Brisk Walking/Mitral Regurg....

[Jkm7]

I have moderate to severe Mitral Regurg that my cardio is watching closely. I have echos (and see him) every 3 - 6 months....actually next visit will be 5 months since previous one. I am otherwise healthy in all ways since by-pass surgery.

He knows I walk daily at least 40 minutes at a brisk pace and has not told me to slow it down or cease and I have not thought to ask.

Is it safe for me to continue with my brisk walks everyday or could I be doing myself more harm than good? Especially as we approach warm weather. Should I avoid it on very hot/humid days and use my indoor treadmill instead?

Obviously my 'dream' is for that valve to stabalize and not get worse. (It is result of heart attack/heart enlargement/remodeling.)

 

[MaryC]

I would check with your cardiologist. I can tell you I continued cardio exercise including walking, light jogging and riding a stationary bike right up until my surgery in February. I was classified as moderate-severe MVP/R.

 

[GeorgeM]

Before my surgery I keep up with my regular exercise pattern - both running and walking etc and my cardio was happy for me to do so. So I would suggest you take your doctor's advice.

Best Wishes

George Montgomery

 

[Jkm7]

I don't have much in the way of symptoms but I know that is not always indicative of much. My Cardio is aware how much I walk (has seen me out walking) and has never told me to stop but I have not specifically asked if it was okay to continue. I'm thinking I should have brought up the subject. Maybe I should call his office to ask and not wait until my next scheduled appointment.

I know my general wellness is enhanceded by the walking (and it would be beneficial if I were to require another OHS) but would hate to think I'm making the valve worse with the effort.


Thanks for your responses.

 

[Soilman]

I have aortic stenosis with moderate to severe regurge. I've asked my cardio each time I've seen him about running. I've asked about running 10K races almost every time. He says have at it! The only cautionary words he gave were, "I just wouldn't start training for a marathon or anything". He said their is little risk to the valve with running. So, he actually urges me to do aerobic activity. I don't know if the mitral valve is any different, but my guess is that it's not.

 

[francie12]

My son's instructions--for mod. to severe aortic valve regurg.--are that aerobic exercise is fine, but to stop before "the point of maximum exertion." And of course no weight-lifting or isometric exercise of any kind.

 

[Steph]

JKM7, I also have Mod/severe MVR and am being watched closely with tests every 6 months. I teach spinning classes (indoor cycling), run, and in general get 90 minutes of mod/intense cardio exercise daily. My doctor has advised me to keep it up. My regurgitaion is do to a deformed posterior leaflet that I was born with.

Both my cardio, and the doctor I saw for a second opinion, felt that exercise was important and would help with recovery. In my case my cardio said that regurg leads to more regurg but doing nothing was not going to change the fact that my valve was going to have to be replaced. Could my surgery happen sooner because of the exercise? I do not know. But I feel that if it is going to happen anyway, I may as well stay fit!

I am interested in knowing what your cardio is watching as indicators for your surgery. I know every heart is different, and every person is different, but i'm just curious. In my case the doctors are watching my stress EF. My cardio said that when that dips we must schedule surgery. He said that with the mitral valve, (unlike aortic) , once the EF drops it is not recovered post-operative so he wants to catch it before it shows up on my resting echos. The question I never asked was, "What will exercise be like after surgery with a lower stress EF?" Will this effect my ability? I guess I have more questions for our next visit.

Good luck Jkm7, I think the bottom line is, when in doubt ask.

Steph

 

[Jkm7]

I see this thread was moved. I'm sorry I seem to have posted it in the wrong place but this is for Active Lifestyle Post Surgery. This thread is about specific exercise PRE Surgery. And it isn't about Cardio Rehab either. I thought it appropriate in the Pre Surgery Forum. Sorry.


Steph.....

I think my Cardio is watching a number of things which include my stress EF, right heart enlargement. Left Ventircle enlargment (from heart attacks) is the cause of my MV regurg. That enlargement has been stable for a while. He's watching for change in amount of regurg, heart pump function and how I feel. My leaflets are okay. I've been stable for the last three echos and feel well.

I am teetering on the edge of requiring a MV repair (second OHS). He is giving me some small chance the regurg can remain stable and not require surgery. I think that if I was feeling symptoms and asked him to approve my having the surgery and 'getting it over with', he would approve it.

In a perfect world, I think the best I hope for is it remain stable long enough for research hospitals like Brigham and Womens and Massachusetts General etc to perfect MV repair by cath vs. open chest surgery.

I'm sorry about your condition and will be interested in what your cardio is telling you, as well. I certainly admire the level of exercise you perform. I'm older than you and have had heart attacks so could never accomplish what you do but I do hope my walkling helps in my general well being in addition to specifically cardio wellness.

Thank you for your post. It makes me feel more comfortable about continuing my walking.
And I certainly wish you good luck as well.

 

[jds]

My cardio recommended against exercise because of PHT

My cardio recommended against exercise because of PHT

I have moerate/sever MVR which has induced fairly significant pulmonary hypertension. Because of that, my cardio recommended agains pre-op exercise (surgery should be soon) to avoid pushing the right ventrical pressures even higher. I could not do much anyway. I was very active before the MVR showed up - biking, hiking, climbing. After the MVR showed up, best I could do was about 3.5 MPH on a treadmill for a half hour.

 

[Jkm7]

jds...... Sorry to hear how severely your activity level has been curtailed. Hopefully post surgery you will be able to resume your active lifestyle.

I see you are from Boston. Where are you having your surgery? Do you have a date yet?

 

[LindaVA]

Hi-
I was in the same boat only a few months ago!

I had severe regurgitation and I was very athletic. I was running about 25 miles a week, swimming and lifting- working out about 6 days a week. I asked that very question while I was waiting for my repair, should I stop exercise? My surgeon was very emphatic that no, I should not. He said one of the reasons he wanted me to keep working out was to keep the rest of my h eart as strong as it was.

I would say 40 minutes of walking would be beneficial, however given your history, you don't want to push it and want to avoid weather conditions that make it hard to breathe. Monitor yourself and see how you feel. Unfortunately, for you, like me, no amount of all the good exercise will fix the valve problem-- what are you waiting for to fix it?

 

[MikeHeim]

When I was in the approaching surgery (about three months), I was encouraged by my Cardio to continue exercising, but to keep my HR under about 130. As long as you don't get any SOB, you shouldn't have any issues.

 

[Jkm7]

Well.... Funny how I got my answer recently from my cardio.

DH and I were out for our exercise walk after dinner and our route took us past our local hospital, where there is a beautiful garden we like to view. We literally bumped into my cardio. His office is on the hosptial grounds and he was on his way home. He was delighted to see us walking and encouraged us to keep it up.

There's my answer!!

Thank you all for helping/sharing.

 

[jds]

Had my surgery and am heading back to normal quickly

Had my surgery and am heading back to normal quickly

Hello -

Earlier i posted that pre-surgery I was very restricted because of PHT from Mitral Regurg. Right ventrical pressure was up to 80 (normal is around 25).

I had surgery on May 23 - turned out to be replacement (bovine) because the valve was so messed up - at Mass General. Pulmonary pressure down to 34 day after surgery and 25 2 days after.

I left the hospital May 30 and recuperation is going extremely well so far. Only needed about 5-6 Tylenol-3 tablets after returning home - at night to help get to sleep. Up to 2 hours a day of walking at about 3mph which I can push close to 4mph for a little while. I expect to be jogging/running and biking after my surgical followup on June 28.

John

 

[Jkm7]

John......

SO happy to hear how well you are doing. What good news.

Who was your surgeon at MGH? Dr. Alan Hildenberg did my bypass and it lurks in the back of my mind I probably would consult with him if/when my cardio tells me to see a surgeon. I see my cardio next month and have another echo scheduled.

Were you satisifed with your care in CICU and step down unit at MGH?

Again.....congratulations on your successful surgery and to date smooth recovery. Wishing you all the best.

 

[BillCobit]

. He said that with the mitral valve, (unlike aortic) , once the EF drops it is not recovered post-operative..
Steph

Steph - I had not heard that before, but it seems consistent with my own observations. I've been comparing my recovery with that of AV patients and have noticed that my performance seems to be lagging quite a bit, and I still have low EF. Can't complain too much, though - I'm 5 years post-op and free of complications.

My doc also advised that I continue my activities (cycling and triathlon) right up to surgery, and is supportive post-op as well.

 

[Steph]

A couple of questions BillCobit.

A couple of questions BillCobit.

I was wondering what your pre-op resting and stress EF numbers were? And have they changed at all?

My resting EF is 55% and my cardio mentioned something like 85/90% for a stress EF. One thing that I want to know is how low can my stress EF drop before it effects my fitness performance? I would also love to hear from some other mitral valve people out there and find out if they have had the same experiance you have had, and if anyone else was told that their post-op EF most likely would not recover. And why not?

Maybe these are questions I need to ask my cardio, and I will when I see him. I just didn't think it could hurt to ask here.

Steph

 

[BillCobit]

My resting EF was 45-50% before surgery, same as now. But I've been stable for five years, and my heart has returned to normal dimensions. So I'm not getting any better, but I'm not deteriorating either. I don't know what my stress EF is.

I came across this article regarding post-op performance:

http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/abstract/36/7/2263

 

[Steph]

Not very good news is it.

Not very good news is it.

Thanks Bill, I have seen a couple of articles like that one. I keep looking under every rock to try and find someone with better news but I have not found it yet . However I will not give up. Good luck to you.

Steph

 

[BillCobit]

Thanks Bill, I have seen a couple of articles like that one. I keep looking under every rock to try and find someone with better news but I have not found it yet . However I will not give up. Good luck to you.

Steph

I found the full article vs. the abstract:

http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/reprint/36/7/2263