Just a Couple Questions??

[Mama2Rylan]

First of all, my doctors keep talking about going to some sort of cardiac rehab...what is this? what is it like? how many of you have gone? It makes me a little nervous because I'm not real big on exercises and I'm only starting my 4th week Post-Op, I don't know if I'm really up for it...

My second question...after surgery did anyone have problems with their back?? Mine is KILLING me!! I havent been sleeping through the night and I wake up have the time bawling because I don't know if I can take it anymore...if anyone has any suggestions??

When is it "ok" to take a bath? With all the information they threw at me, I can't remember.

Also, did anyone have a problem with their memory after surgery? I mean the surgery and hospital stay seems like a big "blur" to me...I remember some people coming to visit but I dont remember conversations...I have been trying to "think back" but just seem to get more confused...has anyone else had this??

Sorry for all the questions....but I know you all will come through for me...you always do :D

[Phyllis]

Hi,
It wasn't suggested that Dick go to cardiac rehab as he was very athletic and active before surgery and thus pushed himself to walk and get back in shape afterwards, but many here did go to cardiac rehab and they all highly praise the experience. Especially if you are not an exercise fan, they monitor your blood pressure and heart rate during the entire time and I think it is a good way to get back in shape with no fear of overdoing. I'm sure many who have experienced it will chime in.
Dick never really slept through the night until about 8 weeks post-op, mainly because of back and shoulder pain from the way they "spread" you out during surgery. Ben Guay and lots of massages helped, but the lack of sleep is hard- take naps when you can during the day- even if they are sitting in a recliner. :)
Dick had no restrictions to a shower- never asked about a bath because he never takes one.
I don't think it is unusual for the hospital experience to be one big "blur". To this day, Dick still asks me questions as to exactly what went on and doesn't have a sharp memory of any of it. The one thing he does remember is how "bad" the food was, but then he has always been a "gourmand"! :D
Things will slowly get better- wishing you the best,
Phyllis

[Mary]

First of all, my doctors keep talking about going to some sort of cardiac rehab...what is this? what is it like? how many of you have gone? It makes me a little nervous because I'm not real big on exercises and I'm only starting my 4th week Post-Op, I don't know if I'm really up for it...

My second question...after surgery did anyone have problems with their back?? Mine is KILLING me!! I havent been sleeping through the night and I wake up have the time bawling because I don't know if I can take it anymore...if anyone has any suggestions??

When is it "ok" to take a bath? With all the information they threw at me, I can't remember.

Also, did anyone have a problem with their memory after surgery? I mean the surgery and hospital stay seems like a big "blur" to me...I remember some people coming to visit but I dont remember conversations...I have been trying to "think back" but just seem to get more confused...has anyone else had this??

Sorry for all the questions....but I know you all will come through for me...you always do :D

I think cardiac rehab would be great if your insurance will cover it. Many plans don't. They will cover cardiac rehab following bypass surgery, but not valve replacement. You need to check, and that might help you reach a decision on it. You don't have to start it now; you could wait a few more weeks if you wanted to.
I don't think you should be having the amount of back pain that you report. I would call the surgeon's office and talk to them. I can't help you with the bath question; I only took showers. :D :D
I didn't have memory issues, but yours could be caused by the pain meds you were on. Sometimes the anesthesia they use during surgery causes memory distortions and confusion weeks afterwards. I would try not to worry about it. I will repeat my last piece of advise--try not to let it worry you. I encountered something similar after surgery many years ago, and it's not worth dwelling on. :)

[LLJ]

I had horrible mid back pain! I often thought if the back pain wasn't so debilitating I would have felt better sooner. When your chest is open the ribs are unlovingly pried apart. Since your ribs are attached to your spine it can cause rotaional forces much like a upper back "sprain" My surgeon said it's not uncommon especially in younger people with more muscle tone. The increased muscle tone causes increased spasm. As a physical therapist, it all makes very good physiological sense,but man it hurts. Darvocet helped me get through the tough parts,especially at night. I would wake up at 2am wihtout fail, ready to throw in the towel due to the pain. Luckily I had lots of PT friends willing to give me GENTLE massage. Good luck!
Laura

[LLJ]

Oh yea, I forgot, the memory thing..... I had a co worker of mine who happened to work at the hospital I was in tell me he came in the day I got out of the ICU/post surgery unit and walk me down the hall. Oh really? Don't remember that at all! Yes. I was often foggy
Laura

[Cris N]

Hi,

Cardiac rehab has been a life changing experience for me. My facility had me on a treadmill, a sitdown stepper (very easy on the knees)- one kind had moving arms, the other did not. Also did stretching exercises & some workouts with hand weights. I strongly recommend you go if possible. They'll start you out slowly - I pushed myself a bit harder than the therapist. I'm done now but got a membership in a fitness center and go 3-4 times per week after work.

Depending on your scar healing you should be ready for bath... call your surgeon's office though for advice. That should have been in your discharge information.

Memory, what memory? I hardly remember anything from the first 3 days and not all that much for the rest of the time I was there. Between the anesthesia (which takes a while to leave the body) and the pain meds, it should be a blur :D

Regarding the back pain... are you able to sleep on your side? I finally slept partially on my right side by rolling up a thin blanket and putting it behind my back so I was in between back & side. (fully on my side was too uncomfortable). Others have used a pillow, but my husband complained that it took up too much room in the bed. Took quite a while before I could sleep on my left side. I also went to a chiropractor- he was able to help a popping rib by adjustment (yes, without being on my stomach) and by exercises & correcting my posture. I have long suffered from low back pain... I don't have any now.

But no matter what, you should not be having that kind of pain. Talk to the surgeon or your PCP.

Hope you get some relief soon.

Cris

[hensylee]

Sounds like you are right in there with all of us and right on schedule! It all gets better.

Go for rehab if you can. But with that little one to chase, you might not need to.

Memory? We've had that discussion many times. If you search you will find lots in VR past posts about it.

Back? They bent your shoulders way back to get to your heart, ergo, the pain. If it doesn't go away, call your dr's office. That's what they want you to do if you have some questions that you can't answer yourself.

Also ask your dr's office about the bath. I expect if your incision is fully closed you might be able to take one. It's the danger of infection in the scar that you need to be careful about.

[geebee]

If you saw the positions they have us in during OHS, you would be surprised you don't hurt more. That being said, it still doesn't make the pain go away. Talk to your doctor and see if there is something else he can do for the pain. Massage is great if you can manage it. I visited a chiropractor (sp?) in California who used massage in his therapy. My insurance covered it so you might want to check out that possibilty.

As far as a bath goes, you want to make sure your incision is fully closed. The last thing you need is an infection. I had a scar infection after my last surgery that required another surgery to fix. I do not know what caused it but I know I would do anything to prevent.

Memory - what memory. I couldn't even remember words I wanted to speak after my last OHS and I remember only some things about the hospital stay.

It will all get better with time - promise.

[KAJ]

I can identify with you on the back pain. My was awful :( . Hot packs took the edge off. I took the pain pills on and off for about a month after the surgery. It was at least 6 weeks before I did not have back pain while I slept. My physical therapist told me the pain was to due to muscle spasms. He also told me to ask my cardiologist if I could have a back massage. However, I never received one because the pain started to subside soon afterward. Whenever it did flair up, my wife massaged the area and it brougth almost instant relief. Those poor muscles were stretched bigtime during surgery.

Personally, I strongly recommend cardiac rehab. I just completed my formal program about 2 weeks ago. Because of some administrative clitches, I was about 2 1/2 months post-op before I started mine. It was well worth the time, effort and money. I had a co-pay and in the insurance picked up the rest. It has been a huge confidence builder for me. The people who monitored me during the program were really great :). So far, I have been able to continue the workouts on my own. I have come too far to stop now.

Karl

[Mama2Rylan]

Thank you all for your comments....It helps so much knowing that other people out there have been through what I am going through...As far as the back pain goes, I think I am going to cave in and ask for a stronger medication. Right now I am only taking Extra Strength Tylenol, but after an hour or so it doesnt seem to help any more...I just really dont like the idea of taking medications, but if it's going to help my recovery then I think that is best (plus I just cant take the pain anymore)

For the baths, I have been taking them..but I just fill the tub up to my belly button and just sit in there...I dont actully wash, I save that for the shower.

I did have a couple other questions for you guys...did anyone have numbness in their right hand after the surgery? My voice is also very raspy, they say it was from the breathing tube (which I had to have twice) but did that happen to anyone else? Also on the top of my incision, there was a little scab, well with taking showers it fell off, and now the stitch is hanging out...is that ok? Should I cut it or something?

Well thank you guys so much for all the info!! Its so comforting to have you all here...especially since I don't have anyone else to talk to about these things because no one else I know has been through this before. Thanks :D

[Mary]

Yes, I had trouble with my throat for awhile after surgery. It didn't develop until after I was at home. And if you have a stitch hanging, you need to call the surgeon's office and find out what you should do. The incision can still get infected so you don't want to take any chances. And finally,since you have the loose stitch, I wouldn't take a bath.
Mary :)

[rbl1999]

Hi, I am 7 weeks post op AVR and am having cardiac rehab now. I highly recommend it, I do 15 minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes on the bike, and also do arm exercises. I go 3 times a week for an hour each time. I have always exercised but was a little afraid to start it on my own, other than walking. They monitor the whole time you are there. I also had terrible shoulder and back pain, was only able to sleep 2-3 hours at a time for about 3 weeks, and only in the recliner. The darvocet helps, I also have had a few massage sessions, that has also helped. I also get a little tingling in my right hand, the cardiologist says it just may go away in time. I was told not to take a bath for a while, not sure how long, I would check with your doctor on that. Sounds like everything you are experiencing is pretty normal!!!!! It does get better in time... Rose

[geebee]

The numbness could be connected to your back problems in the form of a pinched nerve - another doctor question.

The stich is probably something you can pull out slightly, cut off and let the remainder move back under the skin. HOWEVER, please have the surgeon make that call. I had the same thing happen and that's what I was instructed to do.

Raspy throat is common - it will get progressively better.

Glad to hear you are requesting pain meds. This is no time to "suck it up". Take the meds and be comfortable.

[BTMax]

I am 8 weeks post op and I did wake up from surgery with numbness in three fingers and side of my right hand. The middle finger and ring finger are back to normal but the little finger and side of hand are still numb. My doctor said it would improve with time :cool: and it has. I also have numbness in the tops of my thighs and occasional shooting pains. This has also improved. These things have bothered me far more than my sternum--maybe because it never occured to me that I would have new problems after surgery.

[CCRN]

First of all, my doctors keep talking about going to some sort of cardiac rehab...what is this? what is it like? how many of you have gone? It makes me a little nervous because I'm not real big on exercises and I'm only starting my 4th week Post-Op, I don't know if I'm really up for it...

My second question...after surgery did anyone have problems with their back?? Mine is KILLING me!! I havent been sleeping through the night and I wake up have the time bawling because I don't know if I can take it anymore...if anyone has any suggestions??

When is it "ok" to take a bath? With all the information they threw at me, I can't remember.

Also, did anyone have a problem with their memory after surgery? I mean the surgery and hospital stay seems like a big "blur" to me...I remember some people coming to visit but I dont remember conversations...I have been trying to "think back" but just seem to get more confused...has anyone else had this??

Sorry for all the questions....but I know you all will come through for me...you always do :D

First of all, if your doctor tells you you can go to rehab.....GO! It's a great way to give yourself more confidence in being active. It also gives you a group of people like yourself to let you know you're not alone. It's like an extended doctor's visit. If you run into any problems with your recovery during your rehab the nurses will let your physician know, adjust meds, etc.

Number 2: YES! Many people complain of back pain. So far, the most helpful thing for me has been stretching and regular chair massage. It really works.
Exercise, believe it or not helps too.

Number 3: I was told I could take a bath or swim when my wounds have healed. I took this to mean no scabs or oozing, etc. Check with your surgeon's office.

Last but not least: It is normal to have memory lapses when you are recovering from anesthesia and on narcotics. I used it for an excuse for any mistakes I made and it was totally accepted by everyone. :)

Hope this helps.