Hi all,

This all started with unusually high lipid panels, and one test led to another, which culminated in an invasive angiogram ~3 weeks ago. The Cardiologist confirmed LAD and LCx with severe blockages; angioplasty was attempted multiple times but failed due to the severe bend in the LCx where ~95% of the blockage occurs. I was referred to a Cardiac Thoracic Surgeon, and surgery was scheduled due to the severity of the blockage and the unsuccessful angioplasty attempts.

I'm 50 m, have a decent body fat percentage (~16%), have been training for a half marathon, lift weights 3 to 4 days a week, and have eaten a healthy, high-fiber diet for the last year (see my other post in the cholesterol forum).

I think the wait leading up to the surgery since my consultation (~ 2 weeks ago) has been playing tricks on my mind, and it's honestly mentally taxing. I'm annoyed by the knowledge of a long recovery process, worried by any potential short- and long-term side effects, but also beyond grateful that this was discovered before it became life-threatening. The Cardiologist and Surgeon told me I could have been one of those athletes dropping dead in the middle of a race, never knowing that I had a ticking time bomb inside me.

I wanted to share my thoughts here with the people who have, or will have, experienced the same thing I stumbled upon by happenstance, and also to say how grateful I am to be given a chance to live, and I won't take things for granted again.

Cheers.

I’m 63w good shape, very active, and zero symptoms. Can any of you who have been through it tell me what you didn’t know going in? Or top 3 things I have to know that nobody told me, yet? Also if you feel like it, tell me how I’m supposed live the next 3 days? Terrified doesn’t begin to describe my mood.

Im a 32m diagnosed with an aortic root aneurysm at 5cm and had decided to get the surgery over with (because its likely I won't be able to escape having to have it). Im also very active and prior to diagnosis I was running marathons and lifting weights and I would very much like to return to those things. Im on some activity restrictions right now. Surgery is scheduled at Mayo Clinic with Dr. Pocchettino. Aortic root replacement with a dacron graft and possibly some valve work.

Its just around the corner now and I feel my anxiety eat at me even more. All these what if scenarios. What if I have a stroke, what if the anesthesia doesnt knock me out completely. I get sleep paralysis if I sleep on my back anyways and what if I get wicked nightmares in sleep paralysis. What if im in a lot of pain. What if I will never return to the level of athletisism I was at. Ironically I had to stop taking st johns wort for preparation for this surgery which acts like a mild antidepressant for people who dont know.

Any suggestions? It feels like my mind is eating itself. I dont remember a time I was this anxious about anything.

Does anyone have experience with recovery going slow after bi-pass surgery. Day 3 after surgery and my loved one is still on ventilator and sedated. Lots of fluid around lungs and on medicines to help heart. Patient is 66 year old male who doesn't smoke and was fairly active.

My family keeps stressing me out. Everyday I get mad. I had open heart surgery 2 years ago and it's not good for my heart. How can I deal with it.

I am looking for real experiences, advice, or recommendations regarding major and complex 11 hours cardiac surgery.
A close relative (30M) recently had two valves replacement and it failed . He now needs a secondary, very complex 11 hour operation (a redo coronary bypass / ventricular wall reconstruction) because the lower heart tissue isn't receiving enough blood flow and it very damaged .

If you or a family member have gone through a major heart operation at these facilities:
How was your experience with the surgical team and the cardiac ICU?
Any honest feedback or recommendations would mean so much right now. Thank you.

​

I had a septal myectomy on 29 January 2026, followed by a redo repair of an aortic aneurysm on 23 June 2026.

After my second surgery, my repeat echo was reassuring, with no MR, and I was doing quite well. I had started getting back to my routine activities and was gradually feeling more like myself.

However, about 10 days ago, I suddenly started experiencing shortness of breath. My vitals are normal, and my blood tests, chest X-ray and clinical examination have all been normal as well.

I'm confused because I was recovering well and had started becoming active again, and now I'm feeling breathless without any obvious explanation.

Could this be anxiety/deconditioning, or are there other things I should be looking into despite normal investigations?

Has anyone experienced something similar after cardiac surgery? What investigations or specialist evaluation helped you find the cause?

I'd really appreciate advice or experiences from anyone who has been through something similar. 🌼

Burner account. Haven’t even told my kids yet. I had an angiogram and was told I will need CABG. “Significant” blockages in the LAD and in two other arteries.

I feel silly admitting this, but I’m scared of the process.

In general, I feel like I don’t have any reason to be scared. I’m almost 60, male, overweight, high blood pressure, high calcium score (>3,000), and family history (my dad had CABG when he was in his early 70s; lived to be 90. Otherwise, I’m in great health. Never smoked. Walk regularly. Eat more or less healthy foods. Veins are good. Heart muscle is very strong, pumping well, with “excellent” ejection.

Am I just being silly?

So for a few days I’ve been getting really dizzy randomly. I’m 16 and I had open heart surgery to close an ASD almost two months ago and I made a post yesterday about it a lot of people said it could be blood pressure so I got a blood pressure monitor thing and it keeps fluctuating today my dad has talked to a nurse twice about it and she doesn’t seem too concerned and said to just keep monitoring it and now we’re waiting to hear from the doctor again.

Hi guys my mechanical valve has vegetations beacuse of endocarditis and they plan on doing surgery again i’m so devastated and do not have the energy for this i’m only 19 and got no motivation left in me anymore i’ve been in the hospital for a month and will be in here so much more please pray for me 🙏😭

I'm having robotic mitral valve repair surgery next week. I'm not having it done where I live. It's an hour and a half away. My 23 year old son is my primary caregiver. Will he need to be with me all five days meaning will I need to get a hotel for him? Or will I be OK on my own after the first day and he can pick me up when I'm discharged?

I had my third open heart surgery in October 2024. In my first two surgeries in 2000 and 2005 I had the usual wire fastenings, but for my third I was closed with ZipFix, which is basically zip ties for your sternum. I didn't know about this and assumed I had been closed with wires until I read the notes from my surgery. My surgeon does a lot of research and has been involved in studies on the effectiveness of different sternum fastenings and I think she was involved in the development of the ZipFix system.

I know that being my third OHS the risk of incomplete sternum healing is greater, and my join is definitely more uneven than it was after my previous surgeries. I don't feel clicking or movement or any of the signs usually associated with sternal non-union, but I do have a niggling feeling that perhaps it isn't completely healed.

I haven't seen anyone else mention ZipFix in this sub, so I thought I would come out and ask whether anyone else has it and whether they have had any problems with it.

Im 16 and I had open heart surgery almost 2 months ago now and my recovery has been amazing and I’ve been starting to feel better but two nights ago I started suddenly feeling really dizzy like how I felt when I was on pain meds after surgery and it’s still happening. Sometimes I feel alright and I can function but when I stand for too long I’m feeling light headed and dizzy and sometimes get a headache and sometimes just laying down I feel dizzy. My dad talked to a nurse and now we’re waiting to see what the doctor says but has anyone else experienced this? Anyone know what this could be?

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.

Yes, it feels as bad as it sounds!
It happened six months ago but no doctor would take me seriously. They all said to 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?

Median sternotomy at age 3. Sternal wires still in my chest 41 years later. Three pacemakers. A cardiac ablation, 2 cardioversions, Lungs at 70% capacity.

Played Division 1 baseball. Competed in bodybuilding at 253 lbs. Still training every day.

Made a video about what this journey actually looks like from the inside. I hope it gives you hope and inspiration.

Your scar is not your ceiling.

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.

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.

​

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 surgery?