It’s been eleven weeks since the heart bypass surgery and I’m preparing to go back to work next week. Overall, recovery has gone well since I’m able to walk, drive, and do most stuff on my own. I also have more energy compared to when I was on peritoneal dialysis. However, I’m still nowhere near 100% recovered yet. I tire pretty quickly when walking or exercising, and there is lingering pain in my chest, especially when sleeping.
I can sleep okay on my back, now that I can raise the head of the bed slightly. Before surgery, I was more of a side sleeper, and right now I can sleep on my right side, though I have to flatten out the bed to do so. Sleeping on the left still causes a lot of pain when I breath. I have to be careful when I try to find a comfortable sleeping position that I don’t accidentally turn to the left. The surgery incision appears to be down the center of my chest so I don’t know why sleeping on the left side hurts while the right side is fine.
Life with chronic diseases 