Open Heart Surgery - advice please

The friend I cared for after her operation did find it difficult to get in and out of the bath as she couldn’t use her arms to lever herself up. Do you have a shower? If not just wash standing up in the bath for a bit.

I’m sure the hospital will advise a “teddy”, a rolled up towel to press against the chest if he wants to cough.

And, silly as it sounds, she needed to drink from a small mug. Her usual giant size ones really pulled at the wound. I’m sure they’ve said all the stuff about not lifting. I’d sussed not the kettle but hadn’t thought about the mug.

My biggest problem actually was that she felt so much better in general health that I had to keep an eye on her to stop her doing things like watering the garden or hanging the washing!

You’ll have a new man on your hands ?

The problem with DH is that he has a buttonphobia and now he is retired will not wear shirts, except for funerals and often not even then. He has a good line in smart polonecks and jackets.

I am sure he has plenty of button up the front shirts. Perhaps buy a cosy cardigan to keep him warm.

I assume he is having bypass surgery. DH had it a year ago and recovered very well from the heart surgery. It was the infection that the hospital gave him that caused the problem.

But to get to T shirts. If the Tshirt is reasonably loose, it is possible for him to put his arms in the T shirt while they are down. Pull them right up to the shoulders with the body of the T shirt stretched across his front and then scoop up the back of the T shirt to the neck and lift it over his head. All he will need to do will be to bow his head. Obvously he will need help with this to start, but will soon be able to do it himself.

This being winter, this works well for sweaters as well.