re: My dad was just wheeled back for open heart surgery - UPDATED OP #2

Prayers sent. Had my quad almost 5 years ago now. Tell him to take it slow and steady. In 3-4 months he'll be feeling great!

quote:

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Can you send me a link to a good heart pillow?

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they will give him one.
it’s literally shaped like a heart.

today is day 23 post-op for me and i still keep it next to me almost at all times.
i can do small coughs without much pain, but any “real” cough and yeah i clutch the hell out of it.


tonight will by far be his worst night.
he will be in considerable pain, but the crew in CCU will take good care of him.

by tomorrow he should be in a regular room and making noticeable strides in recovery. It’s still going to hurt, but will absolutely be better.

my best advice to him is to not try to be a hero.
stay ahead of the pain with the pain meds. Especially early on. When it’s time to take them, do it. Even if pain at that moment is manageable.

for mine, there was no iv meds, it was all pills, so if you wait until it really hurts before taking the meds, you still have about a 30 minute gap until it kicks in. That 30 minutes will feel like an eternity as the pain starts to escalate.

He’s got this!

Whisking your Father and full and speedy recovery.

Glad things are going well.

When my mom had hers it really opened my eyes. I changed my diet, quit my occasional cigarette habit, and started exercising. I know it can be overwhelming trying to care for a parent but don’t forget about taking care of yourself.