10 days post-op

[plb]

The past 10 days have flown by, especially since coming home Monday. I got my Medtronic Mosiac pig valve. I am taking 3mg coumidan and small amount of lasix for six weeks. Thanks to all who encouraged my daughter Jessie - Georgia, Nancy, Ross Y, Kevin M, Pillarpaul, hensylee, ccrawford, EVELYN, RAIN, slviaasgur, Bob and others!! She reported back to me at the hospital.
To anyone facing this surgery, I would tell them that taking one day at a time helped me. That first day was something. I woke up on the vent and proceeded to use what I could of my hands to spell out things.(I was restrained) My family and nursing staff did great understanding what I was trying to "say", but there were times I felt like I was performing charades to a blind audience! I was impatient to get the vent out and did after 5 hours. The staff at the hospital are such great cheerleaders for us heart patients, aren't they!
I slept in my own bed for 6 hours one night, but was pretty uncomfortable when the drugs wore off, plus my husband said my breathing was labored. I have been in the recliner most of the time. Am trying to do breathing excercises and walking. Doctor said I couldn't walk outdoors unless it was 50 degrees or above, which I have had for three days. I have not been able to take a nap. I have taken something to sleep otherwise no go! Sorry to go on, but again thanks to all of you.

 

[Nancy]

Wonderful to hear from you. You have done remarkably well. Each day will bring improvement, it'll be slow but you will get there eventually. Your body is healing cell by cell. I like to think of it like downloading a very large picture file on a very slow computer, pixel by pixel. It does get done, but sometimes, you think the download bar is stuck.

So be patient and do your breathing thingy.

 

[Rich]

After just 10 days it sounds like you are doing just fine.
Like Nancy said each day will get a little better.
Hopefully the good weather is just around the corner for us and then you can get out and walk.
I found walking was the absolute best thing to get back in shape and regain my strength.
My doctor also said to avoid cold and also hot days.
Hang in there, your'e on the other side of that mountain.

 

[hensylee]

Glad to hear from you and see how well you are doing. Extremes in weather, either way, are a strain on the heart and its functions so take it easy. The outside will always be there when you are able to get to it. Keep on as you are doing - you sound great. God bless

 

[Ross]

Welcome back!

All the others have covered the bases, so I need not say anything more except I'm wishing you a speedy, uneventfull, recovery.

 

[Georgia]

Congratulations. You may not believe it, but getting on the internet & posting is a major recovery milestone (ok - I made that up).

Those first two weeks or so at home are pretty rough. But they're SO much better than being in the hospital . . . at least no one's coming at you with a needle 75 times a day! Bummer that the weather took a cold turn this weekend. We had awful weather from the time I got sick in mid-January all through February and most of March. But we have a protected patio, and on sunny days I'd bundle up and sit in the sun for a while regardless of the temperature (it really wasn't THAT cold around here; and I'd have a scarf over my mouth). The sunshine helped my spirits enormously.

Do be sure you don't worry about your house or feeding the troops or whether or not the bathroom's clean; it's hard to abandon your territory to others, but you have something MUCH more important to worry about - keeping all of us up to date on how you're doing! Oh, yeah, and getting better and breathing and napping and walking. Dust bunnies will take care of themselves.

We're all with you. Best to your daughter.

Georgia

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi penny!
how wonderful it was to see your post. i'm so glad you are doing well.
please just try to rest as much as you can, do the breathing exercises and take small walks whwen you feel up to it.
try not to do too much, it's only been 10 days!!!
wishing you a continued smooth recovery.
stay well and please keep us posted.
-sylvia

 

[EVELYN]

Hi Penny

SOOOOO glad to see your post. Remember, ONE DAY AT A TIME, and each day will be better than the last one!!!

I was just reading your post and thinking of our own experiences. Last year at this time both of us had pneumonia, but went to the dog show anyway. From that point on, May brought a week-long hospital stay for Tyce for a-fib, June brought surgery and then we spent most of the summer in recovery. It seems like a bad dream, but I know it wasn't. This year brings us both healthy and getting ready for the same dog-show circuit.....You, too, will be at that point very soon.....As they say, what a difference a day (well maybe a week) makes.

Evelyn

 

[Creed3]

Hi!
Glad to see you are home. Things sound like they are going pretty normal. Things will slowly get better. Look at recovery on a week to week basis, not a day to day. You will really notice a big improvement in your recovery that way. I remember waking up from my surgery with the tube in. Yuck. I couldn't talk and I had a migraine with an aura going on. Charades didn't work too well for me, I had to write stuff down. I still am amazed that I was able to do that since I had the aura things going on. The ICU nurses are really good. I remember one trying to calm me down when I started fighting the breathing tube. Once I calmed down, I didn't want her to leave. I was holding her hand so tight and wouldn't let go. She kept telling me that she would take the tube out, but that I had to let her hand go. That was the only thing that made me let go....lol. Please let us know how you are doing with your recovery.

Take Care!
Gail

 

[plb]

3 weeks (plus) post-op

3 weeks (plus) post-op

Hello, all. I haven't been on-line for a while. Been doing a lot of sleeping, going to doctors, etc. You know the routine. I feel like I have forgot all that I have read online about recovery. The incision site and all around, is real itchy. I forgot to ask doctor what I could do. I have heard that vitamin E is good for the healing. Have any of you used anything special?

I still find myself short of breath when going up stairs and of course I notice it more at night. I could not lay on my left side at all for the first two weeks, my heart would be pounding, but am able to now. Some days I feel like doing nothing and others ok. I can drive at 4 weeks post-op, which will be next week. So, how is that first time out driving?!! My heart pillow goes about everywhere I go!

Saw my cardio this Wed, and am scheduled for stress test in 2 weeks and then cardiac rehab. I don't know if he is real cautious, but he says I may be off work 3 months. But then again, says I may be going stir-crazy and want to go back sooner.

 

[Georgia]

WAY TO GO

WAY TO GO

Hello there from Springfield. Glad you're doing better. It's a long haul, particularly those first 4 or 5 weeks. Seems like we should get better FASTER.

As for itchy incision, I used a triple antibiotic ointment with a topical anesthetic. Took care of that itching really well; surgeon's nurse said it was OK to use it. When the scabs all came off I started to use Vitamin E Oil for Skin. Looking pretty good, I think.

And driving's pretty cool. Took me a couple of weeks to want to drive anywhere but to cardiac rehab and the grocery store. But is a HUGE attitude boost. To me it was a major step for regaining control over my life (which I felt like I'd lost when I went into chf).

It looks like you'll have a great weekend for strolling about and getting lots of fresh air.

I'll be going back to work at just 3 months. That's in two weeks. I'm cautiously optimistic about it. Certainly don't feel stir-crazy, tho; don't have enough stamina for that. My feeling is that as long as money's not an issue, we should take advantage of all the time off because the better our recovery, the better we'll function as employees.

Keep walking and enjoying. Have a nice weekend.