Day 4 post-op and feeling 😎

Glad to hear it went well and theres no pain! As tjay mentioned I also just had my operation there (was discharged after 6 days I believe). You must be so glad to be free from those beds, I know I was.

I assume you were staying in the cardiac ward too (floor 5 I believe?). My stay was uneventful for myself but there sure was a lot of activity for the other paitents on the unit, so like you I had trouble sleeping through all the noise! Best of luck during your recovery!

Pmacky09 said:

Thanks @Seaton My mind is officially blown it’s safe to say! Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight. Hospital is not conducive to a good night’s sleep!

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I hope you have a comfy lounger at home (rather than a bed). I had mucho pain trying to sleep/lie down in my bed. Lounge chair is where it's at according to posts I've read. I didn't have one but almost bought one. In fact, I was about to rent a hospital bed to be delivered to my house because the pain lying down was too much for me to bear, could not get any sleep, but by the time that hospital bed was ready to be delivered I had healed enough to be able to lie down (it was weeks though).

Anyways, as Joe Walsh sings here, WELCOME TO THE (zipper) CLUB!

Funny thinking about pain it didn't come up as a topic pre-surgery. "8" is interesting. If I had been told it would not have concerned me post-surgery because I know they would have sufficient meds available. Potential pain during the surgery alarms me because I have become conscious of pain while still on the table several times and emphasize that concern before hand. But with my OHS I just felt pain when using the body parts impacted by the surgery. I was not experiencing ongoing general pain. Meds were helpful when attempting to sleep reclined. You tend to move and rock the boat when resting. There were some gems of people but the majority were surprisingly anti-tranquil and unhealthy to be around, speaking of the staff and nurses. It was post Covid peak and everyone had used up their reserve. Too many Indians running the place and no chiefs. Lots of negativity. Very disturbing environment, given it was a hospital and ICU of all places. I witnessed many abuses. But there were a few diamonds shining. 2 years later I received a pacemaker and experienced the greatest of nurses in contrast.

@Pmacky09 Glad to hear you're home and doing well! I also only used tylenol in the hospital too. Like you, I was shocked at not having a huge amount of pain! I didn't have the full incision; I had the minimally invasive incision I bought a wedge pillow from Amazon after my first night home and used it for a few months. Helped me a lot!!!! Good luck with your continued recovery and sleeping!

NorthVanJosh said:

Glad to hear it went well and theres no pain! As tjay mentioned I also just had my operation there (was discharged after 6 days I believe). You must be so glad to be free from those beds, I know I was.

I assume you were staying in the cardiac ward too (floor 5 I believe?). My stay was uneventful for myself but there sure was a lot of activity for the other paitents on the unit, so like you I had trouble sleeping through all the noise! Best of luck during your recovery!

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Thanks @NorthVanJosh I won’t miss those hospital beds! Much more comfortable at home although I appreciate the amazing care I received while I was in the early days.

Hi Pmacky09, How are you doing now that you have had a month home? I am looking at my ohs in Sept and wonder if I am truly ready for this experience. I’ve done my research, found a surgeon and team I can trust, and believe in the process to improve my life and basically save it. My mantra has been everything is going to be alright and I will be a warrior in recovery. Any practical suggestions once I get home? I hope this finds you in good health and peace.

Hi @Bee I'm doing really well, thank you for asking. On Wednesday it will be 8 weeks since my surgery and I feel very lucky that everything has progressed really well with no real bumps along the way. I LOVE your mantra - trust in the process is so essential. That was a big one for me (being a control freak!). I had to let go of what was under someone else's control and focus on my attitude.

Practical suggestions for home recovery: Get out and walk every day. I have always been a walker, but I was anxious to be outside in the first couple of weeks. Everything felt like a potential risk. I literally started with 10 minutes, sometimes once a day, sometimes twice. I added a minute or two on every day and believe that's one of the reasons I have done so well. Good nutrition is another. I'm a relatively healthy person so that wasn't too hard, but I had to resist the urge to "treat" myself with foods that weren't good for my body (sugar, I'm looking at you!). Breathwork was also critical. Every hour, 10 deep breaths. It won't feel amazing in the beginning, but the more you do, the easier it gets. I also got some wedge pillows from Amazon so I could sleep on my back. I've always been a stomach sleeper so that was tough to make the transition. The first couple of weeks were not good, sleep wise, but I tried not to stress about it. Just go with the flow as much as you can.

I am wishing you a skilled surgeon, a good hospital stay and a speedy and uneventful recovery! Feel free to ping me in a DM if you have other questions.

Wow! Very impressive. What’s your secret?! where you very fit and active before surgery?

@Windfinder Thanks! Yes, quite active prior to surgery - running 3 x week, yoga and strength training and looking forward to getting back to all of that. For now, I'm happy to be walking on the trails in our mountain home with the dog!