Advice needed on stuff to do pre-surgery

[Marge]

Looking into the New Year: I realize that I only have a little over a month to do a bunch of things prior to surgery in February.

I am seeking advice as to what I should be doing to prepare myself for the surgery itself and for the time afterwards, both physical & mental things.

I would like to get my body in its best shape possible to undergo this & get out of there ASAP. I walk every day as much as I can. Are there other good exercises I should be doing (to the best of my ability)?
I've read here about breathing exercises. What are they?
Last time I had major surgery, when my arm was amputated, they managed to collapse a lung. At all hours of the day or night, it seemed, someone would appear with what they called a "bird machine" (the top of it looked something like a bird's beak) that I had to blow into. Is that what you guys call the "spirometer"?
What can I do to prepare for it this time?
I remember being truly terrified of that machine; in my post-ICU psychosis I was convinced that if I didn't blow into it to the satisfaction of the technician he was going to punish me by taking me back & plunging me into the icy sheets that they had me in after the surgery.

I am programming my I-pod for the hospital. I am putting together books that are not too threatening and relatively easy to read, that my husband can bring me once I'm up to reading. (I have put Harry Potter on top because that is pretty non-threatening; for my last surgery I took Solshenitzyn, which turned out to be a serious mistake.)

For when I come home: I have a new mattress & bed on order (I have needed one for some time). I have a comfy recliner. I have plenty of clothes, sweats, roomy t-shirts and sweatshirts, and such, that are easy to put on.

What other preparations do you think I should make? Things you did that made your hospital and your post-surgery life easier, things you didn't do but wish you had done?

I am going to be very busy this coming month but I know I also need to find time to be calm and quiet. Although being busy has an upside: keeps me from being just plain scared!

It seems that I have medical appointments scheduled almost every other day. A heart basics class that my cardiologist insists I go to. (He's one of the lecturers.) Blood tests, another echo, CT scan, consult with hematologist, dental work, check up with gynecologist, etc. And also a major bummer: I have to get my mom's estate settled. I actually have until March 20 to do that, but I am trying to prod her lawyer to do it by the end of January while I am still relatively compos mentis.

 

[MelissaM]

Marge,

Sounds liike you have a pretty good handle on things. The bird machine you describe sounds a bit different from the spirometer. That is just a little hand-held plastic thingy with a tube you breath into and a plunger that rises as you breath in (or out - I've seen both). If you get a chance to try one pre-surgery, go for it. It is kind of fun to compare lung strength pre- and post-surgery, then watch as you regain your pre-surge strength again.

Best wishes,

Melissa

 

[Kathy]

Marge,

It sounds as though you are very organized! I'm so sorry to hear that your mom died recently.

I can only think of a few suggestions at this point. I am an avid reader, but was unable to read after surgery. My eyesight was blurry and so was my head. It was all I could do to flip through magazines. I took a large selection to the hospital.

I was afraid that I would lose my MP3 player so I burned CDs with only my favorite songs. It was so helpful to put on headphones and block out the noise. Even though my head was foggy, I still didn't enjoy TV.

I was out of town for my surgery and have family all over the country. Cell phones were not allowed, so I used a phone card. I was so foggy that I couldn't remember how to use the card and used the hospital service to make calls for a couple of days. Yikes! Did I ever have a big bill when I came home!

I had a legal pad to keep by the bed so that my husband and I could write down questions to ask the doctors when they made rounds. They generally show up when you are asleep and it helps to have your thoughts organized in advance.

I enjoyed watching DVDs the first week after I got home. I wish I had made a list in advance of those I wanted to see so that I didn't need to wander around the video store.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Marge,

You sound like a good planner !

The suggestion to get an Incentive Spriometer to practice with BEFORE surgery sounds good to me. Then you will know what you target needs to be post-op.

Also ask the surgeon for a copy of the Booklet (or whatever format they use) to provide op / post op information so you can read it over in your leisure with comprehension and lucidity.

A few legal and financial matters also come to mind.

Do you have a WILL ?

Note that Bank and Brokerage Accounts can be set up with Beneficiaries by name and percent of assets which get distributed automatically WITHOUT the delays and Public Notice inherent in Probate.

Do you have a Living Will? Most hospitals will supply the forms.

Draw up a Legal Power of Attorney.

Draw up a Medical Power of Attorney.

Take copies of each to your surgeon, your cardiologist, and the hospital. You may need to have a copy for each admission to the hospital since many do NOT keep those records after discharge.

Have you considered registering as an Organ Donor?

Of course we all want to think positive, but it helps to be prepared 'just in case'.

'AL'

 

[Georgia]

You sound like you have a really good start. Having a little time before surgery can cause a lot of angst, but can also allow you to get things together.

1. Because our computer room is upstairs, I asked my husband to get me a laptop. I could use it in my beloved recliner and it was great. He found a used machine that didn't cost us an arm and a leg and I've really enjoyed having it.

2. Lounge clothes are a big plus. Knit jammies, cozy robes. And you'll probably be pretty cold - I suggest silk undershirts - they're kind to the incision and keep you really warm. And I had a small quilt I kept with me, and used it all the time.

3. Between now and then have lunch and dinner with friends, because you won't feel much like doing so for a little while.

4. If you're fussy (I am) take your own pillow to the hospital. It can make all the difference in how well you sleep. Take a couple of spare pillow cases - you hair gets pretty rank as those chemicals are released. And you'll want to know to ask for a dry shampoo sooner rather than later.

5. Something Ann (Hensylee) did that I wish I had - keep a journal if you're so inclined. Your memory won't be great - wish I'd written stuff down.

6. Write your checks for your bills and stamp the envelopes and give to someone to mail as required before you have surgery.

7. Stay with us - we'll help you as that date gets closer.

 

[Nancy]

Buy yourself a small plastic shower chair. Joe used it mostly to hang on to when he felt woozy in the shower.

If you can find some spray type hair freshner, get some of that. There aren't too many available, but your salon may have some. It'll just make you feel better.

Bring some petroleum jelly in a small tube, to rub on dry skin on your feet and some hand lotion, and ChapStick.

Stock up on some Popsicles for when you get home. They taste pretty good for most people, post surgery. And get some easy type meals stocked up. You won't have much of an appetite. A jar of Ovaltine will taste good with some milk. It's a lot better for you than Ensure and Boost if you're on Coumadin.

 

[Granbonny]

Hi Marge

Hi Marge

If your hospital is near normal on the stay..You will not have time for much reading, ect. They want you up and walking several times a day.Meds, grooming, food, ect. I wore their gowns and my own robe and slippers. Came home in robe. You will want peace and quiet when you get home. Post-op meds will be first. You will have several to take. Get a weekly pillbox. Have Hubby to fill it for you..Lots of good cold drinks. food will taste yucky..Plan on a space to walk in house for first week..and then outside for a little time during 2nd week...Keep visitors for short stay..They will wear you out. Walk, walk, walk, nap, nap, nap..Do NOT overdo anything. will hurt the next day. And take pain meds... Pamper yourself and you will start to feel better as the weeks go by...Bonnie

 

[bvdr]

Marge,

I'm a planner too. I went extra deep on pantry items like coffee, toilet paper, paper towels, all kinds of soaps, and other items that I knew we would be using. I didn't want my husband to feel like he was having to run out after things all the time. My daughter in laws stocked my freezer with home-made heart healthy meals which was wonderful. If I had been feeling better I would have probably done that myself but I lucked out as they are both excellent cooks.

 

[hensylee]

Everything Al said is right on target.

I got a few of those cheap little front hook bras that you can buy from Carol Wright catalog (or one of the others we all get in the mail). It will keep things where they belong while you heal and so they won't pull on your incision. Great help. Get 'em a size or so too big.

You probably won't have time nor want to read while in the hospital. They keep you pretty busy. When the staff was not putting me through hoops, I just slept. They had me do exercises and I kept the printed sheet and did those same exercises when I got home - several times per day. Gets you up and doin quicker.

Breather - not to worry. It's not a monster. It's a helper. And, believe me, the staff pushes this little thingy. When they didn't find me usin it, they'd fuss. I keep thinkin they wanted me to do it every 10 mins but things were fuzzy and that's probly wrong!

I wore their stuff the whole time. Well, except the footwear.

 

[elphie]

You sound well prepared except for one thing nobody mentioned... PRAYER!
I believe it made all the difference for me

 

[chilihead]

Marge,

I had my valve job about six weeks ago. I'm 40 and was in good helath otherwise. I can say the one thing that was most beneficial when I got home was having a comfortable recliner chair to sleep in. I lived in it for about two weeks! I had a big leather lazy boy and kept a table next to it with all my books, remote controls, phone, water, spirometer, meds etc. at hand. You might also drive around your neighborhood and figure out how far a half mile and mile distance are so that you know when you start walking just how much you are doing. Other tips I would give are to be sure and take a shower and get dressed (warmly) every day. I felt chilled easily at first and still do on occasions. The shower relaxes you after sleeping in the recliner!
I got a high speed internet connection so that I could surf the web faster and made it a point to log on daily. I felt pretty helpless at first and was depressed over it. Once I got outside and swept the patio or raked a few leaves I felt like I was "accomplishing" something and that really helped mentally for me. Just don't over do it.

I hope these things help you and best of luck.

Jim Johnson
Ross procedure with Aortic reshaping 11/18/03

 

[Marge]

Thank you all. A lot of good suggestions, for which I am very grateful.

I realize more & more that I am really lucky in terms of the post-op period in that I have a husband who cooks and shops (he actually does most of the cooking even in normal times). I think he will not mind running out to the 7-11 to get me popsicles if that's what I require. He also can sew and do laundry. In a pinch he has even been known to vacuum. For this, I have to thank my mother-in-law. A single mom raising four kids, she made sure all of them, including the boys, learned the domestic skills.

Al--your comments on the living will/power of attorney are good reminders to everybody. Both I and my husband have had ours for some time & we update them regularly. (I had them for my mom too, before she died, although as it turned out I never had to use them.) What happened to Terri Schindler is never going to happen to me.

Our house is all one floor. We have a little park just around the corner from us. Two times around the park is a mile. And we put in a new patio last year--so until I am ready for the park, I can always just walk around & around the patio.

I've got high speed cable and I just got a NEW COMPUTER yesterday!!!! A 17-inch IMac G4. It is gorgeous. I am typing on it right now.

Now all I have to do is get through the next month of preparing, and then that little thing of the surgery and the hospital. Just a minor glitch in my life .....

 

[catwoman]

Marge:

Get several boxes of thank-you notes and some extra stamps. A notepad to record who sends flowers, books, other get-well gifts. I was amazed at how many people sent me flowers and gifts.

One thing I wish I had done pre-op: Cut my hair short. It hurt to raise my arms to shampoo right after surgery. I finally had it cut short in October and it's even shorter now. Wish I had done it before surgery.

Your husband sounds wonderful!

 

[MarciaB]

Don't forget to get any bills that need to be taken care of done. I thought I would be able to deal with the horse insurance after I got home from the hospital. Couldn't deal with it for a week, now horse is uninsured until paperwork is completed (please don't drop dead, Pie).

Also, I got a lot of flowers, too many, the place looked like a funeral parlor and more work for my husband keeping them watered. One friend made a donation to Colorado Horse Rescue instead. I wish we had requested that, if we could have found a way to word it diplomatically.

 

[bvdr]

I loved all the flowers I got! My room was so beautiful. I couldn't concentrate enough to read and I don't remember watching much TV but I do remember looking at all my flowers. They were everywhere! I heard people say in the hall very quietly..."who is she?". This one resident even came in and sat in a chair in my room to do paperwork because she liked being in a room of flowers.

The moral of the story? Don't forget to take time to smell the flowers!

 

[catwoman]

Marge:
Another thing you might want to consider:

Designate one person to handle any requests for info about you. I had a friend in California post to the internet with info my sister (an RN) relayed to her. The friend in California is a professional writer, so I knew I could trust her to word information correctly. I gave Carolyn a list of e-mail addys to send info to.

My husband said this simplified his life immensely and cut down on phone messages left at home or on my cell.

Betty and Marcia:

My mom dried some of the prettiest flowers in the arrangements. I gave her the silks and house plants (too many plants/flowers are toxic to animals.)

 

[MarciaB]

Betty,

In my hospital room the only place to put flowers were behind me where I couldn't see them (shoot the architect).

I also had both a phone tree and an email tree. I didn't want my husband coming home and having to return a bunch of phone calls. One sister-in-law got miffed when I told her to please contact my mother or wait for an email, but caring for my caretaker was more important.

Some people will want to bring food also. We asked that it be something that could be put in the freezer so we could take it out when we wanted. My husband does a lot of the cooking anyway, but it was nice to give him a break when he had so much on his mind.

Marcia

 

[Enudely]

I don't know if this is silly or not, but I've thought about getting a fish for the recovery! I'm 7 days away and I just think watching a fish swim around is relaxing! Is that weird?

 

[MarciaB]

No, not weird. I found that I couldn't tolerate watching anything with much conflict. I normally like the political shows where everyone is yelling at the same time. Couldn't deal with it. One of the few channels the hospital had was a Health Channel where they showed real surgeries! What were they thinking! I still can't watch ER. Christina L liked cooking channels (although if they had that in the hospital it would have been REALLY cruel).

We watched "light" movies every night, and I had no problem looking at email and vr.com after just a couple of days at home. A neighbor brought over a big basket of movies, a very nice thing, not feeling pressured to get them back to the video store.

So how are you doing, Elena? Just a little while longer. Holding up OK?

Marcia

 

[Kathy]

One of the few channels the hospital had was a Health Channel where they showed real surgeries!

LOL My husband stayed at the hotel affiliated with the hospital where they also showed surgeries and other videos related to heart care. He wanted me to watch them as well. I told him I didn't need to watch the show, I was living it.