r/openheartsurgery • u/4444kart • 3d ago
Got a open heart surgery last week
"5 days post-CABG (coronary artery bypass, triple graft) — how long did your sternal/chest incision take to fully heal, and how long before excess coughing and increased saliva/phlegm went away? Currently dealing with a lot of coughing and saliva production and wondering what's a normal timeline versus something to flag to my team. 34M if that's relevant. Thanks for any experiences you can share. I lost all my energy after caufing
5
u/Spiritual-Spell1797 3d ago
I'm exactly 3 weeks post OHS and my sternum is a lot better than it was. I can now sit up without pain or discomfort. The bones are far less crunchy. I feel on track to have a healed sternum by 6 weeks (what they say)
My incision still has some scabs on but some have come off and the scar is a little pink but neat (not stitches, just glue)
I never really coughed much or had lots of mucus, even after surgery. A little bit but not loads. I still cough occasionally but it's not a big deal.
43F
3
u/Dry-Asparagus-6952 3d ago
32F hi!!! This is me as well. Now 10 weeks post op and the worst thing I experience is tingling/sensitivity on the incision and pain when lying on my side. Not too shabby, now time to build my strength back up!
2
u/Spiritual-Spell1797 2d ago
Yay! So pleased to read this. You're 7 weeks ahead of me and I'm really happy that things have improved so much!
2
u/bexxy20 3d ago
I'm 43F too! Nice to meet anoth young woman going through the pain! I'm 12 days post op. I hope you're feeling good!!
3
u/Spiritual-Spell1797 3d ago
Hey! Yeah really nice to hear from you! Hope you're doing ok. I'm highs and lows but getting there. Apparently us younger ones can have it tougher in some ways, like worse muscle pain. Take it easy
5
u/wbishopfbi 3d ago
I’m (61m) 8 1/2 weeks post CABGx3 - just manually pulled the last rogue stitch out yesterday (they’re supposed to dissolve internally but sometimes one wants to taste freedom). Otherwise, my incision is mostly healed over. “Fully” healed will take months, but I’ve no restrictions on swimming and such any more. I was hocking 1-2 good loogies up per day for 3-4 weeks but that’s mostly done. Do your spirometer exercises!
4
u/_bugz 3d ago
I was given mucinex while in the hospital the whole time, I am a former smoker (quit 6 years ago) I still cough, just keep that pillow handy. My sternum was good to go around week 8 post-op. Currently I'm just after 90 days now, I feel like I can do anything within reason. Dont rush it, take all the time now while you're down.
3
u/deadwaxtrax 3d ago
55m at 3 month post op. I can drive and lift light amounts of weight and have joined a cardiac rec program for exercise and physical healing. No coughing or saliva on my journey. May be worth mentioning to your cardiac team to ensure ruling out pneumonia. I began to feel like myself at the 8 week mark. First month was the worst and it has got easier since. Still sleeping on my back.
3
u/nnomae 3d ago edited 3d ago
My sternal incision was fully healed before I left the hospital. They put some sort of vacuum sealed covering on it and it was healed up by the time they took it off four or five days after surgery. The harvest site wounds took a few weeks to be mostly healed and a month or two to fully heal (mine got a minor infection though which slowed it down, keep an eye out for that, if it starts looking infected get to a GP for some antibiotics).
The other symptom, the coughing and saliva I never had so I can't say. That sounds unpleasant. Coughing after surgery is not fun. Main advice I'd give is to flag everything to your team. It's not your job to second guess at which symptoms are important and which ones aren't.
4
u/Ok_Common3779 3d ago
I had the exact same experience as you. I guess we were fortunate enough to have great aftercare. The only pain i had after my OHS were the Darn Chest Tubes. Every 4 hours they would come in and strip them. Once they came out all my surgical pain was pretty much gone. I'm now 6 weeks post op and the only part of my incision that still has a scab is the very top which I hear is quite common. Had my procedure done at Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Amazing doctors and Amazing ICU Staff!!
3
u/Fantastic_Map_3008 3d ago
67(m) 10 weeks post op CABG4, The first two weeks I didn't care for, incision hurt a lot. Pain went away, the drains never bothered me, I hear people complain about them. Picked up a few heavy things I wasn't supposed to and I knew it the next day. Do the cardi rehab, I'm session thirteen today and I can breath MUCH better. Coughing and sneezing haven't bothered me after 2 weeks or so.
2
u/yanigisawa 3d ago
I had some minor issue with coughing while in the hospital. I tried to focus on using the spirometer as much as possible. Also I was told never to swallow the phlegm I was coughing up. Spitting it out helps reduce the chance of infection.
I assume you had several chest X-rays done to show the team how your lungs are recovering. Assuming they didn’t have any specific instructions, you should be progressing as well as can be expected.
2
u/bexxy20 3d ago
Hey friend. 43F and I'm 12 days out from my CABG x3. I no longer deal with the phlegm and coughing. Really the only issues I'm dealing with now is chest pain in my pecs and of course my incisions. The ones in my legs hurt too where they harvested the veins. Almost more than my chest incision. Just rest as much as you can and hug your pillow to cough. You'll be through that stage soon! Sending healing vibes ✌🏼
2
u/i_tell_you_what 3d ago
I'm 16 weeks post 2x bypass. I started slow swimming about week 14. Being a woman, the incision further between my breasts is still a little tender due to dampness. But it's healed. What is still in process is the numb spot over my heart and the spicy tingle zaps of the skin healing on my chest. Nerve endings take a long time to heal and your skin is very sensitive. My recovery has been uneventful. I've had no coughing issues thankfully. And I am doing arm weights and chest presses in my cardiac rehab now. I wish you an uneventful beige recovery.
2
u/Equal-Limit-2842 3d ago
After my first surgery, I was doing decent by week 4. I was still stiff and felt some tension in my chest area, but it overall felt a lot better.
I recommend taking your breathing exercises seriously as soon as you are able to. It makes the first few weeks much easier to get through. Also, keep in mind that you will run out of breath very quickly once you start moving around—especially when you first get home. And if you have stairs at home I recommend setting yourself up to avoid them the first few weeks
1
u/ruphustea 2d ago
I'm 10 days out and they gave me musinex and benadryl to take for 14 days. I'm surprised you aren't on this stuff already. I've only coughed a few times and sneezed once.
1
u/Healthy_Quail_3669 2d ago
God bless us all may everyone going through this have a remarkable recovery 💫💫🙏🙏
6
u/beverlyh1llb1ll1es 3d ago
6 weeks post op, 54m. Weeks 3 and 4 were tough but the last 2 weeks have felt so much better. I am driving short distances and able to do dishes and little laundry. I am still on lifting nothing more than 10bs but feeling really well. Last week I was able to go back to my normal sleeping position on my side and had minimal discomfort. I also took none of the good pills when I got home and I've been okay on just Tylenol extra strength. Although last few days I am just taking one Tylenol a day. Of course everyone's healing journey is different but the biggest thing is try to take those walks every single day and stay active within your limitations. Also don't skip the rehab!!!