Good afternoon

[Tonichurch]

I hope this will help me understand thr recovery process as my hubby is newly home after op

 

[Zoltania]

Hi Tonichurch... what would you like to know? What kind of surgery did your husband have, and how is he doing so far?

 

[pellicle]

Hey Toni

also adding some details in your profile would help (as well as asking specific questions)

so perhaps fill out your Profile Page.

lastly a good recent thread (if you haven't already read it)
https://www.valvereplacement.org/th...to-severe-and-need-to-make-a-decision.887879/
but knowing something about your husband as mentioned above would help (age, surgery, previous exersize / fitness ... )

 

[Tonichurch]

Hi Tonichurch... what would you like to know? What kind of surgery did your husband have, and how is he doing so far?

Hi he had a valve replacement and a bypass graft.
He is 2 weeks past surgery, extremely tired and weak. He also has diabetes . Unsure of the recovery period and limitations.
Thank you

 

[pellicle]

Hi he had a valve replacement and a bypass graft.
.... Unsure of the recovery period and limitations.

did the hospital give you no instructions?

Normally there are restrictions, rather than try to remember mine I googled this:

and more detail

so you strictly want to follow that.

You didn't answer my query on age and prior fitness, so I'll assume bioprosthetic (rather than mechanical), older than 60 and not fit (perhaps overweight because that is associated with diabetes and bypass surgery). You didn't mention medications, but I'll also assume metoprolol (which will force his heart rate down, meaning he won't have the same amount of "zing" due to that) and probably warfarin (because everyone gets that for 3 months).

So, he needs to diligently

• use the Spirometer to ensure his lung capacity returns and his lungs heal (if you're lifting all three balls with ease then you can step back from that
• walking is usual, not sure how he's feeling about the leg, but he'll need to keep at it
• eat well, keep up a good balanced diet with low GI carbs, protein and milk (all needed to allow the body to manufacture the bits and pieces needed to fix the surgical wounds).

As he'll also have the vascular graft incision that'll also be painful but you'll need to keep at it no matter.

Do not push through actual pain and monitor how long he can walk and what HR he is during that (a fitbit type thing or smart watch will help)

Look for gradual improvement and do not over-do recovery exersize leading to a slip back.

So much depends on the figures you didn't give me (like age and prior health) as when I had my 2nd OHS at 28 I was faster in recovery than when I had the third at 48. I took a couple of months on the first and was back at classes at Uni in start of semester (was a great holiday I have to say) and about 3 months to be jogging on the beach with my wife again after the third.

Read that thread I mentioned too ...

Best Wishes

 

[Brinntache]

Hi he had a valve replacement and a bypass graft.
He is 2 weeks past surgery, extremely tired and weak.

Yes, he would be. At that stage you are looking for small daily improvements, like walking past five houses instead of four. There are some complications that can happen, one of which put me back in the hospital at two weeks to drain fluid from the pericardial sac. My symptoms were a quick worsening of my strength and breathing, suddenly struggling to walk to the bathroom.

Bigger picture, if you want insight into the recovery process then details matter. Hubby's age, which valve, what kind of valve, which surgical approach (Full sternotomy, mini sternotomy, transcatheter), health prior. People here help if they know the details.

 

[Tonichurch]

He had a tissue valve replacement and a grant to his artery. I am not sure about the type of surgery, only that he has a 10 inch wound to his chest.
He is 65 and has diabetes type 2 but insulin dependent, he has crohns disease too.he is not a picture of health but works full time and is as active as he can be .
I didn't realise actually how debilitating this surgery would be and how vulnerable it would leave him .

 

[AZATADINE]

I'm only 52 and I don't have any other health issues. However, the operation laid me low for a period afterwards too. That's perfectly normal, in my own case anyway.

However, after a few weeks, the improvement was marked. My point being, it's perfectly normal to be as weak as a weak kitten for the initial period post op but it gets better .

 

[pellicle]

@Tonichurch

Given those parameters, it will be a climb up.

Just take it day at a time, be patient, eat week, walk as much as he can. Many short walks is good.

Best Wishes

 

[Brinntache]

I was 15 years younger and otherwise healthy. It was a solid 7 months before I could do a push-up. At two weeks I couldn't even sleep on a flat bed, and god help me when I coughed. Luckily I had really strong legs so I used them to pull myself up. That 10 inch scar is above a 10 inch bone split that needs to heal. Not to mention all the internal healing around the heart, the graft and the new valve. Slow and steady wins the race. I remember on walks where I tried to go a little bit farther each day. And by little I'm talking about an extra 20'.

But it gets better, much better.

 

[pellicle]

@toni
This

Slow and steady wins the race.

Best Wishes

 

[MdaPA]

Unsure of the recovery period and limitations.

Cardiac rehab might be a good idea. Contact your husband's doctor or a local hospital/rehab facility.

 

[Tonichurch]

Thank you for all the comments and advice. Today he has spent most of the day exhausted in bed, now I have a better understanding of how traumatic the surgery on his body

 

[Beach77]

I turned 65 in the hospital after my valve replacement surgery. I had a mini sternotomy, arotic valve replacement. You might want to get him a wedge pillow (not too expensive from Amazon), it could help him to be more comfortable while in bed. (I ordered one after my first night home!) Have him sit up during the day as much as possible and use his Spirometer. Good advice above!! Slow and steady!

One of my nurses said to drink protein drinks (Glucerna is diabetic friendly) to get extra protein the first few weeks. Personally I didn't drink them because I didn't care for them. But your husband might tolerate them or maybe like them. My friend, also a diabetic (type I), likes Glucerna and they have lots of flavors, which she really likes!

I'm about 14 months out from my surgery and I'm better than before my surgery!

Best wishes and prayers for his recovery and your care!

 

[Tonichurch]

Thank you, I have been considering protein drinks as he has a very small appetite since the surgery.
I will definitely take this forward

 

[d333gs]

Hi Toni
I am just entering my third week post surgery. I am 68 in June. I had my aortic valve replaced and I have the ten inch scar too . Honestly the first week was horrible, I ate very little and lost about 20 pounds. I also have D2. I can’t say I felt great at the end of week two , which was two days ago but I do feel energy coming back as well as a sense of growing optimism . Being in a recovery place with others in the same boat has helped a lot. Exercise is very important and your husband should be doing it now , about an hour total a day. For me anyway,the heart is not the problem, it is getting the split ribs healed. We are practicing taking deep breaths using our stomach rather than our ribcage to expand our lungs, which is very important.we need to get the lungs working again. I have been riding a stationary bike since day 7 and started afternoon walks yesterday. I have started to eat trail mix to get my weight back . Be careful what you feed him and get him moving. Meds at this point should be strong but not opiates . It is not the time to sedated . My best to him.

 

[slipkid]

Cardiac rehab might be a good idea. Contact your husband's doctor or a local hospital/rehab facility.

That helped me get back in shape but I couldn't even begin to do it until about 7 weeks after surgery. I don't think they allow you to tackle that until you heal enough (?). I had really bad sternal pain that didn't even start to subside until about 6-7 weeks later. Although thinking about it more I believe I did start earlier than that (things are kind of a blur now) - I wasn't able to drive until week 7, and even riding in a car was still very painful up till like week 6, but I do remember I was getting rides to the hospital for the cardio rehab a couple weeks b4 I was able to drive myself. So maybe I started the rehab in like week 4 actually (???).

Like Brinntache said above in the beginning it is a matter of being able to walk just like one house more each "workout" when you first get home. I think (hazy recollection) the first week my exercising was limited to standing in front of a countertop with my hands on top and elevating to my tip toes, transitioning to doing one walk around my living room, to multiple cycles around the living room, to walking to the mailbox (20-30 feet) and back, then to the street corner (another 20-30 feet), then around the corner one house, then two houses, then another block, then eventually a big deal being able to walk like 2, 3, 4, blocks etc...at which point, several weeks had gone by, & I think I then went to cardio rehab where you can slowly amp up a bit and get a good workout under their guidance under their watchful monitoring eyes & heart rate/blood pressure monitoring.

 

[Tonichurch]

Thanks for sharing this, it will be a great help in both of us knowing that actually everything that he is experiencing is normal.
We have borrowed a wheel chair so we csn get out which will help his me ral health and wellbeing. We have an appt with cardio nurse next week for an assessment so hopefully week 4 will be the planning stage for rehab.
Thank you

 

[paulk]

Recovery is highly variable, but in all cases, this kind of surgery is rough on us. Don’t hesitate to call his Doctors office with questions. My Dr. recommended 8 weeks off work, and I have a desk job. It’s important to walk every day, but only as much as he can do. I like to use my phones step feature to see a little progress.

 

[RAS]

Recovery is highly variable, but in all cases, this kind of surgery is rough on us.

Very true. I was told to expect 1-3 months recovery. My first couple days post surgery, I had a slight fever (probably because I was lax in using the spirometer), but after that things improved quickly. Started cardio rehab 1 week post surgery. After 2 weeks (insurance approved up to 4 weeks) I improved so much, I ended rehab early and planned to go back to work. Then suddenly had upper back pain (had the same thing in the hospital 1st couple days). Took a few days to get over that before I could go back to work. I was relatively young at age 46 and there were no complications, so overall fairly straightforward recovery for me.

We have an appt with cardio nurse next week for an assessment so hopefully week 4 will be the planning stage for rehab.

Good plan. The rehab will make a difference.