Will she be driving or does she have to buy airline tix? I would think a month would be a good idea to plan for, most of the 1st week you will be in the hospital and the first 2 weeks home at least would be very good to have someone with you. FIRST YOU won't be able to drive and won't feel like cooking ect, then there are the lifting restrictions, so wash or running to the grocery store, taking you to doc appt. ect she would be a big help for. and it is nice to have someone to walk with. Also on the low chance you run into a problem post op it would be good to have someone there. For Justin's last surgery he was re admitted 10 days post op and others had to go back to get things checked out.Then if you are really doing well (or getting on each others nerves) if she didn't fly she could leave early.
Recovery Times
- Thread starter ccummins
- Start date
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Well, mine won't tell you what you would like to hear. I had major complications the first night from having AVR.
Hospital stay.. 20 days, used 21 units of blood. For another week after flying home I was fighting diarrhea and fever. Barely escaped having to return to the local hospital to be fed through IV. Lost 22 pounds from the time of surgery until a week after I got home. I was about 7 pounds overweight before surgery.
Took 6 weeks before I felt like living. After 3 months began to feel normal and started driving, health was improving fast. 6 months doing about what I did before surgery.
ctyguy
Well-known member
If your Mom wants to come for a month I think you should take her up on it. Im a pretty active guy and bounced back quickly but your going to have good days and bad days. I had a mini-AVR and my wife stayed home for two weeks with me. Having someone there run errands, cook, rub my back, and to help me put socks on was wonderful. She went back to work after 2 weeks but was home every evening. Your going to be pretty much house bound for the first month, things like groceries or any that involves driving are going to be against doctors orders and they just aren't something your going to be up for right away.
ctyguy
Well-known member
I meant to include the following:
Week 1 - lots of sleeping, lots of gooooood drugs !
Week 2 - gave up the drugs, started walking on the treadmill
Week 3 - semi-brisk walks on the treadmill, 30 minutes a pop.
Week 4 - slow jogging, first night out for dinner, first cold beer
Week 5 - back to work (desk job)
Week 8 - played 9 holes of golf (against doctor's advice
Week 8 - started lifting weights in the gym, avoided all chest work
4 months - running several times a week, light weight chest work in the gym
6 months - back to normal.
Week 1 - lots of sleeping, lots of gooooood drugs !
Week 2 - gave up the drugs, started walking on the treadmill
Week 3 - semi-brisk walks on the treadmill, 30 minutes a pop.
Week 4 - slow jogging, first night out for dinner, first cold beer
Week 5 - back to work (desk job)
Week 8 - played 9 holes of golf (against doctor's advice
Week 8 - started lifting weights in the gym, avoided all chest work
4 months - running several times a week, light weight chest work in the gym
6 months - back to normal.
today is day #32. got my fanny-pack (sorry ozzies) stuffed with snacks and two
liters of water, and marched out of town. riverside secondary road (new high speed
route is on the opposite bank) was gently rolling, with little traffic other than
busses and motorcycles. light breezes and about 25 degrees centigrade.
covered a total of 13 miles in 3 hours 15 minutes, for a consistent 4mph pace.
heart rate 105 in flats, up to 120 up slope.
no tiredness, soreness, or out of breath-ness. just boredom. walks are fine (i'd
prefer hiking the grand canyon or sandia peak) but i feel i've achieved all i can with
the walking. i'm going to skip the walking, other than the usual 5-8 miles per day
around town, and in few days start concentrating on light weights along with some
easy track workouts. and soon hope to be back on the bicycle!!!
liters of water, and marched out of town. riverside secondary road (new high speed
route is on the opposite bank) was gently rolling, with little traffic other than
busses and motorcycles. light breezes and about 25 degrees centigrade.
covered a total of 13 miles in 3 hours 15 minutes, for a consistent 4mph pace.
heart rate 105 in flats, up to 120 up slope.
no tiredness, soreness, or out of breath-ness. just boredom. walks are fine (i'd
prefer hiking the grand canyon or sandia peak) but i feel i've achieved all i can with
the walking. i'm going to skip the walking, other than the usual 5-8 miles per day
around town, and in few days start concentrating on light weights along with some
easy track workouts. and soon hope to be back on the bicycle!!!
Week 1 alone at home so I sat around a lot
Week 2 started to take my walks, slow start, just 15 mins twice a day
week 3 I was up to 1 hour walks started rehab
By the 7th week I was doing almost everthing I did before the surgery
I have to say I was in good shape before my OHS, I had done a lot of walking and weight lifting, maybe that helped with my recovery.
Week 2 started to take my walks, slow start, just 15 mins twice a day
week 3 I was up to 1 hour walks started rehab
By the 7th week I was doing almost everthing I did before the surgery
I have to say I was in good shape before my OHS, I had done a lot of walking and weight lifting, maybe that helped with my recovery.
Clicker
Member
I felt like I was over the surgery at about the 3 mos. mark, but it really took to about the 6 mos. time frame to feel "normal." I am still not where I was pre-surgery in my fitness levels, but that's coming along OK.
Mom for a month could be a great help. Good luck. Dan
Mom for a month could be a great help. Good luck. Dan
16 years ago 1st surgery and jan.22 2nd surgery,there is no comparisonn
both surgerys 16 years apart are very different for me.
being 31 1st time and now surgery at 47 the age thing does matter.
Think those 16 years make a difference on how bouncy we are
Finding i tire out so quick and course ive done nothing to tire out
We all heal differently at our own pace and we all go through different stages.
The pain seems to be about same with the two surgerys for me
alot more scar tissue 2nd time round and they put in a mesh this time
to keep my heart in sink,as after 16 years the heart seemed to move
to front of my chest,they were aware of this before my 2nd surgery
so to make the chest wall incision they had to be careful,not to cut
my heart and also my 1st arotic valve from 16 years ago i still have
was buried in scar tissue,they had to cut all that away,but found the
valve of 16 years to be fine and working.
So alot of scar tissue issues for me,but i do notice a difference in
feeling so much better since the surgery.
I'll add also my 83 year old mom stayed for 2nd surgery here at my
home she arrived early Jan as i'd experienced so many delays in my
surgery and it is Feb.11th she is still here and will be leaving to her
home 7 hrs away on sunday.
She is very healthy for her age ,very outgoing,very spoken
and i tell you i woulnot have survived without her and the rest of my family.
So yes allow mom to be part of your post surgery
zipper2 (DEB)
both surgerys 16 years apart are very different for me.
being 31 1st time and now surgery at 47 the age thing does matter.
Think those 16 years make a difference on how bouncy we are
Finding i tire out so quick and course ive done nothing to tire out
We all heal differently at our own pace and we all go through different stages.
The pain seems to be about same with the two surgerys for me
alot more scar tissue 2nd time round and they put in a mesh this time
to keep my heart in sink,as after 16 years the heart seemed to move
to front of my chest,they were aware of this before my 2nd surgery
so to make the chest wall incision they had to be careful,not to cut
my heart and also my 1st arotic valve from 16 years ago i still have
was buried in scar tissue,they had to cut all that away,but found the
valve of 16 years to be fine and working.
So alot of scar tissue issues for me,but i do notice a difference in
feeling so much better since the surgery.
I'll add also my 83 year old mom stayed for 2nd surgery here at my
home she arrived early Jan as i'd experienced so many delays in my
surgery and it is Feb.11th she is still here and will be leaving to her
home 7 hrs away on sunday.
She is very healthy for her age ,very outgoing,very spoken
and i tell you i woulnot have survived without her and the rest of my family.
So yes allow mom to be part of your post surgery
zipper2 (DEB)
cday
Well-known member
At 4 months my husband was about 80%, by 6 months - 98%.
AndyChas
Well-known member
I?m not sure whether my surgery experience is relevant to you, but I had a minimally invasive mitral valve repair a couple of weeks ago. I?m like you in that I live by myself and, after spending a week or so at my parents? place after discharge, I?m back home and finding it pretty easy to cope.
I?ve been naughty and have done quite a few short drives in the past couple of days, and I haven?t had any trouble shopping, putting out the washing, making the bed etc (well, it?s sort of tidied up a bit in a blokey sort of way, I suppose). In addition to walking, I?ve also started back at the gym (light exercise on the bike or treadmill) and begin a cardiac rehab programme next Monday.Apart from the odd hiccup (a bit of post-op fever while in hospital and a rather unpleasant daily wave of pericarditis in the last week or so) my recovery seems to be going very well. However, some simple things are still frustratingly difficult. For example, I?m having a lot of trouble chopping vegetables: I can just about manage carrots or small sweet potatoes, but attempting to hack up anything bigger would probably result in a major disaster. Despite the minimally invasive surgery, I still have to sleep on the flat of my back (it will be bliss to get back on my side again!). Like others who have posted, I also find that I get pretty tired in the late afternoon. I work for myself and will probably start again in about a week (I'm in no hurry there
).I think it would be a great idea to have your mum stay with you for at least a couple of weeks after discharge, particularly if you are having traditional open heart surgery. Had that been my fate I definitely would have stayed at my parents? place for a longer period before going home.
All the best,
Andy
My experience exactly, and I agree, take the month from your mom! My mom gave me a month - she lives in town. It was mostly spent helping with my kids, which was very necessary.. to have someone stay with you for a month after OHS sounds ideal. Remember, you can drive after so many weeks, but that doesn't mean you'll feel like it, and ditto for this on other things, as well (laundry, cooking, etc..). I was always pretty nervous right after surgery, I don't know what I would have done without my husband being there. You will feel comforted having someone around, IMO.
