Post Open Heart Surgery Tips!

[PeriwinkleTwinkle]

Hi everyone!

I'll be having open heart surgery in just under 3 weeks and I'm looking for any tips and tricks for afterwards. I will be having a patch repair for multiple ASDs (holes in the heart) in case it is helpful to know ☺️

This can be anything from clothing recommendations, any aids you found helpful, tips to avoid constipation or just any other helpful knacks to make everyday activities and recovery a little bit easier.

I have been searching through previous posts to start gathering know how and making a little list when I thought this might be an easier way to go about it.

Thanks in advance to all you lovely people. Wishing you all well on your own heart journeys ❤️‍🩹🤞

[Ageingfast]

Dear Twinkle

I had OHS for a replacement aortic valve, five years ago.

I was terrified beforehand, but once I got to hospital it was all pretty fabulous. Staff were so well trained and everything went well.

I paid to get an ambulance to take me home. Then I had my wife to look after me.

As soon as I could leave my hospital bed, I started to do gentle exercise. Once home I walked and talked a few yards then increased the walkie talkie each day. The nurses gave me written notes of a few gentle daily exercises.

It worked for me. The recovery was very long, about four months but youngsters such as you should probably take much less time.

I think it was essential to have someone at home to look after me. If no one, then I would book in to a care home.

I sat up in bed to sleep. I used five pillows in a semicircle plus another pillow (teddy) under my knees to stop me sliding down.

I liked to have a light on all night.

I also used a tinnitus relaxer to help me get to sleep. Highly recommended. About £35.

You are having your op at an ideal time of the year. The days are getting longer and warmer.

I loved my cat being around. He seemed to understand that I couldn’t feed him etc but he just went to my wife instead.

It was covid time, so no rehab.

Above all, it was the most brilliant experience, ending with a golden day when I realized I could do most things again.

Five years on and no heart problems at all.

Thanks to the fantastic medics.

Sooty

[PeriwinkleTwinkle in reply to Ageingfast]

Hi Sooty,

Thanks so much for replying!

I'm very fortunate to have a great support system at home so I know I'll always have someone to take good care of me.

I'm a side sleeper and it hadn't yet registered in my brain that I would be having to sleep on my back through recovery so thank you so much for the sleeping tips. I will be stocking up on some supportive pillows and experimenting with sounds and music to see what will aid relaxation and sleep too.

I'm so glad to hear you had a great recovery and are doing fab since.

Wishing you all the best,

Twinkle

[PadThaiNoodles]

Practice "moving within the tube" before surgery. You'll still forget at least once and push yourself out of bed with a straight arm, but the less you do this the less it will hurt.

Don't worry that your emotions are all over the place for a while afterwards. It happens to everyone.

Good luck with it!

[PeriwinkleTwinkle in reply to PadThaiNoodles]

Thank so much!One of my main worries is I'll forget I'm not supposed to raise my arms and give it a go, I might have to ask them to bandage them to my sides

Best wishes

[Art-99]

I would suggest you consider researching post surgery bras as the wound can be sensitive for a while. I didnt give this any thought when I had my op in 2020 and like ageingfast it was during covid restrictions so rehab not available plus I live in Cyprus and there is less support and information for the post surgery weeks. I found the BHF website so helpful.

[PeriwinkleTwinkle in reply to Art-99]

Thanks for replyingI can imagine it was all very different and probably a lot harder to go through during COVID with all the restrictions! I have found the website to be a great help too and it has meant I can avoid the dreaded Googling

Best wishes

[Skiffrower]

I don't know your body shape but going braless for me wasn't very comfortable. I found a seamless bra in M&S which worked for me. My daughter aged 18 when she had her op found a reasonably supportive camisole useful. Immediately after the op I'd suggest something which opens at the front . I also had one of those v-shaped pillows good. I also had an A4 booklet of info and exercises given to me. They aren't exciting but do them you will feel such a sense of achievement when they get easier.

Oh and bio oil on the scar really helps to keep it from getting tight.

[Skiffrower in reply to Skiffrower]

I should have said seamless and stretch bra . An front opening refers to blouses or tops not bra. Sorry I should have read through reply to check it made sense.I'd like to repeat padthainoodles comment about mental side of things. It's a big op and you need to be gentle on yourself .

[PeriwinkleTwinkle in reply to Skiffrower]

Thanks for replying! My surgical nurse had advised me that those of us blessed with front humps would need something soft without any underwire to support them so they don't pull the skin surrounding the wound, but I never though about needing front fastening!

I have always loved being active (which is why this caught me and everyone else by surprise when I found out a year ago) so I'm very much looking forward to getting back into doing things, even little gentle exercises to eventually get back to some sort of normal.

Best wishes to you and your daughter

[LadyZ13]

My husband brought my prune juice to the hospital the day after my OHS and it got things moving, such that I could be discharged 4 days after the surgery!

I bought a post-surgery bra but didn't really use it, but I was able to get into my usual bralettes without discomfort. We're all different. We thought about getting some bits and pieces to help me around the house but didn't, and glad as I was OK to stand in the shower and get out of bed unaided etc. It depends a little on whether you live alone and what support you have.

If it helps, I blogged about my entire experience from diagnosis (also an ASD) to now. The link's in my biog. I was 38 when diagnosed so not much older than you

Happy to answer any other questions!

[PeriwinkleTwinkle in reply to LadyZ13]

Thanks for the reply

After my previous attempted catheter closure I really suffered with getting my bowels going again! It must have been about 3-4 days and it's definitely not something I want to go through again this time round. Prune juice will be going on my list of things to take for sure.

4 days is a great turn around time! I was told it will be 7 depending on how quickly I bounce back.

I do have some bralettes to pack but I have big hips so I do worry about how I'll get in them as I'll probably have to pull them up instead of going overhead and down. I'll pick up a couple of other options just incase as they can always be donated if they don't get used

That's fantastic, I will definitely be looking at that!

Best wishes

[Bluenose10]

I had OHS in September, a replacement aortic valve made from bovine pericardium; I now tell people I am part cow. Waking up in cardiac ICU after the op was troubling, but after a couple of days once the two drains had been removed I was fine. The well-trained staff will help you get up and about and there will come the lovely moments when they let you go back to bed! I was very well looked after, discharged after a week and went home with instructions about recovery. You will need care at home at least for the first week, not because of the heart so much as the split sternum. You mustn't carry or lift and can't wash your hair by yourself. In my case, our son took a week's holiday and came to stay with us to help. Sleep propped up; we have a bed which has a motor which lifts the head which was ideal. It was a lovely threshold moment when I could revert to sleeping on my side with the bed flat. Each week you are able to do more, but make sure you don't try to go too fast. One thing that comes late on the growing list of things you can do is hoovering or sweeping. I swept our yard too soon and regretted it. Oh and do everything that you can to avoid sneezing! Even laughing hurts at first. Now, five months on, I am well and I have successfully completed my cardiac rehabilitation course. The long scar irritates a little and I suppose I do get tired. However, it seems to be a nice day outside so I will be going to work on my allotment; that's a measure of how active I have become. Good luck with your own journey.

[PeriwinkleTwinkle in reply to Bluenose10]

Oh wow it is simply amazing the ways in which we can fix our hearts !

I've never really had to be in hospital so I'm not sure what to expect staying in ICU for a few days before I move to a ward.

I have been warned in advanced I won't be just laying around, and I'm looking forward to being active. I'm very much a laid-back person at heart, so I'm not likely to push too far too fast.

Sleeping is a worry for me as I'm also a side sleeper so I'll probably need heaps of pillows to keep me on my back, might have to tie some bells to me too!

I'm very lucky to have my partner and all of my family ready to put their lives on hold to support me as much as necessary in the weeks following the op, they are going to cost me a fortune in flowers and wine afterwards I'm sure! My sister is coming back from uni specifically for hair washing duty (I've seen my partner wash his own hair and I don't fancy the torture)

My nurse mentioned it will be taught how to prepare for sneezing and coughing and it made me realise how different you have to approach many tiny everyday things you don't think about until you're presented with them post op

I am so happy to hear you are recovered and doing so well!

Best wishes for you and your allotment

[Still_Breathing]

Get a rolled up towel to support your chest when coughing or sneezing.Consider a plastic seat to sit on whilst in the shower - it's exhausting at first.

Start walking as soon as you can but don't over do it ,and build up your distance slowly, remember you have to get back home too.

Don't lift anything heavier than a kettle.

After that just relax as best you can and lie on your back, I bought a V pillow but didn't like it so never used it.

Good luck you will soon be helping others with what to do after their surgery.

[PeriwinkleTwinkle in reply to Still_Breathing]

I hadn't even thought to how tiring standing in the shower will be! Thank you so much for your replyBest wishes

[MumaLines]

Hi Twinkle, when I had my surgery I was never told about your boobs weighing down and pulling on your sternum. You will need a couple of Front Fastening Non-Wired Bras to stop any strain on your wound. Adapt them to what ever makes you feel comfortable. Also PJs that button up at the front xxx

[PeriwinkleTwinkle in reply to MumaLines]

Thanks for your reply, I hadn't thought about PJs! Were you able to wear them from waking after the op or did you have to wear a hospital gown for some time first? Best wishes

[Haggislover]

Take loose fitting nightwear which fastens down the front,bras without wires,.When you are able to walk around, tracksuit or comfortable pants.I was given a lot of transfusions which caused swelling and I was unable to get my normal underwear over my knees!

[PeriwinkleTwinkle in reply to Haggislover]

Thank for your replyDo you find yourself getting hotter than usual when moving around again or do you think the hospital might be a bit chilly for say a pair of cycling shorts as opposed to joggers?

Best wishes

[PadThaiNoodles in reply to PeriwinkleTwinkle]

Prepare for both. The anaesthetic (or the bypass machine?) knocks your internal temperature control off kilter for weeks.

(But in general the ICU will be freezing and the wards overly warm.)

[Beatles1956]

Hi. Some of this may be in the notes from the hospital, but a few other things:

Before you go in, visit the dentist, make sure no small holes which could let in infection.

Have a haircut, while you can still lean back.

Get in as much shopping as you will need, you won't feel like going shopping and certainly should not be lifting much.

Practice standing from sitting in a chair without using your arms to push up with.

I came out of hospital with a good cocktail of drugs; I drew up a chart of what to take and when, as brain was a bit dozy anyway.

Soft, brushed cotton shirts and trousers with elasticated waistband helped.

Bit obvious, but check before you get discharged about changing dressings - when and what.

All my nervousness disappeared when I got into hospital (St. Barts); they really look after you well, and manage the pain.

I ordered flowers to be delivered to my wife on the day I had the op. Thought it might cheer her up. Made her cry instead.

Hope all goes well for you.

😊

[PeriwinkleTwinkle in reply to Beatles1956]

Thanks for your reply

I have been told I'll get a lot of information on discharge but I think it's a lot better to have the knowledge in advance to help prepare for what's coming.I will definitely be taking a notepad to write down all the information they give me verbally, otherwise it will have all floated in one side and out the other before I get home I'm sure.

I'll be missing my partner's birthday, my sister in law's baby shower and mother's day in my first few days post op so I think I will organise a few surprise deliveries for those too

Best wishes

[Beatles1956 in reply to PeriwinkleTwinkle]

I agree, better to have the information beforehand, as it helps to understand what to expect. I was sent an A4 booklet beforehand, but I guess hospitals differ.(St. Barts).I was sending WhatsApp messages to the family afterwards, thinking I was being helpful. Read them back when I was home, and one was two paragraphs of absolute gibberish! Must have just given myself a shot of the good stuff!

All the best.😷

[PeriwinkleTwinkle]

Just a little update

At my pre-op (6th March) I was postponed due to an emergency on the hospital's end. I've now been rescheduled for the 27th March

Thank you all so much for your replies!