Hi Jill,
The most important thing for you to know post open heart surgery is that your recovery will take time and you will need to be patient. In agree with your doctor that the fact that you are only 38 should speed your recovery, but it still will take time.
I'm sure that your medical and nursing team will give you all the details about post-op care but, very generally, the first 12 or so weeks post-surgery will require that you follow what are know as "sternal restrictions" to allow your sternum to heal properly. Very briefly, these will entail not lifting more than 5 or 10 pounds, not stretching to reach things in overhead shelves, care in how you lie down and get out of bed and so on. During that time, you can and should also be attending a cardiac rehab program for an hour or so 3x a week where physical therapists will run you through an exercise program that will be safe for you and will greatly aid and enhance your recovery. Walking is also paramount.
After 12 weeks, you should be getting more closer to normal, formal sternal restrictions lifted, going back to work and/or your usual activities,!including the gym, but you likely will continue to feel some level of exhaustion at times, possibly some shortness of breath or other physical complaints, all of which generally are normal but which you should talk to your cardiologist about if you have any concerns. Listen to your body. Full healing is a process and can take a full year. Nevertheless, as a 67!year old quintuple bypass survivor at the time, I was back to work and back to the gym lifting weights 3 months after my surgery and running 5 months after surgery. I wasn't nearly as physically strong as I was presursurgery, but I had recovered mist of my strength by 12 months. As someone 30 years younger than me at the time, I would expect that you will heal even more quickly than I did.
Best of luck to you, and please keep us posted, before and after.
Ira
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Ira Reid
Hoboken NJ
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-22-2021 00:31
From: Laisa Beck
Subject: How to prepare for OHS
I hope you're fine now, Mary Hedtke. Yeah, protein shake was not a bad move for your appetite. Try protein bar or candy par as well.
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Laisa Beck
writer
Los Angeles CA
Original Message:
Sent: 06-10-2020 09:35
From: mary hedtke
Subject: How to prepare for OHS
Hello Jill, excellent questions ...I had surgery last August 2019 and had no idea what to expect or prepare for. So I do appreciate your questions
I was in no pain whatsoever from my OHS, but was weak
and had to stay in a respite home from August until the
end of October. I had no appetite, and became dehydrated
on a few occasions because they put an additive into the water to thicken it which also made it horrid for drinking. They mechanically chopped all my food up because I had been on a ventilator and had a hard time swallowing after coming off of that.
I begged my husband to bring me my Protein drinks and drank in secret slowly so I would not choke. When my surgeon found out I was not eating but drinking the protein shakes, he started bringing me in a shake a day during his rounds. Just be aware that you may not go back to a normal diet for some time after your surgery
I did not do really well with being in the ICU.
My lung collapsed and my Surgeon had to open me up again
and redo my Heart Surgery.
There is no planning for many things that can happen during a surgery, but for me the hardest part was being so weak and
feeling totally unable to take care of my even smallest needs
Good luck Jill, please let us know how you are doing
Original Message:
Sent: 6/9/2020 12:51:00 AM
From: Jillian Henninger
Subject: How to prepare for OHS
Hi all - first time poster. I found out in early March that I have a sinus venosus atrial septal defect and thus require open heart surgery to repair it. I was supposed to get married May 1 - basically got the diagnosis and treatment plan a week before I had to postpone the wedding because of covid. Fun times! Overall thankful for my relative health and continued employment (trying to keep perspective)
In any case, it's looking like the surgery will be in another month or so. I'm trying to figure out how to prepare. The surgeon recommended taking a daily multivitamin with iron, no caffeine/alcohol, walking daily and generally living as normal. Which is great! I'm also getting my trust drawn up *just in case* (I have a 6 year old and 9 year old)
But I also feel like I ought to be doing more. I haven't really found much detail on recovery. I'm almost 38 so the doc seems to think I'll be on the faster recovery side of things. But - for those that have been through this - are there things I should be thinking about for after the surgery? A comfy pair of shoes for walking. Books to read. ... beyond that? I'll have my mom and partner available to help as needed but - what else can I do now to get ready?
Thanks for your advice!
Jill
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Jill H
CA
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