exercise pre op etc.

[ludlowjack]

Am scheduled to see surgeon for surgery date. Aortic valve replacement. Will be done at Lankenau in Philly. Was there for Cath and TEE. Fantastic place . Biscuspid. Now somewhere between .6 and .7- so needs to go.
Anyone know anything about safe ( advice to me; don't elevate heart rate for extended periods) excercise to keep muscle tone? I used to swim regularly and was pretty active.
Also, any suggestions on how best to sleep afterwards? hospital bed? A Lazy boy chair or a lift chair?

 

[Nancy]

Hi ludlowjack-

Welcome to this wonderful site. You'll gets lots of info. and support here as you head towards surgery.

You mention that you have a bicuspid valve. There are several members with that problem. Anyone heading towards surgery for valve disease should absolutely discuss exercise parameters with the cardiologist and surgeon. My guess is that you will be restricted until after surgery. But get some professional advice.

Other members here with similar problems will be giving you their expertise, I am sure. Bicuspid valves are a little different in their dynamics.

Best wishes.

 

[Ross]

Hello and welcome to the forums.

Your in the best possible place for all your questions and answers.
We've all been there and done that so to speak.

As far as keeping your muscles tone-Just do normal everyday things. If your married, your wife will like this one, "Run the vacuum cleaner and take out the trash". Seriously, if you are fairly active to start with, you shouldn't have any problems with muscle tone.

As for the sleeping, it depends on the person and their recovery. Some use recliners, some can lay on the couch, etc. You'll have to decide what's best for you when it's over with. More then likely, you'll want to sleep sitting up for a couple of weeks.

Read around the posts and forums and you'll get tons of information and many answers to questions that you haven't asked yet. For those other ones that you haven't found an anwer for, just ask. We will be here.

 

[Ross]

Dang your fast Nancy! I tried to type and post as fast as possible and you still beat me. hehehe

 

[Nancy]

Busy hands are happy hands

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Hello lulowjack

Step 1: Talk to your cardiologist FIRST. Your heart will respond to exercise differently with your stenotic valve, and your .6 to .7 is fairly tight. When I was at that stage, I found that I couldn't do much in the way of exercise (or take out the trash, vacuum, or wash my car, LOL Ross).

Step 2: See step 1.

Johnny

 

[Georgia]

Hi, Ludlowjack

Hi, Ludlowjack

I can't help you with the advice about pre-surgical exercise - I was told to sit down and put feet up as much as possible. And I really couldn't do much else - energy = 0.

I always vote for LazyBoy. Make sure you have one that fits you well, because you're likely to spend a good deal of time in it for a while. And although I never slept in it at night (I was able to sleep quite well for about 10 hours per night flat in bed), I lived in it all day long.

I'm sure you'll get more - lots more - advice about exercise. If you peruse some old threads you'll find the die-hard golfers swinging away WAY sooner than they ought to.

Glad you joined us.

 

[pillarpaul]

Welcome

Welcome

Hi, and welcome to this great community. I came across it two months before my surgery in April - what a godsend!

The research I did about exercising pretty much agreed to continue cardiovascular exercise but not at a "recordbreaking" pace. I worked out until the day before my cath. I truly believe that helped my post-op recovery. I would eliminate all isometric exercises, however, as that puts quite a strain on our valves.

Just before my surgery I invested in an expensive but completely worthwile reclining bed. I slept almost straight up for the first two weeks post-op. Sat in recliner during the day. Lying flat just didn't seem comfortable. Your sleep patterns will probably be off for a couple of weeks but then I was more "normal" including naps.

Lots of great old posts to check out. If you want to know what to expect after the surgery, I suggest the Post Surgery threads. Keep us updated.

Paul

 

[Kevin M]

Sleeping

Sleeping

Personally, I find sleeping on my back or stomach uncomfortable.

I found sleep difficult, but surrounding oneself with a lot of pillows to support the chest and back helped.

I also found that putting a pillow between my legs kept my spine and hips in line and it was more comfortable.

I slept on a chez lounger couch thing for about a week and then moved my "pillow harem" to bed with me.
Kev

 

[Granbonny]

Sleeping

Sleeping

Hubby set up a twin bed..in living room..he slept on sofa.. I had a foam wedge....to sleep propped up.. twin beds are closer to floor..First fews weeks will be uncomfortable anywhere. Just take a lot of naps during the day..Let us know your surgery date..Bonnie

 

[Jean]

As you can probably tell from the posts already...there are many ways to try to be comfortable right after coming home. I couldn't stand the recliner...it just scrunched me up too much. I was far more comfortable out flat with just a medium pillow for about two weeks, then gravitated to sleeping on a full body pillow on my side...I am a tummy sleeper. Others swear by the recliners. I don't think a hospital be is necessary at all. Good luck

 

[ccrawford]

Another voice

Another voice

Hi Jack - I'm a month out from my surgery and still can't sleep on my side as I prefer. I'm getting close though. For the first two or three weeks, my preferred sleep platform was a large Lazy boy. A smaller Lazy Boy was really uncomfortable so be sure and check it out before your surgery. I now sleep in the bed with a lot of pillows to create a raised wedge. This seems to help. If I roll over too far on my side, I get pain in the shoulders and I also hear my mechanical valve which I'm not accustomed to as of yet. The lazy boy is also a favorite retreat along about 10:30 am when then mandatory nap time creeps up on me. Don't fight it, just enjoy your nap whenever it wants to happen. good luck on your surgery. Chris

 

[Georgia]

Mandatory nap time

Mandatory nap time

Yeah, Chris - mine was at 1:00 (post-prandial, Perry Mason circa 1955 on Hallmark channel - snooze); and here I am back to work a month and I don't need to look at the clock to know when 1:00 comes around. The bod's STILL demanding that daily nap.

Jack, since you haven't bought one yet, take our advice and MAKE SURE you get a Lazyboy that fits you. We have a nice big one that I can't sit in for 5 minutes; so I went out and sat in everything the Lazyboy store had and finally found one that was heaven. It and the laptop were the best investments I made (well, besides the insurance company's $80,000 for the surgery!)

 

[ccrawford]

When 10:30 rolls around, its like somebody hit me with a hypo full of sleep meds. Can't beleive how sleepy I get in such a short time, and how great the Lazy Boy feels.