After your surgery, what are some of the things that you found out that surprised you

[SatoriFround]

I was surprised by:

forgetting what I was saying mid-sentence in ICU
not being able to tell time or concentrate
the first cough
the truck that hit me on Saturday morning (surgery 5 days earlier)
the same truck hitting me the next morning
walking the same day after leaving ICU
waiting 3 days for my INR to reach 2.0 so I could get the heck out of Dodge

You got hit by a truck, had surgery, hit by a truck the next day and then surgery 3 days after that? WOW!

 

[SatoriFround]

I knew about the insulin shots from when my mom was in ICU. (The traumatized body becomes diabetic.)

I just learned this when my wife went to the doctor for a UTI. LOL She went to the doctor for a UTI and they found sugar in her urine. She immediately went home and started googling and apparently it is very common when you have an infection, ie: the body is under stress. A lot of diabetics know when they are coming down with something because their sugar levels go up....

 

[SatoriFround]

My surprise -- and a tip that might help some.

My surprise -- and a tip that might help some.

I had a little "challenge" before my breathing tube came out, that included a surprise and a "tip" for people still on their way there:
The surprise was basically that my wife of 15 years and I turn out to terrible at communicating via Charades! We are both quite good with words, and chat in high-speed streamlined code. Not bad at the usual non-verbal snuggling communication, either -- but how DARE you ask such a question?!? But when I was being roused from the OR sedatives, and they were trying to figure out if I could handle the breathing thing without the tube, I developed one message that I believed was ABSOLUTELY VITAL (probably not just to my survival, but to the survival of THE WORLD -- I'm like that!), which I somehow needed to convey to the gathering -- my concerned wife and 3 or 4 Health Pros -- with only the use of my mostly bare fingers and toes.

When my wife tried playing Charades with me, she went WAY faster than I could possibly keep up, and the more frustrated I got, the faster she went. But that meant that by the time I had a chance to nod "Yes" at one of her suggestions, she'd already made a dozen new ones, so there was no way to establish contact.

In fact she actually did tell them a version of what I thought they might need to know -- that I'd only gotten THREE HOURS of sleep the night before my surgery, because I was up crazy late trying to finish and "perfect" a final Argument at the end of a long regulatory hearing I'd been participating in. (OK, probably not my smartest bit of scheduling ever, I admit!) But she said I'd had FIVE hours sleep, and correcting that "five" to "three" THEN became the most important thing in my part of the universe!! (I think I already mentioned that I'm like that! Besides, I can often function reasonably well on five hours, but not three!))

I don't know if I was really in danger from a bad decision, but (a) it felt like I might be and (b) I was feeling so exhausted, much like I was when I rousted myself out of bed, that I really just wanted to go back to sleep, even if it meant keeping that damn tube down my throat!

In a smarter universe, (a) I wouldn't be quite so much of a jerk, and/or (b) Wendy and I would have spent a half-hour practicing communicating some sample messages with only fingers and toes, no words, and/or (c) one of the Health Pros would have walked up to Wendy and said "Ma'am, I know how stressful this must be for you, but I had a 2-hour workshop on this kind of communication in Nursing School (or wherever), would you mind giving me a try?"

In short, communicating that way is not something any of us is born very skilled at. And learning it "on the job" is WAY too hard! But I bet it can be learned, and taught. And for my $0.02, I think it should be taught to the Pros who are involved in OR recoveries with chest tubes.

And it also wouldn't hurt for family members etc. who are going to be there when the patient is snapped out of it, to have practiced a bit first.

Oh, yeah, and the other big surprise from when I first opened my eyes: My brain and perceptions seemed to be roughly 7 seconds behind real time!! E.g., I remember hearing one of the guys tell me sternly NOT to bite the tube in my mouth. And I remember thinking "What on Earth is he talking about, I'm not biting the tube??" And a couple of seconds afterwards, I remember the feeling in my mouth, as I bit (or finally realized I'd bit) the tube -- not once, but TWICE! (That time lag clearly made our Charades harder, and might be something to try to factor into the "workshop" or "practice". )

Psychotropic drugs are weird, for sure!

Reading this thread I noticed afterwards also until the breathing tube comes out communication is hard. I think I will have my wife teach me the sign language ABCs that way I can spell out anything I really need to communicate, but... I am a horrible speller. HAHA I usually ask her how to spell stuff. I guess I can just text it if it is important.

 

[Chuck C]

I think I will have my wife teach me the sign language ABCs that way I can spell out anything I really need to communicate

Good plan. Alternatively, you could hone up on your charades skills prior to surgery:

 

[pellicle]

. I think I will have my wife teach me the sign language ABCs that way I can spell out anything I really need to communicate

having learned that in the past, I can say that compared to me at 6 years old you'll probably be well before you learn it
Perhaps this will work and be faster

but you'll be back to talking within 2 days

 

[V__]

Reading this thread I noticed afterwards also until the breathing tube comes out communication is hard.

In ICU I stayed in there were small portable whiteboards and markers for writing. They was quite useful. A suggestion I saw on this forum was to agree on some basic signs with your wife. This should help as well. "Thumbs up" and "Thumbs down" should be clear enough. But you might want to agree on a couple more. I don't think you need the full-blown sign language, but a few gestures can go a long way. "handwriting in the air" was my request for the whiteboard, that worked.

Even un-practiced handwriting is probably readable enough if you just "print" big letters instead of a cursive. Misspelled but understood words should be ok too

After the tube was pulled I got a recommendation to not talk to much the first day, while the throat was sore. So the gestures and the whiteboard were helpful for a while.

I guess I can just text it if it is important.

It's an interesting idea, if you are very proficient with texting. It was easier for me to "operate" bigger objects than the cellphone... and I was without glasses at that point.

Nice to see you planning ahead!

 

[SatoriFround]

In ICU I stayed in there were small portable whiteboards and markers for writing. They was quite useful. A suggestion I saw on this forum was to agree on some basic signs with your wife. This should help as well. "Thumbs up" and "Thumbs down" should be clear enough. But you might want to agree on a couple more. I don't think you need the full-blown sign language, but a few gestures can go a long way. "handwriting in the air" was my request for the whiteboard, that worked.

Even un-practiced handwriting is probably readable enough if you just "print" big letters instead of a cursive. Misspelled but understood words should be ok too

After the tube was pulled I got a recommendation to not talk to much the first day, while the throat was sore. So the gestures and the whiteboard were helpful for a while.


It's an interesting idea, if you are very proficient with texting. It was easier for me to "operate" bigger objects than the cellphone... and I was without glasses at that point.

Nice to see you planning ahead!

I remember on our first few dates we had our phones and would sometimes just sit next to each other and play on them. I am mostly an introvert and she is a weird mix of introvert/extrovert, sometimes it was just nice to play on our phones next to someone who understood. We also sometimes just text each other across the room, or upstairs/downstairs. LOL We are weird that way. Neither of us like actually talking on the phone, but we love the simplicity of texting, everything has to be concise, no beating around the bush, no weird extraneous bullsh*t.

 

[HokieHaden]

Reading this thread I noticed afterwards also until the breathing tube comes out communication is hard. I think I will have my wife teach me the sign language ABCs that way I can spell out anything I really need to communicate, but... I am a horrible speller. HAHA I usually ask her how to spell stuff. I guess I can just text it if it is important.

I read so many stories here about communicating post surgery while the tube was still in place. It was all for naught in my case as I had no memory or awareness of anything until after that tube came out. In my case, that included a TIA and left side weakness for hours. Once I came to, I had regained that strength.

 

[SatoriFround]

I read so many stories here about communicating post surgery while the tube was still in place. It was all for naught in my case as I had no memory or awareness of anything until after that tube came out. In my case, that included a TIA and left side weakness for hours. Once I came to, I had regained that strength.

How long was your recuperation? I only work parttime, my wife is the main breadwinner in our family and I do more of the household chores and kid care and some of the stories here are scaring me as to recovery time. My wife works 12 hour shifts on her work days, so it looks like we're going to have to figure some things out. Did you need someone there for you the first few days/week at home?

 

[HokieHaden]

How long was your recuperation? I only work parttime, my wife is the main breadwinner in our family and I do more of the household chores and kid care and some of the stories here are scaring me as to recovery time. My wife works 12 hour shifts on her work days, so it looks like we're going to have to figure some things out. Did you need someone there for you the first few days/week at home?

I’m sure each case is unique based on those circumstances, but I’m happy to share my experience. I’m 49 and had a bentall procedure (replaced my aortic valve with a bovine tissue valve and repaired/grafted my ascending aorta). I was home after 5 days in the hospital and started the gradual recovery at home. As expected, slept/rested a lot the first 2 weeks - I used a lazyboy recliner a lot and even slept overnight in it for the first 3 weeks. I also walked as much as I could for the first few weeks. I found that to be very helpful in regaining cardio strength - but it was gradual. Overall, I was home for 5-6 weeks before I returned to work (computer/work from home). My cardiac team told me some people take 12 weeks, though, so I felt like I returned to work quicker than average. But again, each case is unique, I’m sure.

I did have my wife at home with me and that was very much needed the first 2-3 weeks at home. I was much more self sufficient after 2-3 weeks.

I wish you the very best!

 

[3mm]

I do more of the household chores and kid care ... Did you need someone there for you the first few days/week at home?

I needed a ride home from the hospital, and a driver for a few days when I had doctor appointment and cardiac rehab. Then I was able to care for myself. I also drove myself on low speed, light traffic streets for a few miles or less. Before surgery I had ensured that all essentials were within easy reach (laundry soap, dishes in kitchen, bird seed for my outdoor friends, etc).

I suggest a careful discussion with your family about household chores, quiet hours so you can sleep during the day as well as at night, organizing your medications and keeping them away from any young children, etc.

Good luck!

 

[SatoriFround]

I’m sure each case is unique based on those circumstances, but I’m happy to share my experience. I’m 49 and had a bentall procedure (replaced my aortic valve with a bovine tissue valve and repaired/grafted my ascending aorta). I was home after 5 days in the hospital and started the gradual recovery at home. As expected, slept/rested a lot the first 2 weeks - I used a lazyboy recliner a lot and even slept overnight in it for the first 3 weeks. I also walked as much as I could for the first few weeks. I found that to be very helpful in regaining cardio strength - but it was gradual. Overall, I was home for 5-6 weeks before I returned to work (computer/work from home). My cardiac team told me some people take 12 weeks, though, so I felt like I returned to work quicker than average. But again, each case is unique, I’m sure.

I did have my wife at home with me and that was very much needed the first 2-3 weeks at home. I was much more self sufficient after 2-3 weeks.

I wish you the very best!

Thank you! That helps in having an idea of how long she may need to take off work to help.

 

[SatoriFround]

I needed a ride home from the hospital, and a driver for a few days when I had doctor appointment and cardiac rehab. Then I was able to care for myself. I also drove myself on low speed, light traffic streets for a few miles or less. Before surgery I had ensured that all essentials were within easy reach (laundry soap, dishes in kitchen, bird seed for my outdoor friends, etc).

I suggest a careful discussion with your family about household chores, quiet hours so you can sleep during the day as well as at night, organizing your medications and keeping them away from any young children, etc.

Good luck!

We've got day sleeping covered since my wife works shift work. We have black out curtains and white noise in our bedroom. You can't hear anything going on in the rest of the house, and it is pretty dark.

 

[perrybucsdad]

Speaking of driving and chores, I recall after my surgery, due to having to cut the sternum in two to get to the heart, I was not allowed to drive, I believe for 8 weeks. I remember one time I was going nuts and decided to go for a drive someplace. I didn't get too far because as soon as I went to fasten my seatbelt, I got a nice twinge from my sternum and thought better of it. I think the big concern is getting in an accident and the healing that was going on with the sternum is undone with a possible impact.

Also, I was not allowed to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for I also believe 8 weeks.

I just remember being sore (not in really any pain, but more sore) and tired. It wasn't the same type of tiredness that I had before the surgery. Your body just went though some serious things and is trying to heal, so listen to it and when you are tired, rest. I fought it at first and my doctor explained to me that I was actually slowing down my recovery by not resting.

 

[Still Ticking]

Great Topic! So as someone who went in for Minimally Invasive mitral valve repair/replacement surgery nine weeks ago here were my big surprises:

1) Not quite what I was expecting: I went under thinking this was just a simple mitral valve repair. In contrast when I woke up I was told about the great adventure which I had slept through. The surgeon not only repaired my mitral valve but also repaired my tricuspid valve (which I knew also had some regurgitation). They had also gone in a second time to check things out because I was bleeding excessively and needed two transfusions.

2) I awoke with more tubes sticking out of me than I could possibly imagine: Not only an IV in each arm but also one in my neck as well as a tube down my throat and two big drainage tubes sticking out of my chest.

3) My new best friend R2D2: Instead of the 4 days I was expecting I was in the hospital for 8 days primary because of excess fluid collecting around my right lung which they had deflated during the surgery. The drainage tubes sticking out of my chest were connected to a small automated bilge pump which stayed with me the entire eight days of recovery and I nicknamed R2D2.

4) Pain/discomfort from unexpected sources: The surgery related pain wasn’t bad but the “stool softeners” they gave me to prevent constipation worked but gave me tremendous stomach cramps. Also in recovery they want you to sit up in a recliner to help with drainage but in a short time the stiff-cushioned recliner made my butt hurt and gave me lots of back and neck pain. When I got home and sat in my own regular recliner I had no pain whatsoever.

5) Unanticipated weight loss: I was at a very healthy weight going into surgery but in the ten days after my surgery I lost nearly 15 pounds with a great deal of it being muscle mass. This was despite forcing myself to eat because I had zero appetite for several weeks following the surgery.

6) Parts of my right chest where to enter to perform minimally invasive surgery still feels like they are made of wood 9 weeks after surgery: I was told the ribs contain a great number of nerves which is why they use a “nerve block” to manage the pain and it could be months before it wears off. One positive of this nerve block was I felt virtually nothing when they pulled my chest tubes out at the end of my hospital stay.

Looking back a few thoughts: Even though I had significant complications, the pain and discomfort of my surgery really weren’t that bad and I am recovering at a steady rate with a brighter future ahead of me. For me the benefits of what was accomplished far outweigh the risk and short-term discomfort I experienced, and I am very glad I had the procedure.

I wish all of you about to undertake surgery the best of luck and those of you who have a speedy recovery!