AllBodySurgery.com

I just had open heart surgery. Would like to know what to expect during recovery at home and to speed recovery

Public Comments

1. Homeopathic Treatment :- Take ARNICA 200C thrice on the first day and after that just once a day till you have fully recovered from your surgery it will help to heal you faster and protect you against infection and inflammation plus its a remedy par excellence in almost all heart diseases. Take care and God Bless you !
2. My dad had that when he was 74 years old and is now 84 and still doing very well!! After surgery, he felt quite weak and tired for awhile. Allow yourself to REST and recover. You need to get up and walk and move, too, but do get plenty of rest! One thing he experienced that not many people talk about is depression. He spent quite a few days sitting on the couch feeling very sad and frustrated and depressed. This eventually passed, but is VERY common after any surgery, so don't be surprised if you feel "blue" for awhile. Be sure to do some deep breathing to keep pneumonia away, too. Follow doctor's instructions and think positive and before you know it you'll be feeling better than you have felt in a long time!!
3. Expect lots of pain, and itching. As your scar heals it will itch like hell, expect to spend lots of time at the doctors office, and expect a fairly long recovery usually 6-10 weeks before you feel real good again. Depends on your age and overall general health.
4. Walk. Start in one room and walk to the other. Progress by adding a room to your daily walking routine. Pacing is very important, very easy to over estimate what you can do. Deep breath and cough, even if you don't think you need to cough. If it hurts, use a pillow to splint against your pillow Coughing is probably the most important thing you can do. Water, water, water, unless your doc has restricted your fluid consumption.
5. I am 49 and had quadruple bypass in Jan. I still get fatiqued easily. But as the doctor says. WALK,WALK,WALK, It helps to get stronger. You will have good days and bad ones. Don't get discouraged. Eat healthy, stay away from salt, take your meds and whatever you do LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR. Call them whenever you have a question and remember. There are no dumb questions. I called my doctor 45 times in the first month. My husband kept track. LOL Good Luck
6. It all depends on you, some people are stronger than others some take longer to recover, some go into a depressive state some just give up, I went through a tough time the first time at age 40 mainly depression, the second time age 52 was a breeze, was back to work in 6 weeks, no stitches or staples, the surgeon has alot to do with it as well some of coarse are better then others. but all in all it is so routine these days there is not much to worry about , most will all be in your head, there will be some discomfort but no real pain to speak of, also coughing is beneficial but only for the first week or so, laughing probably hurts the most, Hope this helps and good luck