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K

KathyM

Hi All,

Having my BAV Thursday so it is now count down time and I am getting a bit nervous.

I was wondering there was someone saying that they couldn't wash their hair. It hurt even 3 weeks out to raise their arms that high. She also had a pace maker put in, so I am wondering if that is what is causing that for her. Will I have a problem with that? She also mentioned that she gets dizzy in the shower from the steam. I live alone although I will have a friend and then a niece here with me for 2 weeks.

Is there anything else I need to know? I just got my recliner. I have pre paid bills, have lots of scrunchies for my hair.

I am just trying to put my ducks in a row.

Thanks so much you all have been a fantastic help

xoxo
Just
KathyM
 
Kathy...I am sure all will be and go just fine....You will be in the prayers of many....I am praying that you have a successful surgery and a smooth recovery....

I was aloud in the shower before I left the hospital and I washed my own hair, and that is a major accomplishment for me (see avatar):D .....None of this is near as bad as you imagine......Godspeed
 
Kathy:

It hurt to raise my arms to shampoo my hair in the shower **and** to blow-dry my hair. Had I known that, I would have had my hair cut short pre-op. (I did that about 6 months post-op.)
I would advise getting your hair trimmed before your surgery and maybe consider going to a salon to have your hair done once or twice post-op. My mom found a place near their home for me to go to while I stayed with them 2weeks after my surgery. (It was nice to get pampered!)

Good luck! I still have FOND (yes, fond) memories of my recovery, staying with my parents for 2 weeks in Dallas after leaving the hospital. It was kinda like being a teen-ager again...
 
Kathy,
I was pleasantly surprised about the lack of pain after my AVR last September. I was able to shampoo and blow dry my hair without too much discomfort. The hardest thing I encountered was getting a gallon of mile out of the fridge.

Hang in there - before you know it, it will be over and you will be on the road to feeling great!
 
Kathy, sternum, the first two weeks post op, treat it gingerly. Hair washing wise, getting both arms up simultaneously might cause you some grief. I developed a one hand at a time in the scalp routine. Although getting a personal hygiene routine together again post op is very important and personal appearance matters greatly to you ladies; I would advise shelving the excesses of vanity for a week or so.;) You could just become eccentric and wear a headscarf 24/7:D
 
I was in the shower before I left the hospital. I washed my hair in the shower but my husband helped me. I didn't blow dry my hair for two weeks just left it to dry on it's own. Did it look nice NO and did I even care NO!

It does get better quickly. Good luck and I'm sure you will do well.
Earline
 
I was able to raise my arms and wash my hair as soon as I got home. I was also able to put T-shirts over my head (other people said they couldn't). Back to taking a shower, though, I used a plastic chair to sit on the first couple of showers I took.
 
It is true that every patient is different and every hospital is different. I had both my OHS at Mass General and both times I showered the second day I was in the step down unit.

My recent valve replacement surgery, the nurse helped me shower the first time and she washed my hair for me. The next day she came with me to the bathroom and stayed there but I showered myself and washed my own hair. My hair is short so quickly and easily washed but by the time I came home, (day five after surgery), I easily showered, shampooed and blew dry my hair.......then collapsed for a nice nap. :) They had a plastic chair in my hospital shower and nurse asked if I wanted to use it but I didn't need to.

Sending you the best wishes. Don't push yourself but I think (hope) you will be pleasantly surprised how much you will be able to do for yourself.
 
Adriene beat me to it about Plastic Charis.

They can be found in Garden Centers at WalMart etc.

OR you can get adjustable aluminum shower stools
at Medical Supply Outlets or even Pharmacies sometimes, but they are more pricey.

You might even want someone within earshot 'just in case' until you see how you do showering alone. Many of us had Little or NO reserve those for couple of weeks.

I used a "one hand" technique to wash my hair for the first few weeks.

'AL Capshaw'
 
A nurse helped me wash my hair the first day out of the unit, and I think that I used the blow dryer on it that day. I sat in a chair both in the shower and while drying my hair.

Faye mentioned getting a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator. I did the same thing my first day home, and it was a mistake! A gallon of milk weighs 8 pounds, and I was limited to 5.:eek: :eek:
 
Well, Kathy, you can tell we all get excited about our shampoos!

I probably should have just cut my hair before the surgery because I lost vast amounts of it for a few months afterward anyway and having long thick dirty hair was really an irritant to me. I didn't shower in the hospital; didn't know that I could. Duh. When we got home, my husband got one of those inexpensive plastic chairs and he had attached a combination hose and shower wand--which wasn't expensive and has been so convenient that we kept it installed and have even replaced it a couple of times already. I only needed to use the shower chair a couple of times though.

Also, someone mentioned having a clean home and clean sheets ready in advance. I also read a suggestion here recently where someone laid a clean bathsheet down over the clean sheets and was just able to peel it off and put down a clean one for awhile to extend the life of those clean sheets. You are most likely going to sweat buckets for a few weeks after the surgery. I don't know why but we all do.

I used a leather recliner for a couple or more weeks but I even needed a bit of help to get the recliner to go back--the sternum was that sore. I was told by my surgeon to not push or pull or lift more than five pounds for eight weeks (and a gallon of milk is eight pounds) and he also told me to not drive for eight weeks and he told me to put a large pillow over my chest to protect myself from the airbag in the front seat for that length of time also.

Hoping all goes really well for you Kathy. Take care :) .
 
When you get a pacemaker they tell you not to raise your arm that is on the side where the pacemaker is implanted straight up over your head for a couple of weeks or so. But you can use your other arm and you can also raise the arm that is on the pacemaker implant side if you're careful, keep the arm bent, and don't raise the arm too high. This is because the pacemaker has either one or two leads that attach to the heart, and right after the pacemaker has been implanted the lead(s) are not fully seated. If you raise the arm that is on the pacemaker implant side straight over your head it is possible that it might pull a lead out or whatever. If you're not getting a pacemaker you wouldn't have restrictions like that. And, if you are getting a pacemaker you can still raise the arm up on the side that doesn't have the pacemaker. So you should be able to wash your hair in any case.

Good luck!
 
Dear Kathy,

I might also mention if you haven't already done so, cook up some meals that you can freeze so that when you get home, all you have to do is heat them up in the micro. Try to make things as easy for yourself as possible since you do live by yourself. Keeping well nourished is very important even though you may not have much of an appetite at first but you do need to eat something. I also permed & cut my hair short before I went into the hospital so that when I washed my hair, I just let it air dry & fluffed it up with my fingers. Worked well! :) I'll tell you, that first shower was pure heaven; :) my husband had to help me the first couple times in the hospital because shampooing was hard but you'll find out that you can do a lot of things with one hand!

Good luck with your surgery & let us know how you are doing once you are home! You'll be in my prayers! :)
 
seems your getting lots of good suggestions, not much I can add really but wanted to wish you best of luck and a speedy recovery !
 
home help?

home help?

Another thing I just thought of Kathy, is : do you qualify for home help under the terms of your insurance policy?
Not sure how these things are run in the States, but here in NZ people living alone who have a need for assistance can get home help for a certain amount of hours (the number of hours is assessed depending on circumstances). This is funded by the Government by way of the tax payer...

Maybe your insurance would cover something like that, after your friend and niece have to go back to work/home? It would be good to have a bit of help, because after two weeks, you'll still need a hand with a few things, and the home helper can do stuff like heavier laundry, cleaning etc and perhaps doing your grocery shopping.
Just a thought anyway....

Good luck

Bridgette :)
 
Hi Kathy,

I was so happy to have the surgery behind me I was in heaven as long as I had the tv remote, a drink and my heart bear.:D Almost nothing else mattered to me.

My tech did give me a shampoo the third day in the hospital with a plastic bag that held water and shampoo. Sometime around the third day I took a shower in the bathroom and was able to do so every day afterwards.

You will do just fine. I would concentrate on what it will be like to recover with the surgery behind you.:)
 
A plastic garden chair in the shower was very handy as was one of those shower hose things. They stopped the worry about possibly feeling dizzy and having a fall.

You will do just fine....most of us find its nowhere near as bad as we imagine it to be.
 
*Kathy, I just wanted to wish you a successful surgery and a 'boring' uncomplicated recovery. Best Wishes and prayers......:cool:
 
I was able to wash my hair myself 4 days post-op. It's a bit ackward but doable. Just take your time. Best wishes for a successful surgery and smooth recovery.
 
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