Anyone here still shoot after coronary bypass?

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Bruce in West Oz

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It appears that's my fate. Had the angiograph today. Double bypass appears to be the diagnosis, but I'll know more tomorrow when I meet with the cardiac surgeon.

Anyone here still shoot -- especially centrefire -- after a bypass?? How is it?? Any problems??

Don't mind telling you I'm scared spitless.

Bruce
 
Bruce, first, take a deep breath. You'll be fine. Both physically and you'll still be able to shoot.

I know several guys at my gun club, I'm 42 and one of the young ones, who have had a bypass, they're still out there banging away.
 
I waited until after the attack, and had a triple. Some changes afterwards, but shooting was not one of them. You WILL learn to loathe and hate dieticians :) They are all vegetarians, and possibly secret members of PETA. They all follow the code of "IF IT TAASTES GOOD, SPIT IT OUT".
 
Several of my motorcycle riding friends have not had their style cramped.

A bunch of my shooting friends same thing.

And , yes , dieticians are the devil's own.

Tis indeed normal to be scared.

Tis also normal to come out of it in better shape than prior.

Just cool it for a little while and do nothing to pull the damn staples out.
Power steering in your vehicle is very desirable for a couple weeks.

No hi power or shotgun for a bit.

Then....back to it with vigor.

Luck to ya mate.

Sam
 
I had a double by-pass operation and I shoot everything up to a 10 ga. shotgun, so, don't worry about it..........also have a pacemaker, so, no big deal...............
 
waited until after the attack, and had a triple. Some changes afterwards, but shooting was not one of them. You WILL learn to loathe and hate dieticians They are all vegetarians, and possibly secret members of PETA. They all follow the code of "IF IT TAASTES GOOD, SPIT IT OUT".
Click to expand...

My father had his bypass at age 84. His daughter-in-law put him on a strict no fat diet. Dad hated it. He complained to his cardiologist who said, "Lee, don't tell anyone I told you this. It took 84 years to plug up your pipes. I don't think a couple strips of really crisp bacon with your breakfast is going to do much damage to your new pipes in the next ten years."

Pilgrim
 
Hey, Bruce:
Hang tough, Pal. Lots of folks have had it, and the ones I know all have said afterward they felt like a million bucks. Apparently it DOES make a difference. Just get your gun jollies at THR for a few weeks afterward and you'll be fine.

Cheers.

TC
TFL Survivor
 
From what the doctor told my wife, I had what amounted to a 'massive' heart attack, less the last five minutes. That is to say, he told her the next day that HE didn't know if he'd saved me til he saw that I was still stable an hour later. I was 44. A triple with all the dietary precautions. In the beginning, it was unbearable. I grew up on meat and potatoes, rice and gravy, bacon and 3/4 eggs for breakfast, and some of your better greasy Dim Sum. It's 8 years later, and if I have meat 3 times a week it's luck of the draw. I don't miss it at all, even taste-wise; 6oz. filet mignon is all I can handle about once every 6-8 weeks; it's too 'heavy' now. On the flip side, my resting pulse rate is 48-53 bpm, last BP was 110/60.

If you do need to go through the entire process and have to have your chest cut, my best advice is to get a Lay-Z-Boy recliner. With your chest cut from 'stem to sternum' it's a 'muthafaka' to do that sit-up to get out of bed. I slept in the recliner, and was much more comfortable that way. Prone shooting may not be possible for quite some time. It was almost 3 years before I could support my weight in a push-up position without pain the next day, because of the nerve damage to the neck and shoulders (the doctor told me,"with your chest spread-eagled for 5 1/2 hours, it's like you're doing one military press for a whole day, and sometimes the nerves take a long time to recover, and sometimes they just never fully recover."). However, the body will recover quickly; I had my surgery in Nov; in Feb the next year, I took the best punch to the chest I've ever been hit with, and everything was fine. Sometimes my left shoulder aches a little after sleeping on my arm, (and that'll never go away as long as I sleep that way) but if I haven't slept on my arm the night before, even 4 hours of prone shooting is no problem.
 
It took 84 years to plug up your pipes. I don't think a couple strips of really crisp bacon with your breakfast is going to do much damage to your new pipes in the next ten years."
Click to expand...

That's not exactly true. The ridge of scar in your artery acts like a collection point for plaque. Most bypasses are good for about 10 to 15 years if you don't follow your diet and exercise regularly.

However if you do watch your diet and exercise regularly you can lead a normal long life.

Of course at 84, bacon and cigarettes everyday should be fine :)

Good luck, have the surgery, watch your diet and exercise regularly .
 
Good luck to you and yes you will be fine.
We have CCRN here (Okie) that can answer more questions I'm sure.
Since we are all mature...and I did see these surgeries done quite a bit (worked in an large OR, we had 4 heart rooms, I've seen us do 15 of these in one day). Very straightforward, procedure down pat, depending on surgeon, each a bit different, I could tell what was happening next, its that Orchestrated).

Bypass, the darn leg where vein removed hurts the most. The other question which is usually asked first - yes sex is fine and recommended. Lazy-Boy lift type chairs are really good idea. Keep the "teddy" ( in this case the chest pillow handy) when coughing, laughing etc.

My father ( due to rheumatic heart fever as a kid) had "open heart" surgery at 58 the first time, pig valves , after ~ 12 yrs pig valves -by nature- get worn, so a second open heart surgery for same thing. I understand he though being 73 is just as onery as ever.

Balsam of Myrhh helps with the healing up with scars.( yep just like in the 3 wise-men. See your old time druggist, also used by vets, Hansfords is just one brand name popular here in the states). Nothing will make the itch go away, but the Myrhh and getting healed quick seems to "get it over with" sooner. Oh yeah, doc will probably advise, but your gonna be blue in color when family first probably sees you, normal because they literally use ice to cool you down ( profusionist) nothing to be alarmed about, just visitors are not always warned first.

Some feeling of post op depression and feeling like memory is off is normal, anesthesia does this.

Dieters...buy rice cakes to keep them and family apeased, open bag, throw half in trash, have the top one in bag partially "broken" so it seems you've behaved. With this "prop" get in your eazy lift chair, with teddy, and junk food ...grab a movie and laptop...we'll be here wishing you well, during lull in movie.:D
Just do us a favor and log off if...well...ya'll get all amorus and stuff.:)
 
Back in 1982 my grandpa had at least a double bypass. The surgery wasn't as advanced as today.

He was out shingling his roof in Arizona 5 days after the surgery.

He lived to be 86 and he didn't die from heart problems.

You'll be fine!

(Don't know about shooting after heart surgery though!)
 
"... shoot after a coronary bypass?"

My recommendation is to wait until the following day. If you start shooting immediately after the bypass surgery, it scares the hell out of the doctors and especially the nurses in the OR. :)

Seriously, that operation shouldn't affect your activities at all, it can only improve them.
 
Thanks guys -- made me feel much better -- especially your advice, Mal :D

My diet is pretty good (I have a daughter we call "the food Nazi"), alhtough it could always use some tweaking I guess.

Biggest problem is, of course, that I'm an ex-smoker. Been off them for over 2 years now, but left the run a little late, obviously. The chest pain (which I called 'indigestion" for 7 years!! :what: and "treated" with antacids etc.) stopped me exercising, so I'm now carrying about 25lbs more than I should. But that will go ...)

Thanks for your wishes, everyone.

Bruce
 
Might as well jump in...

first angioplasti at 41 (before they used stents). Found out mine had closed back up in a few months.

double by-pass at 46

the food thing may or may not be a factor. For the first 6 months after my by-pass I was fanatic about diet. Went back to my cardiologist (considered the leading one in our area) and he said I was probably wasting my time and effort on diet. People react in all different ways to fat intake. He says "doesn't matter what you eat...matters what your cholesterol is".

Without meds I was 258. Taking Zocor I'm 146. I eat anything I want. If you eat great and your cholesterol is 400 you're gonna have problems. If you eat 10 pounds of bacon a day and it's 125, you're fine. Lipitor may have some side effects. Zocor has zero.

Risk factors..

cholesterol
blood pressure
diabetes
smoking
poor physical shape

Anymore, the surgery's no real biggie. If they do open heart, follow advice as above. Keep active but take your time lifting heavy stuff. I started lifting my 40 pound sales case after 3 weeks and suffered for years because of it. Good luck and check back after you get home.
 
On November 14, 2001 I had a quadruple bypass. I was out of the hospital in 6 days and 5 weeks later I went deer hunting and shot an 8 point buck and a doe. My surgeon would only let me shoot a .223 caliber but it put both deer on the ground with clean kills. I am now shooting anything I want, including 30-06 and 270. I am even bowhunting now. I feel better than I have felt in years.
I am walking 5 miles ( yes 5 miles) almost every day. It takes me between 65 and 70 minutes, depending on how I feel.
I am now taking training, at the hospital where I had my surgery, to council with patients and family as they are at the hospital going through the same procedure. This is volunteer work.
BTW, I am now 59 yrs. old and I am still working my same job I had before the surgery.
Yes, there is life after coronery bypass and it is a good life!!! Be good to yourself and be active. Enjoy your life!
God Bless You,

Jim Hall
 
I'm an RN and did cardiac rehab for 9 yrs. Surgery pts do better than non-surg, generally, eat reasonably. I'm in Applachia where the food groups are grease and sugar. The single most important thing a heart pt can do is quit tobacco!! By-pass lasts abouta year if you don't quit tobacco. I used to tell my patients to go to the pawn shot and buy a cheap pistol if they're not gonna quit. You already have quit so that's no problem. Get some exercise! If there's a Rehab program anywhere close get into it for basic guidance. It's part science but part art (that rhymes!) and the staff will know how muchis enough, listen to them! You can over or under do the exercise!

You'll do fine cause your friends here are praying (or pulling) for ya'!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Just saw a news story in the last few days - guy who'd had a double-bypass 8wks ago, running a Marathon.

As lone as your medical recovery has no complications, it seems to me your abilities are entirely up to YOU.
 
Sir Ranulph Fiennes (craziest and best of British) ran 7 marathons in 7 days across the world about 4 months after a double heart bypass http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_835036.html. As rayra said, it's up to you.

My uncle had a triple about two weeks ago and is fine. Good luck with it, probably no .50cal firing for a short while would be advisable
 
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