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What I Learned From My Open Heart Surgery
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) | Last Active: Aug 16 11:41am | Replies (104)Comment receiving replies
3 1/2 weeks out from my surgery!
I was in pretty good physical shape before surgery so i do believe it helped alot!
While in the prep room getting my body hair trimmed the staff said they would come and give me a IV sedative that would put me in a partial sleep before being taken back! Nope i dont even remember them giving it to me my wife said i was out before i left the room, for surgery! They also said i would wake up after surgery with a breathing tube but probably would not remember it! They was correct i dont remember it either!
The first day after surgery was a blur in and out of sleep dont remember much except the night was long waking every 1-3 minutes because of machines or because they wanted me taking deeper breaths!
They got me out of bed at 4:30 the next morning to sit in a chair! They was really amazed at how strong my legs were getting to a standing position with no help! Im glad i had strong legs and core because you will not use your arms to help get in and out of bed!
The pain was tolerable but the motion sickness was nasty for me! I dont do well on strong meds!
I felt so sick i was questioning if i made the right decision!
2 days later i saw dr dearani and asked him if i made the rifht decision, he said with out a doubt you made the right decision!
The staff was awesome the beat i ever had treated my wife so well too!
The 1st assistant surgeon came and checked on me regularly and everytime the staff would ask my pain level i would say 2 or 3, he said i really think ykur pain is greater because your not breathing deep why are you not breathing deep? I said because it hurts:) he said exactly when you breath deep what is your pain i said 6 he said we need yku breathing deep so i want to give you a little stronger med to help with the pain! I was on the stronger meds for 2 days then switched to just tylenol.
I believe the motion sickness was from the lasic,
The worst for me was peeing every 30 minutes to 1 hour non stop the whole time i was there 4 days!
I didnt get over the motions sickness till i quit taking lasic which was the next day after being released!
The pain in my shoulders, shoulder joints, lata, and back was pretty good but 1000 mg of tylenol helped!
Im 3 weeks out walking 2.5 miles at 19 minute per mile pace! Shouldrs still sore and sternum feels like some is driving their knuckles into them non stop!
I mowed the yard yesterday but my lovely wife did the bagging:)
I had a few set backs! Racing heart for the first week from time to time up to 162 beats it subsided!
I had to go to ER chest pain on left side not normal pain ended up plural effussion (fluid on lung)
Im doing good and slowly recovering more movement in arms and ahoulders:)
I can tell the surgery worked because when i walk stairs or hills my thighs do not get tight from lack of blood flow!
Yes we will all experience it differently and get thru it with help from our loved ones:)
Replies to "3 1/2 weeks out from my surgery! I was in pretty good physical shape before surgery..."
It's so nice to read that you are doing well! Yes, yes and yes, going in with the best physical condition possible does go a very long way in your recovering ability. I was told that my leg and core were extremely strong and as you stated, made the post-surgery physical movements seem almost like business as usual. Please do not overdo it, I chuckled when Debra wrote "like a man." It's interesting to read how each of us reports different accounts on our experiences. By the time there was room for me in cardio rehab, I had been going to my gym, the two owners worked in cardio rehab before becoming gym owners and had me do many things. By the time I did go 6 weeks post op, I did not need it - walking 3.1 mph easily, almost back to before surgery weights, etc. My two complications began a couple of weeks after, so be sure to listen to your body, today, tomorrow and forever.
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What a great post-op report @brumasterj!
Thank you for sharing your story with all of us. It's helpful to hear some else's experience and have an idea of all the different things we each went through.
I too had tachycardia. For a long time! I had terrible pain between my shoulder blades. For a year! Turns out I had fractured ribs in the back from the torque during surgery.
Sounds like you are active...perhaps a little too much? You sound like a man! haha
3 weeks is not much, so you behave and listen to your body, okay?
Will you be going to Cardiac Rehab? It sounds like you are already past that...mowing the lawn?
I had to wait six weeks before being able to pull/lift/push...here you are at 3 weeks doing yard work!