Septal Myectomy recovery hacks

Hello Eddie @emenich
So glad to hear that you are home and doing well after a five day stay.
There's no place like home...nobody wants to spend any more time then they have to being in the hospital, that's for sure.
The food is bland. The pillows like boards, the bed like plastic covered styrofoam.
People coming in at all hours.
No sleep during sleeping hours.
Oh.
How I remember so well. And just exactly as you said.
ICU is the WORST night ever, and each day gets a little better. One more tube comes out, a line goes away, the chest tubes are gone...finally! And you can walk without machines surrounding you.

I am guessing that what you were sent home with had strict instructions for home.
Like no driving for a month.
No lifting more then 5 or 10 lbs.
Shower each day with a clean wash cloth. Do not put lotion on your chest wound...those sorts of things, right?

We are so unique and different and each one of us will recover different. What worked for me, may not work for you...but I'd happily share with you what I did.
I walked as much as I could.
I showered every day.
I ate what sounded good, but my taster was off from anesthesia so things tasted weird for several weeks.
When I was tired...I took a nap.
I slept with an array of pillows around me for comfort.
One for my head, two on each side to prop up my arms, and one under my knees to keep me from rolling on my side. Which you will not want to do for a long time! For some reason I couldn't put my arms down at my side for several weeks. Weird. But the pillows were awesome.
Getting good sleep takes awhile. So does getting in or out of a car, the bed, a chair.
You plan your moves.
And your moves are slower!
I spent a day in a recliner, but I was more comfortable in my own bed with all my pillows.
I wore slip on shoes or flip flops so I didn't have to bend over and tie or strap anything on.
I wore loose clothes and dresses. I'm a girl, I like dresses. I wore elastic waist band pants. I was pretty swollen right afterwards.
Are you too?
I did little house chores that were easy. Like carefully putting away dishes. Nothing crazy over the head for awhile.
I did as much as I could and each day pushed myself to do more.
I walked a little further each day.
But I also had a terrible time personally because my dad died three days after I got home. I was faced with grief and challenged because I had to move his belongings, arrange his affairs all with a freshly cut open sternum.
I had no choice.
You sound like you've got a great attitude and I have hopes for you that you will look back on this surgery and realize...WOW! I am stronger than I thought!

The amazing healing process begins slowly at first, but gets better each day. I was able to walk a mile by week two. I do five each day now, with some pretty steep hills. And I'm 68.
I got my life back and feel much younger now that I no longer gasp for air at the slightest exertion. And all I take is an 81 mg aspirin a day.
I hope I was able to share something that you found helpful.
When do you go back to your cardiologist?

Go to cardiac rehabilitation. Unfortunately there still may not be a Medicare/insurance code for coverage. My hack was through my primary care doctor for pulmonary rehabilitation which is offered at our local hospital right there at the cardiac rehabilitation clinic. They are identical programs.

Welcome home! Debra @karukgirl described the hospital stay so accurately (yikes! all those tubes! let me sleep!) and is very thorough in her suggestions to make recovery comfortable. You may find yourself experimenting to figure out your most comfortable accommodations (recliner, pillows). I will add this - listen to your body in terms of fatigue and report quickly anything that may not feel right. We discussed complications in a previous discussion; your doctors will be "right on it" if something does not feel right. I was told that moving about was the best thing I could do and therefore I walked - slowly - several times a day starting up and down my driveway. What guidelines were you given? Cardio rehab was suggested for me about 2 weeks after surgery, you may wish to ask your doctor about that during a future visit, many need to wait longer, we are all different. One suggestion I always tell people after surgery or illness: Today is Sunday, the 12th. Remember how you feel today. Next Sunday, the 19th, think about how you feel. Compare that feeling to today, the 12th, not Saturday the 18th. Consecutive days may be better, worse or the same. Again, welcome home!