Someone asked me yesterday if there was anything they should be aware of during the recovery period after chest reconstruction surgery. Besides following all of the post-op instructions that will be given to you, here is what I found to be the most important instruction of all.
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The most important thing during recovery is to have EVERYTHING that you possibly need to get to down at waist-chest level – nothing higher, nothing lower. You will be up doing things within a few days, but your arm motion will be very restricted for a few weeks. Reaching up to get a plate or a can from the upper cupboards is a no-no. Reaching down is also not good. Put everything you need on the counters and kitchen table. Food, plates, coffee, etc. Rearrange the fridge to put the most accessed items at the top level (assuming you have to bend down to get into it, (freezer on top))
You CANNOT lift anything until your doc says it’s ok. I’m sure you’ll THINK you can, you’ll want to – but No. We’re talking 3-4 weeks for sure. If you’re stuck with drains in for a few days, it’s a hassle. Just be careful with them. They are the most annoying part of the whole thing, I think.
Wear easy on/off clothing – no stretching of your arms to get into Tshirts the first days/week or two. Open front shirts are best.
Seize the day!
Michael
Morning ana…well, all is well with me. I actually got my drains out yesterday morn. There could be two reasons why all of a sudden, my drains increased about 15 cc’s then went back down to 2. One, when changing and washing up, the wifey kind of tugged it a bit (hurted like hell), or because I had some clots that finally passed. But thank you, I’m doing great now!
Sleeping~ my doc’s office didn’t discuss with me how to sleep. For the most part, I was proped up with pillows under my back with my head elevated. Not sure if that was the right or wrong thing to do. I’ll tell you this, SLEEP SUCKS!! When getting the drains out, the doc said that I was still pretty swollen. This could be from my vest not being tight enough, so make sure compression is tight enough, but be careful, not too tight! We stayed overnight at the hospital and they didn’t have me completely flat. I was elevated to an extent with a pillow behind my neck, so I just took their lead and slept the same at home.
Good Luck~ i’m here to discuss/help anyway I can!
I could just be paranoid, but I have a few concerns that i was wondering if anyone could help me out with!! 1. I went from draining 3cc’s to 20 in about 3hrs, on day 4. I did notice some clots were moving through the line, but this is concerning me. Should I be worried about clots in my chest? 2. There is a very hard sensation that is sore on the right (same side of question 1). Compared to the left side of my chest, my right upper chest area is hard and is sore as heck. Should i be worried about this at all?
hey dude,
my boyfriend just went into recovery and i went to the pre-op appointment and the doctor said to call immediately if either drained filled within one hour several times in a row.. so i hope you’re ok, i see you wrote yesterday.. good luck with recovery
if you’re around and feeling better, or anyone else, maybe you can answer my question: what is the correct sleeping position for recovery. the doc wrote in instructions to “lay with back flat and head elevated.” what does this mean exactly? propped up back or back flat on matress? .. thank you
Morning ana…well, all is well with me. I actually got my drains out yesterday morn. There could be two reasons why all of a sudden, my drains increased about 15 cc’s then went back down to 2. One, when changing and washing up, the wifey kind of tugged it a bit (hurted like hell), or because I had some clots that finally passed. But thank you, I’m doing great now!
Sleeping~ my doc’s office didn’t discuss with me how to sleep. For the most part, I was proped up with pillows under my back with my head elevated. Not sure if that was the right or wrong thing to do. I’ll tell you this, SLEEP SUCKS!! When getting the drains out, the doc said that I was still pretty swollen. This could be from my vest not being tight enough, so make sure compression is tight enough, but be careful, not too tight! We stayed overnight at the hospital and they didn’t have me completely flat. I was elevated to an extent with a pillow behind my neck, so I just took their lead and slept the same at home.
Good Luck~ i’m here to discuss/help anyway I can!
I Can’t wait either, I know its still a few years out, but I am counting down until it happens
i can”t wait until i have my top surgery in a few years i like it a lot