Electric chair

[Nancy jane]

My husband bought me a power recliner but he continues to tell people he bought me an "electric chair."

Some how it just doesn't sound rights. Lol.

Any way. Can u talk about how u felt 8-10 weeks post ? I'm Female. Good health. Mid 60 s. positive - optimistic. good attitude. I have lots going on end of April & may work wise

V DAY is. Feb 9. So that's over 12 weeks. Would be traveling a lot but not real strenuous. And thankfull husband travels with me so luggage isn't a problem ( I over tip him ). .

Comments. ??? Dr. Says. I'll be fine. I like that. But want to be realistic.

Thx !

 

[MusicalBAV]

Hi Nancy Jane,
I had my op on the second of November 2011. I felt a whole lot better at 8 weeks and feel great now apart from some muscle pain -cused by lifting babies and changing nappies etc. I only take painkillers first thing in the morning and last thing at night now. Everyone is different though. I focused on strating to feel better at around 6 weeks and I really did start to improve then. It was naps twice a day and a little walk each day or so after I got home from hospital. Being positive and optimistic certainly helped me. I was such a dreadful pessimist before the Op. Such a change now.
Taking things easy and at your pace and not anyone elses is key.

Good luck and enjoy the travelling. :thumbup:

 

[bradvo]

Man I can sure relate to that first thing in the morning remark...LOL

Nancy, I slept in my recliner the first 4 days or so at home...electric would have even been better.
I never could go all the way back , but felt great half way with the foot rest up. It really took some effort and pain to get there, that is why I say electric
will really be helpful.

 

[2003miata]

I'm 9 1/2 weeks post AVR (On-X valve) and about the same age as you. At this point, I feel great - more stamina than before the surgery (due to both the new valve and getting the exercise that I should have been doing before my surgery). I haven't used pain killers of any kind in 5 weeks. For me the key was getting into a cardiac rehab program and doing the walking/exercise program to rebuild by strength and endurance after surgery. I realize everyone's recovery is different, but if yours goes as well as mine, I think you should be in good shape.

 

[Jkm7]

I thought they were 'ducking' my questions in the hospital when they said to me everyone is different. I came to realize they were being perfectly honest. We all heal at our own rate and in our own way. Everyone really is different. Hopefully all will be so fortunate to have a bump free recovery but there just is no way to know in advance.

As to the recliner, that, too, is so individual. Some love having them and we've read of people who slept in them for months. We have a comfy recliner but I never used it. I found I was more comfortable in our bed with a pile of pillows. I got a bunch in different sizes and I could add and take away and place them just right for me. Again, we are all different. I slept in our bed from first night home both of my surgeries.

ALL best wishes.

 

[Mom2izzy]

I have a two story house where all of the bedrooms are on the second floor, so if I can't climb stairs I may be sleeping in a recliner whether I need it or not

Even worse than having the bedrooms on the top floor is that the only bathroom is downstairs...

Can anyone give me an idea as to how long it takes to start climbing stairs? I'm guessing it's not tough from an incision healing perspective, but energy wise will I be able to climb stairs when I get home?

 

[Adrienne]

For what it's worth, I felt very, very good at 8 to 10 weeks after the surgery.

 

[Jkm7]

I have a two story house where all of the bedrooms are on the second floor, so if I can't climb stairs I may be sleeping in a recliner whether I need it or not

Even worse than having the bedrooms on the top floor is that the only bathroom is downstairs...

Can anyone give me an idea as to how long it takes to start climbing stairs? I'm guessing it's not tough from an incision healing perspective, but energy wise will I be able to climb stairs when I get home?

No. Not in my case.
Mass General does not let a OHS patient go home until they walk a flight of stairs. This is to make the patient know are able to do it and are permitted to.

Our bedrooms are all up a full flight of stairs and I walked the stairs several times a day with no problem whatsoever, both of my surgeries. From one hour home, I wanted to nap in our bed and I walked the stairs just fine. I went slowly and DH just behind me the first and second time to give me the confidence I needed. After that, I was fine to go alone.

The most important thing is to hold the handrail lightly just for balance but to absolutely not pull yourself up with your arms. Legs have large, strong muscles. We need to use them when going upstairs. My surgeon and my cardio said I could go up and down as many times a day as suited me. I could not have been more fine doing that.

Of course, you should check with your doctors but there would have to be a special circumstance that they would tell you to not go up stairs.

 

[Boston Tiger]

I have a two story house where all of the bedrooms are on the second floor, so if I can't climb stairs I may be sleeping in a recliner whether I need it or not

Even worse than having the bedrooms on the top floor is that the only bathroom is downstairs...

Can anyone give me an idea as to how long it takes to start climbing stairs? I'm guessing it's not tough from an incision healing perspective, but energy wise will I be able to climb stairs when I get home?

Like JKM7, I was going up and down the stairs on my first day home. I made a nest in the recliner for the first week I was home, but was up and down the stairs with no problem. One of the most difficult things I faced was drying off after my shower, and I ended up having to ask my wife for help the first week or two.

With respect to Nancy's question, by weeks 8-10 I was raring to have some of my restrictions lifted. I finally got the clearance to go out and mow my yard with our self propelled mower at week 12, and I never realized how much I missed that. I did break that up into two tasks the first few times, mainly because it was still rather hot out. But it took a while to build my endurance back up.

 

[Nancy jane]

Hi and thanks so much for all the great info. I'm glad I'll have a choice. Power recliner - or we also have the select comfort up - down beds so I'm thinking I'm covered in that

Staying very positive. I'm lucky too am pretty busy traveling rite up to VDAY 2-9. Hoping I'll be my husbands valentine & be home by then.

Based on " we r all different ". I believe I will be ready & great for the presentation in April & may & forward.

And guess what my presentations are on ? Yup.!!! Attitude & staying positive. Talk about walk the walk & talk the talk.

I shall be telling my friends I only want funny cards ! U all are supr. Thx so much

As for staires--

I used to scream at our trainer who made us do lunges. But now I'm very thankful. Got strong leg muscles !

Have a great rest of the weekend. Nancy

 

[Ovie]

I'm jealous Nancy, I've wanted one of those before I even knew I needed surgery, now I'm wanting one even more post surgery. Have you named her yet! Haha.

 

[Mentu]

Nancy Jane, in week six, I started Cardiac Rehab and returned to work half days. I found I was very tired by the time I got home and tended to go to bed early. I and my business partner have a small consulting firm so we set our own hours. By week eight, I found working a regular day was not a problem. By the end of week ten, I felt very good and found my stamina returning. By then, I had returned to a normal routine with the caveat that I always gave myself "permission" to take a nap when I needed one. As strength and stamina return it is important to avoid becoming exhausted because one still has limited reserves but that is just a matter of pacing one's self. At 18 weeks, Cardiac Rehab ended and I felt I could do pretty much anything I wanted.

How well your recovery goes depends a lot on how well you care for yourself. Walking frequently during the early weeks while avoiding reinjury to those pesky chest muscles builds a good foundation. Using strong painkillers conciously instead of routinely also helps; that is, as the weeks pass, use them when you need them not just because it is time. I found that as I moved to over the counter analgesics, my sleep improved and I felt more normal.

Thoughtfully managing your recovery instead of just letting it happen will help you recover best. That may also be faster but your primary goal should be the best recovery even if that means you must work more slowly at times. Always keep in mind the healing milestones. Incisions heal after about three weeks but it takes three months for the sternum to knit back together. Let those milestones guide you along with how you feel at any given time. Plenty of rest and appropriate exercise along with a good diet are most important during recovery. By the way, a retired cardiac nurse I met (she worked at Texas Heart Institute) told me that she always recommends for a few weeks before surgery and for a couple of months after surgery that patients increase their protien intake to aid in healing as the body rebuilds the damaged tissues.

Larry

 

[Tom Berning]

Hi Nancy Jane,

I looked at those power recliners when I was shopping for one pre-op. I decided the La Z boy ones didn't recline far enough and just bought a regular recliner, but went on Amazon and bought an extension handle for it and was able to operate it from day one home from the hospital. I'm at 4 weeks post op and starting to feel decent, most days I don't need a nap.

Tom