Any special accomidations i should make?

[meganmitch]

My husband is sceduled to have AVR this coming month and Im wondering if there were any special accomidations that you made for your loved one that i should get done before his surgery. I know that i will receive post-op instructions from the doctor/hospital, but they dont go home with the patient and take care of them day and night. Any advice would help!

 

[Lynlw]

I'm not sure if this is the kind of things you are asking about, but if you check the stickies in the pre and post op threads there are alot of good ideas to make things as easy as possible Here is one about how to get the house ready for after surgery

http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...How-to-prepare-a-house-for-homecoming-patient
also check out the pre surgery threads, there are a few questions about what oyou can/can't do right away, that hshould give you both an idea.

Probably something that many people find nice to have after surgery is a recliner, it can be easier to sleep in and get in and out of than your bed, altho it is NOT necessary to get one if you don't have one, lots of pillows help if you sleep in your bed.
IF you are going to be home most of the time, there probably isn't alot you have to do to prepare the house. We usually stock up on things to do when you are sitting around to keep from getting bored, and got some comfy lounge type pants. Justin also likes to have a pair of the slippers/shoes that you can just slip your foot in that are good for indoors or outside since you'll be walking a couple times a day.
Also Since you are pregnant and I'm not sure how far along you will be when he has the surgery, you might want to ask people to stop by or even bring meals, so you both can get some rest. YOU have to be sure you take care of yourself too. I know it will be hard, but really try to take care of yourself and get as much sleep as possible when your husband is In the hospital, so you are well rested when he comes home and your real work begins.

 

[Mentu]

Megan & Mitch, just to add to Lyn's comments, I have a water bed and was concerned that I might not be able to sleep in it. When I mentioned this, my younger brother gave me a recliner just in case. As it turned out, I slept in my own bed from the first night home but the recliner was really nice to rest in after walks. I found it was nice to use the recliner with a lap tray for my notebook computer since I could sit with my feet up which helped reduce leg swelling.

How one feels upon leaving the hospital (usually at 4 to 7 days) isn't really predictable. I was fortunate in that I had little chest discomfort as long as I did not disturb the chest muscles (usually done by lifting something to heavy). Mitch, don't expect to be a complete invalid when you get home. You should be able to do your walks, take a shower, get dressed...most of the normal little things we do each day. Every time you walk through your neighborhood, you will feel stronger during that first month; You should not be using your arms much but there is nothing wrong with using your legs. Walking will build your stamina, help heal your lungs and give a wonderful sense wellbeing. You will need to follow the lifting guidelines and, as I discovered, avoid repetitive motion problems. During my 2nd week home, I made a big pot of stew. Nothing was hard to do or heavy but the repeated motion of chopping the veggies left my chest muscles really sore. The next morning they reminded me that it was unwise to abuse them so. I could do a little laundry but I couldn't pick up a full laundry basket so I had to make several trips. I live alone but I had no problem feeding myself or the cats. Those first three weeks are the most important because the incisions are healing so you need to be gentle with yourself. This is one time that "pushing through the pain" is just about the most stupid thing anyone can do. If you want to recover well, as time passes, you need to gradually increase your activity level and by about six weeks you should be ready to start Cardiac Rehab. Rehab will continue the gradual increase in activity and will help get you past the sense that you are fragile; it restores your confidence in your own body.

Let us know if you have any specific concerns.

Larry

 

[scott.eitman]

What we do not know is his age and physical condition. Other than that, the basics are rest, no heavy lifting (I include heavy doors), no driving and no sitting behind an airbag.

I am in excellent health. I needed a place to sit at home especially after the multiple walks during the day. I was able to do most things for myself. However I was responsible for the laundry for a family of 6 and that was out of the question due to stairs and lifting.

My biggest recommendation is to hire a message therapist to help with back pain. The rest you will figure out as to confront it.

Scott

 

[Dennis S]

If you have time, and assuming these are otherwise relevant, I would get caught up on dental work, and or colonoscopy before surgery.

 

[Michelle D]

I bought a recliner and though I didn't need to sleep in it I did just to get out of my habit of rolling onto my stomach at night.

 

[Lynlw]

IF it helps anyone, I believe Mitch is around 30.

 

[Eva]

If you have time, and assuming these are otherwise relevant, I would get caught up on dental work, and or colonoscopy before surgery.

It is a great idea to take care of any dental work and/or colonoscopy, if needed, before surgery as it is just more convenient to get them out of the way.

I slept in my bed and my husband helped by positioning extra pillows for support as I needed. Luckily, my sister stayed one month with us and prepared food, opened the bottle pills for me, and helped me with putting the special socks (to keep good circulation) on!

 

[dsouter]

My GF rented me a Hospital bed for the living room. While not recommended as it can be easy to be a "bed potatoe" , I loved having the option of another bed, one that the dogs stayed off, for those sleepless nights and also another spot to move to while watching movies or TV.
Well worth the $200 it cost for the month.