Question about Recovery for Atheltic Types

[ithicks]

I am curious about how others' recovery went in regards to athletic activities. I will be 3 month post-op this weekend. Specifically I have noticed the following:

1) Muscle endurance is good.
2) HR is good considering the surgery.
3) Oxygen exchange is AWFUL!

While cycling, jogging, swimming (triathlete) I feel good in regards to my body. My overall endurance is low, but to be expected. What I am struggling with is the feeling of being out of breath a lot, specifically swimming and jogging. Have others felt this? When did they notice improvements?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[WayneGM]

I'm not the "athletic type" but for about a year post-op I would run really short of breadth after doing any heavy duty physical activity, such as, for example, moving furniture up two flights of stairs. I'd have to sit for 5 minutes or so breathing deep to catch my breadth. My heart would really be pounding, too.

I'm a year and a half post-op now and I don't experience this any more.

 

[Cooker]

I am no triathlete ( I'm more like a halfalete ) but it will get better. It takes some a year to fully recover. Give it time.

I am 18 months post op and feel great. Although I must confess there are one or two that still leave me breathless

 

[ithicks]

Maybe that's my problem. Around too many good looking people.

I am no triathlete ( I'm more like a halfalete ) but it will get better. It takes some a year to fully recover. Give it time.

I am 18 months post op and feel great. Although I must confess there are one or two that still leave me breathless

 

[kodi]

I am curious about how others' recovery went in regards to athletic activities. I will be 3 month post-op this weekend. Specifically I have noticed the following:

1) Muscle endurance is good.
2) HR is good considering the surgery.
3) Oxygen exchange is AWFUL!

While cycling, jogging, swimming (triathlete) I feel good in regards to my body. My overall endurance is low, but to be expected. What I am struggling with is the feeling of being out of breath a lot, specifically swimming and jogging. Have others felt this? When did they notice improvements?

Thanks,
Justin

I think what you are experiencing is quite normal. I'm now almost 11 months post-surgery and the first few months were really terrible. Running was the hardest and still is. My biking (don't do much right now) and swimming were a lot easier and coming along fine. It took me a long time to build back up a good running base. I used to easily run 35 -40 miles a week and finally am just getting were I can do it again...some weeks. I wouldn't say I had a shortness of breath but I just tired a lot easier and still do. I think I started coming around a lot better after six months but there are still days when I feel like I'm starting over. The thing to remember is to be patient and rest which is typically really hard for most of us athletes. I still struggle with that too. Set some achieveable goals and work toward them.
Good luck.

 

[dtread]

Quick Recovery, good Oxygen Uptake

Quick Recovery, good Oxygen Uptake

At 11 weeks post-op I estimate that I'm about 95% recovered. I started back in the gym 3 weeks post-op (at real easy intensity level, almost more of a psychological workout than a physical workout). This was after about 2 months of couch potato regimen that cardiologist put me on prior to surgery and then the surgery and approximately 3 week post-op total weakness period, for a total of about 3 months of being inactive. Prior to surgery (and what I'm back up to now) is about half an hour on the weight machines twice a week for vigorous weight training, cardio machines (ellipitical) twice a week for an hour each time at vigorous level, and vigorous bicycle ride of approximately 18 miles at least once a week (approximately an hour). Oxygen uptake is great, the valve is functioning flawlessly, and the best part is that I no longer have the chest pain that I had for the 15 years prior to the surgery. I'm looking forward to improved performance now that I have a valve that does not impede my workouts.

 

[MarkU]

I was back at the gym doing aerobic stuff (stationary bike & treadmill) and circuit training with light weights three months post-op.

It took me about nine to twelve months to really feel "normal" again. No specific complaints, just general fatigue, lack of endurance, sore chest, etc.

Did my first triathlon three years after my AVR. Haven't looked back since.

I'm coming up on seven years since my surgery. I'm getting to the point where I don't even think about it much some days. Guess that's a good thing.

Mark

 

[SumoRunner]

I'm repeating myself here. I posted a similar reply to another thread last week, but anyway...

After my surgery, I had one lung partially collapsed. My doctor said it was because of the way they packed ice chips in the chest cavity to slow the metabolism of the surrounding organs. Lungs are especially delicate and can be damaged by the pressure. They will come back but it takes months.

During a physical a year before my OHS I had a lung capacity test and knew that it was supposed to be about 5 liters. Post surgery it was under 4, so I was off by about 25%. That's a big number when you try to run on it, but not noticeable when sedentary. So just continue running at a reduced pace and within 6 mos you will get it all back.

 

[ithicks]

Thanks all for the information and sharing your stories. I guess we all have our own recovery paths to walk and while they are similar in a lot of ways they are unique to each of us.

I will be patient. I guess I can't complain. I started working out soon after surgery and feel pretty good overall. Just because I was doing triathlons before surgery, I can't expect to be where I was in 3 months. DUH!

 

[67walkon]

Justin, this was a great post!

I'm 6 weeks out and have some of the same concerns. The surgeon told me I could start doing more at 6 weeks, although nothing serious until 8 weeks.

I wasn't running much, except on a basketball court, pre-surgery, but I was biking 400 to 500 miles a month. This week, I started trying to jog a little when I walk. Really, it is more of a shuffle, but it's a start. It does seem harder to exchange that oxygen that I anticipated, although with the toporol, my heart rate just won't go up. My concern is that my HR won't go up enough to transport oxygen to my muscles.

Riding a stationary bike isn't too bad. I can spin at high cadence and low resistance without any problems. Until I get on the real bike, however, I won't know about that one

Some people think it is just stupid to even think about jogging or riding a bike at this point in my recovery, but it's what people like us do! It's hard for me to think about not pushing it a little!

Slowly, ever so slowly, we get better!

John

 

[kodi]

Riding a stationary bike isn't too bad. I can spin at high cadence and low resistance without any problems. Until I get on the real bike, however, I won't know about that one

Some people think it is just stupid to even think about jogging or riding a bike at this point in my recovery, but it's what people like us do! It's hard for me to think about not pushing it a little!

Slowly, ever so slowly, we get better!

John

Well put and very, very true!

 

[Philip B]

Out of Breath

Out of Breath

As has been stated in many of the previous posts, be patient and keep working at it; you will get it back.

I'm approaching six months post-op and still deal with some fatigue issues after some of my exercise routines. The breath thing doesn't concern me much as we don't have much air up here anyway.

-Philip

 

[jds]

Might be drugs

Might be drugs

Hello -

Like you, I started my rehab at a furious pace and made great progress. Back on a bike in a little over a month and lifting weights after about six weeks. But running was not coming along. I am now three months out and still not really running. My internist just told me my BP is good enough I can drop my beta blocker (rolol 25mg 1x) and I am hoping I can get my pulse rate up and run better. My impression is that I cannot get my pulse to go and stay over about 110 - not enough blood flow for real endurance.

Or maybe I just have to be patient.

Good luck -

John

 

[heavyshot]

I'm two years out and still don't have it all back. I was a 300 lb. bench presser and now strugle with 200. I will probably never get it all back. Even though the valve is working flawlessly it's still not as efficient as a human valve. I really cannot speak for endurance because I never did any real endurance training. I know what I can do now but I really don't have anything to compare it to.

 

[PeggyM]

I'm two years out and still don't have it all back. I was a 300 lb. bench presser and now strugle with 200. I will probably never get it all back. Even though the valve is working flawlessly it's still not as efficient as a human valve. I really cannot speak for endurance because I never did any real endurance training. I know what I can do now but I really don't have anything to compare it to.

Heavyshot, I continued competing in powerlifting (bench only) and bodybuilding after my surgeries and did pretty well. The thing I have always noticed though is the chest isn't as flexible as before. I can't go down far enough past the chest with my arms without feeling the wires pulling or the skin rubbing against them. Ironically, I'm much stronger (or was until I got sick this time) doing DB presses than with the bar. There's just more give.

It's hard not to think about the numbers that you use to do. But just think about the fact that you can still do it. At least that's what I tell myself.