Hi again Edward,
I've been checking to see how you've been doing in preparing for your surgery and following the advice that other members have offered. Because of my own physical disabilities, I do think that my experiences in becoming mobile again may closely mirror what you may expect. One issue I asked about was if in the Cardiac ICU there would be a Hoyer lift available to help me move out of bed after surgery. I was assured that it would be there for me when I needed it. This was quite true, but what they didn't mention was that no one who worked in the ICU unit knew how to operate it correctly! Ask BEFORE your surgery because this is one of those small issues that seems to get lost in the mix. This will not be a problem when you are moved to a rehab facility, but that won't happen right away. I wasn't allowed to even move to a sitting position on the side of the bed until the 3rd day. Without the use of my arms to position myself in the bed and later in the chair, I had to repeatedly ask for a "boost" up in the bed. Don't hesitate to ask for the "special" care that you will need, despite all the experience the ICU doctors and nurses may have with post operative heart surgery patients, they don't generally have much experience dealing will our kind of mobility issues.
Make an effort to inform everyone well in advance of any special assistance you may need. Ask your doctor to put a note on your chart--paper or computerized, that tells anyone helping you exactly what your limitations are. Ask for and be sure to have a meeting with a PT staff member before you are admitted. It's very important your medical team has a complete understanding of what you are capable of doing BEFORE surgery, if they are to help you after the fact. Like most of us with a disability, you most likely have "your own way" of doing many thngs and this method doesn't always agree with the way a PT or nurse may think they should be done. Likewise, your doctor may begin to allow you to use your arms for repositioning long before a normal valve replacement patient. It can become a matter of regaining function, just as getting up and walking within 24 hours of surgery is normal for the vast majority of people. Simply put, your normal will not be the normal of most heart surgery patients.
I had accomplished very llittle when I was transfered to a rehab facility (just a few steps with my crutches), but I was able to improve tremendously each day in rehab. The biggest difference here was that while they monitored the afteraffects of the surgery, they were more concerned with my mobility issues and helping me regain my independence. I felt pretty good about my ability to do this by the time I was released from the rehab unit, but was still offered a team of visiting nurses, PT's and OT's on my return home. These folks made the transition to home much easier and helped me work out anything I had difficulty doing because of my llimited arm strength. My surgeon also used extra wires inside on my sternum and extra stitches on the incision outside. My recovery took a little longer, but I actually felt better and better as each week went by. Each week I would think "This is it, I feel pretty much back to normal," only to find that I felt even better the next week. At 6-8 weeks I was able to do most anything I needed to do independently, and at 6 months I was really feeling good--only to actually find that I was really back to normal at the one year mark. This is the real deal, and a blessing at that. It's a second chance of the best kind and well worth the effort you will put into it! Good luck and I'll be thinking of you as you travel this winding road.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. There are many, many fine people on this site, but few who have the kind of mobility issues that we share. I'll keep you in my prayers.
Jane
I've been checking to see how you've been doing in preparing for your surgery and following the advice that other members have offered. Because of my own physical disabilities, I do think that my experiences in becoming mobile again may closely mirror what you may expect. One issue I asked about was if in the Cardiac ICU there would be a Hoyer lift available to help me move out of bed after surgery. I was assured that it would be there for me when I needed it. This was quite true, but what they didn't mention was that no one who worked in the ICU unit knew how to operate it correctly! Ask BEFORE your surgery because this is one of those small issues that seems to get lost in the mix. This will not be a problem when you are moved to a rehab facility, but that won't happen right away. I wasn't allowed to even move to a sitting position on the side of the bed until the 3rd day. Without the use of my arms to position myself in the bed and later in the chair, I had to repeatedly ask for a "boost" up in the bed. Don't hesitate to ask for the "special" care that you will need, despite all the experience the ICU doctors and nurses may have with post operative heart surgery patients, they don't generally have much experience dealing will our kind of mobility issues.
Make an effort to inform everyone well in advance of any special assistance you may need. Ask your doctor to put a note on your chart--paper or computerized, that tells anyone helping you exactly what your limitations are. Ask for and be sure to have a meeting with a PT staff member before you are admitted. It's very important your medical team has a complete understanding of what you are capable of doing BEFORE surgery, if they are to help you after the fact. Like most of us with a disability, you most likely have "your own way" of doing many thngs and this method doesn't always agree with the way a PT or nurse may think they should be done. Likewise, your doctor may begin to allow you to use your arms for repositioning long before a normal valve replacement patient. It can become a matter of regaining function, just as getting up and walking within 24 hours of surgery is normal for the vast majority of people. Simply put, your normal will not be the normal of most heart surgery patients.
I had accomplished very llittle when I was transfered to a rehab facility (just a few steps with my crutches), but I was able to improve tremendously each day in rehab. The biggest difference here was that while they monitored the afteraffects of the surgery, they were more concerned with my mobility issues and helping me regain my independence. I felt pretty good about my ability to do this by the time I was released from the rehab unit, but was still offered a team of visiting nurses, PT's and OT's on my return home. These folks made the transition to home much easier and helped me work out anything I had difficulty doing because of my llimited arm strength. My surgeon also used extra wires inside on my sternum and extra stitches on the incision outside. My recovery took a little longer, but I actually felt better and better as each week went by. Each week I would think "This is it, I feel pretty much back to normal," only to find that I felt even better the next week. At 6-8 weeks I was able to do most anything I needed to do independently, and at 6 months I was really feeling good--only to actually find that I was really back to normal at the one year mark. This is the real deal, and a blessing at that. It's a second chance of the best kind and well worth the effort you will put into it! Good luck and I'll be thinking of you as you travel this winding road.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. There are many, many fine people on this site, but few who have the kind of mobility issues that we share. I'll keep you in my prayers.
Jane
xxx
