Post Surgery tips

[newarrior]

I think that is a good plan. Also, I would expect that in Thailand the cost of such a nursing facility would be reasonable.

My mom is in a managed care facility in the US and one of the services that they offer is short term stays for those recovering from surgery. That way someone is always available to assist with such things as bathing and getting dressed, ect, if needed.

That's exactly what I'm looking at. You think one week in the hospital for weeks in the nursing home which is about five and half weeks would that be enough that my upper body would be recovered that I'd be able to navigate the glass doors that I've been talking about in my elevator? Thank you Chuck thank you everybody else hope everybody's healing well and God bless you and a Happy New Year to everyone of you

 

[Chuck C]

You think one week in the hospital for weeks in the nursing home which is about five and half weeks would that be enough that my upper body would be recovered that I'd be able to navigate the glass doors that I've been talking about in my elevator?

I don't know how heavy those doors are, and we all heal at slightly different rates, so I really can't say whether 5.5 weeks is a long enough time to recover enough for you to open those doors. I would keep some flexibility in being able to extend your stay if needed. In that you have indicated that they provide daily physical therapy in the nursing home, this could be an ideal situation, given your situation. I would suggest getting a list of exercises from your sugeon and have the nursing home therapists work with you on those specific exercises. If he does not provide such a list, you can probably get one from the San Francisco hospital, which completed your recent echo.

Also, I think that one thing which is most often ignored is pre-surgical conditioning. I would engage in a doctor guided strength and conditioning program for months leading up the surgery. You will want to include a lot of stretching, especially in the shoulders and back. Going into surgery in good physical condition and with good flexibility will be a big assist for a successful recovery.

 

[d333gs]

That's exactly what I'm looking at. You think one week in the hospital for weeks in the nursing home which is about five and half weeks would that be enough that my upper body would be recovered that I'd be able to navigate the glass doors that I've been talking about in my elevator? Thank you Chuck thank you everybody else hope everybody's healing well and God bless you and a Happy New Year to everyone of you

Hi Newwarrior
It takes about 3 months for broken bones to heal. You should be careful until that time is up. They told me to stay off my bike for the first 3 three months because vibration and bumps could break the bond of the healing ribcage. So you have to be prudent.

 

[newarrior]

I don't know how heavy those doors are, and we all heal at slightly different rates, so I really can't say whether 5.5 weeks is a long enough time to recover enough for you to open those doors. I would keep some flexibility in being able to extend your stay if needed. In that you have indicated that they provide daily physical therapy in the nursing home, this could be an ideal situation, given your situation. I would suggest getting a list of exercises from your sugeon and have the nursing home therapists work with you on those specific exercises. If he does not provide such a list, you can probably get one from the San Francisco hospital, which completed your recent echo.

Also, I think that one thing which is most often ignored is pre-surgical conditioning. I would engage in a doctor guided strength and conditioning program for months leading up the surgery. You will want to include a lot of stretching, especially in the shoulders and back. Going into surgery in good physical condition and with good flexibility will be a big assist for a successful recovery.

Right it's kind of subjective as far as how heavy these glass doors are and how quickly we recover. I have been increasing my upper body strengthening more for sarcopenia and general strength and physical appearance but that's an interesting plan to really work on strengthening your upper body

I'm also concerned about grocery shopping as I can't count on anybody to do it for me but again I can probably hire people or just have it ordered. Also getting access to my gym is going to be difficult there's two sets of glass doors in my building.

Since I don't have a car I'm going to be relying on getting in and out of taxis the drivers won't know that I've had heart surgery I hope it's not an issue. I would think I would probably not want to take the risk of writing the subways here in Bangkok for a while because I'm might not always have elevators or escalators to go up and down and it can be pretty chaotic getting in and out of the subway also riding the subway there can be a lot of jerking motions going on I won't count on anybody to drive me around after surgery as I don't own a car for 8 years and I don't have anybody I trust drive me around

That's the general thought is to do you know one week in the hospital a month in a nursing home and then extend my stay I'll have to talk to them in advance about that at some point though I'm going to want to go back to the comfort of my own home

 

[3mm]

... heavy those doors are, and we all heal at slightly different rates, so I really can't say whether 5.5 weeks is a long enough time to recover enough for you to open those doors.

During recovery from my sternotomy, I opened heavy doors by grasping the door's handle in my hand, locking that arm's elbow into my hip, and then rotating my hip while I stepped back with that side of my body. This put the strain on my hips and lower body rather than my chest.

 

[Lisa from LJ]

Hi there.

I have a few questions as I prepare for my OHS surgery this spring. Searched the threads but didn’t find much on these particular topics:

1. I’m a side sleeper. I have a really hard time sleeping flat. I do have an electric recliner that goes flat, and also have an adjustable frame bed. My question is for you side sleepers, how long after OHS were you able to sleep in your side?

2. Showering. I read great feedback on getting a shower bench which I just ordered. But I read you can’t raise your arms above your head for a few weeks. Any tips then on how to wash your hair? I am a female with long hair so I do plan to cut it much shorter prior to surgery, but still any tips on washing when you can’t reach up?

3. Formal Cardiac rehab. How often is this usually started? Right after surgery or after you heal?

4. I own a side business and want to use my down time from my recovery to rebuild my business website. Using a laptop - what’s the less painful way? Lap desk? sitting at a normal desk? Or will that be uncomfortable?

Thanks in advance! Loved all the other tips I read to help me prepare.

1. I'm a stomach sleeper and can't sleep on my back at all. In the beginning, I slept with the bed reclined at about 30-35 degrees. Once they pulled the chest tubes the day before I left the hospital, I slept on my sides. I didn't have that much pain once I got out of the ICU (2nd day after surgery) and never used the pillow or blow thing.

2. I was never told anything about not lifting my hands above my head and showered and dried my hair on the 2nd day after surgery. Once I got out of ICU, I figured out how to disconnect the leads, let the person monitoring the screen know that I was showering, and did so.

3. I didn't do Cardiac rehab because I was up and walking without any PT or encouragement once I got out of ICU. See note above about disconnecting leads.

4. Sitting in a chair wasn't a problem for me.