Hello there you!
7. Incisions and wounds. One of the things that I wished I knew before surgery was that, I would have several wounds apart from the one running from the top of my chest down to the middle of it. That wound incision is from the outside to the inside of your body - skin to bone. And after they removed all the IV tubes and draining tubes, you will be left with wounds on the neck and left and right wrist and two stitch wounds below the chest. The ones on the neck and wrists will heal quicker as they're small. The main wound on your chest and the two below that, should be cleaned and gauzed everyday until the black part of the wounds are gone.
There was one time when I removed my shirt for a bath, I gasped in surprise when I saw the long stitch on my chest and the two 1-inch stiches below it. As if I haven't had it for weeks already during that time, I was in shock for about 5 seconds. I was still not used to it as already a part of me. But now, the wounds and stitches have healed and they are lighter in color.
Time really flies fast and I'm now past one year and two months post-OHS (Open Heart Surgery). The specific surgery done to me was Valve Replacement. They removed the leaking mitral valve from my heart and replaced it with a mechanical metallic valve. If you, a friend or relative will undergo the same operation as I had, this post series might help.
6. Posture and Movements. The last point of the first part of this post series is about learning to walk again. Moving around and walking will have to be recommended after OHS. Though, your upper body would feel heavy and standing up straight and tall would be hard. The doctor's advise was to put my arms at the back, accross the waist. It will be a little unnatural for the moment but you have to practice it. Your chest will feel tight so some movements which were normal to you before like raising your arms or even turning a doorknob and opening the door would be impossible. You would need someone to help you do things that you ordinarily do on your own like taking a shower or a bath and putting on your clothes. The heaviest thing I could lift up was a cup of water. But you need to exercise your muscles and do activities little by little. The doc said you can do an activity as long as there's no pain while doing it.
First time to swim, 8 months post-op
7. Incisions and wounds. One of the things that I wished I knew before surgery was that, I would have several wounds apart from the one running from the top of my chest down to the middle of it. That wound incision is from the outside to the inside of your body - skin to bone. And after they removed all the IV tubes and draining tubes, you will be left with wounds on the neck and left and right wrist and two stitch wounds below the chest. The ones on the neck and wrists will heal quicker as they're small. The main wound on your chest and the two below that, should be cleaned and gauzed everyday until the black part of the wounds are gone.
There was one time when I removed my shirt for a bath, I gasped in surprise when I saw the long stitch on my chest and the two 1-inch stiches below it. As if I haven't had it for weeks already during that time, I was in shock for about 5 seconds. I was still not used to it as already a part of me. But now, the wounds and stitches have healed and they are lighter in color.
8. Heartrate. My average heartrate before the surgery was 95 beats per minute. It's the same as a person who has just started running. Oftentimes, it's at 120 beats per minute and I could feel my heart really beating like it wants to come out of my chest although I am just in a sitting position and at rest. Whoever doctor who puts a stetoscope on my chest would always say that my heart has no rhythmic pattern. Not only it's faster than normal but also it had no pattern like the lub dub lub dub you hear from yours. After the surgery my heartbeat was back to its normal rhythmic pattern. And another good news is that, I do not feel like I was drowning anymore when I sleep. I don't easily get out of breath anymore when I walk to the toilet as I was before. But my heartrate was still at 88 to 90 bpm on average and it easily shoots up when I move. I achieved 75 bpm on steady average after 8 months and until now. My cardiologist told me to walk 30 minutes a day. I started jogging 3 to 4 weeks post-op but not regularly. I didn't do my walking and jogging religiously until after the 6th month. There's a time when I did walk-jog 30minutes daily 3x a week.
But maybe if I did the 30 minutes daily walking early on, I could've achieved the normal steady heartrate earlier. So if your doctor recommends daily walking, just do it because it's good for you.
Yogging, 10 months post-op
Jog-walk, 3 months post-op
7 months post-op
12 months post-op
But maybe if I did the 30 minutes daily walking early on, I could've achieved the normal steady heartrate earlier. So if your doctor recommends daily walking, just do it because it's good for you.
9. Lifetime Med and Blood Tests. After the surgery, I still had to take 3 kinds of medicines - Furosemide, Carvedilol and Warfarin. Furosemide helped to remove the fluids that accumulated in my lungs. Three weeks after the surgery, the cardiologist removed it from prescription. YEY! I still have two now, Carvedilol and Warfarin. I take Carvedilol twice a day but I was hoping that my doctor would stop it on my next follow-up check up in June, since my heartrate is steady and normal for months now. I'm also not hypertensive. I'm actually on the "low blood pressure" side sometimes but never high. So I test my blood pressure before I take Carvedilol. Or else, I might feel dizzy and nauseous as what happened in the early days after my surgery when I just take my med without testing my blood pressure.
However, I knew from the start that Warfarin will be my lifetime companion. It makes the blood thinner. I can't miss this daily med cause there's a risk of blood clot since I have a mechanical metal thingy in my heart. The blood clot could cause heart attack or a stroke if it goes to the brain. My blood should be 2 to 3 times thinner than normal. This is why, the amount of green leafy vegetables I need to take is limited. Coz you know, green leafies are rich and make the blood thicker. I miss sipping tinola soup with a lot of malunggay. Sad.
However, I knew from the start that Warfarin will be my lifetime companion. It makes the blood thinner. I can't miss this daily med cause there's a risk of blood clot since I have a mechanical metal thingy in my heart. The blood clot could cause heart attack or a stroke if it goes to the brain. My blood should be 2 to 3 times thinner than normal. This is why, the amount of green leafy vegetables I need to take is limited. Coz you know, green leafies are rich and make the blood thicker. I miss sipping tinola soup with a lot of malunggay. Sad.
Before, I get my blood tested every week. Then after 3 months, it's being tested every month until now. I send the results to my cardiologist. I'm hoping that on my next checkup in June, is that the doc will tell me that the blood testing will be longer like every 3 or 6 months atleast. Haist! That's my life! 😊
The things you need to go through before and after the surgery are tough. Before going through the physical risks, you need to go through the mental and emotional battle and take up all the strength you need. Sometimes, the determination and high spirits are just what's needed. I'm so grateful that I have the support of my family and friends and without them, the battle would've been harder than it already is. Now, looking back, I can only sigh and smile that it's all behind me and I survived. By God's gace.
If you have questions about my experience, please don't think twice to send me a message. I might be able to help you.
Smile lovelies! You are loved.
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