Questions no one talks about

[bayou girl]

@ epstns I live 13' off the ground so I too no what its like to climb those stairs, actually their part of my exercise routine. Go up the back stairs walk around the house come down the front. I live in Lafitte, La and we flooded a few times for the hurricanes, but no more.

 

[Bushman]

Bayou girl,
I am a 43 year old male in very good physical shape,I had my AVR on March 29th. I was home 4 days later but had some complications which landed me back in CICU a few days after that. I am a little over 2 1/2 weeks post op now and starting to turn the corner.

Post op for me was bad. The first day not so much because the anesthetic and epidural were still in effect but after that the pain was terrible. We were constantly late chasing the pain and i kept telling the staff "I don't need stronger pain meds, i just need them to last longer". My sternum is now healing well, not much pain, not taking pain meds but still very sensitive and tender. Most of this makes sense considering they told me numerous times that recovery would probably be painful because I was young, strong and healthy.

My movement is still pretty limited only because of the chest but getting better every day.

I rolled an ATV a couple of years back and it landed hard on top of me breaking a few ribs and leaving me pretty beaten up and bruised. I would say that this surgery for me has been very similar in terms of pain, the first week being brutal at times but getting better day by day thereafter.

Make sure they stay on top of the pain and ahead of it, anticipating when the previous meds will wear off. My team wanted to be helpful but were very conservative too which doesn't help when you are in that much pain. The team I had in CICU with my complications were way better and didn't mind moving away from the script.

I wish you all the best, a quick, pain free and boring recovery.

Bushman

 

[almost_hectic]

Bayou girl,
I am a 43 year old male in very good physical shape,I had my AVR on March 29th. I was home 4 days later but had some complications which landed me back in CICU a few days after that. I am a little over 2 1/2 weeks post op now and starting to turn the corner.

Post op for me was bad. The first day not so much because the anesthetic and epidural were still in effect but after that the pain was terrible. We were constantly late chasing the pain and i kept telling the staff "I don't need stronger pain meds, i just need them to last longer". My sternum is now healing well, not much pain, not taking pain meds but still very sensitive and tender. Most of this makes sense considering they told me numerous times that recovery would probably be painful because I was young, strong and healthy.

My movement is still pretty limited only because of the chest but getting better every day.

I rolled an ATV a couple of years back and it landed hard on top of me breaking a few ribs and leaving me pretty beaten up and bruised. I would say that this surgery for me has been very similar in terms of pain, the first week being brutal at times but getting better day by day thereafter.

Make sure they stay on top of the pain and ahead of it, anticipating when the previous meds will wear off. My team wanted to be helpful but were very conservative too which doesn't help when you are in that much pain. The team I had in CICU with my complications were way better and didn't mind moving away from the script.

I wish you all the best, a quick, pain free and boring recovery.

Bushman

Same here I went home with a script for some strong pain meds and got another refill to boot. I had lots of pain and tenderness in my sternum. And my surgeon described it before surgery as, "it's gonna feel like you've been hit by a truck" because I was strong and fit. Amazing how it works that way. But any sudden movement or anything with my arms I had to be very careful and move slowly for several weeks. It got better but very slowly, I had to take it very easy and give it lots of time. Anytime I didn't set me back for a few days of being very sore and tender again. So I knew I had to be more careful.

 

[Paleowoman]

And my surgeon described it before surgery as, "it's gonna feel like you've been hit by a truck" because I was strong and fit. Amazing how it works that way.

That explains it then. I was told it's like being hit by a truck too, though was told that after surgery, not before (I was unable to take any painkillers either).

 

[JulienDu]

Bayou girl,
Most of this makes sense considering they told me numerous times that recovery would probably be painful because I was young, strong and healthy.

Yeah, same here. I had lot of muscle around my chest and I suffered the first weeks too. I refused to take pain med after the 4 days of hospitals because I was stubborn. I am impressed when I hear people say they did not have any pain cause I am a tough ******* and I have been hit/hurt badly quite a few times in the past.

 

[Marguerite53]

Hello! I came on tonight because tomorrow is my 10 year "valversary" ) and I like to check in at least once a year. I noticed your post and thought I'd chime in. 10 years is a good long time!!! I can't say I remember accurately about my level of pain. I consider my self pretty darn tolerant of pain. But, I chose to use the pain meds and stay on top of the pain because experiencing pain causes your body stress and when you're trying to heal, well, you don't need any added stress! I did not renew any Rx, but used what I was sent home with. I slept in a recliner for a month. Otherwise, I rested with as many pillows around me as possible -- mostly propping up my arms. Don't know why, it was just more comfortable. I remember being so tired, like Steve said. Laughingly tired. Couldn't open the fridge, couldn't lift a fork. But that did not last very long. Yes, for some reason you just feel like you were hit by a truck. There are unpleasantries in the hospital. They don't really let you sleep well, bothering you all the time with BP and such. They pull wires out (count just like they tell you and it shouldn't hurt too much), they make you get up when you're exhausted, the cath....oh I really hated the catheter. But this is heart surgery, after all, so they've got to do these things! I know what you mean about wanting to know everything. It's natural to want to feel prepared. At some point just before the surgery, you may experience a calm. You just find that grace to go forward. We're all scared. It's okay.
I hope your experience will be good!!! Try to be grateful and positive. If something doesn't feel right, speak up! I had wonderful, amazing staff taking care of me. I played a lot of cards (solitaire) for the few days I was in the regular ward (you don't do much in CICU but sleep, as I recall). I was too out of it to enjoy TV or reading (didn't have iPhones then, so nothing electronic -- don't think I could have focused on it, anyway). Cards were monotonous and perfect for me.
One thing (sorry I don't know if you have asked or been told this elsewhere) I remember everyone here telling me before my surgery was this -- your family may freak out a little when they first see you because you will be very ashen and gray looking just after the surgery. The sheets will be pulled very tightly over your body and you'll be so still. It is unsettling to see, I think. There will be lots of wires and scary things. That's very normal!! Don't let them worry.
I do love this place. I couldn't have made it through the surgery emotionally (both pre and post surgery) without these wonderful people cheering me on and helping me understand.
Good luck, kiddo!!
Marguerite

 

[nate_zor]

I had my Aortic Root Replacement (Bentall Procedure) around 4.5 weeks ago. I'm a 28 year old Male and was in reasonably good physical condition prior to my surgery (having an aneurysm limited the type of exercise I could do leading up to my operation, so I just did to power walking in the evenings. In the months leading up to my operation, I started to increase the distance, settling at around 8.5Km which I took me a bit over an hour to complete. The surgery went well with no complications. My first couple of days after the operation were more or less pain free due to the morphine I was on.

I found that the majority of my pain was referred pain around my back, neck and shoulders, which occasionally lead to rather unpleasant headaches. The sternum wound itself only really hurt when I was doing breathing exercises with my Tri-Flow or coughing (and the worst pain I felt in my sternum was while throwing up a couple of days after coming home, not my best day ever). The referred pain was worst when my central line, morphine, and catheter were removed on the 3rd day after my operation (they also started giving me diuretics), I felt absolutely miserable that day, and I also developed a mild fever that night due to some minor fluid build up on my lungs (both had subsided by morning). After taking me off the Morphine, I was given an Indocid suppository twice a day as well as Paracetamol and codeine tablets every 4 hours, and that seemed to take care of the pain. I was also given a fiber supplement to take when i started on the Paracetamol+Codeine tablets called Metamucil. I was taking two tablespoons in the morning, and two again in the evening. It's not the most pleasant thing to drink (In-fact, the quicker you gulp it down after mixing it the better, otherwise it turns into what could only be described as a vaguely orange-flavored sawdust jelly), but it keeps you regular, and is better than taking laxatives. I think it's psyllium husk based?

I continued the paracetamol+codeine tablets for pain management when I returned home, and only took Indocid when I really needed it (usually when I started to develop a splitting headache). Since I didn't have a great deal of meat above my sternum, I guess i'm not feeling as much pain there as others would?

I'm halfway through the 4th week after my operation, and I'm taking the painkillers less and less frequently (although I tried sleeping on my side last night for the first time since the operation, and my sternum was feeling a little tender the next day, this could either be because of the position i was sleeping in, or my decreased painkiller doses). I still have stiffness in my neck and shoulders, but that's because i haven't been doing my stretching exercises as diligently as i should be. I've just started walking ~2.5km in the evenings (I was doing 1km walks in the evenings on the week i returned home).

Wishing you a smooth and swift recovery!!

 

[bayou girl]

Well I'm back. It's been 1 month since my surgery and it was one hell of a ride. 4 days in SCU and 4 days in a room before I got to go home. I developed some kind of rash during surgery over my whole body that they couldn't figure out that lasted about 2 hours otherwise everything went fine. I was lucky to have a cousin who is an OR nurse in there with the doctors that made me feel like someone was watching out for me.
Since I've been home everything is in slow motion, sneezed once and felt like I was kicked in the chest by a horse. Week 4 and I am doing much better, riding a 3-wheel bike for 2 miles 3x a week and am cooking again just can't wait to be able to start cutting the grass.

 

[pellicle]

Glad to hear you're back ... from your reports I think you're doing well ... keep up the exersize and be careful "round the back of horses"

Gerzundheidt

;-)

 

[bayou girl]

Ha Ha Ha , watch out laughing hurts too.