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

[Chrystal]

I was surprised that my husband loves fruit now!! He used to say fruit doesn't taste as sweet as before. Well, now he thinks that he was just so used to soda, sweet treats, etc. that fruit was disappointing. I have been trying to get him to eat fruit forever!

 

[normofthenorth]

Nobody told me that 10-12d post-op, the stiff hairs re-growing near my incision on my chest would start driving me NUTS! My incision has been bare since before I came home, and having shirts and turtlenecks and nightshirts gently brushing it hasn't bothered me 'til lately. Now, it seems that every "brush" means that a stiff little micro-pole of a hair is getting caught on the shirt, which is then pulling the hair, which is pulling on the skin at the incision! I almost tried a second shave this morning! Instead, I went with a polyester quick-dry athletic T inside my turtle-neck. It seemed to help. After all, I'm not crazy, right? BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

 

[normofthenorth]

Thanks, Lyn, that all sounds brilliant. Sorry I missed it a week ago, too.

 

[jake]

Things that suprised me when I went in for OHS

Things that suprised me when I went in for OHS

The top 10 things that surprised me when I went in for OHS

I woke up to two orderly’s playing cards on my bed. When I asked what they were doing, they said "what does it look like we are doing, this is the quietest room on the unit!"

The ICU nurse told me she was going to count to 3 and pull my chest tube out. She jerked hard after 1

I could care less that there was a rubber tube in my ******

The surgeon compared what I went through to a "port, polish and valve job."

My left hand was numb and I was bummed out about it, I asked the nurse how long it will take for it to get the feeling back and she smiled and said “cheer up, when you grab yourself, it will feel like someone else is doing it”

How much Tylenol cost my insurance company

I found out that my bowel had that kind of capacity after 5 days of non-compliance

Just how many nurses on the ICU hate Paul Tuttle Senior

How large a single sinus “lugie” can get

And the #1 thing I found most surprising when I went in for OHS………..

After the urine catheter came out just how many different directions I could urinate at the same time

 

[normofthenorth]

Jake, you may have fallen in with a more "fun" cardiac-surgery crowd than I did! Some of the staff I encountered -- including my senior Surgeon -- had delightful senses of humor, and others went the other way, down to probably the most humorless person I'd ever met! That was my initial CVICU nurse. Early in our LONG time together, when I was trying to pass the time with some kind of levity, she laid down the law as she saw it: Neither jokes, nor laughter, NOR SMILES have ANY place in ANY professional work environment, and LEAST of all a HOSPITAL! (How could I be so wrong??) By the end of her 12-hour shift, we actually HAD shared a few smiles. She must think her professional soul is on its way to professional Hell now!

 

[scottr]

Surprises....

I didn't know they would stop and start my heart twice after trying to repair and then replacing my valve.

The surgery would take 6 hrs.

I wasn't prepared to wake up with a tube down my throat unable to move, however hearing everything and feeling an out of body experience.

My throat was so sore for about a week.

How much I loved ice/popsicles and how thristy I was for cold water.

I wasn't be able to eat much for 3 weeks.

My groin pain the first 2.5 weeks!!!!

The pain my ribs if I didn't take the pain medicine.

My right shoulder blade would go into spasm and knot up during the night.

The pain involved with putting a catheter back when I was awake!!!!

How weak and tight my right arm could become in 5 weeks due to inactivity related to guarding the pain.

Lastly, I know truly feel thankful to be alive and see the world through a different lens.

Happy & healthy holidays,

Scott

http://sroyswim.blogspot.com

 

[Herburban1]

The blood and fluids that were draining from my chest tubes were filtered and put back into my arm...Pretty freaky My Dr. is one of the few that use this system, and I didn't need a transfusion after so I guess it worked.
And sneezing sucks...

 

[Elmo]

Great thread.
The things that surprised me were:
How little I remember. One minute it was 8.00 on Thursday & the "gas man" was was chatting to me - the next minute it was Friday morning & the tube was being taken out of my throat.
How little pain there was when I was laying/sitting comfortably & that it only hurt when I moved/streched.
How good nurses are at keeping their cool with "challenging" patients. ( Not me, I hasten to add).
How quickly I was up out of bed.
That when you feel awful it doesnt always mean you're not improving.
How good cold water tastes.
How great iced water tastes.
How fantastic duck noodle soup from the Thai cafe at the end of Sydney Street, London tastes!!
How irritating it is when EVERY visitor & EVERY text message asks how you are feeling. (Except for people who've had major surgery themselves - they know you don't feel brilliant & just don't ask)
How irritating it is when visitors fuss around you.
How quickly I was able to get up and walk.
How things happen much faster when you want them to & put your mind to it. I went home 3 days early because I showed my surgeon how much progress I had made.
How good it is to be out in the fresh air after my op.
That ALL the surgical teams & medical staff coming past my bed in ICU said hello, addressed me by name & stopped for a chat if they had time - regardless of whether I was "their" patient or not.
How fiercely committed to, and protective of, their patients, ICU nurses are.
How there is always someone much worse of than you, but they always seem to be cheerful.
How, in the United Kingdom, where we have a National Health Service which is free, & we don't have to worry about paying/insurance for our treatment, some people STILL complain about what is being done for them!!
How valuable a rolled up "huggy" towel is for when you cough or move in the early days!!
How much surgeon's secretaries do & how useful it is to get on the right side of them. - Thank you Clare.


What didn't surprise me:
The skill, dedication and professionalism of ICU staff.
The skill, dedication & professsionalism of all other staff I met in the Royal Brompton in London.

Tony

 

[auricula]

I was surprised to learn I still had a tube in my throat(It would stay there for about 16 hours post surgery)
I was surprised to learn my right hand was mostly numb.(Brachial plexus injury)
I was surprised to be alive.

I thought i just sent this message but in case I did not, here it is again: How long did your numbness last? Since my surgery on Jan.26 I have had palsy of my ring and pinky fingers on my left hand. It is very uncomfortable and I can't use the hand well. Did you have any sort of treatment or did the numbness resolve on its own? Thanks, Pat

 

[normofthenorth]

Pat, it's possible that WilliamJE will answer your question, but it looks as if he hasn't posted anything on the forum since mid-August. But maybe somebody else has an answer for you. Not me, sorry.

 

[Lily]

I thought i just sent this message but in case I did not, here it is again: How long did your numbness last? Since my surgery on Jan.26 I have had palsy of my ring and pinky fingers on my left hand. It is very uncomfortable and I can't use the hand well. Did you have any sort of treatment or did the numbness resolve on its own? Thanks, Pat

Well, my valve surgery was several years ago but I still have some occasional numbness and tingling in my fingers. Rolling my shoulders back helps. Even when I sleep I have to be aware of my posture. There's some pinch up in my collar bone area I guess. I don't know if that's what you might be having but that's my experience and I hope it helps.

 

[Guest]

I was surprised that:
I needed a blood transfusion after all
They put a rolled up towel inbetween my shoulder blades on the OR table
I don't remember alot of what happened (over a 4 months sick - pre op period) but am having flashbacks now
I'm getting used to the mechanical valve now (10 weeks post op)
The surgeon put a metal plate in my chest to strengthen my sternum before he wired me up because my bone was fragile
I wasn't given all the information on what to expect before I left the hospital. They need to change that practice. Alot of stress could have been avoided if I had known everything ie, how to sleep, what is that skipped beat etc.

 

[KLAMDUP]

Suprises: I was suprised that i had such severe back pain. It was worse then by sternum pain. All the blood glucose tests, especialy the first 2 days. The need for insulin. They told me i would get checked, but i did nto think soo often.
I also agree with topmommy; that i was not informed enough at discharge of what to expect at home. They tell you what not to do, such as drive or lift over 10 pounds. Thats about it. All my nurses were good, but the nurse on day of discharge made feel as a bother. (only day i had her) i was suprised that she let me leave the unit at discharge by foot with my spouse, and not by w/c.

 

[dmeehan]

I was surprised that the breathing tube didn't bother me at all. I was surprised that the chest tubes didn't bother me at all. I was surprised at how little pain I had. I was surprised that they really did get me up and out of bed and into a recliner on the evening after my surgery. I was surprised at how scared I was to take my first walk. And I am still surprised at how fast everything returns.

 

[CanoeBob]

I was surprised the ICU nurse brought me a Tim Hortons coffee 5hrs post op. Darn did it taste good!!!

Bob

 

[camgough]

I hated the smell of coffee, which sucked since there was a Tim Horton's in the hospital lobby!

 

[JulieS]

My surprises...
Never having any hospital dealings period until this...

Wheeling me into the OR room wide awake, then wondering why I fought going under (so they say)...
Suprised that the entire OR staff did not have much of a sense of humor or willing to chat (I joke and talk ALOT when nervous)
coughing and sitting up
The amount of back and collar bone pain for a long time after
Full recovery taking a year
How many tubes they can insert into a person at one time
How wonderful you feel when recovered, I no longer have the continuous country song playing through my head "Much too young to feel this da& old"

 

[Jason]

My surprises were:

NOT having a major issue with waking up with the tube in my throat still. I thought that would send me over the edge prior to the surgery.
How annoying it is to try and breath with the breathing tube still in. It should be a simple timing issue, but I couldn't breathe in at the same time to save my life.
How much easier the surgery and recovery have been from what I thought going into it, at least through week 3 and some days
Atrial flutter. They may have warned me about this before discharging me, but certainly not enough to prepare me for it when it happened.
How hard it is for my body to get above a 2.0 INR. I am now up to between 7.5 and 10 mg of coumadin and hope to get over the hurdle by Monday.
How difficult it is to turn off your mind and go to sleep, even more than three weeks post op.
How much I love naps now. Never was a napper, even when I was a little kid, but I love them now when I can sleep.
How much I LOVE hot showers now.

 

[seabubble]

LOVE this thread!

I was surprised that I don't remember anything after I got two IVs in my arm in the holding/getting ready room and the anesthesiologist said he was going to give me something to relax. BOOM I was out!
That I only remember them taking out the breathing tube and nothing right before it or right after it.
Like others I was surprised how much I loved ice chips my first night in ICU.
How much I did not like my ICU nurses at all.
Exactly how sick at my stomach narcotic pain pills could make me.
How quickly I could manuver on my own to the bathroom after getting the catheter out.

Bless you all and I hope you're doing well.

 

[sweetmarie]

I was surprised that I didn't have any nausea at all during my stay except for when they removed the breathing tube, I coughed up once, seemed like foam. The nurses didn't seem surprised.
I was surprised how fast my appetite came back.
By the third day, I felt like opening the window and telling the world how great I felt, had expected a lot worse.
I had an incident in ICU where I didn't feel the nurses that were taking of me were competent. I got nervous and wanted (and got) some family members beside me through the night. I'm not saying that they weren't competent, it's just the way they were conducting themselves. Found out afterwards that I was probably the only one that was conscious enough to realize my surroundings.

I'll add that this weekend I spent it in bed with back wrenching lower back spasms. This pain made my OHS a walk in the park. If anyone here is headed for OHS and has experienced the pain I've had quite a few times now from back and also neck spasms, take note that I never felt anywhere near that during my stay at the hospital. Mind you the morphine addition at early post-op helps very much, something I don't have at home. They gave me a Rx for 15mg of Statex in pill form to take home but that doesn't compare to a good shot of morphine.

That being said, as we all know, no one can exactly compare one's pain level to another person. Hopes this helps those who are concerned about the pain.