I had OHS 4 weeks ago to repair my mitral valve. I am recently having a real problem that is never usually a problem for me...I am laughing. The laughter causes me such extreme pain that I am brought to tears. I am having real trouble not laughing at things does anyone have any advice as to stopping this problem. Right now I am fighting the urge to laugh by punching my self in the leg and the bruises are adding up LOL.
Laughing, need help
- Thread starter Sjrlax69
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I don't know if the hospital gave you a pillow , (maybe heart shaped, maybe not) to hug against your chest when you have to cough or laugh or sneeze..If they gave you one it really helps, if not just use a small pillow or throw type pillow and hug that if you laugh.
BTW My son Justin was 19 when he had one of his heart surgeries, so i can understand a little what it is like for you
Laughing to tears? Wow, I think that's a first. Most post-op patients cry for no reason.
Try biting a pencil or think of something sad? I don't know.
Good Luck.
Try biting a pencil or think of something sad? I don't know.
Good Luck.
Enjoy! We spend significantly too much time fending off sorrow. Laughing is also a great AB work out. You are probably experiencing the nerves mending. Grab that heart hugger pillow, give it a squeeze and relish in the experience!
'Laughter is the best medicine' but I can feel your pain! As others have recommended, hug, hold that pillow against your chest and keep laughing. It sure beats crying!!! 
normofthenorth
Well-known member
I have felt that pain -- first after my first hernia surgery, when I got home post-op to a half-finished book of Woody Allen short stories ("Without Feathers", IIRC). I started laughing and couldn't stop, thought I was going to pull all the stitches out of my gut. Eventually I was so exhausted I couldn't stop, but I couldn't get the gag image out of my head, so I'd start right up again. I was living alone, and I was seriously afraid that I'd just drop dead and nobody would ever know why! There's something about laughing hard when you CAN'T, that's self-feeding, like an addiction. . .
This time, the laughing started soon, but it was no worse than the coughing, and nowhere NEAR as bad as the few sneezes that snuck up on me. I guess I was lucky.
This time, the laughing started soon, but it was no worse than the coughing, and nowhere NEAR as bad as the few sneezes that snuck up on me. I guess I was lucky.
Is the laughing the problem? In other words, is your laughing out of character or is it the pain laughing causes? ... Laughing, coughing and sneezing will cause pain when you are in the early stages of healing ... just not sure I'm understanding what you are saying....
You have put it right ....when asking my wife about my strange "laugh at anything" they were looking to see if the coma had caused problems ......my wife told them I was that way prior and she had hoped that would change but now I was probably just so damned happy to see family......and YES it runs in the family as my dad gave himself a hernia watching a Carol Burnett / Tim Conway bit on TV
It gets better. I'm 7 weeks post op and can now stand the belly laughs.
At 4 weeks, I had to banish my SO from the room because he made me laugh too much. I never realized how much he makes me laugh until I tried to stop laughing I'm very lucky to be with comedian, but OMG that was rough going for a while.
At 4 weeks, I had to banish my SO from the room because he made me laugh too much. I never realized how much he makes me laugh until I tried to stop laughing I'm very lucky to be with comedian, but OMG that was rough going for a while.
