COVID-19: Anyone else dealing with postponed heart procedure?

Hi heartbreaker,
Why would you choose not to have CABG? It took me quite a while to work up the courage to agree to the triple valve surgery and CABG. Everything I’ve read indicates my odds of surviving the surgery are not wonderful. But I have confidence that the surgeons at Mayo will give me the best shot possible- at least at living through the surgery. Quality of life on the other side is a mystery and a huge gamble. Right now, I function independently, and while I’m limited physically compared to my personal past (for example, I can no longer swim because I get severely out of breath), there are many who are far worse off than I. I’ve asked myself “should I just roll the dice and skip this massive surgery and enjoy what time I have left?”. I wish I had a more concrete view of what the progression of this disease will look like without surgical intervention. In the absence of that knowledge, my decision-making is driven by faith in the skill of the docs and my own lifelong compulsion to fix what’s broken.

Thanks for asking Colleen. I’d love to get some recommendations for keeping mentally and physically healthy through this very frightening time.

I’m logging all my food using “Lose-it”, an app that allows me to set goals for weight, exercise, calories, and each individual nutrient. I especially watch my sodium, water, and fiber. I have not been exercising, but did a little walking today. I plan to be more intentional with that. I need to wean myself from watching and reading the news for hours and hours each day. I won’t give it up entirely since I know it’s important to be informed. But too much time spent focused on the enormity of this Crisis - especially when individuals are mostly powerless to have an impact on its spread or duration - is a recipe for panic. And panic intensifies stress which batters the immune system. None of us can afford to compromise that.

Hi, Inali, I've found just standing up and moving a bit more often during the day, rather than too much sitting is helping me divert my attention to other things to do. I also found that limiting my tv news watching time to once in the early morning and then again in the evening for local and national news has improved my morale. Heard that "whatever we focus on grows" and as you said so well, we probably can better protect ourselves by distancing from the bombardment of news to some degree. Take care.

I would not choose to have another CABG because I had one 16 months ago and it was very painful, very traumatic, and extremely unpleasant. However, Mayo is the best, and your faith is well founded. No one can predict what will happen after surgery. My recovery was great. I was 73.

I had a "7" CABG, and it was quite the experience. The one thing I was surprised at through the recovery was how sad I would become if I had to explain what I went through. I would start to cry and couldn't carry-on a conversation with relatives seeking to understand what I experienced. As I progressed, I found that this condition went away. I had up until then not been a type to be weepy, but this surgery sure made me like that for a short time. I am wondering of others experienced this?

Hi @mikeynorth, you are certainly not alone with the emotional impact of a health experience and it making you weepy out-of-characteristically. You might be interested in taking part in this discussion:
- Heart Disease: Let’s Talk About the Emotional Side https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/heart-disease-lets-talk-about-the-emotional-side/

Do you think it was the seriousness of the surgery that made you weepy or perhaps a medication you were taking then and no longer are taking now?

I had a "7" CABG, and it was quite the experience. The one thing I was surprised at through the recovery was how sad I would become if I had to explain what I went through. I would start to cry and couldn't carry-on a conversation with relatives seeking to understand what I experienced. As I progressed, I found that this condition went away. I had up until then not been a type to be weepy, but this surgery sure made me like that for a short time. I am wondering of others experienced this?

(with typos removed 🙂
The main thing is that I feel great, although I never thought I would be one of the many on meds, BUT they make a difference… I get it.
Had a great surgeon and a great hospital experience. My wife made everything fall into place, and who can not feel great when your dog is so excited to you again after my eight day adventure.
Looking forward to the greenhouse and garden, kayaking and biking. Spring can't come soon enough.
take care,
Mike