Yesterday my husband (referred hereafter as Papa bear) had triple bypass surgery. So far everything is going really well. But for those folks that have been through this, what can I expect now? What will things be like after we get home? I would’ve posted yesterday but I couldn’t get logged in. I’m so glad he’s doing good. that was my biggest worry he’s off the ventilator he’s breathing on his own. just don’t know what to expect from here. especially once I will be doing the caretaking. Any advice?
Not knowing what kind of patient your husband is, I’ll just share my very limited experience. My FIL had 5-bypass surgery some years back. My MIL’s biggest problem was keeping him from doing things he wasn’t supposed to do. He’d always been very active and I’m guessing he was trying to prove he was “fine” by trying to live his normal life.
My advice would be to get very specific instructions from his doctor, clarifying as necessary, as to his limits as well as things he *should *be doing, whether medication, rest, or exercise. Get it in writing. Don’t over-baby him. And keep an emergency supply of chocolate tucked away just for you!
And if in doubt, call the doctor!!
I’ve read that hugging a plush something or other is comforting to those who are recovering from chest surgery.
Glad your husband is doing OK.
The hospital will give you pretty complete instructions as to care. The things I remember specifically are: no driving for 6 weeks, walking every day for 20 minutes, light chest exercising, and then enrolling in rehab after I could drive. My wife also changed our diet rather dramatically, so you might want to consider that.
I do remember being very emotional (sad / hopeless) for awhile after the operation - so you might need to watch for that.
Here’s my story: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-571458.html
My post surgery photos are in the rogues’ gallery.
Thanks, guys. Especially beowulff… How are you feeling these days? Quality of life , etc?
I feel pretty great.
I recently started training with a guy who is 20 years younger than me, and built like a Olympic gymnast. He comments that I am in much better condition than most of the guys his age he knows. I’ll post some photos in a few months…
The change of diet (reducing red meat, cheeses, ice cream, etc.) was discouraging at first, but instead of being absolutist about it, I use those things as rare treats. I have maybe 3 hamburgers/year, instead of 3/week. We eat non-fat Greek yogurt by the caseload. I’d be happy to share ideas with you and your husband.
Yeah We’re already talking about some of that stuff. We do not normally eat a lot of red meat to begin with. Turkey instead of ground beef etc. Maybe some nonfat sherbet instead of ice cream. The yoghurt is a great suggestion. I think its as good as sour cream. He is not as convinced.
My mom and my mother-in-law both went through major heart surgery, and both handled things pretty differently.
Exercise - get precise directions about how much to do and when. My mom wanted to do more than recommended, and my mother-in-law wanted to do nothing. I think it’s probably fine (good even) to build up to doing more and more, but you can’t start out running marathons.
Mood - it is very common for heart patients to feel depressed after these procedures. I don’t know that I ever researched why, but I do know that we were specifically warned, and, sure enough, both of them had issues. Just remember, and help them remember, that this is normal, and it will pass.
Talk to your doctor about the whole diet issue. It certainly doesn’t hurt to be more healthy, but diet alone may not be enough. Some people are more likely to have issues with clogs than others, even people who eat very stringently.
As far as recovery, other than helping my mother and MIL staying on track with the exercise, our main goal was to help them keep mentally busy and positive. They can’t do everything they want to right away, but life will get back to normal or better than normal. My MIL is healthier than she has been in decades. My mother looks and acts 20 years younger than her biological age. This will pass.
Doctors will often “forget” to talk to you about sex after heart surgery. Ask for this information, but some general guidelines are: wait until you are able to climb 3 flights of stairs without being out of breath, the heart patient should be on the bottom (or the less active of the two) and stick with a familiar partner (this is no time for a new partner, that is too much stress.)
Best wishes for a full recovery!
How scary for you. Something to remember is that while this is all new to you, its very routine to **Papa Bear’s **medical team. You are going to have a bunch of questions. Write them down so you don’t forget them while you are talking to his doctor.
I agree with the others that you need to get the specific exercise protocol from his doctor, and follow it. Don’t let **Papa Bear **try to do too much at first. His chest just got split and his breast bone needs to heal. Its going to be very fragile for a while.
Unless things have changed, he isn’t going to be able to use his arms to push himself up from a chair or the bed. That’s really hard, because its an ingrained habit, so watch him. You won’t be able to pull him up with his arms, wrap your arms around his chest in a hug and let him lean into you for support.
He probably won’t be allowed to reach over his shoulders. This one is hard as well. Look at how your kitchen is arranged, if the glasses, coffee mugs, plates etc. are higher than his shoulders, put them on the counters for now.
If he likes to read and doesn’t have a kindle, buy one now. Dead tree books are heavy and hard to handle.
He’s probably going to have weight restrictions as well. A gallon of milk will probably be too heavy, buy half gallons. I don’t know if he uses milk, that’s just an example of the sorts of little things you need to look at for the first month or so.
For the first couple of weeks, you will be in full control so any diet changes you are going to make should start on day 1. By the time he’s strong enough to start taking control back, the good habits will already be established.
My then fiancé was back to 75% in 2 months and 100% in 6 months. Your beloved **Papa Bear **will do fine.
Good luck and remember that you need to take care of yourself as well. Being the primary caretaker for a recovering heart surgery patient is exhausting, both mentally and physically. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of him.
I hope my question here is not taken as too much off-topic or a threadshit, but . . .
What about heart surgery patients (or any other kind of major surgery patients, for that matter) who live alone and don’t have a well-developed social network? Do they get sent home to fend for themselves? Or do they get sent to a rehab place or convalescent hospital until they can fend for themselves?
After my heart surgery (aortic valve replacement and quadruple bypass), the hospital sent over several home health-care workers. They interviewed me to find out about my exercise, medications, dietary habits, weight management, etc. As it happened, I was having severe dizzy spells, almost passing out, and had to be readmitted for a few days. It turned out, some of my meds had to be adjusted, especially the ones controlling my blood pressure.
I don’t know how it is in other hospitals, but at the Cleveland Clinic (the #1 heart hospital in the country), nobody is sent home to fend for themselves. Every patient gets the help they need, if they don’t have someone.
I think this was my husband’s first question after he could rasp out some words after a heart attack at age 37… “When…can…I …have…sex?” I think climbing two flights of stairs was given as his benchmark and No New Partners was also advised, thankyouverymuch.
So obviously climbing two flights of stairs was his first objective when he got home.
He did not have heart surgery so my experience may be slightly different, but the main thing I had to get used to was his extreme weakness and how easily he tired. He found going to the grocery store too much. He could get back to the dairy section but getting back to the front of the grocery store was too far.
The other thing I simply had to accept about myself is that I am not the kind of person who can be a parent for another adult. I COULD NOT worry about what he ate or whether he did his cardiac rehab properly, that had to be on him. Luckily for our whole family, he took those responsibilities seriously, but there is NO WAY I could have been the one to worry about that stuff for him.
Now he is almost 47 and sometimes I forget to worry about him, he’s doing great.
Janis I am so sorry you are dealing with this! I hope knowing internet strangers are pulling for you and for him is some comfort.
Still in icu even though they say hes doing great. Had an echocardiogram today. Hope the results are good.
Glad to hear he’s doing well.
Please keep us posted.
Oh… One other thing I remembered: They gave me an inspirometer to use in order to encourage deep breathing (reduces the chances of pneumonia) - it’s easy to set it aside and ignore it, but I would recommend using it as often as possible.
[quote=“ddsun, post:8, topic:752892”]
<snip> Mood - it is very common for heart patients to feel depressed after these procedures. I don’t know that I ever researched why, but I do know that we were specifically warned, and, sure enough, both of them had issues. Just remember, and help them remember, that this is normal, and it will pass. <snip>
Ddsun is right; depression is a common feature following heart surgery. Here’s a helpful article:
Janice and cO, best wishes to your Papa bear for a speedy recovery.
UPDATE: Papa B. is doing Fabbo! He got out of the hospital yesterday & was feeling well enough today to go to church ( today was a high holy day) He REALLY wanted to go & his doctor said there was no reason why he couldn’t. Besides reminding him about his diet & diabetic issues there is not a whole lot for me to do (make sure he doesn’t overdo it too!) he actually did very well today & we’re going to regular Sabbath services tomorrow, if he still feels good! we’ll have a home health aide starting Sunday & she can help us get his med box sorted out & all that good stuff.
That sounds so good. May Mr. Janis’ recovery continue unabated and uncomplicated.
My only advice: if medication regimes change much, invest in one of those pill box things that help you keep everything straight. That $10 box probably helped me keep my husband alive when his medical crisis was at its worst.
And stop for a minute right now. Figure out what you need to do to take care of yourself. You’re in for the long haul, and you can’t help him or anyone else if you are constantly operating on the reserve battery. Whether you need a lunch out twice a week, or a pedicure twice a month - figure out what you need. It’s important for you to take care of yourself too.