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Leah35

Hello All,

I am home now! I just finished reading my husband's posts and then all of your replies and I just want to thank you all very much.!!! You are a terrific group of people!

As my husband said, things went very well. My surgery was about 5 1/2 hours and it was quite routine from what I understand. I had a great support system in place with my folks there, and my husband and my kids, and my brother....and then a bunch of very wonderful relatives! I flew home from Vancouver with my mom yesterday and my husband drove the kids home. The drive is about five hours and the flight is 32 minutes....so a much better option. I did feel like a bit of a freak in the airport.....My arms are bruised from here to there and my neck is also, of course, so I looked a little like some sort of druggie or something.

My first night home was a little rough...they did not give me a sleeping pill prescription, so I had troubles with that. I am also getting "stitches" in my right side, which are very painful. I have found, tho, that the more I walk around, the better I feel. I have an apt. with my family dr. today to get a sleeping pill prescription because I do feel like sleep is a very important part of getting well.

As some of you are talking about....I have experienced a bit of depression already. I'm one of those people that likes to get things done and then move on. I'll have to come to terms with the fact that this will take some time. I will stay on top of it though, and if it becomes a problem I'll deal with it. I think it's very hard to grasp exactly what your body has gone through and will continue to go throught for a very long time.

Well, I best go hav a rest, but Thank you all for your kind words and support....I haven't read many other threads, but I'll gradually get back to that. You all take care of yourselves and I'll post again soon.

Hugs:p
 
Leah,
I think you'll find that the more walking you can do, the better all around you will feel.
Glad you're back; now concentrate on recuperating! :)
 
Welcome home Leah! Your only job now for the next week or so is to walk, sleep, eat and breath. I hope you came home with an incentive spirometer - it is your best friend and helps keep your lungs clear.

Let that cute husband of yours spoil you rotten and tell him "thanks so much" for keeping us posted on your hospital stay.
 
Welcome home, Leah! Don't worry about sleep being elusive- just catch a nap whenever you can or whenever you're not walking- very imprortant as Mary said! Thanks for letting us know and we look forward to hearing about your steady progress.
 
Welcome home!

Welcome home!

Thanks so much for posting - so glad to hear that your surgery went well and your recovery is going smoothly, and that you are home with your loving family.

Re stitches in your right side: I've had that too. It hasn't been so bad that I have remembered to ask about it at any of my follow-up appointments, but sometimes it has been pretty darn uncomfortable, especially trying to lie flat at night. If you find out what causes it, I'd be interested to hear.

Re sleeping medication: in my normal life I hardly ever take any medications, hate to even take Tylenol for a headache, but a nurse in the recovery ward suggested Restoril/Temazipan and I took it in the hospital and for the first couple weeks home. My prescription was for 7.5 mg capsules, and after a week I was splitting those in half, so the effect may have been as much placebo as chemical, but it just gave me confidence that I would be able to fall asleep at night and fall back to sleep when I woke up in the night. The message I was getting from my body was that sleep is so important to healing, that it was better to take the medication and sleep. Getting comfortable for sleeping has been a challenge for me, I am just starting to be able to lie flat on my back in bed, so most nights I'm in the recliner. One of the things I am most looking forward to is being able to curl up in bed on my side and be comfortable.

Re depression: Something that my cardiologist stressed to me at my follow-up is that your body is putting tremendous energy into healing your wounds. So really your main job now is just to facilitate your body doing its amazing healing thing - that's where all the rest, walking, breathing, eating, etc. comes in. It's a time to focus on just being and not doing.

Sounds like your recovery is on track so you can expect to feel slowly but steadily better. Like you sometimes I can be impatient and get frustrated, but the minutes and hours and days pass and before it you'll be writing a post at 6 weeks post-op saying how great you're doing!

So glad that you are home and best wishes for a continued smooth recovery.

Love,
Liz
 
Welcome home Leah. Hope things continue to go well and you are able to get some quality sleep.
 
I don't mean to poop on your party, but if you get the sleeping pills and they don't work, let me know. I've been a chronic insomniac since my 2002 surgery. I've tried everything there is and nothing works.
 
glad to hear all is well. rest as much as you can because later you will relay want to go. walking is great. best wishes
 
You are on your way...

You are on your way...

Dear Leah, It is great to read such an aware post from someone so shortly after surgery! You kids these days amaze me! Depression is very natural after OHS. I'd guess most experience at least some. Try to remind yourself that your job is still recovery, and it's not a small one! Delegate all your old tasks the that great support team. I know it's hard, but take the time to heal. I have an additional assignment for you, as the others have faithfully covered the norm: Try to express your love for that support team without using the word "love". Just use your gaze, your tone of voice, gentle hugs, and stopping to really listen to them. I think you will find this a very rewarding passtime while you can't do more. Wishing you and your team the best, Brian
 
Great news! So, you have your new valve in now? I can hear mine, but only when it's so quiet you can hear a pin drop. It's reassuring, actually, kind of like a fine Swiss Watch!

hope all is well. I'm one month post op with my on-x and feeling pretty good. In cardi rehab three times a week.

temp69
 
You Guys Are So Amazing!

You Guys Are So Amazing!

Thanks again to all of you for all of you wonderful support! I did get myself some Temazipan from my family doctor and that has taken care of the sleep issue. As far as the stitch goes....it was getting quite bad, so my husband and I spent some quality time in emergency...had some blood done...my INR is 2.8, which is good so far....and a chest x-ray and then they wanted to do a CT to rule out a blood clot...so I had to go back early the next morning. I had the CT and there is definitely NOT a clot....so my husband got me some ice hot patches...(patches that go around your back and stick there) and that seems to have done the trick! I had the best sleep last night and I feel like a new woman this morning! It's amazing what a good night's sleep will do for ya :p

I'm very happy with the way things are going so far...I believe that I've lost about 12 pounds now....not much of an appetitie yet, but everyone is making sure that I at least eat small meals.....I think that will get better... but my cardiologist wants me to lose 40 pounds....so I'll concetrate on that when I go to cardiac rehabilitation.

Thank you for the suggestion to let my support team (all of my family...lol) know how much they mean to me......they really are great and that is a wonderful suggestion!

I of course will keep you all updated and thanks again for all of your support....it means the world to me.

Hugs:p
 
Welcome Home, Leah!

Welcome Home, Leah!

Leah,
Just take care of yourself right now---walk, breath, nap, rest.
I found that making thank you cards took up some time and didn't require a lot of energy. It was relaxing and felt good to do, before I was able to read a little.
Take care,
Terry
 
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