After Aortic Surgery

❤️ WHAT HAPPENS AFTER AORTIC SURGERY?

You’ve made it through surgery—but what happens next?

In his latest The African Perfusionist post, Emmanuel Mbaka walks patients and families through one of the biggest questions surrounding recovery:

“What Should I Expect During My First Week in the Hospital? The First Days After Aortic Surgery”

From waking up in the ICU and understanding all those tubes and monitors, to getting out of bed, walking the halls, managing pain, breathing exercises and preparing to go home, Emmanuel helps take some of the mystery—and hopefully some of the fear—out of those first important days.

It’s especially fitting to share this today as we recognize #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth, #AorticDissectionAwarenessWeek and #AorticValveDiseaseAwarenessDay.

Knowledge helps patients feel prepared. Preparation helps patients feel empowered. ❤️

Read Emmanuel’s latest The African Perfusionist post and learn what those first days of recovery may look like.

"One of the biggest questions patients have before surgery is:

"What will happen when I wake up?"

The answer can be different for every person, because recovery depends on the type of operation, your health, and how your body responds to surgery.

But there are some things you may experience.

You may wake up in an intensive care unit surrounded by monitors, tubes, and equipment.

You may have a breathing tube initially.

You may have intravenous lines, drains, urinary catheters, and other monitoring devices.

And you may look around and think:

"What happened to me?"

Remember, many of these things are there because your team is closely monitoring and supporting you during those early hours of recovery.

As you become more awake and stable, some of those tubes and lines will gradually be removed according to your clinical team's assessment.

You may experience pain or discomfort.

You may feel weak.

You may not sleep normally.

You may not have much appetite.

And emotionally, you may feel different from what you expected.

Some people feel relieved.

Some feel anxious.

Some feel frustrated because they thought they would feel better immediately.

But major surgery takes a lot from the body.

Recovery is not a race.

One of the important goals during those early days is gradually becoming more active.

Your healthcare team may encourage you to sit up, stand, and eventually walk when it is safe for you.

You may start with only a few steps.

That's okay.

Those few steps are progress.

You will also begin learning how to breathe deeply, cough effectively when instructed, eat and drink again, manage pain, and gradually regain independence.

Your first week isn't about returning to normal.

It's about taking the next safe step.

And sometimes that next step is very small.

But small steps count."

#AorticHope #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth #AorticDissectionAwarenessWeek #AorticValveDiseaseAwarenessDay #AorticSurgery #OpenHeartSurgery #PatientEducation #TheAfricanPerfusionist #ASAP #AortaEd

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