I am 10 days post cardiac bypass-quintuple. While there are expected issues, will resolve over time, I am experiencing numbness in my left hands - pinky and ring finger, with ocassional discomfort in my left forearm. Does anyone have expience in this are? Should I be expecting long or short term resolution?

Thanks.

Hi John and welcome to Neuro Talk. We don't have a specific forum for your question but if I were you I'd post this in the General Health forum...http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum2.html.

I hope someone can help.

Hi John and

Please feel free to roam around and join in anywhere!!!


Abbie

Hi there John! Welcome to Neurotalk!

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Great to see you have come to be with us. You will find a great number of caring, supporting members here willing to help each other as they can.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around.

Darlene

Hi, John! Welcome to NeuroTalk!

I'm wondering if your ulnar nerve {path} got irritated during the surgery, the arm nerves come out from the c spine, run thru the neck and collar bone & armpit area and travels down the arm to the hand.
anywhere along the route it could have gotten aggravated.

A few have gotten thoracic outlet syndrome {TOS} because of arm positioning during certain surgeries.

TOS useful sticky-
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread84.html

At the very least I would request some PT by an advanced phys therapist, they should be able to evaluate and help with these symptoms using gentle non aggressive therapy.

--given the area tht the surgery involved, a related condition called brachial plexopathy, in which the brachial plexux, a sort of chest-area "switching-consolidation station" for upper spinal nerves, may have been compressed or damaged:

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20001101/2067.html

http://www.emedicine.com/pmr/topic138.htm

John,

I am 11 days post quint bypass, same as you. Grafts were taken from my left arm and right leg. The leg is no problem, but I have slight pain and a kind of numbness in my left thumb and around the base of the thumb.

I understand that the nerves take a fair hammering when they are hacking around that radial artery, and what we are experiencing is quite normal.

The good news is that it DOES get better.

I hear different reports of how long this condition lasts, from a few weeks to three months.

My breathing is still getting back to normal, and that is a frustration, but I trust all will be well in the next fews days.

Any other thoughts from you? Highlight/Lowlights?

Regards,

Steve.

I had mitral and aortic valves replaced and a quad by-pass. Surgery was complicated and I was on by-pass (profusion) 10 hours. I became aware of myself 28 days later when I awoke in a rehabilitation facility. I was released April 6th and returned home.

A "conduction" test showed impairment of the ulnar nerve where it passes through (the elbow pinky finger and outside of left hand) as well as some impairment due to swelling in carpal tunnel (should clear without intervention) that is causing numbness and tingling of the pointing finger.

In my case, the ulnar nerve was damaged while fighting restraints, which I do not remember. It is difficult to spread my fingers, and lifting them against mild resistance is difficult. Physical therapy seems to be helping, if I don't have defined relief in 30 days, I am to contact a Neurologist.

I have other areas of neuropathy above both knees, at both calfs and both ankles. The calfs and ankles have responded to physical therapy.

Good luck and hope this helps some.

Brewer