Michelle's Journal

Adam Pick  Welcome home!!!! That's great.  As you may know, atrial fibrillation is very common after heart valve surgery. Here's an educational video all about that - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydZBp4B8KOY

El McRae  Michelle, welcome home. I’m just 5 days home and I truly feel great. Each night I sleep better, each day I walk, do stairs and small things around house. I had bad headache first couple days but it ended. Hope you’re feeling great today. Beth

Suelynn Hanegraaf  Welcome home, Michelle! It will be small steps at first, but every milestone is a boost for your confidence. You’ll get there!

Rex Austin   Glad thats behind you!  I'm 14 months past surgery and still have some bouts of afib.  Hang in there!  You will continue to improve!

Susan Lynn  Michelle - You've got tremendous patience! Although it's difficult to be rescheduled - twice, be glad you're not an emergency.
Don't worry too much about leaving the bag at home - you've got a lot on your mind. The hospital provides pretty much everything you'll need. Borrow a robe, pj pants or shorts, and a phone charger from your daughter. I totally over packed and didn't need most of the stuff.
Wishing you all the best, tomorrow. We'll be waiting to welcome you to recovery.

Sue Maize  Oh Michelle—that’s tough to get bumped like that, but I agree with Susan—better that you’re not an emergency! I overpacked as well and sent all my clothes home minus my slippers—the hospital gown worked best for IV and other tubes I had to take everywhere with me, not to mention excess weight from fluid retention. The only things I really used were lozenges, hair ties, my phone and charger, and my own small bottle of shampoo/conditioner because the hospital “shampoo hat” made my hair waxy. Also tooth brush/paste, hairbrush and lip balm. Everything else they provided. I’ll be praying for you! ❤️‍🩹🙏🏻

Grace Mason   Hi Michelle,
I would leave the jeans at home and definitely opt for joggers or loose pants. It is not unusual to gain 10-20 lbs in fluids they pump in during surgery and it takes several days to normalize back to presurgery weight.

Suelynn Hanegraaf  Best wishes for your upcoming ❤️‍🩹 surgery. Excellent question! I wore loose fitting jogging pants and pajamas and a size up in tee shirts with a wider neck (to get over my head without raising my arms) and zippered/snapped/buttoned jackets. Liked the Z Zella brand at Nordstrom Rack.  I am not well-endowed and went without a bra for weeks - so consider wearing darker or thicker t-shirts. 😉 When I wanted to wear a bra, I purchased a bra extender on Amazon. Good excuse to go shopping!

Thomas Brusstar  Loose fitting is definitely better!  I think I lost 15 pounds on my last day in the hospital (they weigh you constantly), just from getting rid of fluid.  The IVs are constant, and they definitely err on the side of more fluid.  So who knows how much you'll gain temporarily, but the short answer is a lot for those few days.  Sweat pants/pajamas.

Laura Larkner  This is a very helpful post.  My aortic valve replacement surgery will be next month and I hadn't really thought about the impending weight gain. Sounds like I'll be packing sweatpants.

Michelle Persson  I didn’t realize you gained weight! Definitely want loose clothes for the hospital & ride home. Thank you for the information.

Rita Savelis  You gain some liquid weight, which you are usually given diuretics for (which make you pee it out). The liquid weight is because your heart is weak after surgery and liquid from your blood can back up into tissues. Usually this liquid weight is lost quickly, even while you are still in hospital. I remember having a tire of extra weight around my middle, which quickly was lost. 

Robert Miller  I don't have epilepsy but did you discuss this with the surgeon? I assume he didn't have any concerns or at least he mentioned any complications if there are any at all. 

Michelle Persson  Thank you for your input! I hadn’t even thought about talking to the surgeon about it. Things have been happening fast.