So last tuesday dad went in for a stress test to kaiser (woodland hills) and they found a problem. They kept him over night and moved him the next morning to kaiser sunset. They did an angiogram and found atleast one blocked artery. Its at 90% block. So initial thing what tehy thought will be an angioplasty is now upgraded to open heart bypass i believe.

So who else do you konw who has had this? My uncle had surgury but his wasnt open heart bypass i believe. But that's teh same hospital that my dad's in. Apparently kaiser sunset is good for this kind of stuff.

He has been having trouble breathing and stuff for a while and they have been running tests but they had been coming negative until teh stress test.

Anycase I am going down on sunday at this point (assuming the operation is scheduled on monday - i get to know about it today) to give mom support. Its hard cause none of us kids are anywhere nearby. My brother is the closest and has to take the slack for me and my sister not being there.

Anyway more later.. i got to go talk to the profs about taking off next week.

I have known several people at work and church that have had bypasses... I am amazed at what they can do now.  A fellow I work with recently had a double bypass and they had him up walking that very same evening.  He said that he felt like a new man.  

Good luck to you, your family and Dad, Good Guy, keep us informed

My step-dad had a Quintuple (that is like 5) by-pass (smoked for like 15 years).  Anyway, he came back from it fast.  It is really amazing.  And that was about 5 years ago.

The good news is, your dad didn't have a heart attack, so there won't be any heart damage.  You guys are luck you caught it first.  He'll be fine and much better off afterwards.  It is scary, I know, but those things are almost routine these days.  He'll be fine and let us know how it all turns out!

My Mom many years ago (decades) had a triple when she was 54 (scares me cause I am 51) and a quadruple when she was 70. Also she had the main arteries in her neck bypassed as well when she was 74.
I was there for all except the neck bypass.
First (back then anyway), they stop the heart and place the patient on a machine to "take over" that function. They used to then take a section of the patients leg arteries and use that for the bypass and use synthetic to replace what they'd taken from the leg. I don't know what they use now present day. After the bypass they shock the heart back into rhythm. The same "team" that had done the triple did the quadruple and were anxious to see what had clogged on the "second go-around".
They were very good. She lived to be 84. Nowadays this operation seems to be nonchalant although it IS a serious operation. Many do it all around the USA with great success. A person DOES change (personality) with this operation and is usually grumpier! But if anyone split open my breastbone, I think I'd be grumpy for a long time too. So go easy on the patient and realize that they are gonna need some TLC for a spell.
Oh........and they'll need a pillow to hug for a week or so. I'm sure y'all will do just fine. I wish you all the best. I have been in your position. Twice. Wilson

I haven't faced this situation with a family member, but I'm sure going to be sending good thoughts for a swift recovery for your dad.  :kiss:

They still take from the leg.  That was probably the worst part for my step-dad.  His leg didn't heal for a long time on the inside part of his knee.  They take a pretty long section (like over a foot!).

But his chest and his heart are tip top.

My grandfather recently had a triple bypass.... out of the hospital in a few days, and the home life was easy, just keep the legs up, no strenuous activity... all no brainers... now he's back at 100%, playing tennis, riding bikes, playing with the grandkids... And incidentally, they still take the veins out of the legs, then replace the leg ones w/ synthetics... at least, they did for him...  We'll keep your dad in our thoughts...

Yes I wish him all the best too ... and your whole family.
Cool.
Srinath.

A very good friend of mind had a triple bypass surgery just over a year ago. He's in great shape now. And he had been a diabetic since he was five, had a kidney pancreas transplant several years ago, and then this. So there were a lot of complications regarding vascular damage from the diabetes, and also all the drugs he was on for the transplant. It was really scary, but he did okay. Bypasses are a huge deal, but still- they do them all the time, and most of the time within a couple of months after the surgery, the person is in better shape than they were before.

Sometimes they take blood vessesls out of a leg, and sometimes they take them out of an arm.

It's better if they don't have to use the machine to take over the heart's job during the surgery. Less chance of complications, or inflammation/immune response from the blood reacting to the machine.

It's amazing how quickly they send people home after bypass surgery. My friend was only in 3 or 4 days I think.

my dad had a quintuple bypass (I didnt even know that was possible) several years ago. still going strong.

My mom had a quadruple bypass done. . .5 years later she had two  andioplat done. . . and yet she still feels good enought to come out where I work and kick my butt whenever she thinks I did something wrong  :lol:  
Best wishes for you and your family I'm sure you dad will be back better than ever.

Famous people who have had bypass surgery and are still quite alive and kicking:   Larry King and David Letterman.

One thing I can warn you about:   if you have never seen your father in a hospital bed connected to lots of tubes and wires and equipment and drugged out of normal consciousness, I can tell you it isn't pretty.  My mother had major surgery a few years ago, and it really tore us up to see her helpless and hooked up to all the machines.  Although she was pretty much unconscious, we could tell she was VERY uncomfortable.  

Give your dad (and your family) lots of moral support before and after the surgery!

I was lurking around, saw this thread and had to register and post.

Two years ago at the ripe old age of 46 I had a heart attack. Angioplasty showed that it was my second. The first one happened sometime in the past (I used to think I suffered from really bad heart burn). Triple bypass was the flavor of the day. I was put on a waiting list a nd 6 months later was laid on the table and re-plumbed. I was very fortunate in a couple of respects:

1) The narrowing of my arteries was a slow process and my heart grew new viens to feed the muscle that was slowly being starved of oxyben rich blood. No muscle tissue damage at all!

2) When I was having the second heart attack I called for the ambulance right away and was in hospital wiithin the 'Golden Hour' to receive the clot busting drugs that again saved me from damage to the heart muscle.

3) My surgeon was able use the mammary arteries in my chest rather go through the very painful recovery of having the viens removed from a leg or arm.

My recovery was quick. I was out of the hospital in 5 days.I was cleared for 'normal' work in 3 months, but the extreme physical nature of my job dictated a full 6 months before return to work. If I had been working at a desk or something similar I'll bet 6 weeks would have been sufficient recovery time.

In the hospital, the people who had viens used from arms and legs said the resultant pain from that was much worse than the pain from the chest incision.

Now that I've been back in circulation ( ) for some time I have to say that the new lease on life is phenomenal! In many resects I'm like a kid again. my energy levels are WAY up there and I find myself doing things willingly that were a chore previously. Bypass surgery is a gift, not a sentence! Tell your dad to keep smiling, all will be well  

I faced my surgery alone. I was dropped off at the front door of the hospital by an aquintance and left there to face the knife alone. There was no one there in the recovery room when I came out of the anesthetic except the nurses. I was two days in the recovery ward before I had a visitor. If I can do that your dad will do perfectly well with your support!

Please, please, please remember I love YOU through all this. Yes your Dad will be going through some traumatic stuff but I love YOU will suddenly be carrying a weight that she did not ask for and is certainly not ready for. Support her as much or more than your Dad!

My heart attacks were caused from smoking. My cholesterol was on the high end of normal, my body wieght was normal for my age build. My lifestyle was not sedentary. I was hooked on cigs for 30 years though. I smoked my last cigarette waiting for the ambulance to come. Was it tough to quit? No. I had no choice, it was quit or die. I chose to live.

My mother is a perfusionist - the person that runs the heart/lung machine that oxygenates your blood during a bypass surgery.

If you have any specific questions about the process I will be happy to get them answered for you.  I might be able to answer them myself, since I grew up around cardiac and vascular surgery.

well the operation went good.. had a double bypass.. he is now in ICU, will be for the next 24 hrs after which he will be sent to another location in the hospital.

So far so good..

get your dad a large stuffed animal to hug, if they split his sternum to do the surgery instead of going in through the ribs, every time he coughs it's going to feel like his chest is splitting apart.  and he will cough quite a bit when they pull his chest tubes.

I'm happy the surgery went OK. One thing to watch now is his mood . My grandmother had a triple bypass three months ago and she has had a tough time leading with a post-bypass depression that, as it turns out, is very common and delays recovery for those who suffer it. It might be that your Dad does not need it, but keep an eye open for it and if it does happen have him go to therapy and counseling... it has worked wonders on my grandma... There si some kind of special relationship between the heart and brain that makes this surgery specially psycologically draining.

well he is still in ICU, will be for another 24 hrs.. his blood pressure needs to be under control without meds before they release him from there.
Thanks for the thing on the post operation depression, i will tell mom to keep an eye on it. yeah they went thru the sternum. He has a pillow on him and stuff. so far he hasnt coughed.. but i can imagine it will hurt like a Buddha Loves You.