My Experience

I have had three coronary bypasses. I had my first heart attack at age 47. I went to the doctor and they rushed me to the hospital. I passed out. When I woke up I was very tired and had pressure in my arm and chest. I didn’t realize what was happening, I felt too young to be having a heart attack. Five days later I had my first bypass surgery. It was uneventful. Recovery was difficult, but I had other health problems, including what was discovered to be an esophagus that was too high and giving me chest pain (hiatal hernia causing reflux); I had surgery to treat that.

I felt pretty good after the first bypass which lasted 11 years. Before the second one, I was visiting a friend and passed out. After medical evaluation, the doctor said he would attempt a quadruple bypass, though when I woke up from the surgery he told me he ended up only doing a single bypass. After the surgery, I felt miserable for a year. I couldn’t function. I was told that an additional bypass was necessary, but I would have to heal from the previous surgery before they could operate again.