Husband is home--4 days after surgery! Few Questions...

[Natanni]

We came home last night! Not the most fun 5 hour car ride for Nathan, but we managed :)

He is now 6 days out, and doing pretty well. He has a 29mm Carbomedics valve, and his INR was 1.8 and climbing upon discharge. He is most comfortable up and walking, and the recent addition of the recliner was a MUST! Had we never found these boards, we would never have known these important details! He did have a run of A Fib on Saturday...so he is being treated with Amiodarone for a month, with half doses the last two weeks. He is starting to get 'tingling' or 'zingers' he calls them, around the sternum sight--he feels it may be related to the healing process. Anyone notice? He has a cough and really irritated nose, we think from the 02 used for 2 days. It also stated that he had a slight pleural effusion on the left. Did anyone else have this post op? He feels he is not able to draw in alot of breath (and I have been after him about that spirometer...) and wondering if that is the problem. He thought that the chest tube removal was one of the most painful things about the entire ordeal.

Looking fast into the home INR monitor market....hoping our GP won't give us grief about this, but with hubby's job,it will be near impossible to make it to the lab!!

Thanks again for all the support!

Ann and Nathan

[Karlynn]

It hurts like the dickens, but if he feels he needs to cough, he should cough. He's clearing his lungs - a must after general anesthesia. Be a drill sergeant about the incentive spirometer. It really is important that he keeps his lungs clear.

Keep an eye on his temp. If you find it going up, call the doctor. If he had more than the normal irritation from the tube, it may be a little more susceptible to a bug.

Just tell him that his job is to eat, sleep, walk and breath. It sounds simple, but all 4 areas can be an effort post-surgery.

Best wishes to you both.

[Cris N]

Ann & Nathan - so glad to hear you're back at home. I too was on amiodarone for a month & had pleural effusion. The incentive spirometer is a must to helping get rid of it. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Then walk, nap, & eat. Make him cough - hopefully they gave him a pillow, if not make sure he has one to 'splint' his chest.

Cris

[Randy & Robyn]

So glad to hear you are home. The few minor setbacks you describe seem to be exceedingly common and relatively easily treated.

Keep your spirits up and I'm sure you will fly through your recovery.

Randy

[Mary]

I had a pleural effusion after surgery and was told to walk as much as I could and to cough. I don't mean to cough when I felt like I needed to, I was told to cough periodically to remove the liquid matter in my lungs. I was also told to use the incentive spirometer 10 times a day. 10 times a day is a lot(!) but it did the trick.

[phil d]

Wow, 4 days after surgery and Nathan's home, that's got to be some kind of record. I'm 2 weeks post op and i've still got a slight cough, but its getting better everyday. I was told that as long as my phlegm is clear there is no need to worry. Tell Nathan to keep doing deep breathing excercises and he will soon regain full lung capacity. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Phil

[Phyllis]

Welcome home, Nathan. Follow all the above suggestions and you should be on your way to an uneventful recovery. We wish you the best.

[901]

I'm a little over three months out and I still get tingling or zingers in my right shoulder, beyond the scar from the heart/lung hookup.
Coughing will be painfull. I tried to avoid it by "growling" to bring phlem up. I had problems with getting saliva into my wind pipe. This causes a reflex action and he needs to have a pillow handy and hold on for the cough that follows.
He needs to avoid sneezing! He needs to pinch his nose to block a sneeze as soon as the urge to sneeze starts. I was fortunate and didn't sneeze until after four weeks out but I still thought my chest was coming apart. A sneeze or hard cough will bring tears to his eyes immediately!! OUCH!
Keep working on the spirometer! They had me do it before surgery to establish where I was at and then kept pressing me to try to get there in ten repitition sets afterward.
I asked my surgeon about a home monitoring device and he said yes and wrote the prescription. I waited until I got my INR stabilized before trying to get the home testing kit. Don't wait! It takes six to eight weeks to get the device if you have insurance involved and all the paperwork is correct. If you are paying out-of-pocket, they will ship the same day with a card number.
I didn't have any problems with drainage tubes. I had a big problem with the catheter. I had a burning pain from the minute they inserted it! What a relief when it was finally removed.

[John & Joann]

Those Golden Gophers are really tough! Sounds like you are doing very well!

Good Clicking!