Lin's Posts

Best of luck to you Lin. Praying for you and your family to find a sense of peace and comfort from now until surgery tomorrow for your surgeon's hands to be guided well. Looking forward to hearing from you when you are up for it on the other side of this! God bless.

Hi Lin...I want you to know that I will be praying for you & your surgical team. Be comfortable in His arms and He will see you through. Having gone through this 14 weeks ago, I must say that the thought is scary, but as long as you know who is in charge all will be well. Don't worry about the lifting, opening, closing, stretching - your body will let you know what you can & can't do! Looking forward to your post surgery posts. Onward & Upward!

Lin...great questions! Again, I think we are all different. You will probably be told to not lift over 5 pounds, then see what hurts and what does not. I erred on the side of caution for the first week or two and took advantage of people feeling sorry for me, so asked that they bring me things, open caps, etc. HOWEVER, I really was capable of most all of that! Frig door--no problem for me. Twist off caps--fine. iPad/small Mac laptop --both no problem. Only trouble I had was reaching to my right backwards to grab something (my incision was there on my right side). I would forget and reach, then hurt. I started vacuuming lightly, loading dishwasher, coffee pot, etc. easily at 2 weeks post op at home. You'll figure it out!

I agree with Cheryl. You will quickly find out what you can and can't do. I unloaded the dishwasher at 1 week post op...took 25 times longer than usual and did it one dish at a time. Doctor thought that was fine. Was home alone with 4 year old by week 2....sure I was opening things. Just remember that we all heal at our own rate.

Also remembered that you live alone. I would suggest getting some stuff out of overhead cabinets and bottom cabinets (getting down there is hard to) so you can reach what you need. Buy some paper plates and cups if you are worried about that. Maybe buy milk in a half gallon instead of a full one. Line up your family for the stuff you can't do...trash, laundry, etc. Laundry was the hardest for me...love in a 2 story and laundry in basement. Also, plan on taking lots of naps. Unload a few dishes -nap. Shower -nap. Etc.

Someone posted on here- keep your elbows in at your waist, and that was a very good idea. Opening refrigerator, don't reach out, step close and use both arms. Just take it very easy first couple of weeks, then like others said - listen to your body. If something causes pain or discomfort, don't do it!

The very first days you will learn what you can and cannot do. I had not counted on not being able to reach you in front of me (even sitting down), to take something being offered. Once you reach the limit where your chest muscles are engaged, you feel it. I could not take lids off of things for a couple of weeks, except small things like water bottles, holding them close into my body. I could bend over a little, but it wasn't comfortable. I learned down to bend my knees instead of my back, to deal with the dishwasher, so I guess I learned to curtsey. Reaching overhead was out of the question, so move things down to chest level or lower, otherwise ask for someone to get something for you. I didn't realize I couldn't hang blouses in my closet, until I tried. Your body will say "stop!" don't worry about that. I had thought I wouldn't be able to open the refrig. door, and wondered what I would do the hours I would be home alone, but standing sideways to the handle, grabbing it with both hands close in to my waist, it worked. Didn't work for the door out to the deck, which with the summer humidity, always stuck. Took me a week or so to apply the same technique to that door. Otherwise you should be fine. I would say put the things you use most (favorite mug or glass, favorite clothes and shoes and cosmetics, close at hand. I imagined how a robot would grab things without reaching, lifting or bending, and that worked. Doesn't last too long, and by week 3 or 4 you will find yourself doing things more normally. Reaching overhead took me a while but I was able to stay home alone by week 2, when my daughter and nephew went back to work. I was glad they were handy the first week, mostly because I was tired, little appetite, so I needed someone to cook, or hand me things. Then one day you realize everything you can do normally, and you will wonder when that happened. I am wishing the very best for you. Eleanor

Great advice ladies. Im still in early stages of recovery (10 days post-op). You've been given a list of limits by Drs but remember it's a day to day progression. Your body will quickly let you know when you push a little too hard. But truthfully, that's the only way to learn your getting stronger. Just don't over do it. Be cautious but gently test limits as you move farther away from date of surgery. Best of luck to you!

Another question came to mind today regarding energy level. My fourth grandchild is due March 11 which would make me right at 6 weeks post op. How long does the 5 lb lifting limit last and I wonder what kind of a day I could expect stamina wise at that point? I also have a couple of Fine Arts events coming up at my church around that time. Wondering if it is even reasonable to expect that I might be able to participate.....

At 6 weeks post op, I was driving myself to my 3rd cardiac rehab appointment. I would get up early, eat breakfast, take meds, drive 20 miles to rehab, work out for 75 minutes, drive 20 miles home, shower, fix lunch, and take an hour nap. When I woke up around 3pm, I had plenty of energy to do a bit of housework and prepare dinner. On non-rehab days, I slept til 9 and didn't need an afternoon nap. You will probably be able to participate! And people will be falling all over themselves to help you :)

Lin, I think the answer to how quick you'll get your energy back is also so different for each of us. I hate to sit still, so I wasn't good about just resting when I got home and I would end up tiring myself out too fast. But overall now I'm not taking naps and working full time, and doing great energy-wise as long as I'm not stupid and pace myself. I'll be at 5 weeks post op this coming Tuesday, and started cardiac rehab last week. I did notice being more tired since I started rehab, but feel that's a good thing. Pacing wise--I did too much his weekend... I helped give a baby shower this Saturday and getting there early to set up, then being the MC/host of the shower for 2 hours, plus cleaning up...was too much. I then tried to garden when I got home because the weather was beautiful....stupid! I crashed Sat night, and then was tired/lethargic most of today. You'll learn how to pace yourself. My guess is at 6 weeks you'll be able to determine if the Fine Arts events are important and then make those the priority for the day and not try to do other big things. My advice anyway, as I'm not doing it myself all the time.