Ironing question

[chocoholic]

Hi, My mum wants to do the ironing but I'm not sure if the repetitive action with one arm is ok yet (she is two days short of four weeks post op). Is this is a good idea for her at this point in time? I was going to check with the GP, but we are not seeing him until thurs.
thanks

 

[Freddie]

My first thought was, 'you won't know until you try'....You then can give him and up-date on how this 'exercise' went when you see him on Thursday. Then on the other hand it wouldn't hurt to give your GP a call and see what he say's.

 

[Maryka]

A light-weight travel iron? A tall stool to sit at the ironing board? I have to reach way back to remember ironing! In my family we either wear it wrinkled or stand by the dryer to pull out the item and hang it as soon as the dryer stops, ha ha.

 

[Jkm7]

If she feels up to it and wishes to iron, she should be fine at almost 4 weeks. It wouldn't be wise for her to stand and do that repetitive motion for an extended time but using common sense and paying attention to how she feels, activity is good. No heavy lifting and no stretching though. I found the more active I was, the better I felt and faster I recovered.

 

[chocoholic]

Many thanks all for your feedback.

I forgot to mention that my mum always sits on an armchair when she irons and has the board lowered down to her level so maybe that would make a difference. It's the repetition with one arm I was worried about as I thought it's putting pressure on all the wrong areas. Maybe I will set it up for her tomorrow and suggest that she just does a few small things to see how she feels.

Unfortunately I hate ironing and I am very much with Maryka on making sure that an item dries as flat as possible so it dries in the right shape to start with. Ironing is not my favourite thing so I have been putting off doing my mum's. I think she is getting very frustrated at not being able to do what she wants after so much time and having to rest.

I've been looking at the link on kiwigirl's swimming thread and trying to figure out what my mum should be attempting right now. I was having a nap this afternoon (I know it's terrible but I am so exhausted) and we had arranged to go to buy a newspaper together which is a ten minute slow walk there and back to the shop. But my mum decided to go on her own and left me a note (her first time out alone). I woke just as she left the house but did not realise until I found her note ten mins later. I was just about to get the car keys when I saw her walking back. She hadn't taken the mobile so I was panicking a little when I realised she was gone (although it's only up the road so I realised she could not have gone far). Anyway when she came back she said that it had felt the strain when walking back even though she was going slow. We tried the same journey last week together and she felt very similar so maybe she needs to do more walking around the house where there is a decent stretch of flat walking area on the ground floor. She has been going upstairs each day (about 17 stairs) but I think it's distance that is a challenge.

So not sure at the moment whether more activity is good or bad, but I will suggest to her that she tries a little ironing to see how it feels.

Thanks again!

 

[Marguerite53]

I would think that ironing is fine. If it hurts or pulls funny, she should stop.

I love ironing!! I know I'm strange. It's very Zen-like for me. With that in mind, it might be the psychological boost that she needs to start feeling normal again. As long as she isn't pulling and twisting too much.

As for walking, yes, please start taking her out a little farther each day for some walks. She needs to feel confident and your doctor will want a measure of some sort, of her strength.

The fresh air will do you both good! And the pleasant slow chatter of a non-essential walk.

What a good daughter you are! It is not terrible that you are exhausted -- that it very normal. I think it is sometimes more emotionally stressful for the loved ones than for the patient. Please feel free to express your needs as well. That's what we're here for!

Best wishes.

Marguerite

 

[Lynlw]

I don't know what your weather is like now, but if it isn't too bad, are you trying to go for walks at least once a day? We always tried to go 2-3 times a day depending on the weather. and trying t increase the distance a little each day. IF it is real hot or cold, sometimes we would go to the mall and walk, unless it was a really crowded time of year.
Did her doctors give her a plan of what she should be doing when? As for the ironing, I think how much she should do, would depend on how heavy is her iron, if it is one of the older heavy ones, I would start with just a few things like you suggested and see how she feels/if she gets sore even later.
Don't feel bad about you being exhausted, It is completely normal. I usually get pretty run down after Justin's surgeries, between the stress lack of sleep ect

ps don't try to guess by what others post, Kiwi is much younger than your Mom ect and even people of the same age, have very different recoveries, alot depends on your shape before surgery, and complications Age ect

 

[chocoholic]

Lynn the weather here is absolutely freezing -4 today and the garden is all iced up. I think that may be why my mum was feeling the strain of the walk she went on. She spent about an hour trying to warm up when she got home. Ive heard that when you walk in the cold you burn more calories so maybe it also puts more strain on a new heart valve.

I guess she's doing pretty good for a just turned 77 year old lady. She seems in very good spirits tonight and each day she is looking better, much more so than before the op. I will try with a little ironing tomorrow and see how she feels. She needs me to get the ironing board for her and set it up so that's how I am involved. I noticed she moved the wheelie bin today after the dustmen left it in an awkward place and I asked her how my pushbike had moved from where it was standing. She said it's easy because they have wheels.....

Marguerite - I wish I too felt like zen about ironing

 

[Lynlw]

Yes the cold weather makes it tougher. so I guess you should be walking around inside more, when you said she goes upstairs do you mean like 1 time a dayto go to bed or thru out the day? Since it is too cold and icy to get the walks in every day, have the doctors suggested rehab? If not maybe you should ask about it.
Justin just mentioned the other day that since his surgery is in Jan this time it will be harder to get all the walking ect he did after his last few surgeries that were during summer, that he is thinking about asking for rehab this time. He did fine with out itall his other surgeries, but we were walking alot