Gerald's Guestbook

Gerald Sushil  Each day gets better....sleeping 3 to 4 hours at a clip now! Only using tylenol for pain control, which is minimal. Most of the physical pains from surgical positioning have abated in shoulders , neck and back...I have to say life is good...thanks for asking. Return to Cardiac Surgeon in 2 days....see where we go from there. Hope all is going well with you.

Gerald Sushil  Thank you for assurances....what did you find the toughest part of recovery and do you have any suggestions for the quickest recovery.

Bobbi Rockey  The worst part for me was getting back to exercising and daily tasks. Best advice is Do Not stop moving. You will go downhill fast if you don't keep active. Also keep a positive attitude always.

Gerald Sushil  Thanks for the tip.....my concern has been decline in my ability to stay active,as I have been 3 days cycling ,4 days at the gym and daily walks. The past few month's this has steadily gone down hill.

Meredith Bray  I think the hardest part of recovery was getting used to what my body would let me do. The first few weeks, of course, were the toughest. I wasn't in pain, more like discomfort. And my sleep cycle was messed up with the anesthesia and the hospital stay. The first week I rarely slept more than a few hours at a time. The next week I took fewer naps, but they were longer. The third week after I came home, I could stay awake all day.
Try not to over-do the walking the first few weeks. Seriously, your first walk in the hospital will be measured in steps and feet. My first walk was a whopping 20 feet. Once I came home and got in to a routine, I found I could walk for much longer than before without getting winded. So I walked 3+ miles in one attempt. The next day I couldn't do anything but sleep and eat.
One last thing - create a goal to look forward to, to work toward. My surgery was in March, and I was aiming for a family reunion in June. I knew if I wasn't physically in shape, I'd be stuck at the cabin resting while everyone else climbed mountains & rode rollercoasters. So my goal was to do what the rehab nurses wanted me to do, plus a little extra (not a lot extra!).
One more thing - living in Florida, it gets hot outside real fast this time of year. See if you can get someone to take you to the mall for walking. It's cool, and there are benches along the way if you need to sit and rest a bit.

:)
-Meredith

Gerald Sushil  Meredith...Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. You have helped me realize I am going to start with baby steps and work back up to what I was doing.....Looking forward to being at the point you are in this process. Your words have been very helpful.
Sincerely,
Gerald

Meredith Bray  :) You're welcome. It probably won't be as awful as you imagine it will be. I started cardiac rehab at 4 weeks, my favorite part was the recumbent bike and the NuStep recumbent cross-trainer.
Make sure you can stand/sit from your favorite chair without using your arms, it'll be several weeks before you can use your arms for anything useful other than typing/eating/clicking the TV remote.

-Meredith

Gerald Sushil  Meredith,
Thank you again for some more helpful hints....didn't think about decrease in arm usage. Great to hear about the recumbent bike from cardiac rehab...one of my favorite bikes to ride is my recumbent. Your message has already helped ease my pre surgery anxiety this morning....I'm sure it will flash back sooner than I want....but you made a difference for the moment!