My Mom Is Having Heart Surgery!

Besides her physical conditioning before hand, the type of surgery she has will affect how quickly she recovers. The type of surgery being microscopic or open heart. My dad had open heart, and it took him about a year to fully recover. He still has to be careful years later.

Either way, they'll have her up and around the day after surgery, but she'll limited in her activities for awhile. So plan on her needing some help with certain items involving lifting even small things.

Go to www.mendedhearts.org and you'll find a phone number for the local chapter of Mended Hearts. They're affiliated with the American Heart Association and are a great support for people and families going through and recovering from heart procedures. Depending on where she has surgery, someone may even be able to come by and visit her while she's in the hospital.

Hi S.,
I too applaud you for being so caring for your mother.
I just turned 54 and had a hole repaired inside my heart 5 years ago.
Your mother's recovery will depend alot on her condition before the surgery. If she has been disabled by her condition she will feel much better. If she is in good shape now it should go smoothly. I was able to go back to teaching aerobics 6 weeks after my surgery, but that won't be the case for most people.
The worst things for me was that I couldn't see to read for about a month, even with glasses. The doctors deny that that has anything to do with the surgery, but I know others who had the same thing happen. I also had pain around the incision that made my skin feel like it was sunburned. So it was important to have soft tops that closed in the front so I could keep anything from touching me there. It was also very painful to lay flat on my back. Whenever, I would slide down the bed, I was unable to move myself back up. The nurses and aides wanted to lie the bed down flat to move me back up. Don't let them do that if your mom also can't tolerate lying flat.
Another extremely important thing is to make sure you trust her anesthesiologist. And pain medicines don't always work for women like they do for men (who they have been tested on in clinical studies.) Morphine did nothing for me except make me itch very badly all over.
Also, make sure she gets enough quiet time to rest. Hospitals tend to be very noisy.
Make sure she gets into a rehab that really knows what they are doing.
I am a personal trainer in McKinney, specializing in the over 50 population and those with disabilities or recovering from surgeries. I am also a wellness educator and can guide you to supplements that will strenghten the heart.
Please feel free to contact me if I can help you in anyway.
I pray that all goes well for you and your mom.
V.

Hi S.,
My dad had his Mitric valve repaired 2 1/2 years ago. One thing I will add to the other advice is to be prepared to spend the night the first night she is in a regular room. We had to stay because the nurses are not in the room constantly and the drugs they give make them very disoriented. My dad kept saying he needed to get dressed so he could go home and trying to get out of bed. Someone needs to be there if she tries to get up. A lot depends on her overall health. My dad was in pretty good shape, though he was much older than your mom (he was 83 at the time). He has Diabetes and that gave him the most trouble and became worse after the surgery due to being less active. Hope this helps. Good luck and I will keep you and your mom in my prayers.

My husband had his aortic valve replaced with a prosthetic valve last June. He was 48 at the time and in somewhat good shape, though he had just quit smoking. He felt terrible for the first few days, of course, but the recovery was actually much shorter than we thought it would be. He was back to work in three weeks and would have gone sooner if I had let him.
The worst issue after this is getting out of bed, because it is hard to push yourself up when your chest is sore. If possible, she ought to have someone with her for at least the first week home from the hospital.
My husband's surgeon was Patrick Roughneen at Baylor Grapevine if you have not chosen a surgeon yet-he is amazing and very kind and caring.
Good luck! I am sure your mom will do well.

Dear S.,

I have no advise to offer. None of my family members have had heart surgery, nor have I (I'm a 53 year old myself!), but I applaude your positive attitude and your willingness to do whatever your mom needs for as long as she needs you to do it! I've said a prayer for all of you.

Deb D

S.,

I have not been thru the surgery but have worked with many people who have. She will have limitations on how much she can lift or carry; usually no more that 5 lbs. Her endurance will be limited. How quickly she recovers is usually dependent on how active she was before & if there are any complications during surgery.

My husband had open-jeart surgery in 1995. He was totally confined to home for 6 weeks---just rest--not all in bed (at first that is where he wanted to be) but they must get up and walk some to get the soreness out--just around the house once or the room--whatever works for them. Some one needs to be with them ALL the time--not at their bedside--but within earshot. May or may not need some help with bathing--they ttok veins from his leg to do the by-pass--that was more of an issue than his chest incision as far as pain went--so be prepared for that also! May need some help with cleaning that--but showering (with a chair maybe) and letting the warm soapy water run over that keeps it clean. I do recall any special diet---may want to have some Miralax around--sometimes constipation comes with surgery and the last thing they need to have to "strain" for any reason. No lifint at all for 6 weeks and then nothing over five opounds for about 10-12 weeks (as I recall). HAPPY people are good medicine--so be upbeat and not "hovering" but available--whatever she thinks she can do for herself--let her try with caution and watch---some independent kinds will not tell you if it is too much or not--so observe--the other part is the "dependent" ones will let someone do everything for them--THAT IS NOT GOOD EITHER--they will never regain their strngth that way.

One note--be prepared--people --just after heart surgery--look awful--very bloated--it is frightening if you are not prepared for it. Our surgeon told us what to expect--but I did not tell his sisters and they were shocked and thought he was dying--there are a lot of drainage tubes at first (they come out gradually, one-by-one in just a few days)but it looks bad! Good luck to all of you and I will pray for your family--God knows your names!

ME--married to my sweetheart for 30 years--Mom of 2 and Nana of 3--I am blessed!