Days 2-3 Post-Surgery - Standing and Walking
Saturday and Sunday, 5th-6th October 2025 - Days 2 and 3 after my aortic valve replacement surgery were remarkably similar, with continued progress in my recovery. From early morning monitoring through to standing up and eventually taking my first walk.
Day 2 - Saturday Morning
The day started early at 5:30 AM with an ECG whilst still in bed. This was followed by an X-ray around 7:00 AM, also conducted bedside. These morning tests are a routine part of post-operative monitoring to check heart function and lung condition after cardiac surgery.
Drainage Tube Removal
The surgeon came to visit and confirmed that my drainage tube would be removed. The drainage tube had been collecting excess fluid from around the surgical site, and its removal is a significant milestone in the recovery process.
The removal itself felt rather gross as it was pulled out - there's simply no way to make extracting a tube from your chest comfortable. However, almost instantly I could breathe easier with much less pain. The difference was remarkable and immediate.
Breathing Exercises
I worked with my breathing machine (incentive spirometer) both before and after the drainage tube was removed. The difference was huge. With the tube in place, each breath had been limited by discomfort and the physical presence of the tube. Once removed, my lung capacity improved dramatically.
A little later, the physiotherapist came for our session. It was amazing how much better my breathing was compared to yesterday's sessions. The improvement in lung function after drainage tube removal was substantial and encouraging.
First Time Standing
Lunch came around at 12:30. Whilst the nurse helped me swing my legs off the bed, I stood up under my own power for the first time since surgery. This is a crucial milestone in cardiac recovery - getting vertical helps with circulation, breathing, and reducing the risk of complications from prolonged bed rest.
The nursing staff were supportive throughout, ensuring I moved safely whilst encouraging independence where possible.
Saturday Night - Water Retention Management
On Saturday night (whilst I still had the neck cannula in place), the doctor decided to start me on an infusion of Lasix (furosemide), a diuretic medication, to address my water retention. That meant not much sleep that night as I kept filling the pee bottle and buzzing the nurses for new ones.
Day 3 - Sunday Morning - Freedom from Lines
On Sunday, the biggest milestone was the removal of the remaining cannula from my neck. Based on how it felt coming out, I assume it was something quite sizeable - likely a Central Venous Catheter (CVC), which is typically inserted into the internal jugular vein in the neck to provide central venous access during and after cardiac surgery.
The nurse instructed me: "Count to three and breathe in, then hold your breath." No mean feat, holding your breath after open heart surgery, I can tell you. Then he pulled out what felt like a couple of centimetres. The sensation was quite remarkable.
With that removal, I was finally totally free from all lines and tubes. All medication was now oral, except for anticoagulants and anti-thrombosis injections administered in my belly, and blood samples taken from my arm rather than through a central line.
Managing Water Retention - Day 3
During Sunday, I was given a tablet-based dose of Lasix instead of the infusion. This had me regularly peeing into a measuring bottle so they could track how much of my retained water I was managing to eliminate. I was thankfully looking somewhat like myself by the end of the day. The tablet approach was much better planned - it allowed me to stop peeing by about 20:00 so I could sleep well.
One side effect of Lasix is losing potassium, so I had potassium drinks - tablets dissolved into water. Whatever they were, they had not bothered with the flavouring. Cold, fizzy horribleness. A bit like the first beer I tried to brew.
Overcoming Needle Anxiety
I must say, having been afraid of needles all my life - I blame a bad experience at the doctor's surgery with a doctor who went to the same church as us and lived on the same street, making them unavoidable - all of the tests over the last couple of years have been pretty much painless and mostly without so much as a bruise.
The team at INCCI (Cardiac Intensive Care) at Strassen CHL have looked after me so well. I still close my eyes when there's a needle, but I'm not sure why anymore. The fear has diminished significantly through positive experiences.
First Walk
Being free from all of the machines meant that I could go for my first walk. It was a very short one - maybe 20 metres there and back along the corridor - but it was a walk, and another significant milestone in my recovery. Every step, quite literally, was progress.
Sunday Evening Exhaustion
At the end of Sunday, I very quickly got tired and was asleep by 21:00. I slept so soundly that I slept through at least three hourly automated blood pressure tests - which are noisy affairs - and even the visit of the night staff at shift change.
Middle of the Night Pain
At 01:00, I woke up with quite intense pain. I pressed the buzzer and the nurse arrived quickly. She gave me a tiny cup of medicine with a small amount of liquid in it to drink and told me everything was normal. Soon after, I was dozing again until it was shift change time.
Recovery Progress
According to the expected timeline from my pre-surgery post, Days 2-3 involve continued ICU care with progressive mobilisation. Standing up on day 2 and walking on day 3 marks excellent progress towards that goal.
Each small step forward - the tube removal, improved breathing, standing up, walking - builds confidence and demonstrates that the recovery is progressing as planned.
This post and future recovery updates are being written with AI assistance (GitHub Copilot) to help me document the experience clearly and efficiently. Working with Copilot on my phone makes it difficult to make corrections myself, so some details may need refinement.