Can I run and lift again?

[Monty]

I am scheduled for surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Oct 27. My surgery will be Minimally Invasive. My Doctor is Tomislav Mihaljevic. The valve that I have chosen is the Edwards Perimount Magna Bioprosthesis. 4-5 Weeks ago I had been running 6 to 10 mile in distance with a time of 8:30 a mile, with a heart rate around 152-162. (Tempo Run). My question is will I be able to run like this again or will I have to slow down? Will I be able to lift weights in the gym again? I have severe aortic Stenosis and Insuffiency. I have no symptoms (except heart palp) and I have PLENTY of energy. I am really concerned about being able to exercise. Right now I have no way of relieving the stress because I have been told not to run or lift weights. I am prepping my self for surgery by walking 6-8 miles daily. M

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Monty - check out the Active Lifestyles Forum.

We have several dedicated runners.

Most (all?) valve recipients are advised to cut back on their weight lifting and to NEVER hold your breath when lifting because that causes a drastic rise in Blood Pressure, including in the heart chambers controlled by your valves.

Post Op, you will be limited to 5 lbs for several weeks, then SLOWLY allowed to increase up to 40 lbs. At 6 weeks, the sternum is healed to around 85% of it's normal strength. It takes 12 weeks to reach 100%, assuming it heals properly.

'AL'

 

[Monty]

Minimally Invasive.

Minimally Invasive.

My surgery will be Minimally Invasive.

 

[M&M]

Hi Monty, and Welcome.. I had a mitral valve St. Jude replacement on May 25th of this year. I went into full heart block shortly after surgery. Then I came out of it and just recently I have gone into intermittent full heart block so I had my pacemaker programmed for exercise. Its always 'on' but I had my rate response programmed to get my heart rate up to 165 as without the rate response feature 'on' I could only get my heart rate up to 140 on my own.. Sounds kind of Sci Fi - but technology is getting really great.. I have an ICD and well each case is different. Well, its harder to run up hills with a maximum of 140 bpm - so of course when my EP doc offered to turn my rate response back on to go up to 165 bpm - I naturally had a huge smile !! Hills will still be hard - but hopefully I won't have to walk all of them. I do keep asking my docs everytime they put another piece of hardware in me - if I can get thos 8:00 minute miles !!!

On August 25th of this year - I ran a XC road race and came in Second Place for Fillies !! There were only two fillies !!! But I gave the medal to my surgeon.. He was quite pleased - it was 'only' 3 mos to the day since my surgery.. So they think its wonderful that I was even able to do it.. Of course I can't complain - well I could ask for those 8:00 minute miles - but right now I'd be happy with a 10:00 minute mile race. I've got a rather flat course race this Sunday - see how it goes.. I wore my polar heart monitor this morning as I just don't have any stamina and am wondering at what heart rate it comes on.. Well, what a joke - my polar monitor said 112 bpm on minute and the next it went up to 179 - well, technically I'm suppose to get shocked at 175.. and since I didn't - thank god - I don't think this monitor is working right.. Its a rather 'old' polar monitor - but they are nice to have if your thinking about running soon afterwards..

I don't breath as well so I can't go as fast with this program. I can't complain really as I can run.. Last year my best PR was 9:30 minute miles - this year 11:14 minute miles.. But I hope to get it better in time... I have a really screwed up electrical system - but last year even with my pacemaker programmed on I completed 35 races of which 6 were half marathons.. I don't have my stamina back quite yet to try that again.. But I'm getting stronger every day..

I guess it depends on how the surgery goes and your recovery. There are people here who have run marathons since their surgery. I'm not sure how long it took for them to get prepared for them - but it can be done..

Good Luck - I hear Cleveland Clinic is the BEST..

 

[ALCapshaw2]

You will still want to limit your lifting.

Remember, the new valve is held in place by STITCHES. Excess pressure can lead to leaks or worse. Arnold Schwartzineger (sp?) supposedly 'blew' a valve by trying to do too much (lifting?) too soon. You can find the details of that by doing a Forum Search on his name.

As Marilyn mentioned, there are several marathon runners here who have had valve surgery so that is doable IN TIME. Just take your time in working back up to your desired performance level. Too Much Too Soon CAN set your recovery back.

'AL'

 

[Nancy]

These are all questions for your surgeon, since he will be in there and messing around however minimally invasive.

He will guide you in what you can do while still under his care, and then your cardiologist will be the one to discuss this with.

Make sure you are very frank with them regarding your lifestyle so they can advise you the best way. I'm sure they are quite used to helping athhletes get back into shape.

Push for cardiac rehab. Sometimes insurance will not cover it for valve patients, but it really can help, so is worth the added effort to get them to cover it.

 

[Phyllis]

Monty,
Dick had minimally invasive at Brigham last December 2004 and had the Edwards Magna valve. No driving for 6 weeks, no lifting anything heavy for 3 months. He is not a runner, but was walking 3-4 miles at 6 weeks, riding his bike 8-10 miles at 8 weeks and playing tennis and golf at 3 months. He was very physically active before surgery and I am sure that is what helped him have an uneventful recovery. He is now back 100%. Good luck, you should feel secure that you are in some of the "best" hands.

 

[Rush20]

Monty:

First, congratulations on the minimally invasive procedure. I had the same procedure last year for my AVR and it really helped reduce the overall trauma. However, I guess I really don't have anything to measure it against because up until my surgery, fortunately, I had never had any other type of surgery or medical issue. I can count in one hand how the doctor visits I had during my adult life up until that point.

I was 40 at the time of the surgery and although I chose (arm twisted?!) the St. Jude mechanical valve option, complications were minimal.

Pertaining to your question, I am also an avid weight lifter, biker, runner and overall fitness nut. I love playing adult baseball and softball and tend to spend every spare moment doing something active (including chasing my two young children).

Give yourself time to recover post surgery. Go with the standard 12-week cardiac rehab that focuses on aerobics and light cable/weights. After your rehab, slowly work back into your weight lifting regime.

Personally, I cut back from my pre-operative regime of 4-5 days per week down to 2 days per week and I haven't noticed any significant drop in performance. I don't "max out" any more and I focus more on form and higher repetitions for tone. Ironically, I feel better and more rested between weight lifting workouts as a result. Plus it has freed up my time to pursue more outdoor activities such as biking.

Good luck. Remember not to overdue it the first few weeks as you will not realize how sore you truly are as a result of the pain medication. About 10 days after surgery, I moved some light boxes and my collar bones ached for thee days! Take it slow. Believe me, the last thing you will want to think about after your surgery is a bench press! Good luck!

 

[MarkU]

Monty,
I was an avid weightlifter prior to my AVR. I was back in the gym within three months, but it took about four to six months for my sternum and scar to completely heal. My cardiologist asked me not to do any more max effort lifting such as squats and heavy bench presses (I had been doing 300lb bench presses up until six months prior to my surgery). He also asked me to spend at least half of my time in the gym on aerobic exercises. Other than that he put no restrictions on my activities.
In the past year I have become hooked on training for triathlons. I am swimming, biking & running each twice a week and now only lift about once a week. I now do high reps w/ light weights, trying to maintain strength, but lose bulk.
I'm not sure what the recovery time will be with your minimally invasive procedure, but my advice would be to be patient and not push too hard at first. It may be frustrating, but try to keep a long-term perspective on things. Make sure you talk with your doctor and let him know what your exercise objectives are; hopefully he will be supportive and offer constructive advice for your recuperation.
Good luck,
Mark

 

[tommy]

Monty,

You've got some good advice in here. I'll reiterate the plea for patience in recovery. You want recovery to be a one-way street, no backtracking.

Absent complications or other issues, I can encourage you from my experience that you should be able to run again at your previous pace. I started from scratch a year ago. 8:30 is still aggressive for me, but so was 12:00 a year ago.

Good luck!