How many weeks before going back to work?

[carbomedic]

Syl-
Apr 29 is my return to work date also.
I personally can't wait. Good advice on the co-workers. I find often others may ask how you are but then go on to tell you about their problems. I do not need bad vibes.
Let's compare experiances on Apr 29 PM. I have half days the first week.
carbo

 

[sylgeren]

The Day of Going Back to Work!!

The Day of Going Back to Work!!

Carbomedic,

Good to read your post. Glad to have someone doing the same thing. I work in a very busy Dental Clinic here in California. About 8 Doctors and 35 Assistants and front office girls. So it really is a busy office. I will be working my 9hrs x 4 days a week. Just hope I can do the job like I did before surgery. My Cardio said to this: Well you were working before with your valve working at 72% and you were doing fine. So now you should be better. So we will see. Keep you up with the news after 4-29. Bye

Syl

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi,

Mara, you got it! Once you go back to work and your co-workers see you around on a regular basis, they quickly forget that you just had major surgery, and wham... the workload increases..

Just remind them, and Mara mentioned above, and pace yourself. Remember, your health is more important than the workload.

Being active again, and getting back to your normal routine is a great help to healing, just don't overdo it.

Best of luck to you,

Rob

 

[Scottie]

Nancy and Syl

Nancy and Syl

Congratulations at getting the all clear to go back to work ..although be careful ...what some other have said is right ..people will soon forget that you have had surgery and you might feel under pressure to do more sooner than you would rather ..
I am waiting for surgery right now and have explained to my boss that although I want to carry on working right up to surgery at the moment due to surgery I can only do you my job and no extras because of fatigue ...she was very supportive orally ..but when push comes to shove she piles the work on and I sometimes find myself exhausted ...she doesn't mean too ..she just sees me as coping ..

Nancy ...I read your post about Joe having to be on iron tablets for the rest of his life ...is there a reason for this ..I'm struggling with anemia here and it seems I have to be iron all the time ..which I find rough on my stomach ...

take care both
Scottie

 

[Nancy]

Hi Scottie-

This is going to be a long explanation, so don't fall asleep, LOL.

Regarding Joe's anemia: He has 2 mechanical valves, one of them being an old model mechanical made by Bjork-Shiley which is 25 years old. In those days they made 'em big, rough and tough. But it's still chugging away. It is a "cage and ball" designed valve which is very old fashioned by today's standards, and it tends to chop up the blood (hemolysis). When he had his St. Jude mitral valve, the combo made it worse. Now, having said that, St. Jude makes a really good valve, and it is as kind and gentle to your blood as any mechanical can be, but I guess that the combination of the two is what is causing his anemia. When he developed a paravalvular leak his anemia hit bottom. The leak also contributed to chopping up the blood. Now that the leak is fixed, his anemia is better.

During the bad anemia, he was on folic acid once a day and iron 3 times a day. It was hard on the digestive tract, to be sure, but it kept him alive. He is off the iron now, but will have to take folic acid for the rest of his life.

It's possible that after your surgery, your anemia will improve. I would ask your doctor if this is possible, but you know that with heart valve problems there are no guarantees.

Metamucil helped Joe to keep things moving digestion-wise, maybe that's another thing you could ask your doctor about. I'm not sure they have that brand where you are.

Take care.

 

[ALCapshaw]

Syl,

When it comes to Muscle Tone - USE IT or LOSE IT !

Sorry, but sitting on the couch will NOT bring your energy back

I can think of one other medical reason for your lack of energy and lack of desire to 'get going' and that is DEPRESSION.

Depression can ZAP your energy and your mood. Have you discussed this with your primary care physician? The book 'Coping with Heart Surgery and Bypassing Depression' by J.Jude is an excellent source of information on all aspects of recovering from heart surgery.

Fortunately, EXERCISE not only will restore your energy, slowly at first, but steadily, but it will also ELEVATE your mood and improve your DESIRE to get better.

If walking doesn't suit you, find SOMETHING that you can enjoy and pursue on a regular basis. Swimming and / or water exercise classes are good forms of exercise that offer light resistance while supporting your body. There are many to chose from.

I could tell you my long story but then I would be putting more energy into your recovery than you are. Long story short: Every day I walked as far as I felt comfortable and every day that was a little more than the day before. There were some setbacks (walking pneumonia after 3 weeks) but I was able to return to work 10 weeks after Bypass surgery. At six months, I expected to be back to par. It was closer to a year before I recovered as much as I was able. I still walk 1.5 to 2 miles 4 to 6 days a week with my dog who is always there to remind me it's time to get going!

You've had several testimonials that demonstrate the same principle:
You've got to GET MOVING to get your energy back. Here's hoping you follow that good advice.

'AL'

 

[sylgeren]

Walking is the Answer.

Walking is the Answer.

Al.

Just to let you know. I'm up to 30 min a day of walking. Feel just fine now. Energy is comming back for sure. Feel better every day. I've got a bad knee so it does slow me down a bit. But everything is going great and I continue to do more walking hope to do 45 min this week. Went out today to a Dental Convention, walked all day long, never got tired. It was great. Thanks for all the good advice. All of you are so helpful and thoughtful.


Syl

 

[ALCapshaw]

That sounds GREAT Syl !

Glad to hear you are feeling better with your exercise. If you can find a water exercise group, that might take some of the load off your knee, perhaps alternating water exercise and walking. Best wishes for your continued improvement.

'AL'