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After you or a loved one undergoes heart surgery there is an expected cardiac surgery rehabilitation process. Understanding the process can help to make it easier on you and your loved ones. As such there are a few things to know about the recovery process.

It Takes Time

Rehabilitation for any procedure is a process and will take time. On average, cardiac surgery rehabilitation takes about six to eight weeks for individuals to return to normal activity. Depending upon the evasiveness of the procedure, it may take a shorter period of time, but your physician will guide you through the process and let you know.

Expect Changes

Those who have undergone heart surgery have reported certain changes, including:

• decrease in appetite
• trouble sleeping
• periods of sadness

To address all of these things it is important that individuals try to stick to routines and engage in activities that they enjoy.

Following a major procedure will leave one very susceptible to different complications that are associated with open heart surgery. It is our job at Heart Hugger to attempt to prevent as many of these complications as we can. This includes sternal wound dehiscence, any pain experienced by the patient, as well providing as much sternal stability to the wound during the recovery process. While none of these are easy to accomplish, the ultimate goal is to have the speediest recovery possible while also avoiding any unnecessary complications.

If you have cardiac or thoracic surgery planned in the near future, then you’re also going to have many questions concerning the procedure. What is the procedure going to be like? How long is the recovery time expected to be for a procedure like this? Your surgeon will be able to answer the majority of these questions, however, having never gone through the procedure themselves, it may prove difficult to explain how it feels to have a surgical wound.

Have you ever seen a picture of a person drawn by a child? Maybe you had the chance to appreciate the artwork of your own child or grandchild, or perhaps you remember doing such drawings yourself. No matter the little artist, it always seems like children draw people as mostly torso, with a head and limbs added almost as an afterthought. The focus is on the sternum, though the artists themselves don't yet think of it this way. If you're looking for sternum stabilization, it can often feel like you're the subject of a child's drawing--all the focus is, for awhile, on the sternum.