10 Months Later (good, no make that real good)

[johnp]

I have not been on much but thought I would check in.

I had my valve surgery last December. They say it takes about 1 yr to fully recover, and now I would say that would be about right.

I took it easy after surgery, but kept at the exercise. I ran hard at first, but I was not making the gains. So I tried not to get discouraged and cut back. But I kept running. Some days 3 miles, some days 5, some days only two. If I felt tired I stopped. I ran on the treadmill at the gym on and on the roads.

So here it is the 10 month mark and its safe to say I am about back to pre-surgery levels. I can run 8-10 miles (thats my long run), and I can push it on shorter distances now without that feeling of being winded.

In all honesty, it felt my leg muscles needed to come back, not just my wind. Often when I needed to slow down is was my legs that were crying, it was not my breathing.

Hard to say where it goes from here. Will I push myself back to levels a few years before symptoms? Will I be able to bang out 7 min miles? Hard to say, but no desire at the moment to go back there. At 49, its ok to just go for a long run and enjoy it.

My HR remains unsually low. My resting MR is in the 50s. I rarely get above 130 on the runs. Thats about 15-20 bpm lower, thanks in some part to the beta blocker and the flecainide I am on.

I am due back to Mayo in a couple months for a 1 yr reval. For the first time in 12 yrs my days are not consumed heart palpitations and related issues. I was one of the few people that had confirmed life threatening vtach and vfib (and survived multiple times), and after all the tests and vists to various doctors, it would appear it all came down my my worsening MV prolapse.

What an experience.

 

[Greg a]

...........
I had my valve surgery last December. They say it takes about 1 yr to fully recover, and now I would say that would be about right.

I took it easy after surgery, but kept at the exercise. I ran hard at first, but I was not making the gains. So I tried not to get discouraged and cut back. But I kept running. Some days 3 miles, some days 5, some days only two. If I felt tired I stopped. I ran on the treadmill at the gym on and on the roads.

So here it is the 10 month mark and its safe to say I am about back to pre-surgery levels. I can run 8-10 miles (thats my long run), and I can push it on shorter distances now without that feeling of being winded.

In all honesty, it felt my leg muscles needed to come back, not just my wind. Often when I needed to slow down is was my legs that were crying, it was not my breathing.
.........
What an experience.

Congratulations are in order for what you have done in UNDER a year

 

[JeffM]

Sounds like you're enjoying life and appreciating what you can do with it. I', guessing you could go harder on the runs but why not wait, as you have been, until your re-eval at Mayo. If you get the "all clear", you can edge up a little at a time, which would be the advisable way in any case for all of us older folks trying to get back in shape.

 

[Ray Norsworthy]

Sounds great, John. I hope I make that kind of progress!

 

[ottagal]

Wonderful news, John. A big congrats to you!

 

[normofthenorth]

Sounds great, John, and not unlike my experience after my AVR (etc.) last Dec. The main difference is that I've never liked straight running, so I've mostly been doing cycling (road and exer-) and I've just recently returned to competitive volleyball.

Another difference is that I've ditched all the meds (see below), but I think my HR is still a bit lower than before, even decades before -- though I never measured it much between High School and BAV deterioration in my 60s! I notice ~55 resting HR now, vs. ~59-ish min in the old days. (I never measured my exercising HR until post-op, except during stress tests!)

 

[hochinag]

Hi John,

So did u have mechanical or tissue ?

Regards,

Hochi

 

[Mentu]

Hi, John, thanks for posting your very fine note. For us all, there is that question lurking beneath everything else: "Will I ever be myself again?" I don't think our new member can read too often that for most of us return to a normal active life. My bike sat unused for over a year before surgery and getting back on it was a real joy. Thank you for reminding us that a vigorous life after surgery is possible.

Larry

 

[escargome]

Hi John,
Thank you for posting your very positive update. It will give those just starting the climb over that mountain something to set their sights on. Glad you are doing well.

 

[ottagal]

Hi John,

So did u have mechanical or tissue ?

Regards,

Hochi

Hochi,
Looking at his signature, it appears John had a mitral valve repair.

 

[johnp]

Yes, repair valve. Now in month 11 I am easily "as good as before" but maybe better. I don't have the desire to really push myself - I can't determine if its a real limitation or its psychological. Case in point, on the treadmill I can now go at a nice pace for an hour, and while my breathing is well under control, I don't have that urge to keep increasing the rate until I am gasping. Maybe thats a good thing.

Other thing I noted was that my core strength needed a boost. I decided to rotate in some weights, mostly for legs. This made a big difference.

Most striking thing about my recovery was that I was no where near "recovered" at the 6 month mark, not even at the 9 month mark. Sure , for normal activities (walking or small flights of stairs), you might feel recovered at 3,4 to 6 mos, but for athletic endurance stuff, its a longer process. At least for me, it is clear that the recovery was a slow (but steady process). I can see that I might still see "gains" well past the 1 yr mark. I never would have thought it.

 

[chaconne]

=johnp
I took it easy after surgery, but kept at the exercise. I ran hard at first, but I was not making the gains. So I tried not to get discouraged and cut back. But I kept running. Some days 3 miles, some days 5, some days only two. If I felt tired I stopped. I ran on the treadmill at the gym on and on the roads.

John,

How soon after surgery did you run? I am 5 weeks from AVR now, I fast walk up to 4 miles a day, but if I jog, I only last a block or so before my HR goes above 140 and I feel too tired (the beta blocker I suppose).

I've been told that I'm doing really good at this point, but I suppose it will be a while before I'm back to pre-surgery speed and endurance.

 

[tprice54]

Congratulations! Feel free to join us over at cardiacathletes.com....and see what you can do about those beta blockers....after a year, I'd ask if they are still needed. You will feel MUCH better during and after your run.

JOh, I started running at 8 weeks post op. just keep walking until then...the longer the better.