Excercise Suggestions

[lieb2101]

This goes out to the athletic and physically active members:
What type of exercises did you use to get yourself back on track after surgery?

Its only been two weeks since surgery but I'm chomping at the bit to get my arse back in shape and ready for some fun this summer. I spoke to my docs about physical therapy or cardiac rehab and they said that they don't usually worry about that for someone my age (29). They just said "walk". That was frustrating.

Right now I'm limited to 30 minutes on the treadmill @ 2mph. I'm not always able to to work it in but I want to be prepared for when I'll be able to step it up (without overdoing it).

I'll take any suggestions you've got.

Thanks,
Brian

 

[Susan BAV]

Hi Brian -

My doctors didn't recommend cardiac rehab for me either but if and when there is a next time for me, I think I'm going to specifically request it. From posts here, members have learned a great deal from cardiac rehab.

 

[Guest]

This goes out to the athletic and physically active members:
What type of exercises did you use to get yourself back on track after surgery?

Its only been two weeks since surgery but I'm chomping at the bit to get my arse back in shape and ready for some fun this summer. I spoke to my docs about physical therapy or cardiac rehab and they said that they don't usually worry about that for someone my age (29). They just said "walk". That was frustrating.

Right now I'm limited to 30 minutes on the treadmill @ 2mph. I'm not always able to to work it in but I want to be prepared for when I'll be able to step it up (without overdoing it).

I'll take any suggestions you've got.

Thanks,
Brian

Walk every day, let your body dictate how much. Tell the doc you want to go to cardiac rehab and be the one who decides whether you need it or not. The peace of mind you'll get from monitored exercise while your heart, chest, ribs, and sternum are healing from being messed with is immeasurable. Use a heart rate monitor to see how your heart is reacting to exercise and how your heart rate drops during exercise as it becomes more fit. I was glad the rehab nurses suggested I do that. Let your sternum heal before you add any arm exercises, I was allowed to use 3lb weights for biceps, graduated to 5 lbs, etc. as you feel able to do 2 sets of 12 at each weight before 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, you can use a liptical(sp) if you don't like a stationary bike.

Cardiac rehab gives you access to machines you may not have at home or if you don't belong to a health club.

 

[tprice54]

slowly build up

slowly build up

Not sure how much you exercized prior to AVR. Like most here, I started walking as soon as I got home. The hospital gave me a sheet that worked me up to 30 minutes of walking. I did 80% of it on a treadmill (hey, Syracuse in February, no choice!). I was walking at about 3.0 mph. After reaching 30 minutes and feeling okay, I slowly increased the speed until I got to 4.0. At 8 weeks, the surgeon allowed me to start back running...albeit very slowly.

 

[JAJ99]

I too didn't go to cardiac rehab. I walked everyday. At first twice or three times a day, even if was only .3-.6 miles. Once the weather turned cold in Minnesota, I walked only once/day but for longer. My leg bothered me since they put me on bypass through my femoral artery so I didn't push it. I also would feel a little dizzy if I went too far. I started driving at 4 weeks so I would go to the gym and ride the bike or do the eliptical, without arms. I have to admit that my exercise capacity is slow to come back, but I'm much older than you. My cardio told me to do what felt okay, but if it hurt to stop.
Best of luck. Don't push yourself too much but walking will really helps.

 

[harleygirl528]

Hi Brian,

I am 3 weeks post-op and a little bit older than you (41) but my surgeon actually encouraged me to walk an hour a day. I too am forced to use a treadmill since the weather in Washington State in February is not condusive to outdoor activities. I walk on the treadmill at a rate of 3.1 mph and usually do 2 miles. I was somewhat out of shape before surgery due to back problems but I am looking forward to getting in the best shape of my life now. Also, I am definitely doing cardio rehab. Not only will it be a situation where I can feel safe about increasing my activity, on a personal note I look forward to the cameraderie of others who have recently gone through OHS. It feels lonely sometimes, and I guess that is why so many of us seek encouragment and advice on this site, so being in a room full of others going through what I am going through is pretty enticing to me.
Brian, all my best to you and I hope you are feeling better soon.

 

[starrman]

I started my cardiac rehab program at the hospital after week eight as my cardiologist suggested. I think all doctors have a different view on this. I go three times a week. I just had session #11 and feel much stronger and the endurance is slowly building up. The smiling slavedrivers have me up to 7 minutes at 2.4 mph two times during the session plus about 5 minutes of arm bike action and 10 minutes of stationary bike legs only and then 7 mintes of stationary bike arms only. I was told that the key is to have your heart rate at 20% above your resting rate. Doing these exercises has been good since you are hooked up to a heart monitor the entire time with professional supervision. My "class" has six other cardiac rehab folks - but I am the only one that had OHS. I am not even to the point where I sweat but am told that it is all about the heart rate increase and does not need to be stressful or intensive to be effective. It has been a good experience for me to interact with other recovering people and is a good break from work. I started working about 1/2 time at 9 weeks out.......and that is much more tiring than the rehab classes!

 

[MikeHeim]

I had my surgery about a month shy of my 29th birthday, and ran several marathons in the past so I consider myself fairly athletic as well. Depending on where you were physically before surgery, it can take a VERY long time to get back on track. I believe I tried jogging slowly at about six weeks, but it didn't go very well. My legs felt "heavy" for some reason for 6-8 months when I would try to run, but I never had the same sensation when I walked, biked, or did anything else. I'm fairly convinced that it had to do with my Atenolol dosage - at the time I was on 75mg twice per day. At about two weeks I began doing more than walking, but it was mostly just eliptical workouts or biking. Don't think I touched weights for about six months. I did run a 5k at six months and completed a 30-mile backpack trip above and around 10K feet at eight months. Try not to get discouraged, but that is easier said than done. There will be days that you feel great, and others where you will feel like you can't do anything. That's just how it goes.

I am another one of those that wasn't offered and didn't request cardiac rehab, and I'm not sure whether or not I would do it if for some reason I needed another surgery. There are a couple of reasons for it. The first is for those who are not used to exercising and need some help going forward with a healty lifestyle (which I didn't need). Another reason is to monitor you at higher heart rates at which could experience arrythmias that you typically do not have at a resting HR. Not sure it's for everyone, but I could make one good case for it. I personally was very concerned that I could do something to damage my newly repaired valve for the first few months, and therefore tried to be extremely conservative about pushing myself. I have since found out that those were stupid concerns, and that there really isn't anything you can do to damage your repair, or tear loose an artificial for that matter. I know that the supervision of cardiac rehab would have made me much more confident and probably reduced my recovery time.

Feel free to send me a PM if you have any other questions. Best wishes going forward.

 

[Susan BAV]

Here's why...

Here's why...

My doctors didn't recommend cardiac rehab for me either but if and when there is a next time for me, I think I'm going to specifically request it. From posts here, members have learned a great deal from cardiac rehab.

I didn't have any physical difficulties in walking post-op, I quickly built up endurance, and my cardio gave me the impression that sick old people have to take cardiac rehab. So it didn't interest me and I didn't feel that I missed out on anything.

But, since then, I have read and keep reading lots of enthusiastic posts here from members of all ages, in regard to their workouts and about different stages of heart rates and such and I've never studied these things before or paid attention to them or monitored my HR, maximum heart rate and maximum sustained heart rate and resting heart rate on each different machine; and that's why I think it's something that could be beneficial if there are other ignoramuses out there like me .

But this is from someone whom the doctors never allowed to take physical education classes in school, but I really wanted to. So the whole idea of working out in a gym is just foreign to me. My personal workouts include vigorously vacuuming the house and dutifully dusting the house and patiently painting the house and happily herding my pets and shopping and carrying in groceries and things like that--no heart rate measures with those activities...

 

[SumoRunner]

We're getting a consensus here. Your doc was right to say walk. He/she just didn't take the time to elaborate but was giving the correct advice. That's it, until week 6 walk every day.

After week 6 you can probably try a bit of running. In the middle of your daily walk just try a bit of a jog for 30 seconds or so and see how it feels. Wait 2-4 minutes to let your heart rate settle back down and try it again. That's it, just a couple short, slow jogs at first. Then the next day you might try just a bit more and a bit more the day after that. By week 12 you'll be running your whole route and at 6 months you should be back in pretty decent shape.

 

[Cooker]

I was 49 when I had AVR... I was told to walk, walk, walk... The only limit was on lifting... I don?t remember what that limit was... At my final visit with the surgeon I was told to do what I felt like doing... Let your body be the guide. .. I think I played my first round of golf at seven weeks.

 

[Superbob]

Walking is great, of course. But I would recommend pushing your doctor a little to see if he/she would give you a prescription for cardiac rehab, and then see if your insurance would pay for it.

My cardio was enthusiastic about it and my insurance paid (amazingly enough) for 36 sessions of it. Could I have rehabbed without it? Certainly. But I actually enjoyed it -- was a lot of camaraderie with other participants and the nurses. Laughed a lot -- so it not only helped physically with getting back into exercise, but mentally -- as a counter to the depression that sometimes settles in. I guess not every place is as jovial necessarily but I'm just passing along my experience.

I would recommend at least exploring this option.

 

[Rich]

Brian,
I did nothing but walk at least a mile twice a day, every day.
In no time my cardiologist said there was no reason for cardiac rehab.
I was 58 at the time of my surgery and I had it in the summer so I was able to walk outside. I'm here in Shelby Township so I know you won't be doing much outside walking for a while, especially this Sunday.
Out of curiosity where did you have your surgery?
Rich

 

[Philip B]

Exercise

Exercise

I agree with the advice others have given in their replies to your posting...

I was probably an exception to the usual six week waiting period before enrolling in a cardiac rehab program. My cardio doc and surgeon both recommended doing lots of walking, and didn't really recommend enrollment in a cardiac rehab program. They changed their minds after hearing about how much I was walking within the first week post-op. I was enrolled in a cardiac rehab program at two weeks post-op. The program was lots of fun and it felt really good to know that I was being monitored and kept within the limits I was supposed to follow. It was also enjoyable because the folks running my program visited with me constantly about progress I was making.

I'm a real proponent of fitness program based upon engagement in activities one enjoys. I walk, play golf, bicycle (mtn & road), ski, and sail. From my perspective, find physical activities you enjoy and have fun. I use a heart rate monitor when I bicycle and use heart zone monitoring when I do my cycling stuff.

Do heed the advice about listening to your body and avoiding overdoing the exercise stuff. Your body will tell you if your activity level is too much. If you push too hard, your body will get your attention pretty quick.

-Philip