The Importance of Support
- Country music legend Mark Chesnutt, 60, has revealed he’s on the mend after undergoing a quadruple bypass, an emergency heart surgery.
- A quadruple bypass surgery, is also known as a Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), and it’s a procedure that’s done to treat coronary artery disease.
- Family support through life’s challenges, even cancer treatment, can make the world of a difference, whether it’s support from friends, family, spouses, or fellow cancer fighters in a support group.
- When it comes to your health, be a little pushy. You know your body better than anyone else. When you see a doctor for a problem, don’t hesitate to make sure that your question is fully answered and that you are comfortable with the plan moving forward. From a doctor’s perspective, every problem should have a diagnosis, a treatment, a plan for follow-up, and a plan for what happens next if the treatment doesn’t work.
Country music singer-songwriter Mark Chesnutt, 60, has revealed he's "recovering" well with the support of his family after undergoing a life-saving quadruple bypass. Chesnutt, known for his iconic hits like "Brother Jukebox" and "Too Cold at Home," needed emergency quadruple bypass surgery after experiencing a heart issue. This specific type of surgery, is also known as a Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), and it's a procedure that's done to treat coronary artery disease.
Chesnutt's official Instagram page announced on June 18 that the singer "experienced a heart health issue over the weekend" that left him hospitalized days prior. "Mark underwent emergency quadruple bypass surgery. The recuperation time will make it necessary to cancel show dates. Please respect the privacy of the family during this difficult time of recovery," the statement read. Chesnutt also needed to cancel all of his upcoming shows planned throughout the U.S. "I send my love and gratitude to my family and friends, the band and fans for your understanding, prayers and support, and look forward to seeing you all again soon at a honky tonk near you," Chesnutt said in a statement at the time of the announcement. More recently, in another Instagram post, featuring footage of Chesnutt singing onstage, the country artist informed fans he's well on the mend. Chesnutt, who has had 14 No. 1 hits and four platinum albums, wrote, "Well folks, doc says I got a new heart! I'm recovering comfortably at home with my family. Today we sat on the porch just soaking in the sun and that beautiful Texas weather. "But I can’t wait to get back to pickin’ and singin’ with all my favorite fans! Thank you for all the well wishes and prayers. They have helped and meant the world to me in my time of need. I appreciate you all so very much. See yuh soon! MC."
Not only is Chesnutt supported by his loving family and friends, it appears his fans are also offering kind and understanding words for the singer. "Glad to hear your recovery is going good but just take your time and don't rush because you don't want to hurry that would possibly cause a setback but so happy to hear your doing well, just keep following doctors orders too. Get well soon Mark," one fan commented.
Expert Support Resources
Another wrote, "Wonderful news Markie!! So happy you are taking it easy on your porch and I’m sure your sweet wife is helping you! Love you so much!" "So happy for you mark, just take one day at a time and you get back on your feet. Been praying for you. Won't be long you'll be back out on the road. So take care of yourself and God bless you," a third fan commented.
Understanding Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
Mark Chesnutt underwent emergency quadruple bypass surgery, which is also know as coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). This type of surgery allows surgeons to create new passageways for blood flow to the heart muscle through grafting healthy blood vessels from other areas of the body. Through this type of surgery, oxygenation to the heart muscle is improved and assists in preventing heart attacks. According to
John Hopkins Medicine , a coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is a procedure used to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), which is the narrowing of the coronary arteries, blood vessels which supply oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. "Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is done to treat a blockage or narrowing of 1 or more of the coronary arteries. It can restore the blood supply to your heart muscle when nonsurgical procedures are not a choice," John Hopkins Medicine explains. Possible symptoms of coronary artery disease include:
- Chest pain
- Fatigue (severe tiredness)
- Palpitations
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling in the hands and feet
- Indigestion
"You may not have any symptoms in early coronary artery disease. But the disease will continue to progress until there’s enough artery blockage to cause symptoms and problems," John Hopkins Medicine adds. "If the blood supply to your heart muscle continues to decrease as a result of increasing blockage of a coronary artery, you may have a heart attack. If the blood flow can’t be restored to the part of the heart muscle affected, the tissue dies." The
American Heart Association (AHA) warns anyone experiencing signs of a heart attack to be weary of your symptoms and call 911 if you feel chest discomfort, discomfort in areas of the upper body, shortness of breath, and possibly lightheadedness or nausea.
Leading Experts Urge Us to Be Proactive
“If I had any advice for you following a cancer diagnosis, it would be, first, to seek out multiple opinions as to the best care,”
National Cancer Institute Chief of Surgery Steven Rosenberg told us in a previous interview, “because finding a doctor who is up to the latest of information is important.”
RELATED: Second (& Third) Opinions Matter When Deciding Between Surgery or Radiation As we highlight in several areas of SurvivorNet, highly respected doctors sometimes disagree on the right course of treatment, and advances in genetics and immunotherapy are creating new options. Also, in some instances the specific course of treatment is not clear cut. That’s even more reason why understanding the potential approaches to your disease is crucial.
RELATED: Burned Out Doctors Make More Mistakes: It’s OK To Talk Openly About This With Them At the National Cancer Institute, there is a patient referral service that will “guide patients to the right group depending on their disease state so that they can gain access to these new experimental treatments,” Rosenberg says.
Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions Furthermore, getting another opinion may also help you avoid doctor biases. For example, some surgeons own radiation treatment centers. “So there may be a conflict of interest if you present to a surgeon that is recommending radiation because there is some ownership of that type of facility,” Dr. Jim Hu, director of robotic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.
RELATED: Mental Health & Cancer: A Third of Patients Aren’t Getting the Help They Need Other reasons to get a second opinion include:
- To see a doctor who has more experience treating your type of cancer
- You have a rare type of cancer
- There are several ways to treat your cancer
- You feel like your doctor isn’t listening to you, or isn’t giving you good advice
- You have trouble understanding your doctor
- You don’t like the treatment your doctor is recommending, or you’re worried about its possible side effects
- Your insurance company wants you to get another medical opinion
- Your cancer isn’t improving on your current treatment
Bottom line, being proactive about your health could be a matter of life or death. Learn as much as you can from as many experts as you can, so that you know that you did your best to take control of your health.
Support & Gratitude Through Cancer
Support through a health issue can make the world of a difference, whether it’s support from friends, family, spouses, or people coping with the same problem in a support group.
Stay Positive, It Matters In an earlier interview, Cedars-Sinai’s
Dr. Zuri Murrell shares the importance of gratitude and having a positive attitude through cancer. He says, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK.” “Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow,” he says. "But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff 
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