Klara Čičić - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

Klara Čičićposted a journal

5 days ago

Dear people, I'm in a dilemma and maybe your kind anwsers will help me with my decision - we live in small apartment, I have three lovely kids under five, ...Read more

Dear people, I'm in a dilemma and maybe your kind anwsers will help me with my decision - we live in small apartment, I have three lovely kids under five, very active and lively and attached to me and they love waking up at night for no reason haha. After I return from surgery I was thinking about renting apartmant next to us (happens to be empty and very kind neibourghs are happy to rent temporarly). Will it be possible for me to be in my room and rest while kids are in the next room jumping up and down... I don't know how will I feel, will I have a lot of pain...will kid's presence be a big problem... Is it crazy to rent apartment next door just to be alone and have peace, but also be close to them? I think I'll rent but just need a push from you expirienced guys that it's a smart decision since I really don't know the feeling after surgery... Thank you all very much

Richard Munson Good idea klara, just buy a couple of those baby cameras so you know what is going on.

Ginny Turner Hi Klara, renting next door might be a good idea for the first few weeks after you return home. I did ... Read more

Ginny Turner Hi Klara, renting next door might be a good idea for the first few weeks after you return home. I did not experience much pain after surgery but was very tired. You will need rest as your heart heals and having three young children who want to be right by mom might not allow for much rest. Wishing you well!

Marie Myers I agree with Ginny. I did not have a lot of pain either, but I was very tired for a couple weeks. It ... Read more

Marie Myers I agree with Ginny. I did not have a lot of pain either, but I was very tired for a couple weeks. It can take a few weeks for your blood count to get up to normal, hence the tiredness. Don’t think I would have been up to any child care, cooking or housekeeping for a couple weeks. Sleeping did not come easy for me either for several months. Do you have someone helping you?

Richard Munson You also might consider a nanny in the apartment. We had 3 all under 3 but no heart surgery and my wi ... Read more

Richard Munson You also might consider a nanny in the apartment. We had 3 all under 3 but no heart surgery and my wife did not work and she was exhausted most nights. Plus i travelled a lot on business. My mother and her mother helped when possible. No matter your age, it takes awhile to bounce back from ohs.

Richard Munson Wait till you take your first at home shower. Exhausting to say the least.

Rose Madura I concur with all the comments. The idea of a nanny is especially interesting if you can afford it. ... Read more

Rose Madura I concur with all the comments. The idea of a nanny is especially interesting if you can afford it. You will want to take lots of naps and won't sleep well at first. Pain is manageable but you don't want your children hurting your sternum with their never ending excitement. God bless you!

Danielle Elizabeth I just read the comments and it was exhausting to take a shower the first 4 weeks after surgery (I ha ... Read more

Danielle Elizabeth I just read the comments and it was exhausting to take a shower the first 4 weeks after surgery (I had complications with my lungs that mainly have contributed). Buying a plastic chair for the shower saved me. Also the hot flashes at night leaving me drenched in sweat were bad. If you can have someone help with the kids at least the first 2 weeks home from the hospital it will help. Falling and staying asleep was not much of a problem.

Klara Čičić Thank you all very much! That's it, no more second thoughts. Of course someone would take care of the ... Read more

Klara Čičić Thank you all very much! That's it, no more second thoughts. Of course someone would take care of the children (either way), I forgot to mention... My mother in law will come and stay with us for 4 weeks and husband is taking 3 weeks of holiday leave (not exactly a holiday haha) to take care of me and the kids along with his mom who is super capable and kids love her. After she's gone (has a job to go back to and sadly lives in another town). I will definitely consider a help from nanny if I still feel unwell...Thank you all once more :))) I will keep you updated... I can't wait for my surgery...4 weeks to go today!

Richard Munson Well, i certainly feel much better after reading your last input. I was picturing you all alone with ... Read more

Richard Munson Well, i certainly feel much better after reading your last input. I was picturing you all alone with your kids in another apartment on a rampage. I considered flying over and being your nanny. Well, maybe not. I would not consider taking a shower alone until you feel strong enough to handle it. No kidding, its exhausting. The observer can stand right outside in case you feel weak. Or take it together if they are a good friend. Lol.

Klara Čičić Hahaha Richard

Susan Lynn Richard is quite the comedian, but I have to agree about the showers. Keep them short and warm, ... Read more

Susan Lynn Richard is quite the comedian, but I have to agree about the showers. Keep them short and warm, not hot. I'd also recommend getting someone to watch your children who can also assist you with meal prep, housework, etc. You'll need your rest for a few weeks. All the best to you!

Linda Johnson Klara, I agree with the recommendations from the group. Especially with 3 children under 5, you will ... Read more

Linda Johnson Klara, I agree with the recommendations from the group. Especially with 3 children under 5, you will need help at home. Besides needing to rest you will also have lifting restrictions for a while postop so having a nanny available until your restrictions are lifted would be helpful. I was advised not to lift more than 5-10 pounds for six weeks and no driving for six weeks.
I did not have pain after my mitral and tricuspid repair due to the nerve block during surgery, though my right sided ribs and muscles were tender and felt bruised due to the right thoracotomy.. I did not need to take anything for pain other than a lidocaine skin patch in the hospital or at home. The warm showers at home felt heavenly on the ribs and chest muscles.

Richard Munson I did not have the nerve block so i am a novice regarding it. My question is: if it is just blocking ... Read more

Richard Munson I did not have the nerve block so i am a novice regarding it. My question is: if it is just blocking the pain and the actual surgery is the same, is a person more apt to overdo physical activity because it does not hurt to do it ? Just asking for education purposes before i get yelled at.

Linda Johnson That is a great point! In my case, despite the absence of pain, there was fatigue, decreased endura ... Read more

Linda Johnson That is a great point! In my case, despite the absence of pain, there was fatigue, decreased endurance, and the muscle/rib tenderness to remind me that I had open heart surgery!

Richard Munson That is good to know. I recall trying to perform an activity beyond my pain threshold and wincing fro ... Read more

Richard Munson That is good to know. I recall trying to perform an activity beyond my pain threshold and wincing from the pain. My first thought was omg i did too much, its all over. It kept me at bay for sure.

Klara Čičićposted an update

75 days ago

Hi everyone! I will travel from Zagreb to Leipzig (900km) for my surgery. I am thinking about my return travel, car or plane. How long before you can go on ...Read more

Hi everyone! I will travel from Zagreb to Leipzig (900km) for my surgery. I am thinking about my return travel, car or plane. How long before you can go on a plane ride after heart surgery? Or car ride (cca 9 hours) is better? Thank you very much!

Howard Powders Hi Klara! I have read some folks ride in a plane 2 weeks after valve surgery. I'm sure not everyone.... Read more

Howard Powders Hi Klara! I have read some folks ride in a plane 2 weeks after valve surgery. I'm sure not everyone. Your young age? Perhaps! Good luck!

Klara Čičić Thank you Howard :) I'm leaning towards car ride...but we'll see

Neal Syverson I was cleared for travel 5 days after robotic mitral valve surgery. I had a 4.5 hour drive home. C ... Read more

Neal Syverson I was cleared for travel 5 days after robotic mitral valve surgery. I had a 4.5 hour drive home. Check with your surgeon. Your situation may be different.

Neal Syverson Keep in mind that if you drive you will need to take a break every hour to get out and walk around to ... Read more

Neal Syverson Keep in mind that if you drive you will need to take a break every hour to get out and walk around to prevent blood clots. That will make for a very long trip. Maybe you could do it in two days? My trip home was 4.5 hours and it was about all I could take. Even though I was cleared for travel it was still very uncomfortable. I see a flight for you should be something like 3.5 hours. I think I would lean toward that.

Richard Munson Wow, i had exactly the same surgery in boston. It was a success and so far a fib has not returned eit ... Read more

Richard Munson Wow, i had exactly the same surgery in boston. It was a success and so far a fib has not returned either. My surgeon is Ukrainian and my grandparents were born in germany so we have that in common. Good luck.