Just a little thank you and a question

Valve Replacement Forums

Help Support Valve Replacement Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

lizg

New member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Messages
3
Location
chicago
Hi all- I have been lurking around for the last week or so as I await my 79 year old fathers Mitral Valve replacement surgery (July 13). I am sure all the other friends and family out there understand my anxiety and concern, and reading your stories has really been helpful to me in working through this and not feeling like I am the only one who is going through this. Sometimes I think my father is more calm than me about it all.


Anyway, your stories have helped tremendously- and I'll ask for some more now. Doc said he should expect maybe 2 days in ICU and something like 5-7 in hospital afterwords. What should I be expecting for when he comes home in terms of what help he will need most? He's a tough old coot and will try to shoo us away but I want to be there for him and have the right help lined up. What kinds of things did you find your loved ones needing the most help with for the first couple weeks home?
 
Hi Liz,
If he has a cat or dog, be sure he's not lifting any heavy bags of food or cat litter. It would be good if someone can bring him a hot meal once a day and if there's things in the freezer he can have for meals, too. You may want to stock the 'fridge with some fresh items when he comes home.

Once he's home, he should pretty much be able to do what he used to be able to do to take care of himself on a daily basis. A shower chair (or plastic lawn chair that will fit) is good to have in the tub so he can sit down if he feels the need to while showering. It's good if he has a cordless phone, with more than one handset, so he can always have one right near him; with more than one handset then he won't have to worry about the battery needing to recharge, so he can always exchange the one he's used with the one that's been charging.

The hospital will probably plan as part of his discharge to have a home nurse come to visit for the first few weeks. If you don't get this on discharge information, ask about it. It's good for a nurse to come and check his blood pressure, incision and drainage tube wounds to be sure infection does not set in.

That's about all I can think of off the top of my head. If you haven't already, be sure to read the sticky in the post surgery section on how to prepare a house for a homecoming patient, and, of course, feel free to ask anything here you might not see of have thought of.

Wishing all the best for your dad's surgery!
 
Here a good thread about pre-surgery needs.

http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?13283-what-to-take-to-the-hospital-a-checklist

I guarantee that he won't be shooing you all away this time. He will be very weak when he comes home and will need care for the first week and possibly the second too.

Make sure the hospital provides him with a "heart pillow" to hold to his chest for when he needs to get up out of a chair or out of a bed, or when he sneezes or coughs.

Make sure he does everything they tell him to do, especially the spirometer which will help to open his lungs up and get him breathing better.

His appetite will not be good for a while. Many people say food tastes like dirt. But they like Popsicles, so have a small supply of them on hand and be prepared to cook whatever he feels like eating.

As mentioned, he will have a strict lifting restriction, and won't be able to drive until his surgeon gives the OK.

You may find that he has mood swings and is angry or sad and just plain not like himself for a while. Some people even hallucinate and cry very easily. That is all normal and has a lot to do with all the medications and anesthesia in his system in addition to the major assault on his body. So just go with the flow, and let him know that you love him no matter what, and keep reminding him that this will go away in time as things settle down for him, because he will be worried about this himself.

As mentioned, a shower chair is an excellent idea, just a simple plastic folding chair that isn't too big so he can sit down while showering. If he doesn't have one of those hose attachments for his shower, it is a good thing to have.

He may need someone to help him shower for the first few days.

Many people prefer to sleep in a recliner chair for a week or so. But others can get comfortable in their own bed with a lot of pillows all around. Getting into and out of bed may be very painful.

He will not be feeling that great until about the 6-8 week mark. And then it will take the better part of the rest of the year to feel in top shape. It a tough surgery and hits the body hard.
 
Wow! Thanks Luana and Nancy for the information and the links to the threads- so many good ideas there!!! I do like the idea of a shower chair I will ask after getting one from a medical supply place at the hospital, if not I can just get a plastic chair from Walmart I suppose. The Popsicle idea is a very good one as well....he likes those anyway so I think he will consider it a nice treat in this heat wave to have those, in addition to giving him something simple to eat. He does like my cooking so perhaps while he is in the hospital I can use that time to make up and freeze some soups and a casserole I know he likes, so he can have some lunches to heat and eat when we cannot be there during the day.

I am actually at the point now of looking forward to the surgery Tuesday, so we can get over that part and start working on the recovery. I'll keep reading and asking questions, this is a really neat resource to be able to chat with others who have "been there. done that" for top advice!
 
HI Liz,

Just having my family near me meant more than anything. Everyone is different and your Dad will let you know what he needs. Most of my time was spent sleeping, taking short walks around the house (inside) and eating. My wife made sure I only had to concentrate on my recovery. I am sure all will go well for your Dad. Keep us posted.
 
Hi Liz,
The hospital will give your Dad instructions re: activity including walking. After both my OHS, I found doing the walking as directed by my hospital (Mass General) made a very big difference. If is he able, the first few days, he'll will only be able to walk around the house and depending upon the heat/weather, perhaps down the street and back. As he continues to gain strength, that walking really helps build back strength, confidence and is so good for the heart.

I was able to do most everything for my personal care right from the first day home but NO lifting. That is very, very important for proper healing of sternum. You would do well to put on the counter or within easy reach anything you know he will want. Perhaps he stores the boxes of cereal in a high cabinet or his favorite coffee mug requires his stretching to reach it.

He will be extremely weak and may have difficulty sleeping at first. This is very common and passes in time.
If he has pain, suggest to him to follow dosing instructions and take pain meds as ordered to keep ahead of pain. It is easier to head it off than to chase it if he waits too long to take his meds.

It is very common for people his age to have this surgery and do great.
 
Liz, as a guy who lives alone (except for the two Tonks, 25 fish, two hives of bees and the occasional borrowed dog) I would suggest that you give you Dad some breathing room when he comes home. Making frozen dishes for him while you are there would be a great idea but make sure there are things at home that he can use to feed himself that he is used to having. I'm 60 so your Dad is older but unless he is already infirm he is not likely to need help doing the normal day to day things. For his own well being he needs to be doing as much as he can himself. Those day to day chores around the house help restore the normal shape of one's life and I think they are important to recovery. There are going to be some things he should avoid and, hopefully, as a rational adult he will be careful of them.

I would encourage him to participate in cardiac rehab when he is about six weeks past surgery. It not only gives one confidence in one's body again but it also provides a peer group of other people in the middle of their own recoveries. The oldest person in our group was a lady of 80. The phsyiologists kept talking about using lead weights becausse she was always pusing the limits of the walking exercises. Hopefully, your Father will do as well.

Larry
 
Thanks again everyone for all your advice- it has really helped ease my mind. I got dad settled at the hospital this afternoon, his surgery is at 6:30 AM tomorrow. He's already talking about getting home and walking some in the backyard when he is ready and getting into cardiac rehab down the road so he has a good attitude I think about recovery. I am ready to do what I can to help him get better :)
 
Welcome Liz -

As everyone has said, he will be very glad to have someone help him the first week and maybe even into the second week, or at least have someone check in with him daily during the second week.

Most Surgeons tell their patients to NOT Lift / Pull / Push more than 5 lbs for several weeks.
It takes 6 weeks for the Sternum to heal to 80% and another 6 weeks to reach 100%.
Many (young to middle-age) patients are able to return to non-physical jobs after 6 to 8 weeks given NO complications.

I second the recommendation to browse in the Pre-Surgery and Post-Surgery Forums for LOTS of "been there, done that" information.

Feel Free to ask ANY Questions that may arise at any time.

'AL Capshaw'
 

Latest posts

Back
Top