General advice please

[Sam702]

As expected, my follow up appointment has been cancelled, replaced by a telephone call. Obviously I will not be able to ask certain things due to time constraints. However, there are some things I would like clarification on, that I hope you can help me with. Following my valve replacement, I was told what I should not do.e.g, walk the dog (pulling) use a hover, pull up a douvet etc. So what I would like to know is, how long after the op can I safely do these things?

One last thing. When I talk, it sounds to me as though there may be fluid on my lungs. I do not have the breathing that goes along with that and when coughing nothing happens!

[Nic25]

Hey Sam702. Hope you're mending ok. After my AVR I was told no lifting of anything heavier than half a kettle of water, no dog walking as you say etc for 6-8 weeks to give the sternum time to heal and knit back together. What was frustrating was that there was no accommodation for the fact that in that time things will be healing so after five weeks six days you couldn't do any of the above but after six weeks you could, which to me was a bit non-sensical. So I'd say it's a question of common-sense. I was super careful for the first month or so and then gradually started to do small things but still stayed away from heavy stuff (changing beds, lifting laundry baskets, lifting pans etc) and also made sure when I was lifting something I was lifting carefully, so both hands and close to the body. Then gradually did a bit more after eight weeks until back to normal. So it is as I say just about being sensible and careful as why take a risk - but with the usual caveat here that this was just me and everyone heals differently and at different speeds and I'm not a doctor. Bear in mind too there may be an ongoing weakness - I got a ventral hernia in December (so a year post op) after lifting a bag that was heavier than I'd anticipated. It's just under the sternum and my GP said they can have happened anyway, so it might not have been connected, but my suspicion is that area could probably have been weakened. But hope that helps and good luck with your recovery. Take care, take it slow and look after yourself. Nic x

[080311]

Hi, getting back to doing your normal things takes a little while, as you say 6-8 weeks, if things were back to normal you would be starting cardio rehab at about 6-8 weeks, but I was still very careful at that time point. You will feel yourself how far you should be pushing, As for your voice, don’t really know, because we were incubated for quite a while my throat was sore for a few days but that was all. Maybe that’s one of the questions you need to ask when you get your telephone app.

Remember your sternum is like any broken bone and it needs to heal, my surgeon told me that because we have our sternum joined together with wire new bone grows over this so 12-18 months after surgery our sternum will be stronger than most people’s!!

Hope you continue to make a good recovery,

Stay safe best wishes Pauline