Hi, Sheryl, my first word of advice is "Don't Panic". You've begun this journey the way many of us have and we certainly understand the consternation that it causes. I, too, live by myself - well, except for Den & Teti, my tonks, and Bede, my dog. Before surgery, I worried about everything. Would I be able to live at home after surgery? Would I even be able to care for myself? How long might I be an invalid? How long before I could start living normally? ... and many more.
I can only tell you that not one of the things I worried about was ever a problem, even once. Surgery was on Tuesday and I was home in my own bed the following Sunday. To be practical, I had asked my best friend to come stay with me for a few days after I got home and it was really nice to have him there but I found that I didn't need him to actually do anything. On Monday morning, I let him fix breakfast but after that I fixed my own meals. After breakfast, I took my first real shower and it left me feeling exhausted but wonderful so I took a nap in my recliner. I worried that I would not be able to sleep in my own bed so my brother brought me a recliner. I came to really like it for resting during the day but I never slept in it at night. Before surgery I had put a number of things in the freezer to make things a little easier and after that first breakfast I made my own meals. On the following day, I decided to do some laundry and discovered that I couldn't carry a normal laundry basket so I had to make a couple of trips to the washing machine and after that, I needed a nap. )For the first few weeks, you are likely to become exhausted easily so be prepared for naps.) Later that day, my friend went with me for my first walk to the end of the block and back then it was time for another nap but it felt great to be walking outside. As the days passed, my friend returned home and my walks got longer. During the day, in the recliner, I often used my tray table for my computer so I could keep in touch with friends, chatted on the phone and listened to music. As each day passed, I felt better. By the time I saw my surgeon again, two weeks after surgery, I was walking about a quarter of a mile at at time (always remembering that you never want to walk until you get tired because there is the walk back remaining). He was delighted that I was getting out and asked about the amount of pain meds I was taking. When I told him I found the pain meds only necessary at bedtime, he told me that I could probably start driving at the end of week four. Things only got better, Sheryl. I went back to work on half days at six weeks and really never had a problem; a week later I decided to work full days with the understanding that if I got tired I would go home but I never needed to do so. Cardiac Rehab began at week seven and ran (3 days a week) for three months. By then, I was doing almost everything I had done before surgery. I cannot tell you how much Cardiac Rehab helped. The exercise was good but the best thing it did was to restore my confidence in my own body. Its a terrible disappointment to discovery that one's body is failing and it takes awhile to trust it again after surgery. Cardiac Rehab helps do that wonderfully well.
My only continuing issue was that I developed what for me has proven to be chronic costochondritis which is an inflammation of the cartilage where the ribs are attached to the sternum. The problem this caused was that while driving the shoulder harness irritated my chest so a friend made me a long narrow pillow to use as a fender and it worked great until I lost it last week after four and a half years. As a temporary substitute, I borrowed one of Bede's toys.
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It has worked so well that I don't need to replace it and Bede has a lot of toys. Like my old pillow, it is long and narrow but it has a "nose" that keeps it from slipping under the shoulder harness as the old pillow often did.
If you have other questions, Sheryl, this is the place to ask them. We've had a lot of different experiences and someone, likely several someones, will be able to help. I can say for myself that this group made a tremendous difference in the way I faced surgery and recovery. Let us know how we can help.
Larry
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