Found out yesterday Partners double possibly treble Bypass is definitely going ahead - apparently now more urgent as his angina is now unstable. They will be using artery from his leg.
All pre op stuff done and the hospital will call when they have a date (talking of doing it in private hospital on nhs as this’ll potentially be quicker.)
I was wondering if anyone could give any advice on seating/beds?!
Our bed and sofa are very low to the ground and our sofa kind of sucks you in due to the design (!) and I’m concerned he’s not going to be able to get on and off them - am I overthinking this? Would a recliner chair be better in the early stages?
Not sure if I’m just panicking as it’s taken so long to get to this stage and now it’s all moving very quickly!
Any opinions appreciated 😀 and any tips on any other temporary adaptions I may need to think of??!
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Chickenlou
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Hi, he will probably struggle to get off a low settee as you can’t put any pressure on your arms immediately after surgery - you only do it once cos it hurts like hell! I have a recliner, which was very useful and I often took naps in it as it was more comfortable than the bed.
A v-shaped cushion or a bolster one is a good thing to get as it is difficult to sleep lying flat for the first few weeks. After my first AVR I used a rolled up duvet, but I bought a double bolster after my second one and still use it now, it stops me rolling too far onto my front.
Too right about the shower seat (and help washing hair) - I've not had open heart surgery (yet) but three years ago I wrecked everything in my dominant arm (hard fall) and was told to get a shower seat.
The consultant said 'Stand to soak, sit to soap' and said I should put a towel across the seat to sit on and keep from sliding off whilst soapy. Worked a real treat, as did my husband helping me wash my hair until I worked out how to do it one handed. I never once had a slippy moment in the shower during recovery and now my heart is playing up I'm still using that seat if feeling the slightest bit wobbly.
I suffer from heart failure since April and spine fractures I bought a recliner chair from my local charity shop and it really helped me then i was told a lower bed frame might help me so I bought 1 and it did help then I was told a pillow lifter would help even more I managed to get independant living people to help me from my council and they got me 1 it is remote control and goes up to what I'm comfy with and if I want a nap or at night I just lower it to how I can go to sleep comfy without even moving see if you can get help from the people who are treating your husband at the hospital and about your sofa what about a ring us women used to sit on when we had our children you could try Miller care they have lots of things that could help
If you have the room for one, a motorised hospital bed hire is quite helpful. A friend hired one when her husband was due to come home from hospital after quintuple bypass and over twenty years on they still talk about what a difference it made in his recovery.
The beds raise and lower making it so much easier for the person to get onto and off of. The added bonus of being able to raise the head-shoulder-back section of the bed means the person can sit, lean against the raised head section and get into the preferred sleeping position (side, back) then lower the head section to a comfy position.
They had the bed for two months. At first he was on it all the time as it was so much easier to use than struggling with the sofa or recliner chair and then gradually he was only using it at night or during the afternoon for a restorative kip. By the end of the hire period they were glad to see it go back to the hire company as it signalled a real milestone in his recovery but they were also so sorry to see it go they ended up buying a 'motion' bed to replace their 'regular' one.
Over thinking is normal and actually very practical. I'm 2 years post quadruple bypass and though I am a youngster, I appreciated my husband purchasing a recliner chair, it's leather so very modern. At first keeping your legs elevated is a must between exercise due to swelling and fluid retention... Truly it makes a huge difference.
I too had a leg vein removed.
My bed was OK, as quite a good height but if you have stairs they can be an issue for some time.... Slowly is the key, and I put a pillow barrier between my husband and I (not for the first time) 😜, as was worried about him accidentally hitting my wounds. I did wear a chest brace for some weeks which helped but was annoying funnily enough it became my comfort blanket as relied on it for months.
Regular bursts of hourly exercise, just walking around the room to start and the exercise sheet that he should be given will aid recovery. Also rehab after several weeks will build confidence and make him feel safer.
Hope that helps.
Tell him I was done and dusted in 4 days and back home. It is very scarey, but family and friends supported me and it's not like we have a choice right.... Trust in the doctors... I can try and answer any future questions that you may have. Debs ❤️
A small pillow or a rolled towel between the wound and the car seatbelt is helpful too - it stops the pressure from the seatbelt when travelling.
My hubby was also told to just run warm water over his wounds until they were healed - no soap or shower gel and use three separate towels - one for his chest wound, one for the leg and a separate one for the rest - a hand towel is big enough for the wounds.
Hi Chickenlou. My hubby had a quad bypass last November. Operation on Monday and back home on the Friday.
I got him a leather? reclining office chair that he could move the seat up and down on. It's really useful for iPad and computer use too. Wasn't too expensive at all. A V shaped pillow was a godsend. Our settee is low too but cushions raised the level up so he had no problem getting up.
He was more comfortable dozing in a raised position so pillows did the trick. He found it difficult to sleep in bed at first but dozing in the day helped.
He was up and about quickly and as someone said, walking about is helpful as it takes the pressure off the spine. Easy and slowly on stairs though.
Those compression stockings can be a right pain in the proverbial though!!!!
All the very best and have a lovely Christmas (you'll both have an amazing New Year) xxxx
If you don't want to spend,why not try a concrete block under each corner of the bed/sofa.x
Beware as some of them are rock hard. I spent best part of 3 months having to sleep sitting up as could not lie down. On the downside to it all and not something that is mentioned too much is you can get depression usually by recovery not going to plan and dragging its heels.
If you do get a recliner, make sure you try it first. I got one as part of a suite without being able to try it and it's hard as a rock. With many there tends to be very little padding on the seat over the mechanism. Mine is never used.
I bought a recliner for him and it worked great. I’d suggest leather or cloth. The vinyl ones will become hot and uncomfortable. I opted for the recliner rather than the bed feeling it gave him a sense of being more “normal” coming home. He will also need to walk when he gets home and get some exercise to build up his strength over time .
After this first phase of recovery he came back to the bed. The hardest thing he will face is getting out of bed. Figure out a routine for this. I just had him grab my arms and pulled him up into a sitting position and then we worked together to swing his legs around and then shadowed him as he walked to the bathroom, breakfast, the recliner.
We also got a bed cane sometimes called a bed rail. It’s quite ingenious and as my husbands recovery progressed he was able to get up and out of bed himself with the aid of the bed rail. You can find them on Amazon for less than $100.
The rail also gave my husband comfort knowing he wouldn’t f roll out of bed.
The shower stool is also a great idea.
Button shirts and PJs are a must. Your husband won’t feel like raising his arms for a while. Socks with a sole grip are also good especially if you have wood or tile floors to keep him from sliding. A cane or walking stick is also handy to give him extra support in walking on his own.
From my experience there is a fine line only you can determine in his recovery as far as when to be helpful and when to urge him to be more independent. Realize this is a big change for both of you. At times my husband felt helpless and resentful of my “hovering”, at times I felt resentful that he didn’t appreciate my concern for his well being. It was frustrating for both of us but over time we both recognized our need for better communication as it relayed to the temporary change of roles. I always reminded my husband he would do the same for me if the situation were reversed.
Yours from across the Pond
We bought blocks to put under the settee from Amazon, plus a raised toilet seat with a frame around it to help getting on and off the toilet. I also found it comfortable sitting in a high back swivel office chair.
A V pillow is also a God send. For the first few days my husband slept on a blow up bed so he didn’t bump into me 😉
Because my surgery was unexpected we only bought these the day after I got home 😕 it great that you can plan ahead.
The occupational therapy department should be able to help - prior to HA I broke my leg in three places necessitating plates and pins. They sent me home with an arm chair (we only had a sofa) toilet raiser and a perching stool - incredible service all free and they collected it too! All they did was measure my leg to fit it all correctly. Good luck
This is true of your case, but generally only basics are supplied but all should be available if living in the UK free of charge, but funding does not allow for recliner chairs or hospital beds unless people meet the criteria (which you don't want to meet!).
Toilet raisers, bed rails, commodes and mobility aids. Chair raisers, perching stools, shower seating are usually supplied if there is a requirement. But you will need to request input.
I managed without aids but I have been working in rehab a long time the only thing that I would have used was a shower stool.
One question for those who’ve said a recliner is possibly a good option, by recliner did you all have electric type recliners (as I’m guessing the manual ones would be impossible to tilt backwards and forwards with chest and leg wounds?)
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worried about hubbys chest pains 
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finding it hard to cope
Relationship changed after CABG - no physical relationship for years 
