Good to see i am finally not alone!

[Limp_Anzac_Bizkit]

Hi guys.

I'm Todd a 25 yr old from Brisbane in Australia, just found this site by accident and glad i did.

I have had 2 AVR's in the past 12mnths and am 4 mnths post op from my last one (which was a success this time thankfully) and just wanted to know how about you guys went about getting back up to fitness and how long it took, any limits you imposed or were imposed on you etc.

At the moment i have been basically just doing CV work at the gym for 3 weeks or so, wearing a HRM and trying to maintain a HR of between 140-160 BPM for about 45-60 mins a day 3-4 times a week, just to try to lower my body fat% a bit before i went back to the cardiologist and asked him about weights etc. I have been cleared to play contact sports like rugby again, but no limits as to weight limits exercises etc.

I obviously don't want to over do anything, but i am keen to get fit and be truly fit for the first time in my life. Most of the people i have to talk to about are 30yrs+ my senior, or have had bypasses, or doctors etc, no one round about my age at all which can be a bit frustrating and feel isolated at times.

Thanks alot all and have a great easter.

Todd

 

[bvdr]

Welcome, Todd!

We are glad you found this site too. I read your profile and I would love to find out more about the failure of your first AVR. I'll let others share their secrets about getting back into shape. I've not yet been successful in that department. We have several other Aussies on this site but you probably already discovered that.

 

[geebee]

Todd,

Welcome to our family. Glad to hear you are well on the way to fully mended.

I had my first OHS when I was 28. I started out walking, then aerobics after 3 months, then racquetball after 6 months. From there, the surgeon only told me to listen to my body and not do anything that would make me stop and say "oops, should I be doing this". Usually that happens when you do something that gives you a twinge or a ***.

He told me, if an activity would not have caused me pain before surgery and it starts to cause pain after, then that is an activity to be postponed.

After about a year, there was nothing I could not do that I did before. Then I had another OHS and started all over again. Guess you're in the same spot.

Listen to your body - it is the best indicator.

 

[hensylee]

Hey, Todd - welcome to VR. The others will be along to welcome you, too, and answer your questions. They're all busy tonight talking about our current U.S. tragedy of Terry Schiavo but they will get to you, too.

We have some other folks from Down Under as you will soon see. Always good to know you have fellow countrymen/women who have gone through the same things.

Glad to have you amongst us.

 

[Arpy]

Common Bond

Common Bond

..i am keen to get fit and be truly fit for the first time in my life.

G'Day Todd

We share a common bond in that my AVR was also done in Nov 2004 -although your one operation up on me. I'm a little bit closer to your age than most OHS patients although you still have the wood on me by 13 odd years ie: Im 38. My recovery was typical in that I walked and walked and walked until such time as the surgeon gave me the OK to cycle. Since then you cant stop me and Ive done just shy of 2000 clicks (yeah yeah - sick pun intended) on my bike since the start of January. Working on the premise that the cardios post op review said the heart looked good, had already shrunk in size and was beating easier than before and that he didnt need to see me for another year Ive tended to listen to my body to see if I was doing anything outside the bounds of what is reasonable. ie: if it felt wrong stop or slow down.

Im regularly cycling at a BPM of 160 - 165 with peaks closer to the theoretical max (ie: 220 - age formula) with no adverse effects - or none that Im aware of.

Given that walking the kids to school 1km up the road used to flag me out this is a major turnaround. Ive now done more exercise in the last 4 months than in the previous ten years put together. Fitness (at least for cycling and general cardiovascular capability) is the best its been since I was about 25 and I have lost about 6kg since the operation. Even had to put another hole in the belt today to tighten things up a bit cause me strides are getting a bit loose!!!

I dont know as if Id be wanting to jump into full contact rugby at this stage of the game. Especially with the reop complicating things a a tad. Im a keen waterskier but have decided to sideline that until next summer just to give the sternum a little more time to heal properly. After all pulling your sternum apart in the middle of the river when you float like a rock tends to get a little problematic....

Im more than happy concentrating on the cardiovascular side of things for a while in terms of fitness and will progress towards doing an Olympic distance triathlon at some stage in the not too distant future. I have restarted my kayaking again now that I have the capability to get the thing off the top of my 4WD. Its nice to be able to go for a paddle early in the morning.

There are several threads in this active lifestyles forum in relation to weights and associated guidelines for your return to them. You'll also find, if you haven't already, a whole swag of motivating stories / people in here who have done some amazing things post op - runners, triathletes (Bill Cobbit for example is training for an Ironman Triathlon), rowers (Raverjaw et al) to name but a few.

More importantly there are a whole swag of really nice people in here who offer well informed opinions on things related to OHS - and you know you are talking to like minded individuals who have all "been there done that".

Interesting that you are on aspirin only and not warfarin. Whats the go there?

Good Luck with your recovery and fitness training (just watch out for those 6'6" monsters that play rugby over there)

Regards

Russell

 

[Abbanabba]

Hi Todd - my first surgery was too many years ago for me to remember how I felt afterward, and my next surgery (pulmonary valve) is still around the corner, although hopefully (yes, that's right - hopefully) not too far away!!

Anyhoo..... as another fellow Aussie, I just wanted to say HI and welcome. I've come across a couple of younger heart patients in Brisbane through the forums - you probably all go to the same specialists, but may not have met

Great to see you are looking at getting back into your fitness and I wish you all the best with it.


Cheers
Anna : )

 

[Limp_Anzac_Bizkit]

Thanks alot everytone for the warm welcome ....

and it is truly a relief to finally talk to some people that fully understand and appreciate whats its like to go through something like OHS and recovery, esp at a young age.

And thanks for all the advice, i accept that the body is the best indicator so will take that advice on board and see what the quacks have to say next time i go feed them, and what it tells me when i up the pace and resistance a bit next week.

And to answer a question as to why i am only on aspirin and not warfarin, the answer is two fold ...

First one is i want to become a copper and resume football, and i managed to suss out that they have no problems with medical conditions that have been corrected by operations with approriate clearances etc, but they do have a problem with long term meds, anticoagulants being a big no no, so that ruled out a mechanical valves, and to be avoided if possible in case they pulled my medical history and wanted to get picky.

Second one was after my first operation, i had a major complication and was OD'd with heparin in CCU and needed 13 transfusions, my coag profile was shot to bits and the surgeon didn't want me to run the risk of having a second major bleed ... so aspirin was the only thing on the menu as a main, with a small shot of heparin twice a day in the abdomin as the sides. And in true aussie style if it aint broke don't fix it, i still wasn't put on even short term warfarin therapy with the perimount valve they put in this time round, even though this last procedure was relatively enjoyable.

Ok guys thanks alot again and am looking forward to participating in this forum / usergroup.

Todd

 

[nailnhed]

All the young dudes

All the young dudes

Hi all...I'm new here. Had my St. Judes installed in '94. I was 34 at the time. I learned of my Stenosis 10/22/82. I was on the College Cross Country team..and had been running competitively since '73. Enough history.

I've been dying(bad analogy) I've been really wanting to get back to running, but have been advised against too intense running after my surgery. Some of you cats seem like there are no limits to your current post-op activities....damn! lol

Have the installed Valves gotten better? Has the monitoring equipment gotten better at detecting that exercise induced Blood Pressure drop that is so dangerous to us AS patients? Do I just need a less conservative Cardiologist?

I'm 45 now and have been away from athletics for nearly half my life. Many woderful parts of myself were somehow only present in the me that was an Athlete. Any suggestions to alleviate my angst? Or should I just stop whining? lol

Be well all,

mike

 

[geebee]

Mike,

Just wanted to welcome you. I had my St. Jude's installed in 1994 also (mitral, tho) and have been doing very well since then.

There are a number of members who exercise quite a bit and I am sure you will hear from them. I execised a lot until I developed afib and my energy level has dropped a bit.

I do not understand a doctor telling you not to run. However, things might be different for aortic patients so I won't hang him quite yet. I would think you could do anything unless your body said "halt".

I hope you get some answers that will cause you to feel running is OK.

 

[BillCobit]

Do I just need a less conservative Cardiologist?

mike

Maybe - perhaps you should get a re-appraisal. It sounds like you have not gotten a suitable explanation for avoiding exercise. Doc can always give you a stress echo to see if anything weird goes on during exercise. Better to be on the couch than dead, but it would be a shame to be sidelined because of unwarranted concern.

 

[bvdr]

Mike, first of all welcome. What took you so long to find us?

I have a St.Jude's mitral installed at Duke in August '03. The valve is the same model that has been used for many years. I don't know if there is something about your heart condition that makes running contradicted for you but there are many on this board who run with the blessings of their cardiologists. If weren't told not to, do you feel like you could again?

 

[nailnhed]

what did take me so long?

what did take me so long?

Hi all and thanks for your welcomes and reply's!

I'm not sure what took me so long to find you all! I never really thought there'd be a group like this I guess.... fortunately I'm no Sociologist.

Perhaps I mis-understand my Docs. Perhaps they mis-understand me. When I ran before as I said it was competitively and all the training was at least moderately intense(training runs were at 6:00 mile pace at their slowest.)

So, maybe the docs are saying run but don't run intensely....which for some reason has been nearly impossible for me. I get out and start moving...and want to get into some predetermined rythym that is in my head. Then all the fear of collapsing begins then I slow down...then I get frustrated at how slow I feel I'm going...then I go inside and play video games....lol

It's not a good cycle.

I've never heard of an exercise echo...but that would seem to be able to illuminate any question of what goes on inside the Left Ventricle stressed. I'll ask the doc about that.

Thanks!!

mike