CABG - A heart surgery so common

“Oh not to worry, it is now as common as knee surgery, everything will be fine,” my physical therapist BFF told me the night before my 49-year-old brother had to undergo a quintuplet surgery. He had a heart attack New Year's Eve last year. CABG (pronounced like the vegetable), short for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft was facing him for breakfast. My friend deals with CABG'd patients everyday. Imagine my shock, dismay and relief at the pronouncement. Shock at how common the dreadful heart surgery is, dismay at the dismissive attitude I received and relief that science and technology are at the cutting-edge of fixing people’s most vital organ and knowing we were not alone. More than half a million surgeries are done each year in the US alone. There is strength and comfort in numbers, as awful as it sounds.

Here are the best ways to cope with the news and to hold yourself together. If you do just these three things right away, you are more likely to save your heart some palpitations and yourself from thoughts of CABG eating you alive. In short, be savvy in dealing with all the sadness associated with heart attacks.

1) Control your thoughts. Drop the worries “I can’t believe this” and “Am I at risk.” Of course you are. It won’t help if you are anxious yourself. You can begin thinking about how to better your diet and lifestyle.

2) Accept it happened and be present. Calm everyone in your family and do everything you can to show you care. Your CABG’d patient needs you more than ever, even if you don’t feel like it. It will feel good knowing you were there. Giving is receiving. At least my brother can’t say, I was not there for him. Guilt is the worst enemy.

3) Rest. It will help everyone face the overwhelming - the recovery, medications, the well-wishers, meetings with doctors, follow-up care, medical leave, therapy and insurance questions. However, if you can not handle the stress, the depressing hospital, the anxiety of dealing with everyone else in the family because of the crisis, stay away. This seems to contradict number 2. It does not help anyone, if you get sick yourself. Easier said than done but believe me, rest is essential for everyone amidst days of endless follow-up visits and new ways of eating. What? We can not have fried pork anymore?! Steaming? Is that a roller?

Be rest assured that science is doing everything possible to keep us alive. On the other hand, we are also doing everything to outpace it by the foods we eat and the stress we all unconsciously take on.