Post Op thread
- Thread starter AmyR
- Start date
Help Support Valve Replacement Forums:
I am 3 weeks post op. Walking is back to normal. Breathlessness does occur at times. A few PVC's and muscular pain, weakness a little. Apart from that i feel pretty okay. Recovering and as all of you say everyday is better if not a lot but a little little. On the road to recovery. 
God bless.
God bless. 
Agian
Well-known member
Good news
Great news. I am 6 1/2 weeks post op and feel almost normal, except of course the sternum...no heavy lifting, reaching, pulling etc. yet. Keep up the great recovery!
jhc1
Well-known member
Amy-glad to hear you are progressing well. I just ticked over 1 month post op. A piece of advice-keep the pillow near. It's very easy to put it down and leave it-you never know when the sneeze from hell will sneak up!
T in YVR
Well-known member
Glad to hear you are doing well Amy!
Thanks for that insight Steve. Yeah, this part has been weighing on my mind quite a bit. I had Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO) in my left eye about 13 yrs ago. Its essentially a blockage or 'mini stroke' of sorts and my optical nerve had some swelling with bleeding in all 4 quadrants of my eye. I was one of the lucky ones and experienced no vision loss - the vision loss can be quite significant with this (in fact the whole thing was caught by chance during a routine eye exam...kind of like my AVR actually). I told the surgeon about it and both he and my cardiologist were not concerned, but I can't imagine they see this every day either... but at this stage there is not much I can do except hope it will work out ok and no re-occurrence will happen after the surgery. Do they reduce the clotting effect of your blood both during/shortly after surgery quite a bit?
Thanks for that insight Steve. Yeah, this part has been weighing on my mind quite a bit. I had Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO) in my left eye about 13 yrs ago. Its essentially a blockage or 'mini stroke' of sorts and my optical nerve had some swelling with bleeding in all 4 quadrants of my eye. I was one of the lucky ones and experienced no vision loss - the vision loss can be quite significant with this (in fact the whole thing was caught by chance during a routine eye exam...kind of like my AVR actually). I told the surgeon about it and both he and my cardiologist were not concerned, but I can't imagine they see this every day either... but at this stage there is not much I can do except hope it will work out ok and no re-occurrence will happen after the surgery. Do they reduce the clotting effect of your blood both during/shortly after surgery quite a bit?
Thanks guys.
jhc1- i carry the baby pillow with me everywhere.
I had one question for you guys. I have started going out to my friends place. I try being normal but dont stress to much yet once i am back i am exhausted. Is it okay to do all this or should i stay home most of the time. The issue with staying home is the boredom helpless and jobless feeling has started getting onto my nerves. Anything i should avoid? what did you guys do about 3 and a 1/2 weeks post op?
jhc1- i carry the baby pillow with me everywhere.
I had one question for you guys. I have started going out to my friends place. I try being normal but dont stress to much yet once i am back i am exhausted. Is it okay to do all this or should i stay home most of the time. The issue with staying home is the boredom helpless and jobless feeling has started getting onto my nerves. Anything i should avoid? what did you guys do about 3 and a 1/2 weeks post op?
epstns and T in YVR- I just wanted to ask. I never have the vision loss feeling but yeah it like once in a while i feel my eyes r spinning in the opp direction a feeling similar to dizziness but when i close my eyes i am okay. Is this what you guys faced post OP.? Is it benign?
AmyR - That is one of the vision effects I had. It felt to me as if the muscles in my eyes were having cramps or spasms, and I couldn't get the images from my two eyes into convergence. I would see two separate images. It passed after a minute or so, and I still have it once in a while. None of the docs seem to be concerned about it.
Jkm7
Well-known member
Thanks guys.
jhc1- i carry the baby pillow with me everywhere.
I had one question for you guys. I have started going out to my friends place. I try being normal but dont stress to much yet once i am back i am exhausted. Is it okay to do all this or should i stay home most of the time. The issue with staying home is the boredom helpless and jobless feeling has started getting onto my nerves. Anything i should avoid? what did you guys do about 3 and a 1/2 weeks post op?
This is such a good question.
My first surgery was emergent with no warning and I was very ill. I was in CICU for days before they felt I was well enough to have the surgery. Thankfully I did fine and was home in a reasonable length of time. Not having had 'notice' of this event and a chance to do any research, I thought I was fragile and would break if I did anything but be careful around the house.
Our best friend is a doctor. He called the day I came home and 'told' me my DH and I were coming to his house the upcoming Saturday and he and his wife would not take No for an answer. I was stunned and thought surely he was trying to kill me.
We have known and trusted him for most of our lives so knew he would not put me at risk. It was bitter cold of winter, we bundled up and drove to their house. We had a wonderful, quiet evening with them. He took us to the car when we left and whispered...... see, you are fine and safe and you should get on with living your life. You can do whatever you feel up to remembering lifting restrictions etc
It was the biggest gift he could have given us. I never would have dared go out to dinner, go with friends, live........ He knew there was absolutely no place else I would have felt safe but with him.
After that, we gradually got into our lives and shopping and friends and all we were accustomed to doing.
It served me well after my second OHS and knew right off we did not have to wrap me in soft blankets as though I would shatter.
You're fixed. Go live your life and be happy.
Use common sense and follow your doctors' orders but go with your friends, go shopping, do what you feel up to.
Agian
Well-known member
Amy, doctors here tell patients not to drive for a certain number of weeks post-op, usually six.
Jkm7- that was so encouraging. i keep doing everything possible i did before op, just that it has become super cold here and i was having pain in my chest at times which i guess was due to the cold so was wondering if it was because i was goin out. I havent been doing anythin that the doc asked me not to.
Again- ya i know, i don drive my friends come pick me from home. but yeah it did drive a lil lil here n there cause for me driving is like my passion and it makes me happy thou i did not overdo it. just drove like for 5mins on a empty straight road. the craziest part my doc is a close friend and he knows i love driving so the day i was discharged my house was a 8 hrs drive so he was lik " i know you will get bored so if you feel like drive a lil lil if you want" so yes i took advantage of that a drove for half an hour on an empty straight patch there as well.
Again- ya i know, i don drive my friends come pick me from home.
but yeah it did drive a lil lil here n there cause for me driving is like my passion and it makes me happy thou i did not overdo it. just drove like for 5mins on a empty straight road. the craziest part my doc is a close friend and he knows i love driving so the day i was discharged my house was a 8 hrs drive so he was lik " i know you will get bored so if you feel like drive a lil lil if you want" so yes i took advantage of that a drove for half an hour on an empty straight patch there as well. My surgery was 6/5/13 and I have been very careful but I have driven our rtv on our prairie, without the Dr. knowing about it. Everything was fine.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s271/photogman/image_zps7ef80c8b.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s271/photogman/image_zps7ef80c8b.jpg
AmyR, My surgeon tells his patients not to drive for 5 weeks after surgery - not because they will hurt themselves but because their reaction times in an emergency may not be normal due to the instinctive reaction to muscle pain in the chest. He told me that other than direct impact, my chest wires would hold my sternum together and that I should only worry about lifting. I also had some restrictions to my left arm movement to protect my freshly implanted pacemaker leads, but most patients do not have that to worry about.
For me the only worry I had about driving after the 5-week delay was whether I could twist my body well enough to see behind me to drive backward up our 120-foot driveway into the garage, as I did not want to leave my "special" car on the street overnight. (It is always in the garage at night, unless I am out of town with it.) I fully understand how the feel of driving can be a comfort - it always has been for me, too. Also, once we are able to again drive, we feel that we have some of our normal freedom returned to us.
As for going out - I'll agree with jkm7's doctor friend. Do whatever you feel up to doing. There is little to no risk physically. I would, however, be careful about going out into large groups, as there are often colds, flu and other common diseases out floating around among groups, and we don't want you getting sick this early in recovery. For me, during my first month or so of recovery, even a trip to the grocery store with my wife was a great outing, and I loved every minute of the things we did.
For me the only worry I had about driving after the 5-week delay was whether I could twist my body well enough to see behind me to drive backward up our 120-foot driveway into the garage, as I did not want to leave my "special" car on the street overnight. (It is always in the garage at night, unless I am out of town with it.) I fully understand how the feel of driving can be a comfort - it always has been for me, too. Also, once we are able to again drive, we feel that we have some of our normal freedom returned to us.
As for going out - I'll agree with jkm7's doctor friend. Do whatever you feel up to doing. There is little to no risk physically. I would, however, be careful about going out into large groups, as there are often colds, flu and other common diseases out floating around among groups, and we don't want you getting sick this early in recovery. For me, during my first month or so of recovery, even a trip to the grocery store with my wife was a great outing, and I loved every minute of the things we did.
SuzanneSLO
Well-known member
My surgeon cleared me for driving 4 weeks after discharge, which was 2 days ago. My concern is also twisting my body enough to see around corners and to back into my tricky parking place at work. As a result, my sweet husband is continuing to be my chauffeur.
I find that I am continuing to limit my activity because I am still having issues with fatigue. And when I get tired, I experience more pain near my incision. On Tuesday, between cardiac rehabilitation and work, I was out and about for more than 6 hours. Not only did I take a deep nap when I finally returned home but when I woke up I was too tired to eat. For me, I think this was my definition of over doing it.
As others have said, you have to listen to your body. Ideally, you can rest before you get too tired. -- Suzanne
I find that I am continuing to limit my activity because I am still having issues with fatigue. And when I get tired, I experience more pain near my incision. On Tuesday, between cardiac rehabilitation and work, I was out and about for more than 6 hours. Not only did I take a deep nap when I finally returned home but when I woke up I was too tired to eat. For me, I think this was my definition of over doing it.
As others have said, you have to listen to your body. Ideally, you can rest before you get too tired. -- Suzanne
Thanks for your replies guys. The reason i am not driving is because i really cant twist and turn much without pain and also my response to the steering is weak cause of the pain and so i only drive straight roads.
esptns- ya i am avoiding crowded places for a good reason that m not ready for a bump to my chest, thats a bigger fear than the flu..
suzanne- hmmm fatigue is surely the best symptom of ur body telling you S T O P... i try avoiding reaching the fatigue levels but had a frnd leaving country so was running around from 3-4 days and now that he has left m back relaxing at home.
esptns- ya i am avoiding crowded places for a good reason that m not ready for a bump to my chest, thats a bigger fear than the flu..
suzanne- hmmm fatigue is surely the best symptom of ur body telling you S T O P...
i try avoiding reaching the fatigue levels but had a frnd leaving country so was running around from 3-4 days and now that he has left m back relaxing at home. Just another update. I am 4 weeks post on today so went partying with my friends last night to celebrate it. Did not stay long just about 30 mins. It was weird cause i was standing in a corner( to avoid any1 bumping into me) with a glass of water(thats all i could have) but yeah did enjoy the music and shook a leg, it made me feel a little better getting out. But yeah i still have a little breathless feeling, a lil flu and cramps (as posted in another thread). I hope that resolves soon. With all the ups and downs i guess the recovery is pretty much good. Hope for the best. Take it easy. Keep Smiling.
Agian
Well-known member
That is nice, Amy.
