My dad is treating my open heart surgery like it's no big deal?

[Anonymous]

So I am having open heart surgery in June and of course I am a little afraid and nervous. It has a success rate of 96% but I'm just nervous considering the fact that it's a 4 hour operation and then I'll be in ICU for 3-7 days afterwards. And then I am going to have to recover for 8 weeks, no lifting anything over 5 pounds, no driving, no lifting my arms above my head, etc. My dad had a similar heart procedure done but it wasn't surgery, they just went in through an artery in his leg so he was out of the hospital the next day with minimal restrictions. He's treating this surgery like it is no big deal saying I'm worried for nothing and that the recovery won't take 8 weeks although the doctor specifically said 8 weeks. Am I worried for no reason? Is he just being ignorant?

Updates

+1 y

Oh also, I will be on a really restricted (liquid only) diet for at least 3 days, and they said my appetite will most likely not return for about 2 weeks

[Lucyb]

I don't feel your wrong for being worried as it is a really big surgery. I work on the heart floor in a hospital and we get open hearts directly from surgery exactly what your having done. with our open hearts generally within a couple of hours after surgery the breathing tube comes out and by the next day the patients are up to a chair and walking with assistance. From all the anesthesia and meds you won't remember much from the day of surgery. Depending on a lot but most of our patients go to a step down floor by day 3 or 4 and discharged to home a few days after that. They should give you a little thing called an Incentive spirometer and be sure to use it as often as they tell you, ours is 10 times an hour. It helps you deep breath and get your lungs opened back up after surgery and it will help prevent against pneumonia. Be sure to take the pain meds and get up to the chair when they wanna get you up and walk when they want you too, I've seen patients who absolutely refused to get up and move and they are in more pain, takes longer to recover, and longer in the hospital. Even if you can only go to the door of your room and back it's very important to do these things for your recovery. Your young so everything should go well and recover nicely.
As for your dad I think he's being that way because he knows your nervous and if you go in feeling it's no big deal as he's saying then it will help with the nerves. If it really bothers you just talk with him and tell him your nervous and for him to stop saying those things and just be supportive of you.
If you have any questions or wanna ask things you can message me if you like, I've worked that floor for 7 years and know quite a lot about it.

[aliceinwonderland69]

He's probably just trying to reassure u. He's probabky trying to be strong. It's probs his way of coping.

[lightbulb27]

what is the surgery, valves? I had a hole (ASD) repaired open heart about 20 years ago. He may just be being positive and not wanting to experience the fear, my mom did the same. That is a really good success rate so go into it confident because nervous wont' help. I'm 49 now and better than ever.

A few things they don't tell you.
Right after surgery, the day after, you may feel great... like I'm ready to go home what's the big deal? Its the drugs they put you on. When those wear off your gonna feel like a truck ran over you... all pain radiates to your back. So... save your energy, no visitors... I dont' care how nice they are and don't talk to them. People have no clue. Save your energy, your gonna need it. don't eat solid food (sounds like they are keeping you liquid... that is good) for day or two after... Take probiotics (or drink kefir) to get your system working again rather than eat a steak...

I went home after 3 days so what you have must be more substantial. Make sure you drink enough water when you go home... your body is working over time so you will dehydrate fast and you don't want to go to emergency like I did cause that is worse.

Avoid people who are sick, so you don't get a cough. Other than that, first few days are tough, and you wont' have much energy, but you'll get it back. 8 weeks is probably about right or a little long. Definitely don't go plowing yourself back into work and places that stress you. Your body needs time to heal, there is no mercy at work or school, so be 100% before you go back to the world.

other than that, I wish you well!

[Asker]

Mines an ASD too! But it's pretty big they said it's about a quarter. Was it scary? Was recovery hard?

[lightbulb27]

Friend me if you like... or we can keep on here... sometimes I lose track of stuff here, so many GAG's going on:)

Mine was nearly 20yrs ago!
mine was a quarter size as well.. which they said was large but they used my own tissue to close it. that is ideal so you don't have issues with taking drugs when you go to dentist and such... just fyi.

Scary, no. I had no choice nor do you. This surgery is shorter and less dangerous than many others and success rate is high, so you will be fine. The treatment in that area is the best in the hospital in my opinion. The worst part was going to emergency room... so dont' do that, stay hydrated and out of trouble. Keep your friends away from you... they want to be nice, but they don't know what they are doing. Rest and get better.

you are 1/2 the age of me when I got this, so you may reqcover quicker... but I took... I think around 2 months to get back to work. I made sure I was 100% ready to kick but before I took on stress.

[lightbulb27]

keep your scar out of the sun so it heals better. when is the surgery? let me know how you do ok?

oh the best part... I had so much more energy after was all done... I was exhausted all the time before surgery and after so much better. So you should have another "kick" in your step after this!

[Asker]

Okay I added you. What was being under anesthesia like? I had my ankle surgery when I was 11 but I don't remember much. It seemed like I went out when they put the mask on and it felt like I was asleep for like one minute and then I woke up in the recovery room. Of course then I knew nothing about hospitals or the medical field or surgery and it was minor so I wasn't worried and I went home that night. I've never stayed In a hospital over night before

[lightbulb27]

same experience. lay on table, gonna feel a stick and a burn (which wasn't too bad), count backwards from 100...100...99... out!
Wake up and see an angel looking at me.

hospital is ok, but it sucks as well. you get taken care of but they do wake you up... do freqent tests and stuff. but isn't too big a deal just annoying sometimes to be woken up. You'll enjoy the drugs:)!

[Asker]

Stick and a burn?

[lightbulb27]

anesthetist puts needle into vein... stick... burns a little. don't swet it, it not bad and you won't remember it.

[Asker]

What is your scar like? Is it big? Small? Did it heal fast? You mentioned you had your surgery quite a while ago. Is the scar still really visible or more faded?

[lightbulb27]

It is faded but visible Can still see the scar and the drainage hole scar. it is substantial. There may be surgeries that can cover it up but I never worried about it. It healed pretty fast, the good thing is there isn't much tissue there.

My prior girlfriend said she liked it... made her feel closer to me, like I was vulnerable. but you are a girl and wear bikini's and stuff. So maybe ask if it can be covered up in some way? If not, just part of life...
I'll pray for you, you'll get through it.

[Asker]

Thank you! You are so helpful. My surgery is on Wednesdsy

[lightbulb27]

ok, will be praying and thinking of you. what is your name? Make sure you let us know how you feel when you are doing better. take it easy and conserve your energy afterwards though.

[Asker]

I'm out. Finally I'm out of the hospital. I was in for 5 days. The surgery went well but coming out of the anesthesia and off the bypass was hard. I stopped breathing three times. Then the original medicine they had me on wasn't working so they switched me out. I have a lot of family drama and my mom came from out of state and she was a bitch and long story short she forced the doctors to yank me off my IV way too soon so she could go home. So that was rough and caused me to stay longer. They wanted to send me home earlier except I was on oxygen to get my breathing level between 90 and 100. They tried taking me off the oxygen in the middle of the night when I was asleep to see what I would do and it went all the way down to 72. So I had to stay longer. There were a couple nights the coughing attacks were so bad they had to give me Valum to sleep. I don't know how you have done it. It feels like I have been hit by a truck and that I will never be back to my old self.

[lightbulb27]

I'm so glad to hear from you... yeah!! You had some complications I did not have. I am sorry to hear about your mom, that is selfish of her.

STAY HYDRATED!! Drink lots of water.

Hit by a truck... that is exactly what it feels like. All the pain goes to your back. It will go away and I'm assuming they fixed you up completely... then you will feel great again... but were talking 1-2 months. Its hard just to walk around the house right now... you will get strength. Conserve it and rest.

STAY HYDRATED! NO COLDS... keep idiot people away... rest and build your strength.

[Asker]

Yeah it just seems so hard right now. Like I tried shaving my legs and I was out of breath. It's crazy

[lightbulb27]

that's how it is... you feel 90 years old. everything is hard... getting a glass of water is hard right now. you'll get it back, your body went through a huge trauma, you will get better and feel awsome. takes several months though... and...

as you start to feel good around a month or two.. don't over do it or take on too much stress... like with mom or whatever. you need to realize you are still healing. get to where you are 100% then take on life.

Yea! you're gonna feel better than you ever felt... probably. you were losing 20% of your oxygen capacity prior to the surgery.

I assume as well since they caught this when you were young there was little heart and lung damage so you should feel really good... that's how mine was when fixed around 30yrs. I had some damage but everything recovered.

[Asker]

Well so I've hit my first major bump in the road. I have been keeping my incision super clean but just the other day this rash started forming around it and now it is draining. So I went back to the hospital yesterday. Well you see, I'm allergic to metal and we told the nurse that but she never put it in my chart. So when they put my sternum back together, they used wire to hold it. So I'm really worried that I'm having an allergic reaction. The surgeon was out of town so they just sent me home with some antibiotics and I was told to come back on Friday for the surgeon to look at it

[Asker]

Today I also felt very weak. I sat outside for about an hour with some friends that came to visit but I have only drank maybe 3 glasses of water today. I got very dizzy when I stood up and felt like I was going to faint. Then I took a nap and I still feel kinda crappy but not nearly as bad as I did feel

[lightbulb27]

uh oh... sorry to hear that. you gotta drink and stay hydrated, the dizzy is loss of fluid. takes a lot of energy to go bck to hospital and such, so that probably why tired... darn.

if they have to take those things out, probably not too big a deal... but I don'tknow for sure.

[Asker]

They're not sure if it's the metal allergy or not. I have to go in tomorrow morning early for an emergency appointment. My skin around the incision seems like it is pulling apart. I texted my doctor a picture and she said it is most likely an allergic reaction to the sutures. Also, how many drain tubes did you have? I had two. They took them out in the hospital and then stitched them. They look like two little X marks. They took the stitches from my drain tubes out on Monday and already one of the scabs is trying to come off but it's SUPER tender and I'm trying to keep the scab on there as long as I can. It's not bleeding or anything but it looks like a huge hole like as if the skin just got chunked out and it's just a divit kinda like a belly button. Is this how yours was?

[Asker]

Oh and also just a little fun fact for information. They originally thought the hole was about the size of a quarter but once they got inside they realized that it's about the size of a fifty cent piece (half dollar!!) isn't that crazy?

[lightbulb27]

Drain tubes... yes I had two holes as well and the scars are still there. Ithink there are things they can do to hide those, but I never did... comes with the packag. being a girl with bikini's and such, maybe you will want to talk about that. yes, I'd leave that scab on... hasn't been that long.

50cent piece is large hole. how tall are you? did they tell you that you will have more oxygen capacity after all of this... I would think you would.

getting around now or still hard to walk in the house?

[Asker]

I'm getting around ok. Turns out I'm allergic to the sutures material since they're dissolvable. So she prescribed me with this honey gel that's supposed to pull it all out then I will need to get the stitches clipped and pulled out. I'm about 5 foot 8 and I definitely don't wear bikinis cuz I hate my body but I do wear low cut shirts so that's kinda gonna suck

[Asker]

Also I'm sort of getting this chest pain that just radiates to my back. Is that what you had happen to?

[lightbulb27]

Humm... what kind of pain? sharp pains, aches?

I had a lot of pain in my back. I felt it all as I stopped taking the drugs they gave... didnt' like them. The pain was ache. If you are having sharp pains, I'd call the Dr. or Nurse.

[Asker]

New update I was back in the hospital which is why I haven't been on here. Turns out I was allergic to the suture material in the stitches they went in and cut out a bunch of infected tissue along with all the stitches. I wasn't sedated so it hurt so bad. Spent another three days in the hospital. They put me on a wound vacuum so I've been going in twice a week to get the dressing changed out. It sucks but gotta do what you gotta do I guess

[lightbulb27]

wow, sorry to hear that. I hope you heal up soon.

[Asker]

I feel like I haven't been on here in so long! So I ended up having an allergic reaction to the adhesive from the vacuum machine so I've only been able to bandage the wound and it's slowly healing. It still hurts like hell if I cough, sneeze, or hiccup. Did that hurt for you? And if so how long after the surgery did it hurt? I'm 6 weeks out and it still hurts. Will it ever go away?

[lightbulb27]

Good to hear from you... hard to believe it's been 6 weeks.
I did not have a reaction like that, but yes, avoid colds and such because it will hurt, it's a healing bone. I don't recall how long it took, probably 8 weeks ish.

make sure you are eating a good diet... getting calcium. like a good bone broth soup (homemade... lookup bone broth... tastes like chicken soup) maybe good idea. either way, eat well for nutrition (not necessarily lots of calories).

[Asker]

Well I'm about eight weeks now and all my restrictions finally got lifted yesterday. The incision finally healed in and it's all good. It still hurts a bit when I sneeze or cough for some reason.

[lightbulb27]

Good to hear from you. Feel free to follow/message me if you like, so I know your name.

not sure how long that took for pain to go away, hurts your breast bone or your back?

How do you feel energy wise though, it should get better... Are you able to walk around the block yet?

The hole was closed up with your own body part right, so there are no issues with taking drugs or dental work I assume.

Glad to hear it! you are a trooper! Stay active!

[Asker]

Yeah the hole was covered by a little piece they cut from the sac surrounding the heart I believe it was called a pericardium or secundum or something. I have to text my doctor in the morning. The bottom half of my incision is red and swollen and tender it looks like more stitches are trying to surface. But I've been very active I started running again and doing aerobics and lifting weights

[lightbulb27]

Ok thats good you are active

[Asker]

How's it going? I just had another question for ya. I live in Colorado, so our winters are pretty brutal from November to March. Recently it's been really cold (even in the negatives) and I've also noticed recently my chest has felt super sore and tight. Do you think it might be from the cold weather? Have you had this problem?

[lightbulb27]

Good to hear from you. I have not had that issue. I strongly suggest calling the Dr. about that. I guess it is possible that you are cold. if you go to a warm area (like a gym or sauna) and it goes away, then I'd think it is the cold. still I'd run it past a Dr.. Its been 7 months or so, everything else is good. do you feel better... more energy?

[raio81597]

No Dad is not ignorant he's being strong for you, appreciate him more for it. He absolutely loves you and cares deeply it's why he's being so brave. Make sure you tell him that before your surgery, and be brave for him too, so he has a chance to breathe easy seeing how brave you will be too.

[Octavius]

He's just trying to help you not feel scared as well as himself. I don't think he's ignorant he's just trying his best to be supportive. If he started panicking about it you'd probably get scared.

Think on the bright side. No chores no obligations no nothing for a little while afterwards. You just get to sit back and relax for a bunch of days while your body recuperates from the surgery.

[ChaosKilledTheDinos]

No I think that's how he's handling the fact that his kid is going to have open heart surgery. He's probably really nervous but don't want to scare you or maybe delve into those feelings himself

[Krator]

He may hope for 4% chance))

[aliceinwonderland69]

Get lost.

[Melcart23]

I wish I could punch you👊🏻

[Krator]

@Melcart23
Stfu you Don Quijote. It is not one of your business.

[Melcart23]

Don Quijote? I don't even know what that means

[Krator]

@Melcart23
Because, you don't know one of the literature classics. I guess you are an American right?

[Melcart23]

I don't study literature. Please forgive me that I'm a med- school student and it consumes all my time.

[Krator]

@Melcart23 I'm an engineering student. But, there are always time for reading, if you want.

[Melcart23]

That's fine. You have your interest and I have mine. I just don't happen to be interest in literature. It's all good

[Krator]

@Melcart23
Actually it is one of the classics read in early highschool. It is strange that you didn't hear it.

[Asker]

Funny how you're so into literacy and yet your grammar is so poor. Oh the irony