From Mild Chest Pain to Bypass Surgery: Mr. Untung’s Journey

Mr. Untung had never felt severe chest pain. Because of that, he assumed his symptoms were ordinary and would go away on their own. Tests later showed that three of the main blood vessels of his heart were severely blocked. In this video, he talks about the doubts he had and his experience of undergoing heart bypass surgery at Heartology.

Symptoms He Thought Were Ordinary

About a year before the video was recorded, Mr. Untung began to feel mild pain in his chest. It came on when he moved in a hurry, for example when he rushed to grab his phone or ran to his car, and also while eating and bathing. Because the pain never felt severe, he did not think much of it.

He then underwent cardiac catheterization in Bandung. Catheterization is an examination using a thin tube inserted through a blood vessel to see the condition of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle. The result came as a surprise. “The three main vessels in my heart were already 90 percent blocked,” Mr. Untung says. The cardiologist who examined him firmly recommended CABG.

From Doubt to Confidence

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), or heart bypass surgery, is an operation that creates a detour so blood can flow around blocked coronary arteries, using a blood vessel taken from another part of the body. Hearing the word surgery, Mr. Untung felt stressed and unsure. On the advice of his cardiologist in Bandung, he came to Heartology.

At Heartology, Mr. Untung talked with the medical team about his condition and the surgical plan. That conversation became a turning point. “After that conversation, one thing I felt inside: I was free from doubt,” he says. He then went ahead with CABG with the Heartology cardiothoracic and vascular surgery team.

Recovery After Surgery

Mr. Untung clearly remembers his first moments after surgery. He says that less than 12 hours after his operation was over, he was already sitting up in bed and eating by himself. Recovery time differs for every patient; this is what he experienced.

In the video, Mr. Untung also names the doctors involved in his care one by one as a way of saying thank you. When the video was recorded, he felt healthy and no longer had chest pain. What he valued most was care that was straightforward and efficient. “What I really give a thumbs up for is that nothing was long-winded,” he says.

Mr. Untung's experience is a reminder that mild chest pain during activity still needs to be checked. If you have similar symptoms, do not hesitate to consult a cardiologist.