Tatjana's Posts

I am going out on a limb here. Being tired can be caused by many things. But it sounds like the main issue is pain (which can cause fatigue). As muscles heal they can emit pain signals that you didn't feel before. Eventually, this pain should go away but there are cases where it persists. Inflammation should be visible in a blood test. An ultrasound might also be called for to see how well your heart is functioning which can give clues to feelings of fatigue.

Sorry to hear about the pain. I hope it's just part of your healing. I had issues that I figured out was from my lung. Being deflated for the minimally invasive surgery, it took a while to heal and caused some breathing difficulty . Nothing major, just some slight pain and breathing (could breathe deeply only when bent over ). Keep us posted!

Dear Tatjana, this sound so familiar :) you are definitely not alone and emotional overwhelming after surgery was often mentioned here, lot of heart warriors experienced it! Just cry those tears out, it gets better with time... Your body has Beet through a lot. It is nice to have a supporting family or friends around you that you can talk to. We are also here for you and can understand first hand how you feel! 😊

Hi Tatjana. I suspect the memories and flashbacks you are experiencing are very common among those of us who have had OHS. The trauma of the surgery and ICU comes immediately after what for many of us is a very high-anxiety period leading up to the procedure and the unknowns of recovery - the article you posted mentions the higher incidence of PTSD in people who have anxiety to begin with. I found it was helpful for me to write down as much as I could remember about the whole experience. That seemed to remove some of the sting out of the memories and to some extent prevented the memories from morphing into something more distressing than they already were. I find that I go back and re-read the journal surprisingly often. It feels like that helps to cement what happened as “in the past” rather than a constant and current trauma. It seems to help me be able to say to myself “Huh. I did that and I am apparently tougher than I thought.” In any event, you already know that there are people here that understand what you have been through like no one else can and we are ready to listen and empathize.

Thanks Klara and George!I also find that writing about it helps. Posting it here helped me. Thanks for sharing about your use of the journal and what effect it has on you, very thoughtful. I used diaries in the past but not for a long time. Like you said, it's not just the surgery and its aftermath but a long, anxious period before it that leave a deep trace. I may well be healthier than before (don't feel like it yet) but my old life and its priorities have been drifting away for a long time. A lot to process ❤️🙏😊