Sternotomy recovery?

[Lulet99]

My dad has to have a sternotomy - he has been told he will need to limit his movement to his torso for at least 8 weeks. He has trouble getting out of bed and going from sitting to standing at the moment and I believe this will be much harder for him after surgery. Does anyone knpw if there are any devices that can help him with these problems? He doesnt really have room in his house for one of those huge recliner chairs.

[scentedgardener]

I suggest you ring your local Occupational Health to see what aids could be available. The local department here is accessed via the County Council.Your dad's GP should also be able to point you in the right direction.

If all else fails I would probably ring Age UK, as they could probably point you in the right direction.

[Cat04]

I don't know what equipment to suggest but he will be given advice and methods on how to do this while he is in hospital by the physiotherapist. I don't imagine he'll be allowed out of hosp until he can manage these activities by himself.

Also a vee pillow is excellent help both in bed and chair post-op.

[Anon2023]

hi. When I was in hospital the physios were giving people supports for their beds so that they could sleep upright. Sleeping upright is the norm for a while after a sternotomy as it’s uncomfortable to side sleep. They also taught me how to get out of bed without pulling on the wound. The physios will give him lots of advice while he’s in hospital and ensure he’s ready to be discharged when the time comes.

[LadyZ13]

When I was discharged after my sternotomy 4 weeks ago they let me take my bed ladder with me and I found this really helpful to ease myself upright so I could then get my legs over the side of the bed. Link below. Not sure NHS also hand them out but they're not expensive to buy.

If delivery times are quick, I'd recommend waiting until your dad's home before stocking up on mobility aids - the physios in hospital will be able to advise and it might be that you can get things on loan from local health teams.

Here's the ladder in the meantime!

shdmedical.co.uk/medical-eq...

[Jako999]

As others have said occupational health will be able to sort it out via either the Hospital or your GP make it clear to everyone involved he won’t be able to come home with out them and keep saying it.

I used a dining room chair which worked for me, I couldn’t sleep on my back and when I woke up (all the time) I was on my side anyway.

Hope all goes well👍