Heart-surgery recovery time

[gurtz03]

Hi,

My mother, who is 66 (and generally not in good health), just had two open-heart surgeries, about three weeks apart. In the first the doctors replaced one valve, repaired another, and did a "modified maze" procedure. In the second they had to replace another valve, and did further repairs. The second surgery was on 7/29/08 and she went home a week later. It is now 4 weeks since the surgery, but she is feeling quite discouraged. She feels she should be noticing daily improvement (even if it is gradual), but says it's "one step forward, two steps back". She's feeling very weak and really has to struggle to do anything. Her doctor says he's comfortable with her progress -- but that is little consolation to my mom (who does not perceive much improvement at all after a whole month)

What should a patient in this situation expect? Is this normal? How long before she will start feeling more "normal" again?

Any information you can provided would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Greg

[gurtz03]

Thank you so much for your reply!

[cougar1942]

Hi.  I'm also 66.  I had a quadruple bypass 13 weeks ago, and I'm still not myself!  This is huge surgery, and if she's not in great health to begin with, it will be a slow go.  I'm told 3 - 4 months in normal.  I was in very good health, and I'm getting impatient, too, but when you consider what they did to us, you have to know it takes time.  It's good that her doctor is in the loop.  To help her, you might: join her on walks, however short they might be, or urge her friends to join her.  Get her some diversions!  My daughter got me the complete Gilmore Girls series to watch.  I never had seen the show, and it was light, upbeat, and helped pass the time.   Books if she's a reader.  (Big print is easier if she is still on pain meds.)  Hire a housekeeping service once a week for her if her house is getting her down.  And be patient.  It truly does take a long time.