One week post op and doing just Okay

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Bassman

Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2012
Messages
20
Location
Middleboro, MA
Sorry so long to post, I ended up having a full replacement of ascending aorta and AVR (SOrin, mechanical) I am one week post Op and had a horrible night last night but other than that they say I am doing good. Trying to manage the pain has been the toughest thing with ibuprofen the only thing to help. Any suggestions on how to sleep (pillow setup and such) would be great I dont do well in a recliner. Walking ten min a day and have been eating just ok. There is no doubt this surgery changes people,,,!
Thanks to Dr Tollis and his staff and all the nurses and people at St Elizabeths in Brighton MA
 
Hey Bassman,
Even though the going has been up and down for you I see, you seem to be doing OK. I didn't sleep in my recliner either. What I did was get many pillows and someone in my family would kind of tuck them in on the front and back of my body like a cacoon. Since I am a side sleeper this helped me at least stretch out but not be entirely on my side. Then as time passed and I felt a little better I just removed pillows when it was comfortable. Good luck on your road to recovery.
 
Welcome to the other side! To start with, if you are having a hard time managing your pain with only ibuprofen, I'd put a call in to get something stronger. You'll heal much faster if you aren't in so much pain. That being said, the only time I needed pain meds once out of the hospital was at night, when it was time to go to bed. It wasn't so much that it was hard to get comfortable, but once I was there for just a little while, I would have a very hard time moving and became very stiff with a lot of pain. I also took a benadryl at night to help with the sleep. Even so, four hours was the most sleep I got in a row for a very long time and again, each time I would wake up, I'd be in pain. So, pain pill at night helped. I also had pillows everywhere. When I was on my back,I slept propped up with another pillow under my knees, much like a hospital bed. When I'd lie on my side, I'd hug a pillow, have one tucked behind me for support, and put one in between my knees. Hang in there, you'll get more comfortable with each passing day.


Kim
 
I didn't sleep very well until I found my way into my own bed, but I found that sleeping sort of half on my side on the couch with my back propped against the back of the couch worked better than a recliner for me. I hugged a large firm pillow so that when I would roll further onto my side in my sleep, my chest didn't "fold" in the center. (I find it so hard to explain in words). I also used ice packs on my chest and a heating pad on my back to help with pain. Initially, I alternated between acetominophen and ibuprofen (one every 3 hours), but neither seemed to help all that much. Most of my pain was in my back, so my best "medicine" was massage therapy...not the kind with candles and soft music but a directed deep tissue massage targeting the muscles causing the pain. Keep up the walking, I also found that very helpful in loosening up the stiffness. Hang in there!
 
I just waned to let you know that, I just looked back in my posts and at one week I was venting about pain, lack of sleep, and dizziness. 2 days later, I posted something about having a much better day...and the next day, I was sleeping in my own bed. For me, it was like On certain days, I would just wake up feeling better. Hoping you have one of those days soon!
 
you guys Rock, everything you have said has been true, my doc gave me something to help relax me and the next thing i knew I was in the "cacoon" of pillows and almost sleeping through the night! Still sore and a tired, time to get my butt up off the recliner take a shower, check my incisions and go for a walk. Rock on fellow valve replacement people! I will check in again later this weekend. Happy Easter all Christians and Happy Passover all of my Jewish freinds.
 
Good to hear from you and take things one day at a time. :)
I surrounded myself with pillows in my bed to help with the sleeping issue.

All the best!
 
Got home on monday 4/2 their was no way I was staying any longer than I had too, the hospital is what a hospital is...short staffed and not a place to get rest. I think with all of the insurance regulations it is required that they wake you up as soon as you fall asleep?? really. Oh well the RNs were great and my doctor and his staff also.
 
What about this popping feeling in my chest when I extend my arms? Has anyone else experienced this, not much pain associated with it but it shakes my whole body everytime I reach for anything....
 
Strange aches and feelings are pretty common after everything your body was put through during surgery and hospital recovery, because things are still settling into their new norm. Even after a year and a half, I still get a certain "pop" in the area between my neck and sternum when I relax after a period of tension, such as driving through traffic from Boston to Syracuse. I don't know if that's the sort of pop you are talking about, but I can see how that would be concerning so soon after surgery, because your sternum is still healing. The easiest way for you to avoid the feeling is to hold back on extending your arms while your sternum is still healing and you are on limited lifting. My physics classes were a LONG time ago, but extending your arms can increase the force that is being felt by your healing chest.
 
Glad to hear all the pillows are helping! Reading your first post brought me straight back to all those sleepless nights when I first got home. I am a side sleeper but it was too uncomfortable at first. I slept propped up with pillows at night and during the day in my big overstuffed chair with pillows. A couple weeks after getting home, on our way to the surgeon's office for a check up, my mom and I stopped at Bed Bath & Beyond where I bought a body pillow. It's still my best friend a year later! It helps me sleep on my side (right side only, left still uncomfortable). I can curl around it and keep pressure off my sternum, shoulders, hips, etc. I highly recommend one, or even two!. Happy recovery! Keeping the pain at bay is most important to movement which is the only way to recover.
 
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