open heart aneurysm repair

Posted by scottbliz @scottbliz, Jan 23 7:36am

Does anyone have any suggestions on how long I should feel out of breath and very tired and weak in the legs after the open heart surgery?Before the surgery I was in very strong condition for 75 but it been 2 months and I am still shakey in the legs and have to sit and rest more. I did have fluid in chest cavity and had to drain 7 times. Could that be slowing my progress. and Im on prednisone to dry up inflamation causing fluid build up

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mikeneverwired | @mikeneverwired | Jan 23 8:47am

I was in pretty good shape before my surgery but it took me many months of recovery before I felt like I was 'back'. I also had severe pericarditis post surgery that slowed me down for the first few months... they gave me colchicine for that problem and it seemed to help. There were many times in the first few months post surgery that I felt tired, out of breath and weak but I kept pushing which is what I'd recommend for you as well. I am now almost 2 years post surgery and am back to hiking in the Rockies, walking and biking so things will get better over time. Good luck and hang in there!

scottbliz | @scottbliz | Jan 23 9:20am

In reply to @mikeneverwired "I was in pretty good shape before my surgery but it took me many months of..." + (show)

@mikeneverwired Thankyou so much. Now I feel like I will make progress with your encouragement. I knew I could get some great advice and thought on here

mikeneverwired | @mikeneverwired | 5 days ago

In reply to @scottbliz "@mikeneverwired Thankyou so much. Now I feel like I will make progress with your encouragement. I..." + (show)

@scottbliz I concur! This Mayo chat was very helpful for me both before and after my procedure. I got a lot of encouragement when I was nervous or having issues (like my post surgery pericarditis), etc.
One thing that I found helpful was to keep exercising despite being tired... just do a bunch of shorter bursts of walking, rest a bit and do it again. That should help both your legs and your breathing. ...and be sure to use that incentive spirometer they gave you in the hospital (I still use mine from time to time). If you don't have one, get one as it will help your breathing. Good luck!

ymca49 | @ymca49 | 4 days ago

I’m 73 yr old male AAA at 5.2…….was stable for last 7 years now all of a sudden grew from 4.6 so I’m having surgery feb 6 at university of Iowa hospital. Open abdominal repair…mine is close to kidneys so no room for a “stent” repair. To say I’m anxious is of course understatement…….i have lots of confidence in my medical team but nonetheless things can go wrong. My doc said her patients usually take from 3 to 12 months before thy really feel like themselves again depending on your motivation to exercise etc. I’ll be in intensive care for 2 days and then 3 to 4 more days in hospital. What are some experiences of recovery that might help me ? Thank you

bitsygirl | @bitsygirl | 3 days ago

In reply to @ymca49 "I’m 73 yr old male AAA at 5.2…….was stable for last 7 years now all of..." + (show)

@ymca49 There are lot of discussions on open heart surgery. I'm not sure whether your surgery is around the heart or lower in the abdomen. Regardless, it might be worth a search to find experiences. Here's one on open heart surgery: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-i-learned-from-my-open-heart-surgery-part-1/

ymca49 | @ymca49 | 3 days ago

In reply to @bitsygirl "@ymca49 There are lot of discussions on open heart surgery. I'm not sure whether your surgery..." + (show)

@bitsygirl My aneurysm is right by the kidneys..so in the abdomen...not sure if open heart surgery is comparable?
I appreciate your time. thanks

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