just got home after getting my onx valve

[coach]

wow! went in on monday ,replaced my valve and back home next monday. thank u again for all the prayers , 54 and have a new start. wow! had a small problem with my heart not beating correctly in the mornings , up gos my atenol and seems to have helped. what a job dr.john gott did here at piedmont in atlanta. and he loved the valve ! he would have picked a tissue valve if up to him , but as i have learned here on the site , my choice . he was blown away that my wife and i knew so much about the valve it self . called the lady there at onx. and she was great , just wanted to make sure that piedmont handled these valves and they had all i needed in size. ended up with a 23 ,what ever that means. going through a weard time ,kind of afraid to go to sleep ! thanks again. i will stay posting !

 

[escargome]

Welcome Home Coach. Hope your recovery continues on that smooth and even road. Take your time getting up to speed and get plenty of rest. Oh yea, give your honey a squeeze cause she has been through the wringer also.

 

[Karlynn]

Take care of yourself. Your only jobs for the next few weeks are to walk, sleep, eat and breathe. If you brought home the incentive spirometer most hospitals give you - keep using it, it will help a lot.

 

[Woodbutcher]

Congratulations Coach ! I've had my On-X about 7 months now and all's well (touch wood), take it easy and dont rush anything. Good luck.

 

[lbecker]

I have also been very pleased with the On-X valve I received, my surgery would
have chosen a St. Jude, but I think he was pleased after putting it in. I'm six weeks
out and every week is better. Take it easy. Laura

 

[john79t]

Great news! Hope you have a smooth recovery.

 

[Tbone]

Glad to hear everything went so well for you. I hope you have a nice smooth recovery. Take it easy & do not overdo it.

 

[coach]

how much to do when u get home !

how much to do when u get home !

seems i find myself just wanting to stay up ,walk around the house a bit and listen to the new sound of life. should i be trying to walk outside at this point down the block or as most have said , eat breath and sleep. do not want to over do it. my two right fingers are feeling like they are half asleep and the same down the forearm area. been that way since operation. i know it is so soon after , because when i do not take my two little pills every 6 hours ,its then that i feel the pains coming from all over my upper body. what the heck did they do to me while i was out !!!

 

[Bina]

Welcome home!
A while back we had a member who had a problem with a badly bruised finger postop, I think it was from the oxygen reading finger clamp...??? Can you call the surgeon or nurse to ask about it?

 

[skeptic49]

Congratulations on the new On-X!

Best wishes,

Jim

 

[hensylee]

good news. glad you went and got back safely. blessins...........

 

[kfay]

what the heck did they do to me while i was out !!!

You don't even want to know what they did to you!!! Just kidding. As soon as I got home, I started venturing outside. Up to the mailbox at first, then around the cul de sac, down the block, etc. I wouldn't do it push it too far, just a little bit each day. I remember the first day I actually walked down to the end of my street. I was afraid I wouldn't make it back, but actually did fine even though I was extremely slow.

Kim

 

[R&N Brown]

Hello Coach,

Walk all you feel comfortable with, if you feel you are overdoing, you probably are.

I remember my first full day home. I decided to take to walking our street. (Wife was spotting me) I went out the door, down 4 steps out our walkway and 2 car deep driveway, turned left and went 2 houses down, about 150 yards, stopped, turned around, looked back, and said, "Damm! I have to climb back up those stairs!"

I made it back in one piece. It got better reasonably quick. The more I moved the easier it became, in short attempts, each attempt was a little longer and a little easier.

Rob

PS; I had the numbness in the fingers and arms too. My surgeon told me it was most likely nurve issues and that over time they would go away. They did eventually but to clear completely it was near 9 months.

By the way...in case no one has breifed you...they cut and pulled your chest open, chances are...your going to be a little sore for a while...Keep the bottle close, at least for a short spell.

 

[BigOwl]

You're a bit of a young'n, Coach, what with bein' only 54, but I wish you well. I even envy your OnX, because that was my option (but my damage was too extensive and I ended up with something more conventional), so you should do well.

Do what you feel like doing, when you feel like doing it. My own personal coach (he's a tennis guy) has been a great cheerleader, keeping me at my recumbent bicycle rehab almost since I got home, and at four months post, I'm back at work full-time, kicking students' butts and feeling great. My colleagues can't keep up with me. Your valve is a good'n and you'll probably be back at it before you know it. Best of luck!

 

[ALCapshaw2]

I recall reading another post about "forearm pain" from another member. Try a Search for keyword "forearm" to see if you can find it. You may need to extend the time period for the search out to "any date".

As I recall, that patient's problem was a result of some sort of issue / damage from an IV. Be sure to Tell your Surgeon or his Assistant or Nurse about this issue. Hopefully they can offer some help, or at least put your mind at ease. As you should already know, Everything about Recovery Takes (too much) Time.

Hoping for the Best...

'AL'

 

[Juan P. Negret]

"I'm back at work full-time, kicking students' butts and feeling great. My colleagues can't keep up with me".

It looks as if BigOwl and Coach share with me something in common. I teach at a university here in Bogota. Semester stars next week (six weeks after my surgery) and I plan to start teaching two courses. In the first week I'll try to take it easy, but I don't know afterwards...

Juan

 

[Johan]

Welcome home, Coach. I am 4 weeks post op and feeling great, just a bit of lung problems. They do not give patients here spirometers to take home. Decided to make my own. Seems to be helping. I do not follow a set walking regimen but do all the shopping and walking the mall. Also go down to the boat on weekends and walk the piers and floating marinas. Great! Somebody must drive me around though. You will get better everyday!

 

[COLLEEN S]

Welcome to the other side! Best wishes with your new valve.

 

[Ross]

seems i find myself just wanting to stay up ,walk around the house a bit and listen to the new sound of life. should i be trying to walk outside at this point down the block or as most have said , eat breath and sleep. do not want to over do it. my two right fingers are feeling like they are half asleep and the same down the forearm area. been that way since operation. i know it is so soon after , because when i do not take my two little pills every 6 hours ,its then that i feel the pains coming from all over my upper body. what the heck did they do to me while i was out !!!

If you go walking outside, which there is nothing wrong with that, take someone with you for the first week or two. Keep it short at first, up and down the drive way, then maybe start going to the first stop sign and slowly work your way up to a block. Don't be in any rush. Just do what you can until you begin to feel fatigued, then stop.

What did they do to you. Opened you up, filleted you like a fish, flopped your heart down outside your chest, fixed it, reinstalled it, unfilleted you and sewed you up or stapled you shut.

 

[coach]

thank you , as you say ross , just trying to make a few extra steps a day . wonder how long it takes to get used of waking up in the mornings to see if your still here .