Comments on: “Did You Use A Recliner After Heart Valve Surgery?” Asks Kevin

By: miss Bradley

miss Bradley — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:35:52 +0000

Oh my, this is very helpful. My husband and I will be speaking to the surgeon tomorrow about his aortic valve replacement. So he could go into surgery as early as Friday. I wanted to surprise him with an electric recliner but everyone was saying that was too much. Now, I’m thinking it sounds like a great gift!
Wish us luck!
- B

By: Anne Stohrer

Anne Stohrer — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 04:25:40 +0000

I am three weeks postop and I have lived in my recliner since surgery. It adjusts angles, supports my legs while sitting, and allows me to sleep. The only challenge is the lever, but I have mastered doing that without pain. I highly recommend a recliner!

By: Dianna

Dianna — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:30:22 +0000

I am post op one week exactly today and I haven’t laid down to sleep since the night before my surgery! I’m sooo scared I won’t be able to get back up! I’m 23 years old and had an ASD closed via open heart the best advice I can give is get a reclining something! Use pillows behind your back neck and especially at your feet so blood clots don’t form if ur foot rest isn’t soft and fluffy. I find the pillows behind my back help with the pain! That’s where ALL of my pain is! Best of luck to tthose who are or have had their surgery!!!

By: Greg Jenkins

Greg Jenkins — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:41:43 +0000

I am 16 and currently one week out of open heart surgery. I had two pulmonary veins moved, my mitral valve tightened, and a conduit in one of my veins replaced. I was never able to get confortable in the hospital beds but one of the nurses brought in a rocking chair and it after adding a pillow to the back it worked like charm! Now I am at home and we don’t have any rocking chairs but I found recliners to be almost as comfortable. I had major pain trying to sleep in my bed but last night tried a recliner and slept straight through the night. However, I am having some enourmous back spasms, I experienced these shortly after the surgery then they came back after I started using a recliner. My doctor thinks it is because of the hard operating table and awkward positions they may have had to put me in for surgery (I was out for 7 hours) but I am wondering if the recliner had anything to do with it as they didn’t start again till after I had used it.

By: Tony Mule

Tony Mule — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:41:08 +0000

Triple bypass and aortic valve replacement in Dec. 08. I spent most of my first month dozing in the recliner. I really never got good nights sleep. My problem was fear that I could not get out of a regular bed by myself and would be like a turtle on his back unable to get up again. That panic was overwhelming for me. About a month after surgery a friend suggested that I place a futon mattress folded in half behind and under the the mattress on our king bed. This worked great, it allowed me to sleep propped up like a hospital bed and able to just move my feet off the side of the bed and kind of roll to sit up and out. I did not have to wrestle will pillows piled up. Finally got some rest, but still never a full night. It did ease the fear and ability to get out. Finally told my dr. about sleeping issues and he prescribed ambien. That worked and I finally started to get some sound sleep. Had a hard time getting off them though, became somewhat dependent on them. Just a month or so ago I weened myself off and am glad to be free of them, however some sleep issues have returned. I would recommend the ambien, but not for extended periods.

By: Lee Samsel

Lee Samsel — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:04:29 +0000

Yes the recliner made life much easer I did not see my bed for 8 weeks the recliner sas much better

By: Allan Weeks

Allan Weeks — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:04:24 +0000

Hi my name is Allan and I live in Toronto Canada where we have our medical bills paid for, I’m not bragging I’m just stating a fact because what I was able to do was get my GP to reccomend to OHIP(thats the goverment short form for the part of goverment which covers costs) to get me a hospital bed from a company that rents them out by the month. Anyway my doctor was able to basically write me a perscription to rent a hospital bed which I put in my living room as I was told not to climb any stairs the first couple of weeks of my recovery. So I slept in my hospital bed day and night for 2 months and believe me it saved me a lot of pain and you will also have no concept of time because you never know when the pain my come and go any time of the day or night so your sleep patterns are whenever your tired you sleep regardless of the tme of day, I would stress if you are prescribed pain medication take it and don’t miss any just when you think you feel OK the pain builds up and then I would have to wait until the medication kicked in again, because even with the minimal movement in and out of your bed the pain could be severe and like the doctor said everyone is different but I can tell for me the first few weeks the pain was severe if you don’t take it easy. But getting back to the hospital bed, get one if you can, I highly reccomend it. I’m not sure what kind of effort it takes to get out of a recliner but I guess it’s a lot better than a regular flat bed. Anyway good luck and I hope I gave you a little insight on the first couple of months of recovery.

By: John Vranizan

John Vranizan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:44:28 +0000

I had an aortic valve replacement at age 52. (Star-Edwards valve). I am now going on 74. I went back to work in about three weeks following surgery. I had little trouble getting in/out of bed. I did begin to use a “sit-up” type pillow that I continue to use today.

By: Rosemary Geraci

Rosemary Geraci — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:02:57 +0000

I only used a recliner for one night. I decided to see how it felt getting out of my bed. I had been taught to roll onto my side, then push myself up with my arms after back surgery.

I tried the same procedure after aortic valve replacement and I must say I experienced almost no discomfort.

Hope this will work for you, too.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:14:15 +0000

Hello, I am due to have AVR in October. I will be having my surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. I just want to thank you, Adam and the many friends of your website, for helping me through this time. I have some idea, now, what I will be dealing with. I understand that my own experience will be just that, my own But, I feel so much better knowing ‘something’ about before and after the surgery. Thank you all for you positive input. It has blessed me tremendously. God Bless you all!