You may feel pain, pressure or burning sensation in your chest, especially at the incision site and while the chest tubes are in place while you are recovering right after your Heart Surgery. You also may feel pain when the chest tubes are removed and especially when you start moving around, sitting up, coughing or walking.

But always remember it is good to monitor and to tell your nurse immediately when you feel pain or uneasiness before it becomes too severe. Ask also for pain medication if possible before going out of bed to walk around or to do any breathing exercises to avoid causing these activities to make pain worsen. Don’t hesitate to ask for pain medication, because it is harder to ease pain once it has started. When you are ready to go home and leave the hospital, your doctor should recommend you pain medication to take at home. These instructions may or may be not the same of the pain medication that you took in the hospital. You should take your home medication according to your doctor’s instructions because it is important for your healing and recovery.