Stairs after Surgery???

[Melissa3526]

Hi, as the surgery date nears (next Tuesday) for Joe. I want to make sure that I have everything ready for his return home Does anyone have any idea how long it will be for him to be able to get upstairs? Also has anyone heard about going to the dentist before an AVR? He has an appt tommorrow and I'm not sure if he should be taking antibiotics a week before surgery or having any dental work done. We left a message for the nurse and are waiting to hear back. Thanks!

 

[Eva]

In my case, Melissa, I was not allowed to take the stair more than once a day for two weeks (maybe because I had two valves replaced!!). So I came downstairs and stayed until I needed to go to bed. My sister went all the ups and downs when I needed something.

Actually, the hospital will include instruction upon his discharge.

Dental work is better before, otherwise he has to wait six months after surgery. Not sure about antibiotics one week before surgery...I took mine but it was one month before. I hope others and/or the nurse will clarify this for you.

Good luck to Joe will keep you all in my prayers.

 

[JimL]

I received a lecture from a little physical therapist after surgery, one who didn't seem to have any idea about the differences between valve surgery and CABG surgery. She told me to be very careful about stairs, and that I probably wouldn't be able to handle them for quite a while. So the first time I went to my downstairs office, I made sure I was fully prepared with coffee and whatever. After a while I found myself upstairs again, and realized that I'd taken the steps two at a time as usual, with no ill effects. The point of the story is the CABG patients often have long leg incisions where veins have been stripped out, and so may have trouble with stairs. Valve patients have no such concerns, at least I didn't.
As far as the dentist question is concerned, you might want to change the title of the thread to include it, or start another thread so that people will respond specifically to that question.

 

[tprice54]

Stairs: I did them in the hospital before I could leave, and every day at home. My one concern was holding the handrail...

 

[Jkm7]

At Mass General, both of my OHS, I was required to walk a full flight of stairs before I could go home. I had no problem doing that.

I was not limited to the number of times I could use stairs.....my instructions were 'as tolerated' and from my first day home both surgeries I went up and down from my second floor to first at least 3-4 times a day and sometimes more.

Take it slow. Hold the handrail but DO NOT pull yourself up the stairs. The first few times each time I first came home, I had my DH stand immediately behind me just in case. It gave me peace of mind to safely test myself.

Stairs were no issue.

 

[BigOwl]

Since I live in a two-storey house, with the bedroom up, I asked about stairs as soon as I was up and walking in hospital. One of the PT people made sure I could go up and down the requisite number of steps before I left. One reason I knew to ask is that they'd done that with me after bypass surgery, too. So I guess it depends on the people in charge of physical therapy.

That said, I pretty much did what Eva did during the first two or three days home. Up at night, down in the morning, snuggled on a comfy sofa during the day (when I wasn't sitting at my computer). I think the operative strategy is to ask about possibilities, and then only do what you're up to when you get home.

 

[kfay]

I have a two story house as well. Luckily, my master bedroom and bath are down so I didn't really have any need to go up, but I did make my self go up twice a day when I got home. Just take it easy, one stair at a time and you will be fine.

Kim

 

[COLLEEN S]

My doc at Hopkins ordered me to have physical therapy while still in the hospital, like 3 days after surgery and part of that was climbing 3 stairs at a time. In my first OHS, I was not limited at all and I lived in a third floor apartment at that time. It really all depends on him, his pain threshold (mine is high), and of course you dont want him doing stairs on heavy meds. As far as the dentist goes, unless it is a really bothersome tooth, I dont see the need to sit in a dentist chair with a newly sewn/wired chest. Best of wishes.

 

[TakeStock]

Check with your surgeon on the antibiotics before dental work. I got my dental work done about a month before surgery and I took amoxicillin beforehand, but that was because I had had endocarditis.

Stairs shouldn't be a problem if he only goes up/down a few times a day. They had some wooden practice steps in the CVICU for me to work on, but they were only 3 steps up/down, so hardly a workout. I didn't have any trouble when I got home and used the stairs as an excuse to make my wife bring me up dinner. That stopped working around the 2nd or 3rd week when she noticed I could take the stairs without even getting winded. The first week though will take a lot out of him climbing the stairs, so keep it to a minimum.

 

[laurad37]

I went to the dentist before my placement. It's very standard. I had my surgery last Monday (7 days ago today). I came home on Friday (4 days post op). We have stairs in our house (15 of them to be exact) and I walked up the stairs with the assistance of my husband and the rail. I only do it once a day though. It is very tiring.

 

[abbanabba]

Check with your surgeon on the antibiotics before dental work.

Good idea. As long as your not taking the same type of antibiotics it shouldn't really be a problem, so you could ask the surgeon to see if they have a preference.

 

[Harmony]

Its 2 months since I had minimaL evasive Mitral Valve Surgery, I live in New York City in a 20 story high rise. As we have several elevators, going to the 10th floor is no problem. However I find it difficult to go on the subway as there are many stairs to climb. I thing part of my probem is I was hit by a car 3 years ago and my both legs were broken and never really healed right. However the only problem I have from this surgery is walking stairs. I am confident they will get better and walking steps will be better. When my legs were broken in the the accident several doctors told be I will never walk again. Seven months later I was out of the wheel chair and WALKING. So all of us with problem walking just have to try a little harder and we can do it

 

[mattwisconsin]

I think that everything people here are saying is good. I will throw in my two cents based on my doctors and experience. For the dentist I was required to get a pre-surgery dental exam. And I am not supposed to have any dental work for 12 weeks afterward. With the stairs, I made it clear to the PT and OT people that my sister lived in a second floor flat. So I would not have to go up and down everyday but would need to be able to climb stairs. The PT and OT people are there to get you ready for your transition home. By letting them know what you need then they will make sure you can do it before discharge. My leg pain was the real problem but they still made me climb a flight of stairs before leaving the hospital.

Currently I am going up and down the stairs 4-6 times a day now to let out my sister's dog. This is probably a little much and wears me out. I try to incorporate it with the other PT and just plan my walks around the dog's needs.

 

[RobNDenver]

Everyone is a little different but here is my experience. In the hospital the PT had me do two flights of the fire stairs about the 4th day post op so they could check it off their list. I know it was after I had the chest tube and the foley out. I explained that my bedroom was on the main floor, but they still wanted me to climb up and down the stairs. . . ?

I came home and went upstairs a couple of days after I was there. It was much easier climbing the stairs after OHS than after my hip replacement.

I have an appointment with my dentist next month, which will be about 8 months after OHS, and hip revision. . . The first one did not take.

 

[BigOwl]

Just a note: if you have stairs, climb 'em as part of your recovery. I'm not quite 3 weeks post op today, but went to see my surgeon yesterday and he was amazed at my progress. I'm actually going to have trouble squeezing a few weeks of part-time disability if I keep doing this; they'll want me back full time if I don't watch it. But I've still got 2.5 weeks to go before I have to apply for more, so maybe I won't want it by then.

At any rate, I'm pretty sure that my effort to climb up and down a flight and a half of stairs several times a day after day 3 home has made a big difference with my mobility and stamina. I was out with my daughter yesterday (she took me to the surgeon's appt.) and we hit Starbucks and a half price books before I started to fade. Came home, took a nap, and was up and feeling refreshed after a couple of hours. Chest is still sore, I still tire fairly easily, but I'm off the hydrocodone completely. Doc said I could take ibuprofen if I gave my aspirin time to work on my platelets in the morning (which is good because acetaminophen is not the pain-killer of choice for folks on statins). But so far I haven't needed but one dose, and that was after my "shopping spree."

The advice I was given after my CABG seems to hold here: exercise as frequently as you can without tiring yourself out, even if it's just walking around the house and/or climbing a few stairs.

 

[Jkm7]

The walking and stair climbing without question made a huge difference in my recovery both OHS. Walk, walk, walk..... it is one of the most important thing you can do (assuming you are able and your doctors says okay- - - which they all do).

Take the stairs slowly but unless instructed to, not shy away from making the best effort at them. Many of us can walk a full flight right off when we first come home.