How to Help Someone in Recovery After Bypass Surgery

The recovery period is one of the most crucial times for a patient who has just had bypass surgery. For people who find themselves cast as the primary caregiver of post-bypass patient, the responsibility is enormous and sudden, often allowing little time to prepare and self-educate. Use these steps as a starting point.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Consult regularly with the doctor. As a caregiver, you stand on the shaky ground between patient and health care professional. The doctor will be able to give you general guidelines as well as solutions to specific problems as they arise.
2. Accompany the patient throughout the entire process, thereby allowing yourself the maximum time to learn the role of a caregiver.
3. The responsibilities of caregivers tend to fall into 3 categories: Day-to-day activities, emotional support and self-care.
4. Day-today activities include shopping for and preparing appropriate post-surgery meals, cleaning, driving and overseeing the proper use of medications. You are also a key liaison between the patient and his or her professionals. You must learn to recognize early signs of complications and communicate promptly.
5. Help monitor the patient's diet and weight. Right after bypass surgery, it is recommended that patients eat a diet low in salts, cholesterol and saturated fats to keep their arteries from becoming clogged or blocked again. If the patient has been told to lose weight, you can coach the patient through this transformative process as well.
6. In your role as emotional supporter, you will learn to offer encouragement and keep all attitudes, including yours, positive. You will learn to offer help, but also to encourage the patient to be increasingly active and self-reliant. And you will remain an integral part of doctor's visits and follow-up tests.
7. Finally, you will do the patient no service by running yourself into the ground. Self-care is not a luxury--it is a necessity. Keep your own life as balanced as is possible; make sure you are eating and resting well, and add stress-relieving activities and some entertainment to your daily routine. Additionally, you must admit and accept when the responsibility has become too much for you to handle alone. Also, maintain a willingness to seek out emotional support for yourself in the form of support groups or spiritual counsel.

Tips & Warnings

• Talk to the doctor if you are unsure of which foods the patient can eat and which they should avoid.
• Keep all emergency contacts on hand including doctor and hospital phone numbers as well as ambulance assistance.
• If there are any major fluctuations in weight, notify their doctor immediately.
• If you see anything abnormal at the sight of the wound, or the patient becomes ill, contact the doctor immediately.

Who Can Help: