Coming Home and Kids

[bgilbert]

Hi there! My husband (49 years old) got his brand new mechanical aortic valve last Wednesday. They were able to do a minimally invasive approach, so we are beyond thrilled at his tiny little incision (3 inches) and the progress he's made in the last few days. They started Coumadin yesterday and are talking about discharging him on Tuesday. We have two older kids and then twin 5-year old boys.

Here are the things I'm completely stressing over:
- We finally had the twin 5-year olds come see Daddy yesterday for the first time since the night before his surgery. They were both perfectly healthy and haven't been sick in months. Of course, last night, one of them started running a fever, coughing, runny nose, etc. I'm pretty sure it's a cold virus, but I'm panicking about what this could do to my husband if he gets it. I called his nurse and asked her to completely disinfect his room, but at this point, the damage is kinda done. If he gets a cold a week post-op, how bad is it? I'm terrified he'll get pneumonia.
- Twin 5-year old boys are like having a biohazard zone in your house all the time. They just started Kindergarten...and it's about to turn into cold/flu season. Did anyone else have small kids when they returned home post-op? I was more worried about them wanting to play rough, but they were really delicate with him yesterday. Now, I'm just worried that they will be exposing the hubby to tons of germs. Do I try to get a family member to take them for a while? One of the boys is very attached to his Daddy, so I'm trying to delicately balance all of this. I'm also trying to remind myself that lots of people have lots of germs and you come in contact with them daily.

Any experience/recommendations would be awesome. Our original plan was to try to resume "normal life", but then Tyler got sick and I wondered if that really was the best plan.

Also - there is a SERIOUS lack of books for kids about a parent having surgery. There's tons of books about kids going to the hospital, kids having surgery, etc., but NOTHING about what to expect when a parent has surgery and how they might look/feel when they come home. I did find a book about heart surgery for kids (Why Daddy Bear is Having Surgery), but even that one was more about the cause (in this case, heart bypass surgery) than recovery. This would be a great book for someone who has a lot more creativity than I do to write

 

[almost_hectic]

Congratulations on your husbands successful surgery. I had the same minimally invasive procedure for my aortic it sounds like. My incision is only 3 and 1/2 inches long. While minimally invasive the level of pain is nothing close to minimal. Albeit germs are of course a concern. Even if they weren't, the potential for causing your husband to cough or God forbid, SNEEZE would be incredibly painful. Curious to hear what your husbands surgeon may say when you ask about your situation and concern for catching himself this cold virus.

 

[honeybunny]

My grandchildren were living with me when I came home from the hospital and I honestly did not give a thought to them bringing home germs from school. Also, their mom is a flight attendant and is exposed to a lot of sickies when she flies. But you pose an excellent question, especially if one child is already sniffling. Absolutely talk with the cardio and let him/her know if hubby gets infected. Make sure the kiddos practice good hygiene. Keep antibacterial hand lotion available. I take acidophilus (a probiotic) because I'm susceptible to upper respiratory infections and had pneumonia once. This supplement seems to have helped tremendously with that, but ask the doc before taking it. These suggestions are not based on any scientific info, just my opinions.

I think all will be well. I wish you and hubby the best as he recovers. He is lucky to have you helping him through it.

 

[agilbert817]

I spoke with the surgeon's PA and they didn't seem to overly concerned. They basically said practice good hand hygiene, use hand sanitizer, etc. She reminded me that he'll be out and about around people who may/may not be sick, people will be visiting with unknown germs. If either kid is actively ill when he come home, I still think I might let them have a few sleepover nights somewhere else. I know I can't put him in a bubble, but still can't hurt to try. I literally just ordered a case of hand sanitizer off Amazon.

 

[Trinalovescats]

I don't have kids but I have a Siamese cat who wants to be involved in everything....he no longer stays in my room anymore and I'm always washing my hands when out in public.