Mended Hearts Open Forum

I have a few questions, after open heart surgery CABG3 they gave me a heart pillow to hold constantly, anyone had sleeping issues, walking and holding this pillow?  Anyone had issues with not using their hands? How did you overcome the limitations? How did you handle getting in and out of bed? Any improvement or suggestions for a quicker recovery? Let me know. 

Thanks

Hi Kevin,

Congratulations on getting your OHS done! It's nice your hospital gave you a heart pillow; my hospital did the same. In addition to supporting my chest while I coughed, I carried my pillow around the house to help me remember to not use my arms while sitting or standing. Eventually, I stopped carrying my pillow but continued to walk around the house with my arms crossed over my chest at the wrists to remind me to not use my arms.

Sorry to hear you're having trouble getting out of bed. I did too. The ICU nurses taught me to swing one leg over the edge of the mattress and hook my leg under the mattress to help me sit up without using my arms. Unfortunately, our bed at home was too tall for me to hook my leg so I had to have someone hold my legs down while I used my stomach muscles to sit up.

Did someone teach you to hook a leg under the side of the bed while you were in the hospital? Or can a nurse visit your house and show you how to do it? Alternately, is there someone else at home that can help hold your legs down so you can sit up yourself? You may need to remind them that they should not pull your arms or shoulders to assist you. 

Like Lesa, I was not allowed to sleep on my side for several months and I also tried sleeping on a wedge for the first couple of weeks. It made it a little easier to sit up but my back got sore so I switched to sleeping flat. I needed a little help to gently lay back flat so someone placed a hand on my back and gave me the slightest bit of help so I wouldn't flop back and jar my sternum.

Healing takes time and the more you can protect your sternum, the better. Button front shirts (so you're not raising your arms to struggle into a pullover) and elastic waist shorts or pants (so you're not tempted to pull up and fasten jeans or trousers) will help. Also, consider anything above your head or below your knees out of bounds for the time being. Your ribcage with thank you in the long run!

Most of all, get lot of rest. You've been through a big ordeal and your body is busy healing. When the time comes and your doctor approves you for cardio rehab, DEFINITELY take advantage of it. I went to every single one of my classes and can't begin to tell you how much it increased my stamina and restored my confidence in my health.

In the meantime, I hope you had a good day and are ready to continue your healing tomorrow,

Scott

Hi Kevin Sounds like you're getting a lot of good advice. One thing my nurse friend insisted I do was to have my GP refer me for Home Health. It's covered by Medicare and the nursing is extremely helpful in monitoring your sternal incision and making sure you're on the road to recovery. PT and OT are also available through Home Health and very helpful. My CT surgeon also placed an order for me to attend Cardiac Rehab when I was ready. I took advantage of this 2 months after my surgery and discovered that there is only a small percentage of heart surgery patients that attend Cardiac Rehab. I highly recommend it as I'm getting back to my pre surgery status and many of the attendees are doing better than pre surgery condition. I wish you all the best and want you to know that you will get better, even if it's a slow road to recovery, as healing takes time and patience. Mary

Hi Kevin, 

Congratulations on your surgery.  You are well on your way to healing.

With regard to the heart pillow....After OHS I was instructed to ride in vehicle  back seat for 10-12 weeks with my pillow between my chest and the seat belt.  I slept on my back for that same period of time with large pillows on either side of me.  To get out of bed in the morning I shimmied slightly on my right side with my feet; dropped my feet to the floor and simultaneously sat up on the bed...requires some stomach muscle.  I was also instructed upon leaving the hospital that arms should remain at my sides. I gave them a funny look and she explained that a good rule of thumb was to remember to keep my elbows at my sides  and it would feel automatic after awhile. I could use my hands but only with elbows at my side  For those 3+ weeks I did require assistance due to arm immobility but it paid off in the end with my sternum healing seamlessly and quickly.  At the end of 2-3 weeks post op my cardiologist enrolled me into 6-9 month rehab program depending on how often ones attends the clinic.  That program propelled me into incredible shape after 6 months as I felt secure in pushing measured limits in a safe environment.  Wish you continued progress in your post op recovery....

Hi, Kevin.

I agree with Kat.  The heart pillow is really important to healing your sternum.  If you feel a cough or sneeze coming, clutch it to your chest firmly to minimize the movement between the 2 halves of your sternum.  If you're riding in a car, put it between you and the seat belt so it can distribute the pressure of the seatbelt on your sternum in the event of a collision.  Also, if your car has passenger side seat belts, sit in the back seat while your bones knit.  You've gone through enough already and you don't need an airbag cracking your chest again.

The nurses told me horror stories about people who didn't use their heart (splint) pillow and continued to smoke after OHS.  (Can you imagine?)  The constant coughing prevented their sternum from healing, which caused infection and additional surgeries.  Clearly, the pillow is important, and it alleviates some pain when you cough, too.  So, keep it handy.

I had everyone at the hospital (docs, nurses, visitors, custodians) sign my splint pillow as a keepsake. 

Bed was challenging for me, too.  Getting into bed and trying to position myself without using my arms or twisting my torso was as frustrating as it was comical.  Sit, wiggle, twist, lie down, wiggle some more -- it's a process.  My whole life, I could never sleep on my back, and now that was the only option.  12 days flat on my back in the hospital was a good training ground, I guess, and I adapted, though I never got really good sleep for both physical and psychological reasons (the constant monitoring by nurses and security of already being in the hospital being suddenly absent was disconcerting for me).  Getting out of bed was a bizarre, slow-motion combination of physics and yoga as I used my legs as counterweights to pivot myself off the mattress while clutching my splint pillow.  When I could finally lie on my stomach, I flanked myself with pillows so as I slept facing right, I supported my right shoulder & chest on the pillow, which took the pressure off my sternum, and vice-versa for facing left.

The Cardiac Rehab was terrific.  My insurance paid for all 36 sessions, so I took advantage of them.  I wish I had the discipline to keep doing all of the exercises I learned at rehab, but I do try to walk often.  I ride my bicycle almost daily at a brisk 10-15mph for 30-35 minutes, which is good cardio, but my weights are feeling a little neglected.

I'm 15 months out from my OHS and finally feeling basically back to pre-op normal.  I had a 2nd MI 6 weeks after surgery and got a stent, and that made me gunshy about all the twinges of pain I felt in my chest during the healing process.  Now, when we travel out of town, I don't think about where the nearest ER is or fixate on what my body is telling me -- it's not too talkative anymore anyway.  I'm mostly just enjoy my family, my work, and life in general.  I take my meds, see my doctors, carry my nitro, exercise, and eat better, but I'm no longer daunted by long walks, stairs, lifting objects, etc.  I have awesome support from my family, my faith, my friends, and my employer, and with 2 daughters that still need their daddy, I have I strong will to live.

You'll get there, too.  It's a long journey, and there will be successes and setbacks.  My first walks at home were maybe 100yds.  I slowly worked up to 1/4 mile, then 1/2, then 3/4, a mile, then 2 miles, then cycling.  On the other hand, I made a half a dozen runs to the ER thinking I was having another MI, only to find out everything was normal.  Maybe panic attacks, maybe internal spasms as my heart tissue healed, but no heart attacks.

So, cut yourself some slack and do the best you can with what you've got right now.  It gets better and easier.  LOTS better and LOTS easier.  You just have to be patient during this sucky time.

Hi Kevin

Yes, everything you're going through is par for the course.  It takes time for body to heal from the surgical trauma so hang in there and let it heal.  I gauged my progress by the month at first, then by the week, and would notice small but progressive improvements in my ability to move normally, throughout the course of my daily and nightly routine with small measures of discomfort subsiding as the weeks and months passed.  In my case, I seemed to hit milestones every few months and by the one year mark I was 99% back to normal.  Little things I took for granted were hard at first, then got easier.  And I used the heart pillow as far out as 10 months after my CABG3 since the coughs and sneezes were a challenge to accomplish without sternum pain or, eventually, discomfort.  But, given the time your body needs, it will heal and return to normal.