8 weeks post and I am an idiotl?

[bluefields409]

Hard to believe this much time has passed. I will confess I now feel am mixed when it comes to recovery. I was feeling pretty smug week 0-5 post op

Still have significant swelling , primarily in left leg so I am back on lasix ( 40 mg once a day)) and potassium twice a day. My physical activity was restricted by my cardiologist but since that didn't make any difference to the amount of edema, after a week I rebelled and am back to walking. Was a matter of my sanity :biggrin2:

As my BP was normal to low ( amazing after hypertension my entire life), I weaned myself off the metapropol. There was no increase in BP once I stopped. The only other med is Nifedipine which since BP is ok and I am not having angina, I will stop that also.

This healing sternum thing is weird in that the pain/discomfort does not always coincide will particular activity/movement, nor is it consistent. I try to ignore but there are times when a twinge takes my breath away or I swear a wire is about to pop through. ( picture that alien emerging from belly like the movie ).I will admit to having some wicked pain/aching in my mid/upper back from time to time which I assume is the result the ribs rebounding etc. (Not from my resuming housework etc as my husband claims is more likely :rolleyes2

When mentioning my astonishment at STILL not feeling 100% at week 6 post op, Both my cardiologist and surgeon said it is still "early days" and my reaction was :eek2:. They laughed at my indignation, and I was reminded that healing cannot be rushed and to stop trying to push it.

Clearly, I have associated fully incision healing as indicative that sternum is all healed as well, which is stupid because I have been hanging around here long enough to know better. Denial( even if I deny it) is foolhardy especially to the point of stopping tylenol/aleeve when still needed.

I would like to think I am not alone in this but perhaps I am the only foolish one.:cool2:

Cannot pass this off to "pumphead". Shrug....

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.
Mark Twain​

Helen

 

[Paleowoman]

And what amazes me is that before surgery the attitude seemed to be that this was going to be fairly easy....and afterwards it's a more serious "no different from being hit by a car".

I'm now nearly six months post op. I saw a friend recently who is a retired cardiologist. I mentioned to her that I still get abnormally tired at times, and she replied that if any of her patients who had undergone OHS said everything was fine, even six months post op, she would consider them to be in denial !

I'd get hubby to resume the housework Helen

PS - are you doing cardiac rehab ? I found that really helpful in clearing up the vestiges of sternum pain.

 

[Soccermom]

Just want to be sure your doctor knows you stopped the metapropol. I am 8 weeks out as well and from speaking with my doctor today, it is important to be on metapropol to help regulate your heart rate.
Otherwise, I feel the same way. Still sore and some days are worse than others. I am having some issues with afib. Definitely not fun!

 

[Ryan CA]

Helen,

I am now only 24 days post-op, but I went into this thing thinking I would be back at work in 4 weeks.....now, I cant imaging starting at work next week. (which will be week four) I am not having any major issues to speak of, I just think this whole experience takes a little longer than we all imagine.

 

[Eva]

Just to share my one view about Toproll. It's not only to lower the BP. It relieves the heart from the hard work after all it went through, it lowers the PVCs which majority have after surgery. As. mentioned above, I'd seek the doctor's opinion as he knows your situation better than all. From my experience, I learnt not to play doctor anymore and be patient with their instructions.

Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[river-wear]

Hi Helen, you're not an idiot. You just want to get back to normal. I can totally relate! But take it easy. Try half-speed. Today is my 5 week anniversary, and like Ryan, I can't imagine going back to work yet. I don't feel strong enough. I expected to go back after four weeks too. Now I'm not sure 6 is enough (to go to a desk job)... I'll see what my cardiologist says on Monday.

My cardiologist took me off Metoprolol after four weeks. My afternoon BP was falling to about 90/60 and resting HR in the mid-60s. I was nervous about following his directions, but I trust him. My BP stopped dipping that low, but my morning check (always around 105/67) hasn't changed at all. My HR sure changed though! After two days off Metoprolol it was shooting up to 100 just walking across my kitchen. I called the nurse in a panic and he said it's normal and to keep walking (reasonably) and it should come down in about a week. When I sit, it will come back down pretty quickly, but my resting HR is still around 80. Even taking a shower sends it back up over 105, but if I start slowly I can walk around the neighborhood and stay below 100.

I agree with Anne about this being portrayed as "fairly easy." But for me, the physical recovery is an annoyance that I can learn to be patient with. The hard part is trusting my heart not to do something funky. I went into a-fib a week after surgery (delayed reaction?) and it shook my confidence.

Take it easy, Helen, and be good to yourself. Why the heck are you so anxious to do the housework??? :tongue2:

 

[pellicle]

hi

They laughed at my indignation, and I was reminded that healing cannot be rushed and to stop trying to push it.

exactly. Bones take weeks to knit for a start.

Give it time, in 10 years it'll seem a distant memory ... ;-)

 

[epstns]

I can add some additional perspective, from a self-confessed "Type-A control freak." I'm now just past the 3-year mark. My general recollection is this:
1. The first 12 weeks were, for me, very difficult. I went back to work part-time at about week 5 (office job). I needed to do that to maintain what remained of my sanity. I was tired a lot, and my exercise tolerance was close to zero (and I had been a dedicated gym rat for years prior to surgery). I remember walking down the street to the next corner and thinking "Am I sure I can make it all the way back?"
2. At week 12, I started cardiac rehab. (Before that time, my cardio felt that I was not ready for it.) I was working full-time and going to rehab 3 days a week, and to my gym 2 days a week. I did the same routine at the gym that I had done that week in rehab, so I was relatively confident that I should be OK. I truly enjoyed rehab, became the "class clown" there, and during the 12-week period, I got to probably 70% of my pre-surgery strength and confidence.
3. From 6 months to a year, I continued to make noticeable progress. At 6 months, nobody else could tell that I had surgery; by 12 months, I almost couldn't tell (well, unless I looked into a mirror with my shirt off).
4. After that, I have continued to make progress, although at a lesser rate. Now, at 3+ years, I would say that I feel better and am in better shape than I was 2 or 3 years prior to surgery.

To make this long story short, my point is that although we are all different, progress during the first year is slow at first, then picks up the pace. After that, the pace may again lessen, but we continue (if we keep working at it) to progress well after that.

Give yourself time to heal. Your body will thank you.

 

[bw00]

Hi! You're not an idiot haha! I bought tickets for a 3 day camping music festival that was 4 weeks after my surgery. I did not sell the tickets until there were only two days left till the festival. I did not want to accept that I was not going to be able to go there 4 weeks after my ross surgery (in my defense, the Rolling Stones were part of the festival line up haha). Even the night before the festival I almost bought my tickets back, but then my parents talked me out of it, which was probably for the best. I am almost 3 months post-op and still annoyed that I get tired quickly and that I can't do everything other university students do yet. I guess open heart surgery is a great exercise to test you patience .