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Don't think I could say it any better than everyone else has. Glad to hear the surgery went well! Take care of yourself!

Yay, Sue and Uncle Yucky!! You're in good hands with advice from DDeac - he sounds like a real pro. I'll throw our story out there for you to ignore or compare. Papa Turk had a quintuple bypass in Spring 1998 and is doing whatever he feels like doing whenever he feels like doing it. One year, he celebrated his 70th b-day hiking up Old Rag in the northern VA Blue Ridge with Sister Turk, and the last couple of years he has been celebrating his b-day by bike riding the same number of miles as his age. (over a weekend, and on level trails converted from old railroad tracks, but still...)

Here's what I remember about the recovery - they generally keep them incarcerated in the hospital for about 5 to 7 days. If they tell Uncle Yucky to take the meds, then take the meds. There will be plenty of time to toughen up later. Use common sense - our bodies will tell us what to do if we only listen and be aware. If he feels like pushing the envelope, then push the envelope. If he feels like he needs to rest, then let him rest. The thing that surprised Papa Turk most was the recovery time for the chest muscles to heal - it was several months before he felt really back to normal in terms of strength and range of motion, swinging a golf club for example.

Here was my silver lining: Papa Turk was in the hospital recovering when Duke coughed up a lead to Kentucky in the 1998 NCAA regional finals. I probably would have done a bit of pouting over that loss, but I laughed it off - if that was the worst thing that happened that week we were rolling in high clover...

Sue, once Uncle Yucky gets out of the hospital, it's all up to him. If he was in good shape before this all happened, he can come out of it even better if he stays as active as possible. More vibes and prayers from Pennsylvania!!

Be so grateful that he's Mr. Crankypants.

And take care of yourself! (((HUGS)))

Keep your chin up Sue! I can just imagine the eye rolling you and your mom are doing !! I'm looking forward to hearing about it when he transforms into Uncle "SunnyButt!" DinK does have a way with words

Nothing to add except

DukePA wrote:Keep your chin up Sue! I can just imagine the eye rolling you and your mom are doing !! I'm looking forward to hearing about it when he transforms into Uncle "SunnyButt!" DinK does have a way with words

Can't take credit for Uncle Sunnybutt - I think it was Windsor per Bjornoff's quote - but don't find it in Windsor's post.

I'm glad the surgery went well. Uncle Yucky Crankypants is going through what a lot of us do when we don't bounce back as quickly as we think we should. He will figure it out quick enough - cooperating will get him home faster than being a Crankypants.

Keeping all of you in my prayers. Patience for you and your Mom (and the hospital staff) and healing for Uncle Yucky.

DukieInKansas

Hugging a pillow might help him when he has to cough. I've heard that it helps with the pain.

Vibes are late, but sent nonetheless! I'm sure the tide will turn very soon, if it hasn't already.

Thanks again, all, for your wishes, thoughts, prayers, & vibes. Mr. Crankypants & I had a little one-on-one chat tonight. I think he'll be a little better (demeanor-wise) to us. To clarify, he was always nice to the nurses & staff- when he gave them a hard time, he was being sarcastic or teasing. When he'd give us a hard time, he was being a shit.

Anyway, he was up in the chair for most of the day. He did a lap around the floor, some leg exercises from the therapist, took a shower (that may have been the highlight of the day for him), fought with a nurse (literally argued, in this case- more on this in a sec...), had about 8 visitors at one time (we were SO loud... sounded like a party in here), took his potassium (tied to the earlier fight... just a sec for that story), did ANOTHER lap, had a one-on-one chat w/ me (I laid it on the line w/ him), checked his email, watched the J-E-T-S Jets (bleh, we're Giants fans), and had a lovely coughing fit (again).

Re: the fight. He was told he has to take potassium. He can't take pills so they have to crush them up, he adds some sugar & water, then swallows it that way. Don't ask- it's just how it is. Anyway, the potassium, when crushed or in powder form, tastes like SHIT. Really, really bad. They even tried putting it in orange juice. No help. REALLY REALLY BAD. So anyway, he said he wasn't going to take it. The surgeon's nurse coordinator (or something like that) came in and told him that the other option was to get it via an IV, which REALLY burns. A lot. So they fought. And fought. It was not pretty. So later on, the regular nurse came back in and said it was going to be in pill form so we'd have to figure out a way to make this work. Ugh.

Applesauce.

It wasn't good; it wasn't tasty. But it worked. Applesauce is the trick. And now we know how to fix it up at home.

So anyway, he's probably getting sprung either tomorrow or Sunday. Like I said, still a lot of pain, etc, but we came to a little understanding today. Hopefully it'll get better.

Thanks again, all.
Sue

Really good to hear this, Sue. As you well know, we're all sending our strongest vibes to you and Uncle Yucky, and we love you.

I'm glad to hear that Uncle Yucky is making progress. Strong work, Sue!

Thanks for the update, Sue. Glad to hear there's progress. Vibes are still coming!

Hey Sue, glad to read Uncle Yucky is doing better. Hope the road gets a little smoother for ya'll.

Sending lots of vibes and hugs.

Add me to the list of those glad he's getting better. Also glad my suggestion that y'all would rip out his bypasses came in handy ;)

Don't forget to take care of yourself. You don't need to get sick while helping him get back to his old self.

Sue71 wrote:Thanks again, all, for your wishes, thoughts, prayers, & vibes. Mr. Crankypants & I had a little one-on-one chat tonight. I think he'll be a little better (demeanor-wise) to us. To clarify, he was always nice to the nurses & staff- when he gave them a hard time, he was being sarcastic or teasing. When he'd give us a hard time, he was being a shit.

Anyway, he was up in the chair for most of the day. He did a lap around the floor, some leg exercises from the therapist, took a shower (that may have been the highlight of the day for him), fought with a nurse (literally argued, in this case- more on this in a sec...), had about 8 visitors at one time (we were SO loud... sounded like a party in here), took his potassium (tied to the earlier fight... just a sec for that story), did ANOTHER lap, had a one-on-one chat w/ me (I laid it on the line w/ him), checked his email, watched the J-E-T-S Jets (bleh, we're Giants fans), and had a lovely coughing fit (again).

Re: the fight. He was told he has to take potassium. He can't take pills so they have to crush them up, he adds some sugar & water, then swallows it that way. Don't ask- it's just how it is. Anyway, the potassium, when crushed or in powder form, tastes like SHIT. Really, really bad. They even tried putting it in orange juice. No help. REALLY REALLY BAD. So anyway, he said he wasn't going to take it. The surgeon's nurse coordinator (or something like that) came in and told him that the other option was to get it via an IV, which REALLY burns. A lot. So they fought. And fought. It was not pretty. So later on, the regular nurse came back in and said it was going to be in pill form so we'd have to figure out a way to make this work. Ugh.

Applesauce.

It wasn't good; it wasn't tasty. But it worked. Applesauce is the trick. And now we know how to fix it up at home.

So anyway, he's probably getting sprung either tomorrow or Sunday. Like I said, still a lot of pain, etc, but we came to a little understanding today. Hopefully it'll get better.

Thanks again, all.
Sue

Instead of oral potassium, try rectal, never mind...

Seriously, raisins, dates, figs, bananas or any melons are rich in potassium and are no-fat, low calorie and would be nice alternatives to potassium liquids or tabs or IV.

I hope today's a better day, Sue. Glad UY's on the mend, and hope the pain is going down.

DD: I know it varies with each person, but what's the pain like, and how soon does it go away after this kind of procedure?

What sort of rehab is done after this? Are we talking a six month physical therapy program?
Cheers,
Lavabe

Lavabe wrote:I hope today's a better day, Sue. Glad UY's on the mend, and hope the pain is going down.

DD: I know it varies with each person, but what's the pain like, and how soon does it go away after this kind of procedure?

What sort of rehab is done after this? Are we talking a six month physical therapy program?
Cheers,
Lavabe

My dad's ribs hurt, not his sternum...

I'm not a cardiologist, nor did I sleep at a HI Express last night, but I can tell you about my dad. He's a big dude. Broad. Doctor called him barrel-chested (hahahahaha). He's overweight. Doctor also said there was a lot of muscle (who knew?). Thus, his heart was pretty deep in his chest. So, they *really* had to open him up once they split his sternum. The bypass part of the surgery took 84 minutes, so he was fully open for 24 minutes more than planned/expected. Add to that that (that that... Haha) the doctor said younger folks feel it a lot more than older ones, and at 64, he apparently qualifies as younger (go figure...?).

So when he coughs (or really laughs or, I'm guessing sneezes), he feels like he's breaking ribs and CANNOT catch his breath. Really freaks people out the first time they see him cough...

Praying that Uncle Yucky is feeling better, and taking pain meds.

Sue,

I'm glad to hear that things are progressing. I hope your 1 on 1 talk holds. Ditto what everyone else says - don't forget to take care of yourself.

Continued vibes and prayers from Kansas - via NY state.

Lavabe wrote:I hope today's a better day, Sue. Glad UY's on the mend, and hope the pain is going down.

DD: I know it varies with each person, but what's the pain like, and how soon does it go away after this kind of procedure?

What sort of rehab is done after this? Are we talking a six month physical therapy program?
Cheers,
Lavabe

No better answer than it really does vary with each person. I have seen folks take narcs the 1st day or two and then stop 'cuz they get good relief from 400-600 mg motrin 3-4x/day.

Many folks are back to normal, or, better than normal in 6-8 weeks. I STRONGLY urge my patients to participate in a 3x/week cardiac rehab program for 3 months. That involves cardio workouts plus light weight training. In state certified programs, they have nurses, exercise physiologists, dieticians/nutrition specialists and a clinical psychologist.

Sue71 wrote:

Lavabe wrote:I hope today's a better day, Sue. Glad UY's on the mend, and hope the pain is going down.

DD: I know it varies with each person, but what's the pain like, and how soon does it go away after this kind of procedure?

What sort of rehab is done after this? Are we talking a six month physical therapy program?
Cheers,
Lavabe

My dad's ribs hurt, not his sternum...

I'm not a cardiologist, nor did I sleep at a HI Express last night, but I can tell you about my dad. He's a big dude. Broad. Doctor called him barrel-chested (hahahahaha). He's overweight. Doctor also said there was a lot of muscle (who knew?). Thus, his heart was pretty deep in his chest. So, they *really* had to open him up once they split his sternum. The bypass part of the surgery took 84 minutes, so he was fully open for 24 minutes more than planned/expected. Add to that that (that that... Haha) the doctor said younger folks feel it a lot more than older ones, and at 64, he apparently qualifies as younger (go figure...?).

So when he coughs (or really laughs or, I'm guessing sneezes), he feels like he's breaking ribs and CANNOT catch his breath. Really freaks people out the first time they see him cough...

Many folks will complain about leg incision pain more than sternal/rib pains.