Scott's got the blues and blahs

[QueenVictoria]

Hi to you all. I got the surgical reports which stated:
Replacement of ascending aortic arch. Aortic valve replacement with 29mm Medtronic Mosiac porcine prothesis with a 8cm asending aneurysm on May 11th. His seond surgery was on 5/21 to remove fluid and clots around his periardium- 200cc's.
His second incision has an area where it isn't healing well. The PA has deemed it not infected but has packed the wound area.
Scott is having a mean case of the blahs. He just lays around and not walking daily. Maybe takes a short walk 3-4x a week.
He says he feels out of it- yet not in too much pain. I think he's got the major surgery post traumatic blues.
How long does it take to feel normal?

 

[ToFMom]

Sorry to hear Scott's having a rough time. But then, he's been through a lot. Does he feel well enough to have friends visit, etc.? I know I think it helped my son (23) because we had a full house...siblings home from college, his girlfriend around, etc. He did have his crabbier days tho & he'd have his "good" days where he felt better and was cheerier and then his "bad" days where he would feel achier and a bit more depressed. They seemed to kind of follow each other for some reason. Has Scott gotten out of the house at all yet? It is hard to be the mom and watch and not be able to "make it better" like when they were little! You might want to contact his doctor about depression. Hope he is soon feeling better!

 

[Lynlw]

I'm sorry he is going thru a rough time. It stinks. Actually walking is one of the most important things you can do to start feeling better and getting back to "normal", maybe you could start talking about cardiac rehab w/ his cardiologist, it be a couple weeks before he can start, but that might motivate him to start walking. Is he willing to talk to a therapist?
Sorry I can't be of much help beside that. Hw are you doing? Lyn

 

[WayneGM]

Everyone's recovery time is different, and it depends on what you mean by "normal", but if he just lays around, and doesn't get out and exercise by walking, I think it will take him considerably more time. Sorry he's having a bad time of it, and this may be "tough love", but... Get him up and about!

During the early weeks of recovery, I wasn't up to being very sociable, but my wife would invite people over anyway. And you know what....I enjoyed myself and it helped me get my mind off my "troubles". Activity is part of the recovery theropy. Best wishes.

 

[Philip B]

Blues

Blues

If Scott has been hit with the post traumatic stress stuff, you may reall want to encourage him to see his cardiologist.

I got hit with it around four weeks post-op. According to my cardio doc, almost all of his OHS patients deal with it in some form or another. My symptoms were pretty spooky. Even though I've maintained a high amount of physical activity following surgery and had been feeling really upbeat and positive, a bad situation concerning an employee triggered an episode with depression. The episode was so bad that I could have killed myself and not even thought twice about it.

In response to the episode, my doc changed me to a non-beta blocker BP med and put me on some "happy pills". The anti-depression meds he perscribed were not designed to be an instant cure. He made it very clear that I needed to work to get my positive attitude back.

Others here have had different experiences with the depression stuff. Some fight it on their own, others include meds in the battle, and some recommend professional counseling.

Again, personally, I've got a pretty good support group so I didn't feel that I needed couseling. I did spend a lot of time visiting with the folks who've been suppoting me all along. I also kept my physical activity level up.

It's not easy and you guys may need some help.

-Philip

 

[Superbob]

I think we all have this post-surgery, to one degree or another. I found cardiac rehab to be very helpful, both from the physical and mental standpoints. I was lucky -- my insurance paid for 36 sessions of it. In the group I was in, it was actually fun. I recommended checking it out. Hope Scott's spirits brighten soon.

 

[Ross]

Everyone's recovery time is different, and it depends on what you mean by "normal", but if he just lays around, and doesn't get out and exercise by walking, I think it will take him considerably more time. Sorry he's having a bad time of it, and this may be "tough love", but... Get him up and about!

During the early weeks of recovery, I wasn't up to being very sociable, but my wife would invite people over anyway. And you know what....I enjoyed myself and it helped me get my mind off my "troubles". Activity is part of the recovery theropy. Best wishes.

Exactly, if he stops now, it's only going to take longer.

 

[catwoman]

He needs a "social director"!!
One of my sisters designated herself as my social director after my surgery 4 years ago. She collected some movies & brought them to my parents' home, where I stayed 2 weeks after getting out of the hospital. Because her daughter was a bride-to-be, we saw the likes of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," "The Wedding Planner," "The Wedding Singer," etc. etc. in addition to Cathy's favorites, "Men in Black," "Men in Black II," "Shrek," a "Harry Potter" movie, "The Rescuers," etc., etc.

She has been my husband's long-distance social director -- loaning us lots of her movies.

Cathy did help reduce my post-op blahs. But sometimes it just takes time.

If Scott's only walking 3-4 times a week, that's not good. He should be walking more. First of all, it helps with getting back to normal physically. Second of all, the physical exercise releases endorphins, which give a state of psychological well-being. For that reason, exercise such as walking is recommended for depressed people.
Perhaps you can find time to squeeze in a walk with him. Or maybe you can enlist some of his friends to rotate walking with him. That will allow him to visit with his friends while getting in his exercise.

 

[briansmom]

I highly recommend the friend route. Every time that my son gets like that I call his friends and ask them to come get him and take him somewhere. I do not tell my son that I am calling his friends and I doubt they tell him, but it certainly turns him around and usually gets him exercise also. I made my son go to cardiac rehab just to get him back into a routine, I also strongly encouraged him to come to work at our shop. This is really helping Brian, hopefully some of it will work for Scott also. IMHO It is very hard to sit around all day thinking about your ailment and not get depressed. I also think that their age makes it difficult. They just don't have the long term thinking that older adults have, they find it difficult to believe that walking (or any of the other stuff they are supposed to be doing) will make any difference.
Good luck, I know what a challenge it is to be mom.

 

[liam13]

I'm still in the 'waiting room' but I do hope Scott finds the gumption to get up and move. From all the wonderful replies I've read that seems to be the magic pill. I work in the psychiatric field and find it fascinating how people approach obstacles. OHS is a totally new on for me, and I haven't spent time with many people who have gone through this. Sounds like you have some good people around ya, let them help. Liam

 

[Ross]

I'm still in the 'waiting room' but I do hope Scott finds the gumption to get up and move. From all the wonderful replies I've read that seems to be the magic pill. I work in the psychiatric field and find it fascinating how people approach obstacles. OHS is a totally new on for me, and I haven't spent time with many people who have gone through this. Sounds like you have some good people around ya, let them help. Liam

liam I'm going to be very curious about how you see things when it's over. Please let me know. I'd like to hear it from someone that works in the psychiatric field.

 

[Blanche]

Liam 13:
Interesting use of the word "gumption." I don't see the advantage of using such a description with regard to someone who is having difficulties adjusting post-surgery. My husband had moxie, backbone, guts, grit, good sense and spunk after his surgery. He also had saddness, fear, concern, dreams, worry, apprehensions, and depression after surgery. Indeed, recent research in the physciatric field shows that people who have heart surgery experience depression in great numbers.

Lets hope these people pull themselves up by their bootstraps as quickly as possible.

Kind regards,
Blanche

 

[Jay F]

Time

Time

Catwoman is on the right track!! He needs to get busy. I was very content keeping my activity level low-key and to a minimum for a while. The blahs eventually got to me too. It was bad. I was also occasionaly taking xanex to relax, resist stess and sleep. Is Scott taking anything that could be mood altering. If so, a difference will be seen once he has stopped. He needs to get busy with friends and life in general. Excitement is the key. The key word is "DOING" what is he doing? He needs to DO as much as he is capable and he'll feel normal much faster. I hope my opinion is helpful, Jay