How useful are rehabilitation programs?

[Yokena]

Sternum Separation

Sternum Separation

Gosh, thanks folks, for all the responses to my post. I didn't mean to scare anybody about the possibility of someone else doing what I did. I was told I am what is called an "over-compliant patient", meaning that I do too much of a good thing when given instructions. Could also indicate a lack of common sense, I suppose !

What the exercise physiologist explained to me about how I did this is that the sternum is a spongy bone and doesn't heal "hard" like, say, a broken arm would. It is kind of like velcro, I guess. That's why it's wired, but they can't wire it so tightly that every little thread of it is touching or you'd have no flexibility in your chest, and we need that. Anyway, I did too much in the wrong way and pulled apart a small area - about a centimeter. My cardiologist has warned me, "You must do nothing to compromise your chest" . I think that's a great line and I'm really "taking it to heart" now!

Thanks for the big welcome. I think I'm going to enjoy this site.

Joyce in MS
Ebstein's anomaly, bicuspid aortic valve, right bundle branch block

 

[Nancy]

Hi Joyce-

**quote::: "What the exercise physiologist explained to me about how I did this is that the sternum is a spongy bone and doesn't heal "hard" like, say, a broken arm would. It is kind of like velcro, I guess. That's why it's wired, but they can't wire it so tightly that every little thread of it is touching or you'd have no flexibility in your chest, and we need that."

I'm glad you just posted the part about healing in the sternum. It's very important and answers a lot of questions that come up here all the time.

 

[ccrawford]

Thanks Bonnie

Thanks Bonnie

Yup, Joyce did say 18 months. Now Terry's post seems real important. I wonder what kind of excercises we're supposed to be doing and not doing. I know I read somewhere that bones get stronger the more they are stressed, but I have no idea how to measure "too much" I'll run that by my cardio tomorrow, but I doubt if I'll get a definitive answer. Nice to know the nature of the sternum's makeup. I'm guessing the ends, especially the bottom end may be the last part to heal. Seems like my ends get sore everytime I do something my wife preaches about not doing. I did a little work on the wood lathe yesterday, and sure enough I'm sore today. As usual, she was right. Chris

 

[Yokena]

Answering Terry's Question, etc.

Answering Terry's Question, etc.

All,

I forgot to answer Terry's question about which exercise caused me to "compromise my chest". I think it was a weight machine that is called the butterfly. You sit with your arms out to the side, elbows bent up, and push the weights in toward the center of your chest. It causes you to put stress right down the center of your chest. I also had pain doing hand weight exercises where I would kneel on a bench, drop my arm with the weight down and pull it back up toward my body.

I agree that the top and bottom of the sternum heals last, but can't imagine why. I just know those two locations stayed sore for the longest time. The separation was in the top 1/3, but not at the top of the sternum.

Joyce

 

[ccrawford]

Question

Question

Hi again Joyce - I can see how the two excercises you describe could put a lot of pressure on the sternum. Another would be cranking the handle of a trailer jack. Do you remember how much weight you were lifting and whether you worked up to this over several weeks ? I would think some of this would be a good excercise, but only if done moderately and phased in. Chris

 

[Granbonny]

Chris

Chris

If you want to strenghten your shoulders..take up KNITTING.. I'm sure your wife doe not want to have to listen to your whining..oh, my shoulders hurt. You are only 6? weeks out from surgery. It takes a longggggggggg time to heal that sternum. Hope you are not thinking about holding a shotgun and shooting quail anytime soon. Mother Hen

 

[ccrawford]

Bonnie the Psychic

Bonnie the Psychic

Bonnie - How did you know what I was thinking about? My Brittany can't wait until fall and quail season and I've got the sweetest little 20 guage that will hardly vibrate a tender sternum. I hope I get a chance to meet you sometime cause you already know me like the back of your hand. Your Indiana Buddy Chris

 

[Granbonny]

Chris

Chris

Remember..I am a native Central Alabama girl. Family still owns five hundred acres of prime hunting land. Brother runs the hunting lodge.....Deer hunting from Nov-Jan.. With guns..Bow hunting for a few weeks..after that.. Turkey and quail (cannot remember dates.) Up the road a few miles..fancy Lodge that all Atlanta ballplayers come to..Brother drove me a few months back to all the baited grounds for deer..Cover deer stands..ect..He and I have never agreed about that. Poor deer don't stand a chance when they come out early a.m. to feed...but he makes money. I can out shoot anyone on clay pigeons..( Call me Annie Oakley) Brother always say..have to keep them thinned out..Disease. ect.. Now, I live on a preserve in North Ga. Mountains where they walk down my sidewalk and eat my flowers. But do remember the kick in my shoulder when I was young and out squrrel hunting Ever eaten squirrel stew. Yummy Now, I feed them off my front porch..Bonnie

 

[Yokena]

Work-Outs and Hunting

Work-Outs and Hunting

You guys should get together with my husband on the hunting thing. He loves it, but never gets anything. Could have something to do with the book he takes to the deer stand with him. He goes to a nunting club nearer town than where we live. We love to joke that we live so far out in the country that we have to go to town to hunt !

On the work-outs, the exercise physiologist came up with a way for me to work all the different major muscle groups, but without pulling on my chest to do it. Where I would have lain on a narrow bench and lifted weights up, I lie on a mat on the floor to do that. That way, my shoulders are supported, not dropping behind my mid-line, if you can picture what I mean. She also has me slightly arch my back when I do the weights to keep pressure off my chest. It all seems to work at low weights - under 10 pounds. I worked my way up over many weeks from 1 pound. I can now do 8 for most exercises. I also do modified sit-ups using a support frame to keep from flexing my chest over-much, and some low back and leg exercises. I really feel so much better when I do even this light work-out.

Gotta run! Have a pick-nick to go to today! Have a good one, you guys!

Joyce in Mississippi

 

[Ross]

I want to go on picnic.

 

[Granbonny]

Hi Joyce

Hi Joyce

I'm the nosey one on Vr. but may I ask your age? Mainly for the new comers wanting to know what their exercise level can be after open-heart surgery? I am age 63 in 5 more days. Don't think I could get up off the floor after lifting weights. Taking heavy wet clothes out of washer is about IT for me..but do walk a lot during the day.Just don't like the pain in shoulders if I overdo myself. Plus, that is what hubby's are for.. I'm going with the site that says it takes 2 full years to recover. Also, post a picture of yourself. Ross loves pictures.... Bonnie

 

[Granbonny]

Picnic? Ross

Picnic? Ross

Get you a box of saltine crackers, a can of sardines and a Moon Pie and go sit on the front porch..oh, and a R.C. Cola.. Bonnie

 

[Yokena]

Pick-Nicks, Age, and Exercise

Pick-Nicks, Age, and Exercise

Hi Ross and Bonnie! Hope you guys had a chance to get on the porch with the RC Colas and the Moon Pies! I had a bodacious good time myself and even managed to have my grilled chicken breast instead of the sausage everyone else was eating. Played a little horseshoes and had a lovely walk with my hubby and Welch corgi.

Don't mind the age question at all, Bonnie. I'm a mere child of 48 ! And, yes, I think a basked of wet laundry definately counts as weight lifting. They weigh a lot more that those little dumbells I'm lifting! I do the weights just twice a week and 4 days a week I do aerobic exercise since that's what really helps the heart muscle get stronger. I walk on the treadmill or ride the stationery bike three days and do a beginners aerobics class one day. For that, tho, I just sort of lurk on the back row with my heart monitor on and do what I can while staying in my heart rate range. They're really quite kind to allow me in there at all because I'm such a spas I can't do any of the moves to the music at all. I just keep moving and keep that heart rate between 103 and 130!

Hope everyone enjoys their week-end!

Joyce

 

[Granbonny]

Thanks Joyce

Thanks Joyce

For a lot of our young women (age 48) may give them an idea..I live in North Ga. Mountains and just walking these hills get me. We have a slight upslope for about 60 ft..when I leave my flat sidewalk. Gets me everytime..Then I even out (heart rate) I'm strolling after that. Where do you live in Mississippi..Quit sending that rain to us Bonnie

 

[ccrawford]

A little more info

A little more info

I saw my surgeon Thursday and posed the question about how long it takes a sternum to completely heal. Bear in mind my surgeon isn't the talkative type. He basically said to observe the ten pound lifting restriction until 8 weeks post op, then you're as good as new. That didn't sound quite right, so I posed the same question to my cardio over supper. He indicated that an 18 month separation was highly unusual and could have been caused by a number of things. I sort of got the following answer-at the end of 8 weeks, you should start to excercise more, pushing the resistance levels. Any time you feel soreness the next day is an indication you pushed a little too hard. Hope that clarifies a little. Bonnie, I was unaware of your background with the outdoors and hunting sports. That explains it. Sounds like we have a lot in common. Chris

 

[ccrawford]

Update

Update

FYI - I had an appointment yesterday with the rehab people at the Bloomington (IN) hospital and they were very helpful. Given that I'm already doing a bunch, they suggested I join them at least for a few sessions in order to use their monitoring equipment and get more comfortable with the question of "how hard should I push it" They also have several educational sessions they put on from time to time such as one on nutrition, that could be pretty helpful. The individual I spoke with seemed very knowledgeable and fun to talk to. My insurance co will pay for 100% of this which is nice.While I was in Bloomington, I couldn't resist going to the local Barnes and Nobel bookstore where I found a book written by one of the docs at Mayo entitled "The Heart Book" Nicely done and very informative. Thanks to all of you who replyed to the basic question about the value of rehab programs. I'll give you another brief update after I have experienced a few sessions. I think it will be worth my time, at least for a few sessions. Chris

 

[Ross]

The individual I spoke with seemed very knowledgeable and fun to talk to.

Female? Got pics?

 

[ccrawford]

Not my type

Not my type

Naw - Tim was his name and although I enjoyed talking with him, it was because he was well informed. I do think my excercise instructor will be a female though. Chris

 

[Vicki448]

If your insurance co. will pay for the rehab classes, why not take them? My insurance, at first didn't pay, but then did. I found the classes very comforting. It was reassuring to know that I was hooked up with two nurses watches my vital signs and I was just treading away on the mill. I felt better - physically and mentally and met some neat people in the process. Go for it!

 

[ccrawford]

First visit to rehab

First visit to rehab

As promised, here's my reaction to the first rehab session. Given that I have done a lot of reading, I'm not sure the material they talk about will be that helpful, especially since they only get to one short topic each day. I did find it comforting to have the four lead EKG hookup and as a result pushed myself harder than I would have done at home. When I got into the 120-130 pulse rate I had a few extra beats which got them excited, but I felt no problems with this (no dizziness, etc.)This group does not use a target heart beat approach. Instead they ask you to rate each excercise in terms of difficulty. I didn't feel very pushed this first visit and will crank it up quite a bit next time-in fact I walked another mile after I got home. I'm guessing I'll attend for several weeks then add some more equipment down in the basement so as to avoid the drive to town. One of my nurses did have pretty eyes Paul, but I tried to keep my eyes on my pulse rate. HMMM Chris