Heart Bypass Prior to Disney?

[jrtoastyman]

This isn't so much a Disney question as a health question, but it comes up in the context of planning for Disney and perhaps some of you have some experience with this and can offer some insight.

We're slated to go to WDW in about 5 weeks, and I learned earlier today, literally while I was in the process of fine-tuning the planning for this trip, that my dad will need to have an emergency quadruple bypass procedure tomorrow morning. This came as a complete shock to me because he's the most holistic guy I know -- eats well, gets regular exercise, no drinking or smoking, not overweight, etc.

Anyway, he's supposed to be meeting us up there for a couple of days, and I am assuming this will either render a trip to WDW impossible for him or severely restrict his activities while there. I'm actually inclined to tell him that I'd prefer that he take it easy and join us after he's had more time to recover, but I honestly don't have a great sense of what to expect. Looking online, it seems like in the wake of this procedure, you're generally not able to walk long distances or stand in the same place for long periods of time, both of which are part and partial of a Disney trip. He's not a big roller coaster guy anyway, but I worry about what effect even the more sedate rides might have. That said, one part of the recovery is evidently trying to increase your activity level, so perhaps its not as bad an idea as I think.

Does anyone have any experience with this procedure that can shed any light on whether going to Disneyworld 5 weeks later is advisable? Any insight would be appreciated. For what it's worth, I do understand that whether or not the Disney trip is going to be affected should be the furthest thing from my mind, but thinking about this is better than thinking about other things at the moment.

Thanks

 

[chalee94]

i had open heart surgery (not bypass, but valve replacement) in august, and while individual recovery times can vary, i wouldn't have been up for disney at 5 weeks.

he likely won't be able to lift more than 5 lbs or so. he'll probably be able to do a fair amount of walking (walking for around an hour a day is a recommended part of recovery) but still won't be very comfortable. twisting/turning will likely be difficult. long rides in a car would probably be a problem.

7 or 8 weeks might work but i wouldn't be optimistic about 5 weeks.

 

[Sandy Fisher]

DH had a double bypass, emergency, in summer of 2006. We hadn't been to Disney that year, but moved to FL summer of 2007.
I can only tell you that 6 weeks after his procedure he was just being allowed to drive, was attending cardiac rehab classes (at the hospital) and still had restrictions.
We never did the crazy coasters or even something like Mission Space before or after his surgery. We did go to Disney regularly after moving down there and he had the all clear to do rides like Splash, Thunder Mtn., and so on. But I really think 5 weeks after that kind of surgery is too soon to do Disney.
They encouraged walking, of course, but it's not a fast process getting to the point where you could do Disney park touring type walking.
Not sure what his surgeon would recommend, but I'm thinking maybe next year would be better timing for your father to do a Disney trip, even a short one.
Good luck to all!!

 

[Itinkso]

Your Dad will be in the hospital for a few days before he is allowed to return home. His leg - where they remove the vessels to use for the bypass - and heart will have to heal before a cardiologist would release him to partake in activities such as WDW.

Five weeks from now also puts him in the middle of flu season at WDW. Probably not the best place to be when recovering from major heart surgery.

For my Dad, five weeks post-bypass surgery was much too soon to be doing extensive walking or being amongst crowds of people.

 

[jrtoastyman]

Thanks, everyone. Sounds like the consensus so far is "no way in heck," which actually makes it a bit easier. If it were a close call, he'd probably want to try, and I'd probably be nervous about it. From what it sounds like, though, it's unlikely to even be an issue.

 

[mousekatool]

I work in cardiac surgery, and I would say no way. We don't usually allow people to drive until 4 weeks post-op, because it takes that long for the sternum (breastbone) to heal enough to be safe, but full healing really takes a full 3 months. I wouldn't want him to be too far from his surgeon at that point, either, just in case he had complications. He probably won't feel up to the walking and standing, because he may still having leg swelling, and it takes a while to regain stamina, no matter what his prior physical condition. It's unfortunate, but better safe than sorry.

 

[jrtoastyman]

better safe than sorry.

truer words have never been spoken

 

[Mel*Pie]

I just wanted to say that I hope everything goes well with your dad's surgery tomorrow and throughout his recovery.

Also, I hope that five weeks from now your dad is at home recovering as expected and that you and your family will be able to enjoy the much needed time at Disney.

Sending happy thoughts your way!

 

[DizneyLizzy]

My father in law recently had this surgery, and I can't imagine him going anywhere 5 weeks after his surgery, let alone Walt Disney World. He couldn't work for 5 months and was house-bound for quite some time, as it would have been too risky for him to ride in a car until he was fully healed.

 

[BarbieSmith]

I think I can help. My mother had triple bypass exactly 4 weeks before the flight left (to everyone's surprise). Since she was healing on track (despite being a diabetic) the cardiologist gave her thumbs for both flying and WDW, but said take it easy. She was at rope drop with us everyday with her rented ECV (she was scared to ride one, but was a champ and caught on super quick!) and made it through until after lunch, then she took the bus back to POP to rest. She chose to miss most of the evening activities because she was too tired (she was 70 then). Her trip was slower paced than ours, but she had a truly magical time. People were helpful and kind, for the most part.

Now, 2 years later she is returning to WDW in one month, having lost 100 pounds. She will be walking some and also have an ECV for "normal" stamina issues.

HTH!

 

[bfamily5]

My DH had Bypass 4 months ago. He has bounced back really well and is back to work however at 5 weeks post-op we wouldn't have considered it. He would be ok to go now despite an on-going leg infection. He worked up to walking an hour a day, but he still tires easily. There are a myriad of possible complications and new medications to react to. My DH is an otherwise healthy type 1 diabetic with no mobility issues and is only 42. Best wishes to your dad

 

[monty]

Does anyone have any experience with this procedure that can shed any light on whether going to Disneyworld 5 weeks later is advisable? Any insight would be appreciated. For what it's worth, I do understand that whether or not the Disney trip is going to be affected should be the furthest thing from my mind, but thinking about this is better than thinking about other things at the moment.

Thanks

With all due respect, isn't the best person to be asking is his doctor? Every patient is different and I would think a lot of his recovery time would depend on his health in general and how ill he is going into surgery.

I wish him all the best with his surgery and a speedy recovery.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Both my mom and MIL had the surgery....MIL twice. No way would they have been ready to do WDW so soon. Every situation is different but I think being able to do that would be the rare exception.

 

[Micca]

Instead of a bypass, doctors need to develop a heart fastpass. Would solve a lot of problems.

Good luck to your dad!

 

[Dizfan4life]

First of all.... prayers for your dad on his surgery! My dad had five bypasses done a year and a half ago. I can honestly tell you to tell your dad to just pass on this trip for his own safety....plus I really don't think his doctor would clear him for vacation 5 weeks after having surgery. My dad went into surgery with only 20% of his heart working and to this day his heart has recovered to 45% and it won't get any better but he does feel 1o times better than what he use to. This will be a slow process with him starting to walk a very very short distance, a matter of several steps and they will increase it daily. So your dad won't be able to walk around Disney and you wouldn't want him to just for the safety of his heart. He won't be able to drive until 6 weeks and will be on a weight restriction probably permanently of probably no more than 40 - 50 pounds. Just a tip for you post surgery.... when he coughs or sneezes have him hug a pillow to help with the pain. Good luck and remember... prayers are with your family !

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks, everyone. Sounds like the consensus so far is "no way in heck," which actually makes it a bit easier.

I think I can help. My mother had triple bypass exactly 4 weeks before the flight left (to everyone's surprise). Since she was healing on track (despite being a diabetic) the cardiologist gave her thumbs for both flying and WDW, but said take it easy. She was at rope drop with us everyday with her rented ECV (she was scared to ride one, but was a champ and caught on super quick!) and made it through until after lunch, then she took the bus back to POP to rest. She chose to miss most of the evening activities because she was too tired (she was 70 then). Her trip was slower paced than ours, but she had a truly magical time. People were helpful and kind, for the most part.

That's nearly a miraculous recovery. Especially given the diabetes. Wow.

With all due respect, isn't the best person to be asking is his doctor?

Most people can't talk to their parent's doctor about these things. And have you seen the super-good info the OP has gotten?

Until someone knows someone who has had a bypass, they generally don't know what a HUGE surgery it is. I remember when my FIL was pushed into one (I'm sure he needed it but they needed to wait a couple weeks, given that he was dealing with an infection nearing sepsis at the time and was incredibly fragile and frail), and the family truly thought it was NO big deal. DH and I knew differently (we had JUST seen Dave Letterman interview Bill Clinton where they talked at length about what a difficult surgery it is for a even a relatively young and otherwise healthy person to have) and TRIED to talk to the family, TRIED to talk to the doctors, but they all wanted to blow off the real issues of it.

If only someone else had been talking to my FIL and the rest of DH's family. If only one of them had had a good group of people to ask such questions. At the time they still didn't trust DH (still going by how he was as a child) and MIL have pretty deep issues with each other, so no one listened.

And with bypass surgery, it's important that people know the reality. But doctors sometimes don't want to get into the whole thing, always hoping that it will go as perfectly as the previous poster's amazing mom!



OP, best of luck to your dad!!!!!

 

[angierae]

One of my closest friends had a triple bypass in January. He was 43. There's still no way he would have been up to it at five weeks.

 

[monty]

Most people can't talk to their parent's doctor about these things. And have you seen the super-good info the OP has gotten?

Sorry, I didn't realise that in America you aren't able to talk to your parent's doctor. I would always accompany my elderly father to the doctor's and they would always let me know if there were any concerns.
I agree it can be helpful to know of other's peoples experiences, but I still think every person needs to be assessed individually and the best person to do this is their own doctor.

 

[Sandy Fisher]

Thought I should clarify something.....DH turned 65 the day before his surgery and was not in especially good condition beyond how bad his arteries were clogged.
He also had considerable trouble with his lungs following surgery and was in ICU for an additional 5 days before he got on the "normal" track of recovery. He came very close to not making it at all.
Thus his longer times for everything. He wasn't even allowed to ride in the front seat of the car because if there was an accident and the air bags deployed, it could have caused him further chest injury.
Everyone is different. And even saying that, I can't imagine him being in any shape to be able (or be eager) to go to a destination like Disney. I wish it had been easier. For both of us. We made up for lost time at Disney after we moved south.

 

[mgrayar]

Sorry, I didn't realise that in America you aren't able to talk to your parent's doctor. I would always accompany my elderly father to the doctor's and they would always let me know if there were any concerns. I agree it can be helpful to know of other's peoples experiences, but I still think every person needs to be assessed individually and the best person to do this is their own doctor.

In America you are certainly not allowed to talk to your parents doctor just because you want to. HIPPA exists to protect patients and it applies to direct family members as well.

You make a couple assumptions that are a bit presumptuous. Not everyone has the financial means and geographic proximity to allow them to attend their parent's doctor appointments. If they are not there in person, it is very difficult to obtain access to speaking to that doctor due to HIPPA. The physician has to obtain a few things before they will talk to anyone beyond the patient and patient's spouse. Those things include:

1). Direct permission in writing to release privileged information to the specific party from the patient.

2). Unquestionable verification that the person they are releasing the information to is in fact the intended individual (this will rule out a phone call in many physicians eyes, unless the patient is right there to verify).

3). The physician needs to be confident that the conversation is being held solely between him/her self and the intended party (also difficult on the phone with the rampant use of speaker phones and loud iPhones in crowded places).

Yes, it can be done. However it's a bit presumptuous to think it's as easy for everyone as you find it for yourself. Doctors vary, and some are more willing to bend around HIPPA than others, but most realize that it is an important part of their patient relationship.