’m also a mom of two toddlers and just couldn’t stay so useless after the first few weeks. My doctor thinks it sounds like normal recovery pain but I haven’t read of similar experiences, so I’m curious how normal it is. Not every movement hurts, but most, like holding up my coffee mug or driving or washing dishes or folding clothes aggravates it at times, feeling like the muscle is torn. I’m also still experiencing a high resting heart rate (high 90s) and some palpitations. Just desperately looking forward to being a functional person…

Seeking advice as I do not want to this to take over my life.

May 14th I had open heart surgery for an ASD closure.

June 30th in a days time, I started having major chest pain and breathing restrictions. Ended up having a pericardial effusion. They drained 1.5 liters of blood/fluid from my heart sac. Ended up being in the hospital a few days, once released I recovered quickly.

Fast forward to this week (week of August 10th) I started feeling off over a few day period, on Friday I had an echo done. No fluid ruled out another effusion, but it is pericarditis. I did run a 5k on Sunday and the same on Monday, I may have pissed my heart off..

Ever since the first go around in June I have been on colchicine, an ibuprofen taper, aspirin and a med to prevent ulcers.

Does anyone have a similar experience or recommendations. I’ve been through the ringer with all of this and really don’t know how much more I can take..

I was in hospital for a week after I had a double bypass surgery. They would wake me up at 3 AM for vitals and 6 AM for chest X-ray. I couldn’t sleep much during day due to uncomfortable bed. Now that I am home I can’t sleep more than a few hours at a time. I think I am suffering from sleep deprivation.

Anyone have any suggestions on sleeping more than a few hours at a time?

Hi all, I'm 32f and had OHS in April of this year. My weight was pretty steady post-op, but over the past two months I've been slowly gaining weight. I'm now 13 pounds over my pre-op weight. I thought it would go down when I started rehab. I'm watching my food, cleaned up my diet. But still every week it seems like I weigh more.

With my humongous scar and new body size, I'm feeling really uncomfortable with myself. Did anyone else experience this? I know it's a silly vain thing to think about after all I've been through, but I can't help but fixate on it. Any advice?

Ever since my surgery on July 1st I have been getting ocular migraines. Its like seeing a small rainbow dot that grows bigger and becomes zigzag like? it very much impacts my vision and goes away after like 20 minutes.

Edit: also im 15f if that information could mean anything. I have never had this before my surgery and it isnt painful just a bit scary.