Movement and clothing post-surgery

[Guest]

Hello to all you helpful people,
I now have a surgery date....Jan 21 and I am starting to get prepared. I am one of those people who want to know what to expect and not be surprised by an unpleasant reality!

Currently I am thinking about post-surgery pain with movement. Obviously sneezing is to be avoided at all costs...what other movements? Raising your arms (as in shampooing in the shower?) Reaching out for something? Twisting the torso? Bending over?

Also clothing....button down the front....has anyone tried cutting a turtleneck down the front and attaching velcro? It is cold here in Minnesota! I will probably need something warm covered by a zip up fleece top! Any suggestions will be welcomed!

Pat

 

[LisaD]

Zip fleece is the best, I found buttons to even be troublesome for a while, as well as problems with pants that had buttons. I live in Colorado and left the hospital in subzero conditions, just layers of zip fleece and a parka and sweat pants.
Your hospital will send you home with Sternal precautions. The big thing is moving your arms together, when reaching go with both not one. Also really tough, is trying to get up from laying down, I have heard a lot of people say recliners helped them in the first few weeks. Good luck and keep warm, shivering was painful for me too.

 

[Freddie]

Well Pat,
Raising your arms (as in shampooing in the shower?) Reaching out for something? Twisting the torso? Bending over will all be rather difficult to do, but not impossible - except for bending, like cutting your toes nails.....may I suggest you cut them before you go in the hospital.

It was slow going but I was able to shampoo my own hair and blow dry it without help. It was done slowly and carefully but I did it. As for reaching, you'll be surprised how difficult/painful it is to open the fridge door or to reach for the peanut butter on the second shelf.

Now each person is different, and twisting the torso may not bother some but with others it may be extremely painful. Just like showering, some members had help others did not.

As for clothing, I wore sweatpants and a sweatshirt for the trip home and just wore the hospital stuff while I was there. I basically lived in sweatshirts and sweatpants for 3 months......heck who am I kidding, I still live in my sweats A loose Tee-shirt under a sweatshirt should work just fine for you.

Others may have more suggestions, I like my sweats.

 

[LauraS]

Pat, I'm almost 6 months post op and still don't like anything with buttons on my chest. Go with the fleece and any kind of sweatshirts for warmth. I had no problem lifting my arms to pull clothing over my head but I couldn't do it alone and I couldn't get it off alone. I had no problem washing my own hair but I used a seat in the shower for about a week because I was too weak to stand for long. I did have problems getting out of bed as Lisa said and getting out of chairs. I received an entire binder of information when I was discharged which gave me a schedule of what I could do and when and what's normal and what's not.
I did not have a recliner so I slept with about 3 or 4 pillows and rolled onto my elbow to lift myself out of bed. They tell you not to have someone help you up as they can hurt you more than help you if they pull too hard.
Also, if you buy gallons of milk or anything, don't. You won't be able to life anything more than a half gallon. You will be told not to bend over for a while or stretch to reach for something.
Just remember that it will be a roller coaster ride and you will feel great some days and horrible the next. It is major surgery and your body needs time to heal so be patient and take your time.

 

[Star54]

I'm still having some problems with streching for things and I am almost 5 months out of surgery. I stlll get weird tired days, even though I am back to work, I get wiped out by the end of the day...some of my energy is coming back but slowly, everyone is different. I still cannot tolerate buttons and have had to put the bra/vest that I woke up with on after surgery when I have overdone it and hurt. Eveything that everyone posted is all true, and the same info helped me prepare for my surgery.
Lot's of luck and Godspeed.

 

[Jkm7]

Both of my OHS, I came home in cold weather (Northeast) and did fine with pulling jerseys/sweatshirts over my head. I washed my hair in the hospital when I had my first shower post op. It's short and nurse was right in bathroom with me. She offered to help but I was able to give myself a quick shampoo right after my surgery.

I slept in my bed right from the start when I came home both surgeries. I needed lots of pillows for about the first week. By the second week home, I was down to my usual one and sometimes a second. I have a recliner in my home but never used it. I was comfortable in bed.

I was not one to hang out in my robe or to stay in bed. From day one, I got up in the morning and showered/dressed. Sweat pants/pull on pants and pull over jerseys were fine. I was happy to have slip on shoes so didn't need to struggle with putting on shoes though within a week I got into sneakers and was doing the necessary walking around the neighborhood as instructed.

Everyone has to do what works for them and we truly are all different when it comes to this surgery. Though I had the same surgeon, in the same hospital, with some of the same nurses only four years apart, I recovered differently with each.

Best wishes you have an easy time of it.

 

[kfay]

My experiences were very similar to JKM's...I washed my hair in the shower when I was still in the hospital and then blew it dry. Did it everyday afterwards. Shirts and sweaters that slid over my head were not a problem for me either.

Although it is great to hear what everyone else's experience was like, you won't know what will and won't work for you until you go through it. So, have a few different clothing options available.

Best of luck to you.

Kim

 

[Lily]

Pat, I mostly wore baggy button-up cotton shirts; but even the fabric plackets (sp?) on the shirts bothered my incision a bit (as did underclothing). I'm sure velcro or a zipper would be highly uncomfortable. Maybe a baggy long-sleeved sweatshirt, layered with a vest, would keep you warm enough.

My first shower at home was exhausting, let alone combing through my hair afterward and drying it. I had a sturdy plastic chair in the shower and my husband had installed a shower wand on a hose for me.

In regard to hair, a lot of my hair fell out post-op (it did eventually grow back but I'd never before lost so much hair) so next time I'm cutting my hair short pre-op.

At home, for the first few weeks, off and on, I mostly slept in a sturdy leather wing-back recliner. But I even needed a little push from my husband to get the chair to recline.

My surgeon told me not to lift or push or pull more than five pounds for eight weeks, nor did he want me to drive. I did drive once a little more than two weeks post-op -- evacuating during a wildfire, which is another story -- and it was uncomfortable.

I got showered and dressed each morning but then I needed to rest. You will probably be resting a lot throughout the early recovery days.

Oh, and I found bending over, like to pick something up from the floor, uncomfortable for several or many months. Don't recall trying it early on. But I do recall my first sneeze, which was a few months post-op and I wasn't prepared -- Oh, the pain!

Just one more experience; I hope it helps. Best wishes .

 

[Maryka]

I was told to not lift both hands up for shampooing for 6 weeks. Fleece and pull-on stretch shirts worked for me. See my entries on bra-wearing, I did not wear a "therapeutic bra"--flat cested--but nurse scolded me for not wearing s bra. (oops--R U female, lol!)

 

[netmiff]

In hospital, I wore their stuff - one gown open at the back, another on top of that open at the front!

My surgeon INSISTED that his heavy-breasted women were bound soon after surgery; the weight of breasts moving can impede the healing of the flesh (not the sternum). After I got out, I wore sports bras day and night, andmy OHS scar is the neatest one I have.

As for clothes, I found socks the hardest thing, and the last I could manage on my own. T-shirts and sweat-shirts were OK, and I took flip-flops in to hospital so I wouldn't have to bend to put slippers on before going to the bathrom.

Other things not already mentioned : my DH ran around our kitchen and "fetched" everything I might need onto the countertop before I came home. Anything below about mid-thigh height and above shoulder height was impossible, as was a gallon of milk. DH used to put some into a smaller jug so I could have access. Cans of pop are OK, 2L bottles are not! etc. If DH was going out, we did a quick run through the house and made sure everything I might need (book, glasses, meds, etc.) were within my reach.

Hope that helps; you will probably have a pre-surgery orientation-type meeting, and get some instructions/help there.

 

[Cris N]

My skin was ultra sensitive so I wore tight fitting tank tops under regular tops (it was May) - in the cold it probably would have been long-sleeve t-shirt under sweats or fleece. The zipper would have driven me crazy.

 

[kschul]

Step stool

Step stool

Get a small step stool so you can do little things like pour coffee into your coffee pot and get a glass down out of the cupboard.

 

[Marguerite53]

Everyone is different, of course. Still, I think you are getting great ideas and experiences listed here.

I thought it was hilarious that I could not open the refrigerator door. I just couldn't believe it! THe first couple days you are just ridiculously weak.

Forget doing laundry for awhile. Pulling and tugging on wet stuff, reaching twisting, etc.. Bring everything you use daily out of a cupboard or to the front prior to leaving for surgery. You'll be grateful not to have to reach for it. Make sure you have someone helping you keep track of your medicine taking the first few days -- pain pills should be taken as prescribed; before the pain returns. But you may be pretty "high" from them and forget if you took one or not!!

I could wash my hair, but it is long and fine and tangly so I had to have someone else brush it out and dry it.

Many of us (if you are a female) wore camisole tops, the kind with a shelf bra panel in them. Also, a man's sleeveless ribbed undershirt can make a very nice soft layer between zippers (altho, really -- a zipper??) or buttons. I don't know why our skin becomes so sensitive, but it does. And that lasts far longer than you would suppose it to.

Sleeping/napping. I loved sleeping and napping. For some reason I was able to do a lot of it -- many are not able to. In bed I had about 10 pillows, all around me, most especially under my arms, as if it were a chair with arms in the bed. I bought a recliner for the recovery and was very glad I did. I used it half the time -- even sleeping all night in it. Oh, and I also went to Costco and bought some cheap squishy pillows and had my family bring them to me in the hospital once I got to the regular ward. Wow. A life saver. Those hospital pillows suck.

In the hospital, I brought a pair of my husband's boxer shorts and wore them under my hospital gown. Or, wore two gowns, one in reverse, like a robe.

Well, that's all I can think of at the moment. Back to wrapping presents!!

Happy holidays!

Marguerite

 

[Jordan64]

Clothes

Clothes

One of the things I wasn't told is that they shaved me completely from the neck down the night before my surgery (and I mean completely). I am a pretty hairy guy and between the hairs growing back on my chest and the 9 inch scar on my chest, I find I have to wear loose fitting shirts. I am wearing a lot of sweatpants and sweatshirts here in NY where winter has raised it's ugly head.

Showering was tough at first. Using a wash cloth really helped me. I also use Johnson & Johnson Baby Wash. I squirt some on the wash cloth and it makes easier to wash without reaching so much. I also use a bath chair, which I had from a previous surgery.

I sleep in a chair-for me it is more comfortable sleeping in an upright position and when I sleep in the bed, sometimes I wake up with tingling or numbness in my hands. My surgeon said that is normal, a condition caused by the collarbones being pressed against a certain nerve during surgery.

Just take it slow, find out what works for you and keep comfortable.

 

[Philip B]

Different

Different

Geez, thank God everyone is different. Post surgery, I wore my regular clothing and had no issues with showering.

I did find that sleeping on the sofa was more comfortable than bed. The sofa lent itself to allowing me to stay propped-up at a comfortable angle.

Sneezing and coughing present little difficulty. Get yourself a small firm pillow or roll-up a towel that you can hug to the center of your chest when you feel a cough or sneeze coming on.

As others have noted, it's hard to know what will work best for you post-op until you actually get there. You know what someone said about the best layed plans...

-Philip

 

[purcfin]

Recliner helped

Recliner helped

Had my AVR and aortic root replacement 9/30. Post-surgically one my bigger challenges was resting comfortably as I generally like to sleep on my side, but I was able to overcome that restriction after a couple of weeks. For me, a recliner was indeed helpful as I could sort of "rock" my way out of the sitting position with the assistance of my wife or inertia.

Although I did not review every entry into this thread, I am not embarrassed to admit I wondered how I was going to initially "cleanse" myself after a bowel movement--I even purchased a device in advance to "address" that potential. However, that issue never arose (I thought of so many puns while writing this paragraph that shall remain undisclosed).

My surgery was more prophylactic rather than a response to symptomatic disease, so I was able to be fairly active (within certain limitations) prior to the procedure. I strongly believe that in cooperation with your providers that enhancing or maintaining a good level of fitness will pay great dividends in the recovery process. And if cardiac rehab is covered by your insurance and recommended by your surgeon, start as soon as you are allowed and stay with the program particularly in MN where your exercise options such as walking may be limited by the winter climate.

Best of luck to you!

 

[abbanabba]

Also - try not to drop your pills (the millions of them!!!) on the floor.... or swallow your water down the wrong way. VERY PAINFUL!!!!

I was able to shower while in the hospital, but had my hair braided a'la Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz until I got home. Kept it easy to maintain. The first hair wash I managed, but needed my SO to wield the hair dryer for me - after that I managed it all by myself.

As far as clothes, keep it loose. If you have big sweaters you can slip over your head, even if you can't lift your arms over your head, you can probably feed your arms into the sleeves without too much hassle. Whatever you do, just do it s-l-o-w-l-y and you should be OK.

For getting in and out of bed, I had a "ski rope" which was a bit of dowl tied to a rope which was tied to the end of my bed. The idea was you wound the rope around the dowl to either raise yourself up or lower yourself down, and by keeping your elbows tucked tight to your side, it took all the pressure off the sternum. It worked a treat and I couldn't imagine trying to manage without it!

You'll probably end up finding a bunch of your own techniques that work for you

 

[DebbyA]

I was like you--trying to anticipate every detail. For me, things weren't as difficult as we feared, though. Hope you'll have the same experience!

Lots of good advice, but one thing I didn't see mentioned is the possibility of seeping from the drain tube sites (upper abdominal). Mine seeped for two weeks. I wore oversize t-shirts topped with a buttonup fleece sweater. Had no problem getting them over my head. Since it was winter, I just buttoned up the sweater and wore a nice scarf the few times I went out.

If you do need to reach or tug on something (all our closets have heavy wood sliding doors) keep your upper arm tight against your body, so your forearm functions sort of like a tow rope and you don't pull chest muscles. I started cooking the third week and used that method to assemble things. I did have someone to call on for really heavy things, but with simple cooking it didn't happen much.

Good luck!

 

[Herburban1]

Wishing you the best. that is my 1 year anniversary...I wore tank tops under button tops. I didn't wear a bra for about a month or so. I mostly wore PJ pants at home with loose shirts. I had trouble opening my meds and lifting the milk to put in my coffee at first. and my first shower at home wiped me out. I got a pillow from the hospital that was my best friend for at least a month..If you don't get one find one at home about 12 inch square will work well...Best of luck and keep the questions coming if you need to. Louanne

 

[Lynlw]

Get a small step stool so you can do little things like pour coffee into your coffee pot and get a glass down out of the cupboard.

Alot of times they recomend NOT using small stools or anything to stand up on, incase you get a little dizzy or lose your balance ect. It's safer to just keep a couple cups, plates ect on the counter that you don't have to reach for.