Joanne's Guestbook

Regarding your question about rehab, have you considered calling a few of the rehab facilities near you to see what they offer? I called after my mitral valve repair (back in 2012) to see what kind of machines they had and what rehab entailed. I decided against it for a variety of reasons, mostly because of an old spinal/back fusion surgery I had done years ago that had become painful for years before surgery (and was now super painful), so my own "exercise program" for years was tailored around that. I'm pretty physically fit and while that can be good for the heart it also adds to the frustration post surgery (i.e., why do I still feel so crappy, ugh!). Coronary artery disease (clogged arteries, stents,etc.) is very different from valve repair or replacement, therefore a blanket recommendation for all "cardiac" patients to do rehab is problematic in my view. Also for quite some time this surgery (while of course lifesaving!) turned me into a beast of impatience and anger so maybe I was afraid of being nasty to the poor folks at the rehab center. But hey what can it hurt to call a few places and see?

Hi Joan, Re: bra query. My surgeon suggested that wearing a bra is a good idea post surgery as it holds everything together nicely and supports the sternum. However, I found that the bra pressed on the incision and was very uncomfortable. I preferred to wear the binder which the hospital provide to both male and female patients. It goes around the chest just underneath the arms-above the breasts-and over the clothes. I wore mine for about 4 weeks and found that it gave me great support. Then I went back to bra wearing with the help of the sponge padding and the extenders. Good luck with your op..Brenda