Hi all bag is packed and ready to go tomorrow for admission to hospital for my OHS...been keeping busy and plenty of exercise leading up. Just to get an echocardiogram tomorrow lunchtime then get settled for surgery on Tuesday ๐ฎ.
Keep everything crossed and will update in a few days when I'm out ICU
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Markyboy1903
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Couple of tips I received from a very experienced nurse that stood me in good stead.
First, every time a nurse offers you a painkiller then take it. They're not passing them out like sweeties, they've offered you one for a reason.
Two, get on top of your breathing exercises as soon as you can following the operation. Your lungs take a battering during open heart surgery, with lots of areas of micro collapse. How quickly you re-inflate your lungs and recover your breathing capacity will pretty much determine how quickly you feel that you're recovering and making progress. So focus on breathing exercises and then move on to standing up and taking a few steps.
Incidentally, this document from Guys & St Thomas's Hospital is used by quite a few hospitals as a guide for heart surgery patients as to what to expect, it's well worth a read.
Brilliant thank you ๐ Yeah my pal works at the hospital I'm going to and he said the same about pain relief.He can't stress enough if I'm in pain not to hesitate to ask for help.
Good to know about the breathing. Meet with the physio team before admission tomorrow.
Got an information pack but will download this and give it a good read
Definitely do the breathing exercises! Quite a few at rehab admitted they had not really followed it up, and they struggled when we did them and had more breastbone pain. Not doing them probably increases the risk of fluid on the lungs.
All the best for your surgery. I totally agree with the advice about the painkillers, if youโre in pain you wonโt do your breathing exercises or the walking. Also take earplugs with you, itโs very noisy in hospital! Just remember to tell the nurses for when they wake you up to do your obs!!!
Thanks Wendy earplugs are packed. Was in hospital last summer and checked out early because of a lack of sleep and oramorph not working but can't go anywhere this time so I'll be well on top of the pain killers
Hope it all goes well later today and in the morning with no delays/cancellations. Stop for a coffee and a tasty light bite on the way in. Most hospital food doesn't score highly in my experience. Good luck!
Best wishes to you and I also strongly reccomend breathing exercises...and when you start walking around try to walk as fast as your body will allow without struggling.
This will also helps your lungs.
I am saying that as I had to have my lungs drained for not strictly following the advises in the breathing and underestimating the importance of getting your lungs back to normal
Good luck and seeing your pic takes me back to August when I had my CABGx4.
It still seems almost like a dream sequence that this actually happened to me.
I think,as many people say on here, positivity is the key. I look back now at those first few tentative steps around the garden and thought, will I ever get there.
Iโve just returned from a 12 night trip to Vietnam with lots of adventures including cave walking with a sign at the entrance saying โdonโt undertake this if you have cardiovascular diseaseโ. Well I ignored that as I donโt think I have now as Iโve been โfixedโ.
Heart surgeons make miracles happen these days and youโll be one of them.
Wow sounds like a great trip and you're right it doesn't sound and feel like its happening to me. This time 2 years ago I wasn't aware of any issues apart from being diabetic and now this.
Taking everyone's comments and advice seriously and hopefully will be back to full health in a few months ๐ค
Sorry forgot you were diabetic. Immediately post op your BGs will be all over the place. I was put on a sliding scale and felt better when I came off it and got better control.
Good luck with the OHS. Good point earlier about the earphones. I used silicone ones they blocked out every thing. I forgot to tell the nurse who couldn't wake me up for my meds. She thought I was unresponsive and the next thing I knew the crash team were in my room!! I was popular but all saw the funny side after๐
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