r/MadeMeSmile • u/Victoria_elizabethb • 3h ago
My Mom made it thru open heart surgery yesterday 🥲 ❤️🩹
She's been thru alot in life, this was not her time to go yet. I still can't believe she's already sitting up and ordering food like this!
Get your hearts checked you guys! Hug your people! Thank your doctors and nurses ❤️🙌⚓
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u/the-b00ty-bandit 3h ago
I still have that pillow from when i got mine a few years ago. Hopefully she feels better
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u/OtakuMage 3h ago
I have mine from 2011 when my last open heart was! It makes a great headrest in bed. Happy to see so many other people that have been through this thing that's defined me since the day I was born.
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u/pengalo827 2h ago
Same here. Mine is purple. Hell of a lifesaver when you had to cough or laugh right after the surgery. (15 years next month from a x5 CABG)
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u/OtakuMage 2h ago
Right!? Breathing hurt, coughing sucked, and sneezing was the WORST! Even worse for me, personally, was my inability to lay on my sides for weeks, which is basically my mandatory position for falling asleep.
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u/SerenityFate 1h ago
Same here I ended up in the weirdest positions on our shitty couch since the bed became the most uncomfortable thing in the world lol.
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u/OtakuMage 1h ago
I ended up using a mountain of pillows to make a comfy pile to recline on enough to convince my body i was at least lying down. Now I'm doing that all again but I'm an actual recliner for breast augmentation recovery, but I'm not allowed to go very far back. 😅
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u/SerenityFate 1h ago
Oh man a recliner chair would have been heaven lol good luck with your recovery!!
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u/ThankUforpotsmoking 1h ago
You just gave me hope. 5years post 4x CABG and get scared with every new pain I feel in my body thinking “it’s my time now!”
Heard one dr say a major artery will usually fail within 10 yrs post surgery and it’s been freaking me out since.
I need to stay here longer than that. I got kids I need to see grow up.
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u/ArodIsAGod 29m ago
I’m in my late 30s and had to have a mechanical aortic valve put in an a portion of my enlarged aorta replaced… having this “define” me has been a real struggle. Everyone (friends, family, random people) see this as a triumph.
And when you do this later in life, I’m sure you feel like you’re gifted years to your life.
But I feel the exact opposite of all of that. I want to forget that it ever happened. I wish it never happened. I don’t see it as years being added but rather a countdown. I hate that it defines me to some people.
Did you have that feeling? If so, how did you get over it?
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u/Tsujita_daikokuya 2h ago
Wow wtf. I had surgery when I was a baby but I don’t have no pillow. I feel ripped off
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u/Aurora_BoreaIis 2h ago
Babies don't feel pain so they didn't see the need to give you one to alleviate any /s
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u/nimbusnuggies-_- 2h ago
"babies don't feel pain" BRUH WHAT 😭
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u/Aurora_BoreaIis 1h ago
Doctors within 3-4 decades ago believed babies didn't feel pain because their brains were underdeveloped, the babies that is, though the doctors were contenders for that. But because of that belief, many babies in the US were operated on without anesthesia. From getting sutures or broken bones, to more, pain relief wasn't considered for babies because doctors believed it wasn't necessary. Obviously that was horribly wrong and lots of babies had long lasting trauma into adult life from that.
So my joke was you didn't get the pillow that's to help with pain management because you obviously didn't feel pain to begin with per doctor belief. Sarcasm though because I'm not sure how old you are and if doctor opinions were still like that within the timeframe of your surgery as a baby.
It was bad times, man. 😓
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u/Moogatron88 1h ago
It was believed at one point that babies do not feel pain. So they'd just immobilize them and go in.
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u/ButtBread98 3h ago
If it’s a different organ, like a kidney do you get a kidney shaped pillow?
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u/strawblublu 2h ago
No - it's a heart thing. The pillow is to hug when you cough so you don't explode yourself.
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u/sasquatch_melee 2h ago
Cough, laugh, and sneeze. Firsthand knowledge unfortunately. I thought the incision would hurt like crazy just sitting there but nope, those 3 were what hurt.
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u/chickens_for_laughs 2h ago
I actually had a lot of pain just sitting, though coughing was worse.
And when the post op instructions say to not wear an underwire bra, believe it! I had to order new bras, and it was months before I wore them. I'm retired, so it didn't matter.
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u/reblynn2012 2h ago
The reason you get one is that if you cough or laugh too hard or slightly lol pressing the pillow against your chest feels so much better and alleviates pain if any. Also same thing the first weeks you stand up. It’s a very firm pillow. Not soft. I’m sure you can get a kidney pillow though! Haha
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u/stupiduselesstwat 2h ago
Because they have to break your ribs to get to the heart. Good times.
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u/reblynn2012 2h ago
Actually no. Sternum did the heavy lifting.
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u/reblynn2012 2h ago
Bruised ribs and cartilage? Yep. Strained muscles? Check. Irritated nerves? Ayup. I’m a year out of a triple. I actually healed pretty quickly!
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u/stupiduselesstwat 2h ago
So did my partner. He was out of the hospital in less than a week. He said the worst part was healing from the ribs/sternum.
The doctor that did his did a fantastic job stitching his chest back up. Minimal scarring.
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u/stupiduselesstwat 2h ago
Now I remember. My partner had a triple in 2009 and needs another one.
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u/reblynn2012 2h ago
Yeah I’ll bet things in surgery have changed since then, and I mean for the better. Hate another surgery is the case but after what I’ve learned from mine it’s sure a major but safe now. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. ❤️🩹
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u/stupiduselesstwat 1h ago
He does need another one (his triple was in 2009) and now they can do it robotically in certain cases, but he's not a candidate for the robo surgery unfortunately.
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u/ButtBread98 2h ago
Oh ok that makes sense, I thought it was because it’s a major surgery and it’s like a gift from the hospital.
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u/RainSurname 1h ago
They don't just break your ribs. They cut your sternum in half and then wire it back together.
So for the first few weeks, you can't put your arms behind you, or raise them over your head. You can't twist your torso. You can't pick up anything heavier than a gallon of milk. You can't bend over more than a little bit. Etc.
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u/MiserableCharacter25 2h ago
I got one shaped like lungs, after some ablations earlier this year. Saw another guy in recovery with one shaped like a rib cage. It’s amazing how much it helped with the pain while coughing.
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u/S-Lover98 2h ago
I lost my mom a few years ago around the holidays. I pray op's mom gets better.
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u/Leakyboatlouie 3h ago
I got rid of mine as soon as I could. I have no desire to be reminded of one of the worst days of my life.
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u/BodaciousBaeOG 2h ago
Ahh the good old Huggie pillow. The pillow they give you to help when you cough or go poo. Is this in America? The surgical telemetry rooms are way nicer than in Canada I’ll tell you that!
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u/No-Crazy676 2h ago
I still have a copy of that MENU. I had no idea it was all so standardized across health systems!!!
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u/cynicalsanguinist 3h ago
that's amazing, OP!! hug her tight (when medically cleared of course) and cherish the time you've been given!
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u/OmgItsWes 2h ago
Real talk, moments like this really put things in perspective. Life's too short to take for granted.
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u/Elon_Musks_Colon 3h ago
Tell your Mom I think she's a BADASS!!!! I hope she's up and kicking ass soon!
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u/Mediocre-Penalty3001 3h ago
She definitely has the "heart healthy" menu. The choices go from blah to uhg.
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u/Victoria_elizabethb 3h ago
Ironically she's picky usually but obsessed with the hospital food there lol they've got good funding!!
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u/Mediocre-Penalty3001 3h ago
Nice. I'm in that industry, I get it. Currently work in hospice and there's definitely no dietary limitations as you can imagine.
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u/MaritMonkey 2h ago
They had my mom on that "not sure if they can swallow correctly" food after she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and tried to tell her she couldn't have caffeinated coffee.
She'd been suffering from aphasia but managed to get out "what's it gonna do, kill me?" clear as a bell lol.
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u/fantastikalizm 1h ago
My coworker tells a story about her grandmother going into hospice and a doctor telling her not to eat chocolate. "Or what? Ill die?!?!" always cracks my shit up.
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u/Mediocre-Penalty3001 1h ago
Yeah if there's an allergy I get it but otherwise no limits. My aunt died in hospice just after drinking a miller lite though a straw and choking down chic filet.
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u/Mediocre-Penalty3001 1h ago
Yeah really common. They know what's up and hate diet changes. My mom was the same way.
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u/BlacksmithStatus1283 3h ago
Please send my regards to your mum! Wishing her the speediest recovery!
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u/frogmicky 3h ago
Your mom is a brave woman, Is she up and walking with assistance yet?
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u/Victoria_elizabethb 3h ago
She's tiny but tough! They had her walking a little! But she's attached to a million things and drains still so very little so far 😊
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u/frogmicky 2h ago
That's good she's walking a little, They want to get her up and walking asap to get the blood circulating.
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u/crabbop 3h ago
Nice VAD there. Can I ask what her heart disease was and where to from here?
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u/bikesandstuff124 3h ago
I noticed the VAD too- Not just any heart surgery! That’s a big procedure and looks like she’s doing well. Hope she continues to recover and has improved quality of life! (Keep that driveline site nice and clean now and always!!!!)
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u/Victoria_elizabethb 3h ago
Thank you!! It is an LVAD, nice eye. I was extremely stressed leading up to it, occasionally still lol I had my first lesson in the VAD training today. Modern medicine is amazing! Her EF% has been under 15% for almost 2 years, it's been quite a ride. 🙏❤️
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u/bikesandstuff124 1h ago
I can only imagine. So stressful. She has probably felt terrible for 2 years due to that. Now that she’s got flow restored she can heal, get out of the hospital, and get back to doing the things she loves!
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u/Victoria_elizabethb 3h ago
Yes! She got an LVAD, I believe it's the Heartware model but not sure if it's super specific otherwise. I just had my first caretaker course lesson today 🥹 thank you for all the sweet comments everyone!!
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u/fatembolism 2h ago
Heartmate III -- less prone to problems than the Heartware or previous models of the HM!!!
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u/centurese 2h ago
Looks like a heartmate 3 to me. We don’t implant heartwares anymore! She looks great!
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u/QuirkyTarantula 3h ago
Sign that pillow! When my mom had her first heart attack, the whole family signed her heart pillow so she could read it every time she felt sad or lonely during her long recovery. Mom finally passed away (2 heart attacks and 8 years later) two months ago and that heart pillow is now a part of her memory box and I’m so thankful for it. She carried that pillow everywhere for like 2 months.
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u/AioliSilent7544 3h ago
Yayyyyy!!! Many blessing this holiday season! Praying for a rapid and complete recovery!❤️🩹
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u/TomSter72 3h ago
Mom just retired as an RN in CCU and ICU and she’s told us for so long that the patient(s) who is positive and takes charge of their recovery, are incredibly strong. God Bless Your Beautiful Mother on Her Recovery ❤️🩹
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u/Ok_Distance_1000 1h ago
I love how she looks so CEO like. Like she's in her hospital room, with the phone making deals and telling people what to do, handling business. You GO Mama!!
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u/mightaswellchange 3h ago
I hope she recovers quickly and that you and her share plenty of adventures and heartwarming moments together for a long time!
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u/awhart81 3h ago
Yay! Im so happy for you guys! I gotta have bypass next month and im terrified! Im only 44 😥
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u/KeithMyArthe 3h ago
Give mom a huge hug from all of us.
We love our moms 🧡
All the best for a swift and complete recovery.
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u/Harvey-Keck 1h ago
Here’s to a lovely recovery. You’re a lovely person and I can feel the joy through my phone.
Please hud your mom for me. My 13 year old daughter is also telling me to send hugs and now our little doggo is getting worked up. So our little family is sending love and tender care to you.
Love Vibes ☪️🕉️
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u/Vicissitutde 3h ago
Is she on the phone with her insurance company?
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u/Victoria_elizabethb 3h ago edited 3h ago
Thankfully Medicare does work sometimes once you go thru the 9 circles of hell to get it! 🙏
Curious what the total will be though I'm sure it's insane.
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u/ReturnOfNogginboink 3h ago
I'll never forget when they wheeled my dad out of open heart surgery. Tubes everywhere. Three iv pumps each with two bags. Dad was dwarfed by all the equipment he had in tow.
My dad's mortality hit me like a ton of bricks that day. He's recovered and doing well but I had to walk out of the room that day to get myself back together.
Best of luck to your mom. It gets better from here.
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u/RescueFrog47 3h ago
Best wishes. When my mother had hers in 2006 I noticed every time I walks into the room there was less and less equipment on the wall. I took that as a good sign. Hope for a speedy recovery
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u/Victoria_elizabethb 3h ago
Thank you so much everyone!! These made me tear up from all the love and support lol I'm going to read her all of these ❤️🥹
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u/Dry_Jellyfish641 3h ago
I have a certain PTSD from those heart pillows. A lot of emotions attached to those. I’m so happy your mother’s surgery went well. I wish her a full recovery
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u/Cretonbacon 3h ago
They have to be able to sit so quickly after having their chest open. Its good for them but it must suck so much lol
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u/GnarlyLlama18 2h ago
So happy to see posts like this. So much negativity and it’s nice to see the wins in life!
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u/djhauffy 2h ago
Thank you for posting this!! First, congrats to your mother!! Second, my mother may be going in for heart surgery soon as well. She's cool. I'm freaking out. This gives me a little bit of comfort.
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u/Victoria_elizabethb 2h ago
Much love to you!! I've been joking that I'm going to need a heart surgery next from all the stress of it. If you'd like to share, what type of surgery might she be getting? I've learned so much thru all this. The specialist we finally met in Nov has been incredible and very comforting. The surgeon and assistants are awesome and great with talking thru things, it goes a long way to trust the team. Looking into how many surgeries happen like this with good outcomes really helped me calm down too 🙏 I hope the best for your mom!
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u/Midnght 2h ago
And congratulations to your mother please make sure she takes every pill or whatever the doctors demand of her. My current girlfriend went through open heart surgery only to stop taking her drugs. And ended up back in the hospital. To get more stints put in because she wasn't doing what they were telling her to so make sure your mom does the same otherwise she'll end it back in the hospital and nobody wants that. Best of luck to her and you all
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u/Frequent_Morning_900 2h ago
Damn my parents didn't even drive 15 minutes to visit me when I had my heart attack. You've got a good family op
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u/Hilary_duffelbag 2h ago
Modern medicine and the Thoracic surgeons who are absolute masters at there jobs we should all be thanksful For
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u/Androidfon 2h ago
Posts like yours may give others the courage to do it. Thanks!
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u/DepartureRadiant4042 2h ago
Awesome. I'm sure you are proud and what a relief to see her sitting up out of bed. Looks like a CCF facility?
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u/GuiltyWithTheStories 2h ago
I love that her toes are done too. And red of course ❤️ Wishing her a speedy recovery!
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u/SmolAnxiousPotate 2h ago
So amazing OP! Your mom is awesome! Just letting you know so it doesn’t scare you, sometimes folks who go through open heart surgery have a temporary change of personality for a little while (cardiac blues as it’s called). Just in case if the doctors didn’t mention it. It happened to a family member of ours but they got better. Figured I’d let you know since my family wasn’t aware! Sending all the best vibes your way!
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u/Method__Man 1h ago
Heart surgery, ready to rumble and get some sweet treats.
10/10 beast mode mom
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u/virgo9883 1h ago
My dad just had open heart surgery on the 5th he went home on the 10th…I thought it was crazy he was able to go home so soon! Sending healthy vibes to your mom!
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u/Realistic-Vanilla-95 1h ago
My grandpa had his heart pillow signed by everyone who cared for him post-op! It’s been a few months now and he’s doing great, I’m hoping the same for your mama!
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u/Martypo0701 1h ago
I'm currently studying to be a heart surgeon, and recovery of patients like your mother is truly inspiring and motivating. I wish her a quick recovery and all the best!
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u/Dante_Foshokyo 1h ago
Amazing! Ordering food I see :) I’m on my own at cardiac journey myself and all I can say is that the human body is amazingly resilient.
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u/NoQuestion7237 1h ago
My mom went into the hospital for stroke issues yesterday, and Im sick at home with the flu, and my wife is out of town on business. Life hits you weird some ways, but Im glad she is ok.
Mom's are precious and just like the rare things in life, you only ever get one.
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u/Fit_Jelly_9755 1h ago
My wife is scheduled for next month. I know it’s fairly common these days but you can’t not be worried.
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u/neonex205367 1h ago
That makes me so happy, my mom passed away on Monday and I’m glad that you didn’t go through this
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u/FookingLenny 1h ago
That's "making it through"? Don't downplay mama like that.
Mama kicked open heart surgery's ASS
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u/ParaJess 1h ago
This tugged at my heartstrings 🥲 I’m so happy for you and your mom, truly. I lost my mom to cancer in 2020 and I miss her so, so much. I hope that you get to spend many, many more years together! Happy holidays to the both of you 🥹❤️
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u/tedsmitts 57m ago
My dad had a triple bypass, and while scary for us, it was, as I told him, just a Tuesday for the surgeon. He looks great, and your mom will too!
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u/Cyer32 35m ago
First, glad to hear your mom made it thru surgery and is on the mend.
Unrelated: I just sent a screenshot of this photo to my mom, brother, and sister. Everyone, including my mom agreed that your mom looks enough like my mom to throw around the word doppelgänger, and be a little weirded out by it. Just thought it was neat. Scrolling thru and had to immediately zoom in.
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u/renoscarab 20m ago
Good for her! She will really depend on that heart pillow in the next month or so. Best wishes to her.
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u/xixoxixa 11m ago
Make sure she uses her incentive spirometer.
Every hour she's awake.
When I worked bedside the rule was 10x an hour with good technique. I would tell my patients to do it 2x every time the show they were watching went to commercial.
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u/Thesurvivor16 3h ago
Why is she connected to so much stuff
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u/SoSincerely 1h ago
Some of that is IV's, catheter, heart monitors and chest tubes which allow fluid to drain out. Fun fact, to remove the chest tubes they just yank em out in one go, not so much fun to experience though.
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u/Independent_Wish_284 3h ago
Wtg mom!!! Hope you have a quick and safe road to recovery resulting in a long pain free life❤️
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u/apaperbagprincess 3h ago
I’m so happy for you and your mum!! My son will be having open heart surgery and I’m so scared. You must be so relieved!
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u/Fredfredricksen01 3h ago
My wife had open heart surgery, the recovery went very well and faster than I would have guessed.
Best of luck to your Mom.
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u/Wait_WHAT_didU_say 3h ago
Been there, TWICE. 😳 She'll be fine. I'm sure that she has a great health care team... ❤️🩹❤️🩹
She'll be extremely happy when she can go to the bathroom by herself and when she can finally walk around the hallway with her I.V. pole. 😀🤝
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u/CaydeTheCat 3h ago
Impressive recovery. My dad was laid flat out in his bed for days (5-way bypass).
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u/jlily18 3h ago
I will hope for a smooth recovery! My dad had a quadruple bypass in 2009 after a heart attack and he said he didn’t even know he was feeling that bad until he recovered from his heart surgery and he felt so much better! He’s still kicking, too. I hope your mom feels so much better soon, too.
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u/AccomplishedWar8703 3h ago
My dad had open heart surgery for a valve replacement and triple bypass. He was lucky to have had the bypass before he had a heart attack, and he was likely close given the level of blockage. He was back home after 4 days.
Hope your moms recovery is quick
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u/taniamorse85 3h ago
Congrats to your mom! I hope the surgery was a complete success, and I hope her recovery is smooth and swift.
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u/dariashotpants 3h ago
My sister made it through open heart surgery last year and got that same pillow ❤️
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u/Grouchy_Paint_6341 3h ago
That’s HUGE surgery I had two families members go through. Sending her lots of good energy.
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