As a patient, you are a part of our team. We think it is important for you to know what to expect before, during and after your surgery. We believe that when you know what to expect you will not worry as much, and you will recover better from your surgery.
What to Expect Each DayYou and your nurse will plan your day together. Each day will usually follow the Patient Care Pathway. The pathway is a written plan of care that you will receive. The Pathway tells you what to expect each day while you are in the hospital for things like activity, diet, blood tests, EKGs, x-rays and medications.
The nurse will check your heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and breathing every two hours during the first 24 hours you are on Ellison 8. Sometimes a change in heart rate or heart rhythm is seen after cardiac surgery. This can be treated with medication and/or a temporary pacemaker.
Communication
Each morning between 5:45 am and 7:30 am the cardiac surgical team makes rounds on Ellison 8. Doctors, nurses and other members of the team will come into your room to examine you and review your progress over the past 24 hours.
There are also weekday collaborative rounds with all team members from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. At these rounds your daily plan of care is discussed with your nurse, the physician assistant, physical therapist, case manager, resource nurse and social worker.
Pain
We will make you as comfortable as possible. If your pain is adequately treated, you will be able to move around better and do things that will help you recover sooner. Sometimes patients are worried about taking pain medication and becoming addicted. This should not be a concern, as you will only be taking the pain medication for a short period of time. Please let the staff know as soon as you have any discomfort or if your pain medication is inadequate. To help assess your pain, the staff will ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10. A score of 0 means you have no pain and a score of 10 means you are having the worst pain ever.
Deep Breathing and Coughing
Your lungs need to stay clear for you to breathe well. The nursing staff will have you take deep breaths and cough while you are recovering from your surgery. This will help prevent any problems in the lungs like fluid build up or infection. A special device called an "incentive spirometer” is used to help you breathe more deeply. The nurse will show you how to use this and have you practice several times a day.
Activities
With your nurse’s help you will be able to get out of bed the day after your surgery and take some steps in your room. Each day you will then increase the distance you walk. Your goal should be to increase the distance and the length of time you are walking, but not the speed at which you walk. By the time you leave the hospital, you should be walking 500 feet at least four times a day. You will be able to walk up and down 10 to 13 stairs by the evening of the fourth day after surgery. The staff will make sure you have a balance in the time you can rest and the time you can be up and active.
Your legs should be kept up and elevated when you are sitting in a chair or lying in bed. This is to keep your legs from getting swollen. Do not let your legs dangle over the side of the bed or from a chair for more than 15 minutes. You will also be shown some leg exercises to do to keep the swelling down and improve the circulation in your legs.
You will be able to take your first shower either on the evening of your third day after your pacing wires have been removed or the morning of the fourth day after surgery.
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