I want to run/cycle

[jordan]

Its like an itch that I can't scratch. I'm 15 days post-op and I really wish I could run or bike. I've walked a mile a couple times with my wife, but that isn't the same as getting in a 5 mile run or a 30 mile bike.

I have a check-up appointment with my surgeon on 1/19 and I need to schedule an appointment with my cardiologist. My first question for each of them is when can I run or cycle again. My wife said that once I'm cleared to ride again, I can buy a new road bike. So, as I'm resting this past week, I've been shopping online for a new bike. That has been adding to my desire to get outside and do something.

I know that just over two weeks ago i was laying on a table with my chest spread open, but I've gotten so bored at home doing nothing active. When did others get back to running or cycling after surgery?

 

[chaconne]

You may be a bit early for cycling. I'm 8+ weeks post op and still haven't gotten on the bike. I think at 3 months post-op I will try it. You don't want to put your sternum in jeopardy and at 2 weeks, you still have a lot of healing to do. Regarding running, it might be best to wait a few weeks. But I believe, even at 2 weeks, you can walk a lot. I was up to 3 miles a day at that point.

 

[yotphix]

Hi Jordan,
I'm a fellow Carbomedics recipient, who was also anxious to get busy right after my operation. One bit of advice I'd like to give you, is to take it a little easy. When I went for my first cardiac rehab appointment 6 weeks post op, they saw me coming from a mile away, and warned me that if I went too hard, I'd only set myself back. In particular, they warned that my Left Ventricle would stand a good chance of remodeling fully if I was careful, but less so if I overdid it. I did overdo it at times, of course, and boy did I regret it each time. (You'll probably do the same, but at least you'll know what to expect!)
For the time being, if your docs are anything like mine, they'll want you to keep your heart rate and BP from getting too high while you are in the early days, and slowly ramp up intensity and duration of work outs. If there is a cardiac rehab program available to you I'd very much recommend using it. I owe my perfect recovery to my rehab people.
I just realized that I didn't exactly answer your question, which was how long before cycling and running did I wait. I did begin cycling around town, and made it my principle transport (parking downtown Toronto is awful) at about 6 weeks post op. One of the ways that I overdid things, as I mentioned above, was that I have a hard time not treating a trip across town as a race.

 

[epstns]

Hi, Jordan,

I'm nowhere near as serious as you in my training (I'm probably a bit older, at 64), but one thing I can say is that I was not at all interested in cycling for several months. Not that I didn't think I had the endurance - quite the opposite. i didn't feel that my sternum was healed fully enough to take the weight and pounding a bicycle might bring. So, I just walked, jogged, rode a stationary bike and gradually got back to it all. Now, this coming summer, I plan to get back on the bike.

Of course, YMMV - we all heal differently.

 

[dwhist]

My doc told me no biking for 3 months from surgery. I did ride 6 miles when it was a warm day (in the 30's) in late December. I agree do not over do it and do try to get into the cardio rehab. I just started it and see that I may have been overdoing it and need to settle down and let the body heal.

 

[jordan]

I figured it is still way too early. My wife is doing a good job of holding me back and keeps reminding me not to over do it. I had decided before I posted that my sternum hasn't had enough time to heal for me to support myself on my arms on a real bike. So, my wife brought the stationary bike up from the basement. It's much more vertical and I don't need to lean on my arms. Also, my heart rate monitor collects continuous data, so my wife can check that I don't over do it.

I do want to get exercising again, but I'm definitely taking it easy and am not rushing into training.

 

[Bean Counter]

I was able to resume running 6 weeks post op. Keep in mind that it was very easy and the distance was very short. I went to the indoor track, armed with my HR monitor, and did 2X 1/2 mile segments. I let my HR dictate the pace and it was very sensitive; each segment did include a little bit of walking to get my HR down to where it should be. Over time I just listened to my body and increased the distance when I felt my body could handle it. Within 6 months I was up to 50 mile weeks. After that I started picking up intensity and adding tempo runs back to my routine. Good luck!

 

[tprice54]

I was running at 6 weeks...marathon at 9 months..keep walking, get up to an hour at least.

 

[scott.eitman]

... My wife said that once I'm cleared to ride again, I can buy a new road bike. So, as I'm resting this past week, I've been shopping online for a new bike. ...

What a little surgery and your wife caves in for a new bike? Nice work! What kind of bilke are your shopping for? Where in Indiana do you live? I born in Ft. Wayne, grew up in Evansville and graduated from IU.

 

[jordan]

What a little surgery and your wife caves in for a new bike? Nice work! What kind of bilke are your shopping for? Where in Indiana do you live? I born in Ft. Wayne, grew up in Evansville and graduated from IU.

Ha. It wasn't because of the surgery, but it probably didn't hurt! I'm leaning towards a Felt, but not sure which model. Just depends on what's in stock or what deal I can get at my LBS.

I grew up in southern Indiana (lived near Evansville in Rockport across from Owensboro, KY, for a couple of years), went to Ball State, lived in Michigan, Tennessee, and Michigan again. Now I'm in Fort Wayne.

 

[Lionheart]

Jordan,
I think that one reason they don't want OHS patients biking is to prevent them from damaging their sternum before it heals completely.
I probably waited several months (4 or 5?) before I got back on my bike.
You could always bike on a true stationary bike inside but that's boring.
Best,
John

 

[epstns]

Lionheart - Although the indoor stationary bike can be boring, that is just what my cardio rehab consultants started with. My usual routine there was 20 minutes on the stationary bike (a Schwinn Airdyne), then 20 minutes on a treadmill (walking at a pace of about 4.2 mph at a 10% incline), then some light exercises with free weights. Since I was already accustomed to jogging on a treadmill, this was no more boring than I was used to. In fact, with the group of friends I made at rehab, it was fun.

I've now been out of rehab for about 4 months and continue the same routine. I wish I could get back to running, but my knees just complain too much.

I would vote for the stationary bike as a starting point. You can listen to tne news or music while you bike, and it will re-develop both your strength and stamina.

 

[scott.eitman]

Ha. It wasn't because of the surgery, but it probably didn't hurt! I'm leaning towards a Felt, but not sure which model. Just depends on what's in stock or what deal I can get at my LBS.

I grew up in southern Indiana (lived near Evansville in Rockport across from Owensboro, KY, for a couple of years), went to Ball State, lived in Michigan, Tennessee, and Michigan again. Now I'm in Fort Wayne.

I went on my 1st ride at about 7 weeks. Not on my road bike and only 13 miles as a benefit for a fallen rider. I did everything I could to only use my legs and not my arms or chest. I used to ride to Rockport a couple times a year while in HS. I ride a Serrota which my wife allowed after a head on with a car.

 

[Mentu]

I would say that if you have walked a mile a couple of times, then you need to walk a mile more often. My surgeon also warned against getting on my bike since a spill could really set one back if the sternum pulled apart and which could even require another surgery. He asked me not to ride until 16 weeks. Walking on the other hand - all I felt comfortable doing. This early period of your recovery is a time of exploration but it is best approached with awareness. Pay attention to how your body feels. If you can walk a couple miles a couple times a day for awhile, then try longer walks. After that you might try walking interspersed with short jogs. Again, it is important to observe how one's body responds. If your chest hurts after exercise, it is not a good thing for the first two to three months. This is just a matter of a few weeks. If you carefully manage your recovery, you will have no serious setbacks and by the end of eight weeks or so be feeling very good. Recovery is under your control and it is best done thoughtfully and only once.

Larry

 

[JeffM]

Jordan,

I'm a former runner and an avid cyclist now. After my AVR, I started on the elliptical machine. For me, it was a great way to safely engage some of the same muscles used in cycling (as it is in running with much less impact) while still working out aerobically and in a very controlled fashion, assuming you use a heart heart monitor. I was doing this and walking for several weeks starting at about week three and I got back on the bike on a trainer in the basement at week 8 (very carefully). By 10 weeks, I was riding outside , but it was winter so the rides were short and easy (zone 2) just to get my aerobic base and my feel for the bike back. That time flew by. I was being pretty careful, but that was probably a fairly ambitious schedule by many people's standards. All I can say is, be careful, and be patient my friend and respect your body, because if you push it too much you could mess yourself up seriously, potentially for life. And for what, because you couldn't wait a few weeks? The sternum takes 6 weeks to heal 80% and another 6 weeks to heal the remaining 20%. Your heart takes about what, 120 days to heal from the surgery and a couple years to remodel at the cellular level. You've just extended your life by a lot of years; use them wisely

 

[SumoRunner]

Want to be able to crow about running on your 20th valversary? Wait the requisite 6 weeks, then take another 6 to ramp up slowly. I've spent more time off due to foot injuries than OHS. Over the long haul, this wait time will seem quite small.

 

[jordan]

I'm definitely taking it slow and easy. Walking and riding the stationary bike. I will say that my surgeon, cardiologist, and nurses seem to have had little or no experience with someone my age or activity level. No one really gave me much direction on when I can do anything active. When one of the cardiac rehab folks gave me the info documents, she implied (I inferred) that I had more knowledge about exercise than most of the people she deals with. She suggested I start in the mid-level of the exercise program they describe in the book and to progress as I felt like I could.

Little things remind me that I'm no where near ready to be on a bike, though. I leaned on my arm and reached across my body and had clear pain that told me that my sternum isn't healed. I went to the bike shop yesterday and looked. When the salesman tried to get me out on a test ride, I told him I had surgery 2.5 weeks ago and my doctor and wife haven't cleared me to ride yet. He laughed, but understood.

I just need to be patient.

 

[sarahsunshine]

I'm not a cyclist, runner, and I haven't had heart surgery. I have, however, trained avidly for Hockey for many years and recovered from some various injuries, and my step son is in the process of healing from his OHS. He's in the opposite boat from you, however, never having elevated his heart rate in his life deliberately! So I'm trying to slowly increase his stamina and researing the same thing as you... how much how soon?

So here are the few suggestions that I have been told, and take from my own experiences.
1) Listen to your body and don't push it (like everyone else says). Even though you are used to pushing yourself, and even more so since you were training prior to surgery with a heart that needed surgery, you need to use that heart rate monitor and keep your heart rate low. Your heart needs to heal.
2) Listen to your body. Yes, it's telling you "I need to move" (If you are like me you can't sleep well if you haven't had exercise and are all jumpy). So go for walks, do some stairs, go for more walks, and use the exercise bike - within reason. The exercise bike, as you probably know, is usually the first rehab tool that people are put on for cardio workouts because it is so low impact. Just don't put weight on the handlebars and make sure your back is straight. You can't afford to put stress on your sternum because that will put back the time you can get on a real bike (as others have said), but the deep breathing is great for getting blood circulating.
3) Listen to your body. It's the only one you have. You will get back on a bike, and you have all the time in the world to get that perfect bike (my cousin owns a bunch of bike stores in California but you aren't there). Research, plan your first big ride. Plan your first small ride. Day dream. Take lots of naps to recover from your over-zealous walking, eat properly, and rest some more. If you are like me, you will push it too far at least a couple times. However, the better you take care of yourself without overdoing it too much, the better chance you will have of a full recovery. (I say this because I don't know a single person who's sprained their knee playing hockey as badly as I did, and who has had a complete recovery without surgery.)

So, not to be repetative... Listen to your body!

Everyone recovers at a different rate. Push yourself a little, see how it goes, and judge from that where you should be.

I would call the sports rehab places around and see if you can find anyone who has dealt with an athlete recovering from heart surgery. In my experience, sports rehab places take rehab a lot more seriously than physio for the general population. Under my insurance, they are both covered under "physio" but the sports rehab actually gives you your money's worth!

And post a pic of your bike when you get it!

 

[spartangator]

Yeah, that lack of experience they have with younger, active people can be a challenge. There's lots of very useful advice there, though, about waiting a few months for sternum healing and for the heart tissue to settle in, too.

Training will be odd for a while so be patient with yourself. You'll get where you want to go, but now's not the time to push into a setback. As Jack points out, the bike will be a lot more enjoyable if you can get decades of riding out of a small investment here. And we're looking forward to photos of the new Felt!

 

[jordan]

I started running at cardiac rehab. Ran on the treadmill for 15 minutes last Friday and 20 minutes this past Monday. I had been riding stationary bike there, but now I have approval to ride a regular bike on a trainer. I haven't got that setup at home yet. My cardiologist said as long as I keep my heart rate below 70% (~130 bpm) of my calculated max, I should be fine.

I'm also back to work this week. So, I'm pretty jazzed about how my recovery is going.