Recovery Advice for AVR

[Zzyzx]

I posted over in the bicuspid valve section (http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...860340-aortic-valve-replacement-on-11-17-2015), but I figured this might be a better place to ask. I'm having surgery on the 17th and getting on On-X valve. I have a bicuspid valve and I'm 27. What I'm really looking for is advice on recovery. Any things you guys learned the hard way, mistakes I can avoid, and any tips/secrets you might have. I know it's not going to be easy, but any little bit can help!

Cheers,
Zzyzx

 

[almost_hectic]

My best advice is be patient. And be willing to let people help you. It's not going to be easy so it can be frustrating at times. Realize that it's a process and a slow one at that. Otherwise, just eat healthy so your body has the proper nutrition to heal as best it can. Don't try to do too much, but be committed to getting up and walking every day, a few times a day if you can. Take the time to learn about INR related to the Coumadin you'll be taking and what foods affect that. Get yourself a number of comfortable, very soft shirts to wear that won't irritate your incision scar. I found that dry fit athletic type to be the best for that. And as someone else pointed out those are also great to wear at night as you might likely have night sweats from the meds they send you home on after surgery and those are great for absorbing sweat. No shirts with buttons or zippers over your chest, if you have to cough or sneeze you'll need to hug a pillow pretty hard to endure the pain in your chest. If your shirt has buttons they press into your incision and that hurts! I learned the hard way. Other than that just try to remain positive, which can be difficult at times, especially after all the pain meds and such mess with your thinking. Be strong, you'll do fine!

 

[honeybunny]

See my post under your other thread.

almost_hectic's advice reminded me that for the week in the hospital and my first week home my metabolism/hormones felt out of wack and it was hard for me to get comfortable at times. I bought a power lift recliner prior to surgery and slept in that or on the sofa. But I still found myself squirming a lot and changing positions. I suspect it was due to the trauma my body had undergone.

I had little pain as long as I didn't move my upper body much and jostle the drain tubes. The nurses kept me ahead of the pain while I was in the hospital and I took Aleve as needed when I got home. But others here have had more pain and said it was important to take medication before it got bad.

Will you have help when you get home?

 

[MrsBray]

Practice standing/sitting/lying down without using your arms.
Practice standing with excellent posture.
You're going to have good days and bad days. Get lots of rest.
Support your head, neck, and shoulders. Use a travel pillow or rolled up tshirt when sitting/reclining. Wedge some pillows under your arms to lift the weight of your arms off your shoulders.
Tablet/netflix/headphones for the insomnia nights.
Use the bathroom before you get settled in for the night. As much as my guy was helping me, I really hated waking him in the middle of the night to help me get up so I could used the toilet. I needed help in/out of bed for about 3 weeks after surgery.

Each days of recovery will probably be a little better than the day before. Eat well,l rest a lot, use the spirometer, and keep walking!
-Meredith

 

[Zoltania]

Any things you guys learned the hard way, mistakes I can avoid, and any tips/secrets you might have.

I learned the hard way not to do too much too soon and not to have the exerciser's mentality of trying to push more every day. Don't try to do more every day, but respect how you feel and realize that the "two steps forward, one step back" line about how recovery goes is really true. There will be plenty of time to push later.

 

[BackDoc]

i was 50 when I had my replacement 8 years ago. All in all I had an easy, uneventful recovery. Given your age, I believe all will go well. Stand up and start walking ASAP. I was doing laps around the hospital the next day. Also, be positive, visualize yourself as you want to be. Don't obsess about all the "what if's".

 

[W. Carter]

Don't believe the surgeon or your cardiologist when they tell you recovery will probably take 6-8 weeks. It will most likely take you 6-12 months to recover 100%. So take it slow, get plenty of rest, and take advantage of any cardio rehab programs they offer. OHS is no joke, they cut a lot of nerves and muscles that take time to re-join and rebuild.

 

[epstns]

There is Recovery, and there is recovery. What I mean is that you will heal enough to be back to most of your normal life activities within 6 or 8 weeks, including driving, household chores, self-care, etc. At this point, unless someone sees your scars, they will likely not be able to tell that you had heart surgery. You will probably feel very good, to a point. The point is that you will not have your full strength and exercise/work tolerance back for quite a while after that 6-8 week mark.

I was back to work part time at 6 weeks, full time at 8 (office job). I started cardiac rehab at 12 weeks, and at that point I couldn't do much more than "be there." By the end of the 12-week course, I was doing almost as much exercise as I had been doing in the year or two prior to surgery. I thought "well, this is as good as it gets." I was wrong. Over the next year or so, I continued to heal and feel better and stronger. For me, the moral of the story is that I felt almost "normal" at 12 weeks or so, but I continued to improve and feel even stronger/better for a long while after. Life is good.

 

[Zoltania]

Thanks, Steve. That is a great description and guideline for those of us moving through this process of recovery.

 

[almost_hectic]

There is Recovery, and there is recovery. What I mean is that you will heal enough to be back to most of your normal life activities within 6 or 8 weeks, including driving, household chores, self-care, etc. At this point, unless someone sees your scars, they will likely not be able to tell that you had heart surgery. You will probably feel very good, to a point. The point is that you will not have your full strength and exercise/work tolerance back for quite a while after that 6-8 week mark.

I was back to work part time at 6 weeks, full time at 8 (office job). I started cardiac rehab at 12 weeks, and at that point I couldn't do much more than "be there." By the end of the 12-week course, I was doing almost as much exercise as I had been doing in the year or two prior to surgery. I thought "well, this is as good as it gets." I was wrong. Over the next year or so, I continued to heal and feel better and stronger. For me, the moral of the story is that I felt almost "normal" at 12 weeks or so, but I continued to improve and feel even stronger/better for a long while after. Life is good.

This is so true. I'm only a little over three months out from my surgery. It was very hard initially. I had a lot of pain and a big lack of energy after surgery. Slowly healing a little more every day. Cardiac rehab helped a lot, not only physically but mentally as well. Returned to work at twelve weeks, not knowing how much more recovery to expect. But it still surprises me that each passing day and week I can actually notice the improvements and feel better, stronger. Even just the sensation of my heartbeat has gotten much more steady and softer, less pounding or erratic. My pulse has settled down to a much more normal range. It's really amazing. It really makes me wonder how much more I'll improve at 6 mos or a years time? Makes me wish surgery could have come sooner, I was in the waiting room for like 15 years and thought not feeling well was just normal for me. I'm excited about my future and excited to make positive change in more aspects of my life than just my new found healthy feeling.