I had my by-pass about 17 years ago. It DID NOT diminish my desire to dress! As soon as I felt up to dressing, that was what I did. Actually several factors made it easier to return to CD. They had shaved my body for The Operation, and I wasn't used to my legs without hair. I certainly wanted to try nylons on those smooth legs as quickly as possible. I got to spend a lot of time at home alone while I recovered....guess what I did?
I quit the cigarettes, I quit the Coffee, I quit my frantic, stressful, lifestyle, and I started to eat food low in fat. What I couldn't quit, was the CD, (like I would even try.)
Your going to go through some depression, your going to get rehab, your going to have to change your lifestyle. But, it's very easy to become what's called, "A Cardiac Cripple." These are people who decide that they will just do nothing, because of their fears about more problems. If you had by-pass or a stent put in, the purpose is to relieve The Angina. That in turn, will enable you to do most of the things you want to do!
Talk to your Doc about activities, sexual and otherwise. He will advise you on appropriate levels and what to avoid. If you start changing some of the factors that caused your problems, you probably will have many more years of life....no reason why that life shouldn't be lived as you wish.
Treat each day like it's your last day of life, do things for the now! Not for tomorrow or next year. That's what I did, and it's 17 years so far....17 good years!
Peace and Love, Joanie
