Mental Health
Recovery
Heart Surgery: Common Emotions During Your Hospital
Heart Surgery: Common Emotions During Your HospitalRecoveryRecovering from heart surgery can be difficult both physically and emotionally. During your hospital stay, youhave gone through the stresses of the actual surgery, and now have the anxiety of recovery ahead of you.“One day I woke up and I’m just like I am so sad, I am depressed, I am anxious.”“Well, after surgery being home I actually experienced a lot of sadness and depression.”After a serious event like heart surgery, feelings such as sadness, depression, irritability and anxiety can becommon. You’ve been through a stressful event. Being in the hospital and away from the comforts of home,combined with lack of sleep, new medications and the change from your normal routine can all add to thosefeelings.The good news is that all of these feelings are common and should go away with time. But do not ignore howyou are feeling. You don’t want depression, anxiety and any other emotions you are feeling to get in the way ofyour recovery. Talk to your cardiac care team about ways you can cope with your emotions while you recover.Prayer meditation, and moments of quiet relaxation can also do wonders for your spirit. And just becauseyou’re in the hospital does not mean you can’t get this kind of spiritual guidance. Many hospitals have a chapelavailable. Ask about chaplain services where the chaplain comes to you if that is easier.“My priest has been to see me. My deacon’s been to see me. I’ve been back to church now once ortwice, and uh that’s an important part to me, to my recovery, and, uh you know, that- just to know thatthere is someone- someone looking over me.”And of course, talking to family members, loved ones and friends can always help. Be honest about how youare feeling. They love you and only want to help. Sometimes just getting your emotions out can relieve thestresses and anxiety you are feeling. Recovering from heart surgery can take time. One thing that can help youthrough the frustrations of recovery is setting reasonable goals for your progress.Completing your breathing exercises, getting out of bed and walking a little, taking your medications, andperforming activities of daily living can all be examples of goals you can set. When you reach a goal feelpositive. This is a job well done. When recovery does get frustrating and overwhelming, take some time tohighlight all the successes you have had during recovery – no matter how small. Keep focused on workingtoward discharge and moving toward the next step of your recovery.Heart surgery is scary. It is common to feel many different emotions during your recovery in the hospital. Theimportant thing is not to let those emotions get in the way of your recovery. Reach out for support to deal withyour emotions in the way that is best for you and begin to look forward to each successful step you take duringyour recovery. Your progress may amaze even you.“You know, we talk about the heart being the center of our emotions and our feelings, so after havingmajor heart surgery, it’s not real surprising that there would be damage to that part of your heart, too,that needs to be dealt with.”“It only was a couple of weeks until, you know, I felt much better and today I can say that I’m prettymuch back to my normal self.”This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.HCHA10180B EN HeartSurgeryCommonEmotionsDuringYourHospitalRecovery.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 1
See what you can expect during your hospital recovery.
In this video, Liz has a mechanical heart valve replacement to treat a heart valve condition she's had since she was a young adult.
Learn strategies for rating and describing your pain level to members of your cardiac team, so they can treat it.
Understand what is provided in a cardiac rehabilitation program and recognize how it contributes to you living a long, heart healthy future.
