Heart To Heart Edition of 7/15/2006

This free online monthly newsletter is published on the 15th of every month by
Maggie Lichtenberg, PCC
Recent open heart surgery patient and thriver

My selection of a topic for this month is taken from Chapter 7, "From the ICU to the Journey Home," from The Open Heart Companion: Preparation and Guidance for Open-Heart Surgery Recovery by Maggie Lichtenberg, published June 13, 2006 by Open Heart Publishing. The book's Table of Contents is on the website at www.openheartcoach.com.

Reducing Stress on the Caregiver

Once the hospital experience is in your rearview mirror, suddenly being in charge of everything can be overwhelming for the primary caregiver. He or she has already put in days of sharing the patient’s worries along with giving major practical support, including overtime doing household chores, additional research, note-keeping, and scheduling to keep the partner’s medical process moving forward. Caregivers often arrive at the hospital discharge moment quite exhausted. They carry a tremendous burden, yet for the most part the system is not designed to take them into account.

So getting practical, compassionate support going into the home recovery phase is vital for the caregiver as well. This is why organizing a “home team” – giving friends and family specific assignments -- can be so sustaining. As many caregivers have made clear to me, stress is inherent in the role of supporter. Here are a few hospital discharge suggestions from Sherry, who was her husband’s primary caregiver when he had a mitral valve repair at age seventy-two:

Ask the hospital pharmacist to give you both the generic and the original brand names of all medications the patient will be taking during recovery. If either of you have arthritic hands, or just because it’s your preference, ask for non-child-proof caps.

Invite a second person to accompany you when the patient is released from the hospital, especially if you will be going home loaded down with more than your overnight bags—like an oxygen canister, a box containing a raised toilet seat, or other special equipment.

Arrange to have a meal or a snack ready for you right away when you arrive home.

Then, for the next few weeks, Sherry has these final words of advice:

Call on your reserves of patience. Be prepared for mood swings! If the patient has never been dependent before, be prepared to be resented. Jim had his outbursts! One time, for example, I didn’t unlock the car door fast enough as he was trying to get in. There are trying moments . . .

Information You Both Need Before Hospital Check-Out

Who can you call 24/7 and under what circumstances should you call 911? Leave the hospital with specific guidelines about emergencies and a list of specific names and phone numbers for when you have less urgent concerns or questions, including who to call at night or on weekends.Together with your caregiver, be clear which medications to take when and for how long.

Know when to schedule your first post-op appointment with either your surgeon or a local doctor.

Ask about the psychological challenges you will face, above and beyond the physical take-home instructions (that is, in addition to incision care, medical equipment, pain management, diet, activities, etc.).

Ask for specific tips for countering caregiver stress.

Finally, is there one last question that’s just occurred to you? If so, ask it before you leave.

Please email me at Maggie@openheartcoach.com observations and experiences which will be informative to others, like the commentary from Sherry above, for future issues of Heart to Heart. Please include your first and last names, city and state. Thank you!

St. Vincent’s Hospital, in Santa Fe, NM, has purchased a bulk quantity of The Open Heart Companion, and they are giving a book to everyone who goes through St. Vincent’s new open-heart surgery program.

In a feature story in the Santa Fe New Mexican on June 10, 2006, entitled “Eldorado Author Coaches Open-heart Patients Through Surgery, Recovery,” nurse and case manager Francie Handler is quoted:

I lead a free monthly heart surgery support group for both caregivers and patients. It is by telephone for one hour on a teleconference line that we all call into. The next call will be Monday evening, August 14, 2006, 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern time (or, depending on your time zone, beginning 8:00 PM Central, 7:00 PM Mountain, or 6:00 PM Pacific). For a complete description and to register to receive the call-in number, go to http://openheartcoach.com/PhoneSupportGroup.html

If your heart issue is congenital, do consider attending this conference. Here is the overview, on the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine website. It is geared to adult heart patients and family members alike:

All adults born with congenital heart defects, family members, and interested health professionals are invited to attend ACHA’s Fourth National Conference. This event will bring together top US adult congenital heart specialists to provide information on the latest in adult congenital heart research, treatment, and resources. In addition to sessions geared exclusively for patients and family members, this conference will offer ACHA’s first ACHD Research Symposium and CME credit for health care professionals. Topics will include historical landmarks in the treatment of congenital heart disease, rhythm abnormalities, heart failure and transplantation, genetics, complementary medicine, new imaging modalities, prevention, pregnancy, exercise, ACHD and mental health, women’s health issues, and disability law. Defect-specific breakouts and an expert panel on future trends in ACHD will also be offered, as well as plenty of time for peer sharing and interaction with the experts.

I will be participating, and leading a breakout session, “Preparing for Open-Heart Surgery and Recovery.” Please see the many conference topics that will be covered at either www.cme.ucsf.edu or www.achaheart.org.

Click here for a description of The Open Heart Companion. Click here for ordering the paperback book, the E-Book, or both together at a discounted price.

Heart to Heart, Copyright (C) 2006 Maggie Lichtenberg. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher.
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Maggie Lichtenberg, Publisher
Open Heart Publishing
4 Cosmos Court
Santa Fe, NM 87508-2285

Website:OpenHeartCoach.com

Heart To Heart

Edition of 7/15/2006

HeartToHeart - Volume II, Issue 7 - Reducing Stress on the Caregiver