Two weeks after surgery

[MaryC]

Hi Traveler,
I am certain I won't be walking as far as you are just 2 weeks post surgery! I am still in that 'walking on egg shells' mode....waiting to see how each new thing affects my breathing, heartbeat, etc. Might not help that I had a brother who had his heart surgery last Sept and had an issue the day he got home that sent him back to the Heart Hospital. Even worse was the fact that there were no rooms available and he sent a night and 1/2 day in the emergency room. My hubby and I spent that time with him. Not fun! Not fun!

Good luck in your recovery.

 

[Traveler]

Hi Traveler,
I am certain I won't be walking as far as you are just 2 weeks post surgery! I am still in that 'walking on egg shells' mode....waiting to see how each new thing affects my breathing, heartbeat, etc. Might not help that I had a brother who had his heart surgery last Sept and had an issue the day he got home that sent him back to the Heart Hospital. Even worse was the fact that there were no rooms available and he sent a night and 1/2 day in the emergency room. My hubby and I spent that time with him. Not fun! Not fun!

Good luck in your recovery.

I think I've been lucky in that I don't know any one who had the surgery and I haven't felt like I was walking on egg shells, I've just been trusting my surgeon who said that I shouldn't worry about my heart and that I could do anything I felt up to.

 

[tobagotwo]

Lynn, it's supposed to be. Doesn't work that way for me, either.

As far as slow release, that can be affected by things you eat during the day and levels of activity, among other things.

More to the point, if Traveler is taking a generic Toprol (approved last July), there is no guarantee of the release pattern. Generic Atenolol from Landmark Pharmacy releases slowly and smoothly during the day. From Pathmark pharmacy, it slams you, and then the level drops quickly, causing many more adverse reactions. In that situation, the splitting of the pills does have a marked effect.

In either case, it won't harm anything, and is worth trying.

Note: If it's an coated pill, the pill-splitting may not work correctly. Check with your pharmacist (not your doctor) on that.

Best wishes,

 

[Mary]

Tuesday - woke up at 8:30 am with a sore throat, called the Dr., Dr. appt - virus not a bacterial infection, so no big deal,

I am taking this opportunity to remind you that I posted about the possibility of picking up a bug after your first week thread!
Remember?

 

[catwoman]

Traveler:

I admire your resolution to speed through your recovery. However, your body has been dealt a massive assault and it does take a lot to recover from OHS. It takes more calories to repair damaged tissues (incisions, etc.) and you need a heckuva lot of rest to facilitate those repairs.

Unless you're from the planet Krypton, go easy on yourself. Remember: The tortoise won the race, not the hare.

 

[Traveler]

I am taking this opportunity to remind you that I posted about the possibility of picking up a bug after your first week thread!
Remember?

Yes of course, and when I got the sore throat I was scared that I had screwed up and would regret being active. But the cold was short lived and didn't slow me up very much. I know this is probably the wrong attitude. But my pcp and my cardiologist didn't seem to be too concerned. Though I have reluctantly slowed down a bit this week. Partly because I was tired, partly because of the ice storm (No one will drive me anywhere and it is too cold to walking outdoors), and partly because I am scared stiff about getting bacterial endocarditis. I haven't quite wrapped my head around BE yet and so it seems like a big issue that I need to understand better.

 

[Traveler]

Traveler:

I admire your resolution to speed through your recovery. However, your body has been dealt a massive assault and it does take a lot to recover from OHS. It takes more calories to repair damaged tissues (incisions, etc.) and you need a heckuva lot of rest to facilitate those repairs.

Unless you're from the planet Krypton, go easy on yourself. Remember: The tortoise won the race, not the hare.

Yes but I don't see that what I'm doing is particularly out of control. I'm following my surgeon's and cardiologists advice very carefully, I'm sleeping more than 12 hours a day, I'm in cardiac rehab and they are monitoring my progress carefully. I work because I love working and it is an important part of my life. In 8 years on the job I have never taken a day off because of sickness. I have accumulated more than 6 months of sick leave but don't feel a need to use it. I normally work 12+ hours a day. My job is flexible and allows me to decide how much I work, when I work, and what I do. I have a recliner in my office to nap in when I get tired and a personal secretary to defend me against unwanted intrusion and answer the phone. The majority of my work is reading and writing and is not physically demanding. I think my stress levels are lower at work, working on my next book than sitting at home trying to figure out what to do. I think that it is easy to return to work early if you have this kind of flexibility, if you don't then I think that you need to be more careful about when and how you return work.

On walking - I walked 10 miles a day for the two years before surgery and ran 3 miles every other day. Last summer, I trekked across Peru between 13,000 - 16,000 ft for two weeks, backpacked with a 70 pound pack for two weeks above 10,000 ft in the US, and carried 125 pounds into Mali in September---and then we found I had this condition. I walked 1/2 mile on Saturday morning following surgery on Friday evening. So walking 3+ miles a day right now doesn't seem like too much. I feel great when I walk, it helps me remember that my life will get back to normal. And currently I always walk with someone.

That said there are a lot of things that I can't do. But every week things are getting a little more normal.

Mark

 

[Phyllis]

On walking - I walked 10 miles a day for the two years before surgery and ran 3 miles every other day. Last summer, I trekked across Peru between 13,000 - 16,000 ft for two weeks, backpacked with a 70 pound pack for two weeks above 10,000 ft in the US, and carried 125 pounds into Mali in September---and then we found I had this condition. I walked 1/2 mile on Saturday morning following surgery on Friday evening. So walking 3+ miles a day right now doesn't seem like too much. I feel great when I walk, it helps me remember that my life will get back to normal. And currently I always walk with someone.

Mark, you obviously were in great shape going into this surgery and I'm sure that's what has helped in your recovery. Keep it up, just remember to rest when your body tells you to!

 

[Superbob]

We mere mortals are in awe.

Maybe you should go on "Dancing With the Stars." They have an opening, I understand.

 

[Lynlw]

My concern actually was about this

On the doing things front, I can touch the floor and comfortably pick things up, and reach over my head finally, I can also tie my shoes. I can't pull my socks on yet, maybe next week.

Are you sure you should be doing all that stretching when your sternum bone has not had any time to heal and is just being held together by wire?

 

[Susan BAV]

Yes of course, and when I got the sore throat I was scared that I had screwed up and would regret being active. But the cold was short lived and didn't slow me up very much. I know this is probably the wrong attitude. But my pcp and my cardiologist didn't seem to be too concerned. Though I have reluctantly slowed down a bit this week. Partly because I was tired, partly because of the ice storm (No one will drive me anywhere and it is too cold to walking outdoors), and partly because I am scared stiff about getting bacterial endocarditis. I haven't quite wrapped my head around BE yet and so it seems like a big issue that I need to understand better.

Hi there - After my first heart surgery (over 27 years ago) my family doctor had me back in his office getting antibiotic shots for every slight sore throat, or anything like a bug that I got or even seemed to be getting, for many months.

It seemed ridiculous to me then, because I thought I was fairly invincible, but I see the wisdom of the caution now. Be well so you can travel a lot more in due time.

 

[catwoman]

Mark:

Did you have a sternotomy or a port-access incision? My guess is port-access, partly since you were at the Mayo and since the surgery involved repair. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to do what you're doing now.

I believe you're a college professor. Are you having to do any lecturing?

You're very fortunate to have so much flexibility in your work schedule.

You should do just fine. But do remember: You're a mortal; pay attention to your body -- aches, pains, fevers, fatigue, breathing problems, etc.

 

[Traveler]

Mark:

Did you have a sternotomy or a port-access incision? My guess is port-access, partly since you were at the Mayo and since the surgery involved repair. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to do what you're doing now.

I believe you're a college professor. Are you having to do any lecturing?

You're very fortunate to have so much flexibility in your work schedule.

You should do just fine. But do remember: You're a mortal; pay attention to your body -- aches, pains, fevers, fatigue, breathing problems, etc.

I had a sternotomy - the expected outcome was replacement of the aortic valve, not repair - also I had replacement of the ascending portion of the aorta due to an aneurysm.

Yes I am a professor but I don't have any lecturing this semester. My teaching load is 1-2 classes a year and this year it was just 1 class which I taught in the Fall semester. I lead a large research group (25 people), and a head couple of other projects so in total I have about 80 people reporting to me.

I have become very careful about stretching, etc as my chest has become sore over the period of the last couple of days. I have been cutting back on pain meds though so it is hard to sort out exactly what's happening.