things to take care of after open heart surgery
TRANSCRIPT
Things to take care of after Open Heart Surgery
An open heart surgery involves cutting the chest open inorder to perform surgery on the muscles, valves or arteries of the heart. Coronary artery bypass surgery or Cabg surgery is the most common type of open heart surgery. This surgery involves grafting of a healthy vein or artery to the artery which is blocked, so as to provide fresh blood supply to the heart.
Life after the open heart surgery can be a little different. Here are certain points which every open heart patient as well as his family and friends need to take care of. The initial 6 to 8 weeks you should engage in very light activities. Though you can carry on with the daily household chores, it is advised that you do not stand for more than 15 minutes at a time. Try to avoid climbing the stairs and also refrain from lifting heavy objects. Forceful pushing and pulling should also be avoided, as your body is still in the recovery mode.
Along with the above mentioned precautions you should refrain from driving for at least 6 to 8 weeks after the surgery. But what is most important is that you go on walks, once you are back home after the open heart surgery.
Apart from physical activities, another aspect which needs fair amount of attention is the kind of diet you take. It is commonly seen that a for few weeks after the surgery, the patient's appetite comes down. In such cases having small meals in intervals will be quite helpful. But if this condition does not change after few weeks of surgery, then it is important that you consult your doctor.
Common things which happen after the open heart surgery:
Once the surgery is done it is normal that the patient experiences
tightness, itching and/ or numbness along the incision. But at the same time you need to keep in mind that this pain is different than the chest pain which was experienced before the surgery.
In cases wherein the veins from your legs have been used for grafting, then it is natural that you experience pain in the legs. The stiffness and tightness caused by the graft can be brought down by going on short walks, engaging in your daily activities and most of all giving it some time to recover.
There are many cases wherein the patient is unable to sleep or is emotionally depressed after the surgery. It is crucial that proper care from near and dear ones and following of proper diet habits be done in order to overcome this situation.
If precautions are taken and healthy lifestyle be followed, life after the open heart surgery can be an easy one.
For more details on open heart surgery and Cabg bypass surgery, visit www.manipalinternationalpatientcare.com or email at [email protected]
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