We have reached the six-week mark after heart surgery and things are slowly getting back to normal, or close to what normal used to be. Once you’ve gone through open heart surgery, life is never the same. There are still many challenges I’m looking to conquer, and some will only be conquered with time.
The physical challenges were tough, especially right after surgery, with all the tubes hanging out of my chest and just trying to find the right position to be comfortable. But once those tubes were taken out two days after surgery, I was a new man as it was such a stress relief to have those removed.
One pleasant surprise has been the lack of pain. Every person I talked with who had been through open heart surgery said the leg where they take the vein out would be painful and hurt a lot. Well, not for me. I have not had the first ounce of pain from day one. While the chest has been sore, no pain there either! Just a lot of discomfort, especially when trying to lie down.
Now don’t kid yourself, a slight cough or sneeze can send you to a place of pain that will remind you of some form of torture. The best relief for this is to squeeze the heart-shaped pillow they issue after surgery, as it truly becomes your best friend.
But even more difficult for me have been the mental challenges that come with this type of surgery. My body has gone through a complete transformation with a weight loss of 30 pounds while trying to adapt itself to all the new changes and medicines.
Anxiety was extremely high after returning home, not having nurses checking your vitals every hour of the day and night. When they say the mind is a very powerful thing, it’s true, as your mind tends to race and wonder 24/7. Emotions run high and rampant as one minute you’re crying and the next you’re so happy you’ve survived.
Trying to sleep at night has been my biggest challenge as I’ve truly been afraid I would stop breathing if I fell asleep. Taking a nap was a major challenge even though I knew and understood that my heart was as good as new. I had trouble trusting myself and the work I had done on me.
Next is the adjustment to the medications … and I mean lots of medications. I think this also plays a huge role in your mental stability as it’s just another thing your body must adapt to.
Now that we are at the six-week mark post-surgery, things are getting much better daily. The anxiety issues have slowly faded away especially since I have a low dosage of medication for that.
But sleeping at night continues to be an issue as I tend to wake up every night at 3:00. Some nights, I’ll eventually go back to sleep and other times I’ll turn on the TV and just lay there hoping to fall back asleep.
This is very frustrating as I end up taking a long nap during the day just to regain energy. Food is still the enemy for me as nothing tastes like it’s supposed to. Soups seems to be the one thing I tend to like over anything else.
Presently, I continue to try solid food, even the things I really enjoyed before the surgery. Slowly the appetite is returning, and things are starting to taste better even though I’m on a low sodium diet.
One thing I have taken a liking to … chocolate protein drinks! These are really good and tend to make me feel full. Lately, I’ve been drinking one of these at some point during the day. Before I do my morning walk, I’ve learned that it helps to have some form of solid food for breakfast as it really helps my energy level.
Again, while things are getting better and I continue to gain more strength, getting back into a routine has been very important in my metal state of mind. Hopefully this week my doctor will give me the OK to start driving again and regain some of my independence. My wife, Sherrie, has been an excellent chauffeur!
Here’s some food for thought. Not too long ago, I wrote an article about how we all need a purpose in life. Well, it’s during times like this when having a purpose is more important than ever as it helps to occupy the mind. Hopefully soon, things will get back to what I used to call normal.
Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com