Planning for surgery in December

[Lasker]

Hello All,

Well, with one month to go before avr and possible bypass surgery, I've read most things on the website. Nancy, thanks for all those useful threads.

I have followed one advice offered many times and have ordered a recliner.

First question--is a shower chair what I should buy, or will a stool do as well? There's an attractive teak one from Brookstone.

Secondly, has anyone gone directly from the hospital into a cardiac rehabilitation program? I've contacted the Rusk Institute in NYC about their program, and an waiting for an additional e-mail from them.

To enter their program you have to be able to walk 50 feet without hemodynamic change, and undergo three hours of rehab/day. That's sounds strenuous to me for someone less than a week postop and I am waiting to hear exactly what activities and exercises consitutes the rehab program.

Perhaps I would be better off just going home, with my husband taking care of me, and gradually increasing walking. There may be some other simple exercises that should be done, but who will teach them to me? Should formal cardiac rehab take place several weeks out rather than directly from the hospital. I've asked Rusk if they have any data on outcomes from their rehab program.

I'm waiting for your recommendations, from the shower stool to cardiac rehab. I will go to Walmarts to get a body pillow. Planning is the best thing I can do until December 10, so please keep me busy.

Lorraine Lasker

 

[Nancy]

Hi Loraine-

Joe has a plastic folding chair for the shower. He could hold onto the back of the chair if he was a little woozy. That was what he needed more than sitting down. He wasn't in the shower for a huge amount of time, so holding onto something for him, was more important.

Three hours of rehab is something you wouldn't be able to do right after surgery. You will have to build up to that level gradually. You will be encouraged to walk around a lot, but it will be in short spurts rather than something sustained. And you will probably be way too sore to do much upper body movement, for about the first month. Plus some upper body motions may not be allowed by the surgeon. Get input from your surgeon on the program you mentioned.

 

[Ross]

I went from CSICU straight to rehab. No step down. Of course, I was in CSICU for 50 days before being transfered. Right from the frying pan into the fire. What they do is stretch that 3 hours out over 8. You don't do everything all at once, a little here, a little there. It's strenuous, but managable.

 

[medtronic of borg]

exercise

exercise

I would recomend a step down before taking it on. Slow and steady will get you there faster! My rehab didn't start for three months. They were backed up...I just waited. Once i did we started with a 10 min. warm up and ten hard minutes walking followed by 10 min. of cool down. All while being monitored. By the end of the 3 month program...I was walking hard for a solid hour before my cool down.

Med