If you’ve been diagnosed with a heart issue that possibly requires surgery, it can be a scary, uncertain time for everyone – especially if you’ve never had surgery before. Before you go for your keyhole heart surgery, there are a few things you will want to consider; whether it be finding a London heart clinic and surgeon you trust, or preparing your friends, family and workplace. There will likely be a lot on your mind, so making a ‘to do’ list of things to take into consideration can be very helpful to ease anxiety. Read on for the top things you should consider before keyhole heart surgery.
Preparing your family
Preparing your family can be hard when you are about to undertake surgery – they are likely to be extremely worried about you. You should prepare logistical things (such as where children will stay, and who will look after pets while you recover), but also help to prepare them emotionally. It can be tough to see a family member in pain during the recovery period. So you should prepare them – and reassure them – too. Tell them the details about the operation you will be having, how it will improve your life, and how you are expected to be afterwards – so they know exactly what to expect. If in doubt, you can have your doctor speak to them, too.
Informing your workplace
A huge benefit of keyhole heart surgery is the fact you heal much faster than traditional surgery. In most cases, you heal within a few days and can be back at work, living life as normal, within just a few weeks. This is in comparison to the many months it takes to recover from traditional heart surgery. However, you will still need at least some downtime away from work as you are recovering from life altering surgery, and you should avoid hard physical activity for a while, at the suggestion of your doctor. So while you will recover quicker, you still need to prepare your workplace for your absence during the recovery period.
Adjusting to recovery
This part can be hardest for many people. As we are all so used to an active, busy life, it can be hard to step back and admit defeat. During recovery, we can’t do as much as we would like to, and it can feel alien – and even a little embarrassing – to ask for help. But it’s so important to do so. Nothing is more important than your health, and your friends, family and loved ones understand this. Oftentimes they may feel helpless, as they cannot help you with the pain. But they can help you with logistical and menial tasks. So ask for help, and adjust to a period of time where you must rest and recover. Ask family and friends to help you out with cooking and cleaning, or running errands. Much of the time they will actually feel happy and relieved to be able to help you out in a tangible way! So never feel bad about asking, and take as much time as you require to get back to full health.
