Lila's Journal

Lilly Black  Congrats, Lila! the sternum takes a while to heal. After 2 years, I still have some pain on the bone and within the tissue. My Doc says it's damaged nerve endings. Merry Christmas!

Rita Savelis  Yes, I still feel my sternum almost 2 years later. It's not pain, just a strange feeling of tightness.... I remember waiting patiently for my sternum to feel "normal" again and now wonder why no one told me that it would never feel the same.
Not pain, just a different awareness of it.

Lilly Black  Rita, and Lila, after 2 heart surgeries with a couple of the top surgeons in CA, I found that information regarding the sternum is not addressed. I had to dig deep on the internet to find out some things. But even that wasn't quite enough. All I've been doing is self-massage because I don't even want anyone else to touch my scar and sternum! I use pure coconut oil and I massage my sternum and scar. I also have used infrared heat lamp therapy, which helps to soothe it. Time will tell....I guess. Good luck!

Rita Savelis  I still hold a small pillow on my chest whenever I can, as a barrier between the world and my sternum....

Cathleen DeWitt  I wouldn't worry unless your fever spikes. Your immune system is trying to catch up after going through so much. Load up on Vitamin D3 for the next week. Keep clearing those lungs! Hope you feel better soon! ❤️

Jeannette McLaughlin  Hi! Lila - perhaps you should check with the hospital about the spirometer. On the sheet I received before leaving the hospital, it says to use the spirometer for another week upon returning home. I was also told by the nurse who did my follow-ups to only use the spirometer for that amount of time and then throw it away. Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Peggy Whitecotton  Hi Lila... That happened to me 5 weeks after my surgery. I called my primary doctor and he right away put me on antibiotics. He said it was to protect my valve from infection and getting pneumonia as the immune system tends not to protect the valve because it's a foreign object in the body. Since I have a bovine valve I took the antibiotic and was encouraged to use my spirometer as well.. My cardiologist says the 2 most important things in caring for my new valve was to keep it from getting infected and to keep it from clotting..

Rita Savelis  Most doctors will put you on antibiotics even if the infection is most probably viral. There is always a slight chance that a bacterial infection can go to your valves. I hate taking meds, but since OHS taking anitbiotics is something I do with a sore throat, etc...all because doctors recommend it.
Take care.

Phyllis Petersen  I've had a lot of random things happening, but when I saw the cardiologist the other day, he told me it's still early in recovery and I need to be patient. If the depression becomes more than a little, call your doctor. Depression is a known side effect of surgery, and especially heart surgery. I've had it with earlier surgeries. Thankfully, not with this one so far. As for sleep issues, I have good nights and then some where I don't feel rested. My first really restful night when I took the oxy with my muscle relaxant. Yesterday was the first day I woke up not feeling very achy. You're body has been through a lot, so try to be patient with the seemingly slow speed of recovery. It's not even 3 weeks!

Susan Lyons  Sleep has been frustrating, even since I've been off Lasix -I have woken up some nights and have to get to the bathroom ASAP! Usually after a night like that my weight is down a lb. so guess that's a good thing. My cousin had told me she had gained quite a bit of weight after her OHS but thankfully I am below what I was the morning of my surgery. My appetite took a while- taste buds were all messed up. It will get better!

Lila Richards  Thanks ladies! I have a cardiologist appt. Monday, I'll make sure to tell him all I'm feeling....and I'll learn how to be patient! ❤️

Steven A Husted  i had some of the same feelings after surgery finding it hard to sleep and just feeling blah but then every other day it would get a little better but there will still be those up and down days it does get better our body's need time to heal and recover after a major operation

Diane Zeigler  Lila, I slept in a recliner for weeks. I just couldn't get comfortable in the bed. Also, I slept so much in the daytime that I just wasn't that sleepy at night. Weeks two and three after I got home were my worst. I just didn't feel much improvement from day to day and I did battle depression. I had no appetite and what food I tried didn't taste good. I had to take amiodarone for four weeks. I think it made me feel bad. Are you on that by chance? I will be back home in Greenville tomorrow. I will email you. I don't know if I gave you my phone number, but I will and I will be glad to talk to you. You live so close to me! Take care. It does get better.

Lila Richards  Diane- your symptoms sounded just like mine do now! And yes I'm on amiodarone. I didn't make the connection. I hope it's not going to be a forever medicine!
Hope you have safe trip home and yes let's exchange numbers!
Talk to you soon!

Lila Richards  Steven I'm getting my cardio rehab orders next week. Hopefully that will help as you suggested! Thank you! ❤️

Ellen Leng  Lila, I think that 2-3 weeks time frame is really tough. You really make progress in the first week or so, then k8nd of plateau. Hate to tell you, but I really didn't sleep thru the night consistently until well into week 4. I had weird aches and my appetite was off with the amiodarone. Also had headaches for no apparent reason. Make sure you take the amiodarone with meals and with some fat. Otherwise, let me promise that it gets better in 10 days or so :)

Diane Zeigler  Lila, I am still at the beach. That is why I haven't communicated with you. We bought a house at IOP and didn't even have a can opener so It has been a big job starting from scratch.
About the amiodarone, it is one nasty medicine. I would try to get off of it as soon as possible. I assume you will be seeing Dr. Siachos soon. Hopefully, he can take you off of it or maybe there is an alternative. I don't want to say too much on here about this medicine as some have no alternative and have to take it.

Carmen P  Hi Lila. Good to know that you feel good enough to wash your hair.....That is a huge step. Congrats. Even though you are sore and it is hard to catch a really deep breath, it was a surprise to me that it didn't hurt more. Of course, the meds made all the difference. I didn't have very much nausea, so I was lucky. Can't imagine vomiting in the first few days. Hey, we did it.

Amy Steele  Lila - Thanks for the update. Sounds like you've had some challenges in the past few days. Yes, the spirometer is your best friend! Keep using it regularly, remember to breathe deeply all the time, and your O2 levels will come up. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to hearing that you'll be moved to the rehab floor!

Phyllis Petersen  Good to hear you are coming along. Sorry to hear about the nausea and vomiting. That had to be awful. Hopefully, the worst is past and you'll be speeding along now.

Ellen Leng  Good to hear you're improving! I remember a he'll Ishmael 18 hours after surgery with nausea and barfing. So sorry yours lasted longer! Spirometer is your way to rehab floor, but don't overdo! Isn't clean hair wonderful!

Amy Steele  Hi Lila. Yes, the emotions you're feeling are quite normal. Of course you're nervous, of course, you've cried. You're human and this is a big surgery... My surgery was two weeks ago, and I was on an emotional rollercoaster in the days leading up to it. There was a point for me the day before surgery when I knew there was nothing more I could do to prepare, and that there was no backing out; it would only delay the inevitable. So I was finally calm... still nervous, but calm. I think the anticipation was worse than anything. You can do this, Lila. We're all pulling for you. You are and will continue to be in my prayers.

Phyllis Petersen  No matter how confident you feel in your team, it's still pretty scary. You will do fine, but that doesn't stop the fear and anxiety setting in. Try to find something calming for tonight and tomorrow so you don't bring those emotions in with you.

Ellen Leng  Ditto what Amy and others said. Found calm the day before and that was really wonderful. Best to you!

Marie Leighton  I'm all done except for the interviews tomorrow, Lila. At least twice today I've told my husband that I wanted to back out - so not me. I tackle health issues head on, always have. We will be in 2 different places (I think) but we are going together. I am going to close my eyes take a deep breath, and take the hand of Jesus on one side and YOURS on the other and we are going in to go in together and beat this. Hugs my ❤️ sister.

Lila Richards  Thank you everyone all for your heartfelt responses and prayers! They're helping a lot and I feel more normal. And Marie, I love that image and I will hold it in my mind too when I go in! {{hugging}} you back! 💕

Tom Dadisman  You will be fine...its just a lot of new ideas new experiences.i found no matter how many questions you come up with there is always something left to think about. My thought was simply go in with a positive attitude, LL smiles and positive thoughts for success 😁

Jeannette McLaughlin  Hello! Ellen - check out my journal! Things are going smoothly after my bovine aortic valve replacement and ascending aorta replacement on Sept. 28, as well as pacemaker implantation eight days later (I'm still wrapping my head around the latter as it came as a total surprise). I had zero pain following the surgery and have not had any since, which also came as a surprise. The only pain I had was following the pacemaker implantation and it lasted one day only. I'm recuperating at a much faster pace than I expected. I climbed the stairs without any effort the first night I arrived home and have been doing so many times a day ever since. I went for a 20-minute walk alone (except for my red cushion!) a while ago and it was a breeze. Good luck with your surgery and think positive!

Lila Richards  Thank you Jeannette! To be honest I'm starting to have a bad case of nerves! Thank you for sharing your story! It helped! I'm getting bovine tissue too...the chest tubes didn't hurt? That's what I'm most scared of...pain.

Jeannette McLaughlin  Bonjour! Lila - I may be an exception but I had no pain from the surgery incision (because I had two procedures, my incision measures seven inches). They gave me Tylenol, but I didn't need them. As for the tubes, the major one in the chest felt weird when it was being pulled out...but no pain. I also had two other incisions, with stitches, in the chest from the electrical wires put in at the time of the surgery (these also felt weird when being pulled out, but no pain). These electrical wires were connected to two small devices that were taped on my chest. I was in turn connected to a pacemaker machine that followed me everywhere (the day before I left the hospital, the surgeon implanted a permanent pacemaker). I also had a heart monitor on me at all times. I was glad when they took out the neck IV the day before I left. Because I was so well prepared mentally for the surgery, I was not nervous (I kept busy the two days prior, enjoying the B & B in Saint John, NB, shopping and eating healthy meals at restaurants...I called a taxi and admitted myself to the hospital the day before the surgery. There comes a time when we have to surrender and trust that everything will go well. Visualization also helps. Good luck and stay positive!

Lila Richards  Thanks Jeanette! This is encouraging! I will think positive and visualize this thing going smooth and little pain! Maybe I should go shopping! Retail therapy always works! LOL! :-)

Jeannette McLaughlin  When people hear you're going for heart surgery, they assume you have clogged arteries as it is so common these days. I was also pleased to hear in May that my arteries were healthy!