Still Snap, Crackle, Pop after 7 weeks!

[weekycat]

Hi Everyone,

I'm at the 7 week mark today, I put in a call to the surgeon's office to ask about when I should go off the Coumadin, because he said I'd be on it for 8 weeks. Well, I got a call back from his assistant, she said I can go off of it next week, Yippee!

While I had her on the phone I told her I was still "popping" and "clicking" quite a bit, and she said I was using my arms too much. I didn't think I was really doing all that much, but I guess I have to do less if I want to heal right. I feel so helpless, I can't hardly brush or wash my hair, or even get dressed without "popping". I told her I thought it was worse lately than it had been, and she said I was DEFINITELY using my arms too much.

My husband says he gives me his permission to do absolutey nothing, but the problem is, the rest of the family would just as soon live in a pig sty then to actually pick something up, and you know how we mothers are, it's usually a lot easier to just do something ourselves than to get someone else to do it!

I have been letting other people do the really heavy lifting, but it's really hard to tell how much a basket of laundry or a bag of groceries weighs sometimes. I was told not to lift more than 5-10 pounds for 3 months, does that mean not more than 5, or not more than 10?

She said if I do something that makes it pop, it's telling me I shouldn't be doing that, (but of course I never know that until I do it, and then the damage is done.)

I know I have to watch what I'm doing from now on, I need to heal properly. And with any luck I'll be to lift what I want during the month of September, before my next surgery in Oct, after which I'll have limitations again for 6 weeks or so!

Thanks for letting me vent again, Jean

 

[Ross]

I know the feeling well. I cracked and popped for a long long time afterward. Hey I get to do it all over again too.

My husband says he gives me his permission to do absolutey nothing, but the problem is, the rest of the family would just as soon live in a pig sty then to actually pick something up, and you know how we mothers are, it's usually a lot easier to just do something ourselves than to get someone else to do it!

My sentiments exactly on that one. This place is still a mess. As soon as one thing gets cleaned or sorted, wham, more pig sty. I give up!

5 to 10 pounds and no more- If your popping that bad-5 or less.
I know, shut up.

 

[Mb]

Just a suggestion.........

Can you get someone in once a week to clean the house for you? Even if it just for the next month or two, it should help you mentally, and take a lot of the stress off. That is, if you don't clean up the house before the housecleaner comes. If your sternum doesn't heal properly, it'll cost you a lot more than the $50.00/week to have someone come in to help. There are times in life where we just have to spend the money to take care of ourselves.....whether that is physical or emotionally.

I do think that some of the men are luckier in this regard. I do not think they feel the pressure if the house doesn't look just right. While women have had the responsibility for most of their lives, and then feel guilty/angry when the other folks in the house don't keep it the way they always have.

I am on the other side of the coin. My husband is the double valver, and I have had to assume some, not all, of what he used to do. I can tell you I have a MUCH greater respect for my single women friends. It is a lot, sometimes.

Best wishes in your recovery.
'
Marybeth

 

[Ross]

I do think that some of the men are luckier in this regard. I do not think they feel the pressure if the house doesn't look just right.

I must be the one oddball guy here or something and stuff.

 

[Johnny Stephens]

No, there's at least 2 of us

 

[joy]

Jean, I can only say one thing...I understand exactly, and have gone through all that! Try to take it easy!

 

[Zipper]

Jean,

I hired people to come in and clean...my guys are typical..don't even notice a mess..unlike Ross and Johnny! Now that was 4 years ago...they still come in every two weeks..I love it. The other thing is Cardiac Rehab..it helps so much. Also Physical Therapy teaches you how to stretch properly and carefully to help get your body back to normal...I did rehab after surgery for 8 weeks...went back to work...then several months later did Physical Therapy..all ordered by Doc and insurance paid. Since you are having another surgery soon, check into these things that might help you. Your poor body is mad at you and going to get madder ;-( I hope your Doc helps you do these things....and do not do the housework..lol..get help for a while!!!

Take care,

Zipper *~*

 

[ALCapshaw]

Zipper,

Please tell us what you learned in Physical Therapy about proper stretching and moving.

My PCP declined to prescribe PT for me, saying that I was doing pretty well and could just use light weights at my training center to further improve my range of motion.

The only 'popping and clicking' I did was somewhere around week 3 or 4 during deep breathing exercises when I heard 3 distinct 'pops'. Fortunately, everything else has been tolerated well (thank goodness) since I suspect I over used my arms in getting up / moving around during the first few weeks.

'AL'

 

[weekycat]

Thanks Everyone,

I like the idea of hiring someone, but my 20 yr old read the posts and said, Mother, I'll clean once a week for 50 bucks! So maybe I just need to hire my children! She was a big help while I was in the hospital and when I first came home, but she works nights and sleeps days, and likes to party when she's not doing either one of those.

Zipper, I did do the Cardiac Rehab thing up until a week ago. They told me I was doing fine and wouldn't need them anymore. I do have my own treadmill and have been trying to continue what I was doing there.

Ross, I would not have told you to "shut up", you'r right. By the way, best of wishes to you on Monday, and remember who's guiding your surgeon's hands.

I'm going to try to "behave" and get healed. Jean

 

[Granbonny]

Housework

Housework

I am going to be 4 months soon and still when I push the vaccumcleaner I can really tell it in my chest area (middle part) the next day. Also when I stretch to try to swim I hurt the next day.So I really believe it is what you do with your arms..Don't know how anyone could play tennis or golf so soon...Hubby usually will vaccum but I forget because I feel so good. For you Ladies..pulling those wet clothes up out of the washer to go into dryer is not a good idea so soon after post-op......Inside joke..My Ear,nose, throatdoctor told me a few days ago I had to get the stress out of my life and I told him I couldn.t that I had been married to him for 37 years...and he was sitting beside me..

 

[Zipper]

Hi Al,

I will try to explain a couple of things I learned in Physical Therapy, but it's hard to explain unless you are with the person.

If you go to the corner walls of a room and place your forearms on either side of that 'corner' and gently lean in (pushing your sternum toward the corner) it will help loosen up and stretch the muscles and tendons in the chest area.

Place a towel across your backside (butt)...reach arms back and 'shimmy' with the towel..slowly and gently..but so you can feel it in your chest.

It's alot about posture and doing things to help you regain the erect, correct posture you had before all this. You are teaching your body by repeating these and other (so hard to explain..sorry) activities.

Hey..the brief massage really helped relax alot of the tense muscles also!! I wish everyone could go to Physical Therapy after surgeries when the time for it is helpful.

I hope this makes some sense, Al!

Take care,

Zipper *~*

 

[JenniferO]

I second those exercises described by Zipper; they are the ones that help me the most with ongoing tightness in the chest area and upper back strain from hunching my shoulders which I am doing still at nearly 6 months post-op. On the one with the towel, rather than "shimmy" I just gently hold on to the ends of the towel and gently raise my arms up behind me until I feel a slight stretch.

I also still have some clicking in my sternum in the incision area. My chiropractor who is much better at explaining muscle-skeletal things than the cardiologists says whenever you use your arms, it causes the pec muscles to contract and they are attached at the point where your ribs join into the sternum, so you feel the pulling or movement right there. He did tell me that it would heal much faster if I tried to avoid movements that give the clicking or popping sensation. Problem is, I get it whenever I manipulate the stick shift in my car to go into reverse which requires pushing down and then shifting. Not sure how I can avoid that. I can't hire a chauffeur and I really hate public transportation.