slow recovery

[SheldonGrunwald]

Hello everyone,

I'm approaching the five month anniversary of my surgery and my recovery is a little slower than expected. I was signed up for the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon this weekend but had to defer my race entry to next year. I'm not sure what is normal for five months, but a 2 mile run is still difficult for me. I'm still on rythmol and metoprolol for afib, so that might be slowing me down a little. I guess not everyone can recover as fast as Pattillo and GymGuy. Despite the slow progress I'm still very happy about the outcome of my surgery and this forum has been very helpful

 

[scott.eitman]

Every recovery is different. I would bet the metoprolol has an effect. It does slow the heart down.

For myself, I have had to come to the realization that I will not be the same bicyclist that I used to be. I now focus on my HR while riding much more. I notice that when it goes up for long periods, I am much more tired.

Stay Well
Scott

 

[neil]

agree with scott, we all recover at different rates, 2 mile runs wow i still go in car lol, keep it up sheldon you will get there

 

[epstns]

Sheldon - You may not be there yet, but don't give up the dream. We all do recover at different rates, and the older we get, the longer it seems to take. I'm now about 15 months post-op, and am almost back to my performance levels from about 6 months pre-op. Nowhere near tri-athlon or Iron Man, but heck, I'm 64 now.

I just wanted to remind you that to keep your dream allows you to keep striving to achieve it. Next year. . .

 

[SumoRunner]

Shoot, at 5 mos. I was barely able to do 5K, 33 mins vs 21 the year before surgery.

 

[Rachel]

At 5 months I was still freaking out! I was all calm pre-surgery and also right after surgery, then reality set in and.....It's taken me a while just to sort it all out. I'm not sure that you're even having a slow recovery, everyone is so different. So many variables (age, exercise experiences, procedure done, state of mind...) I myself have taken the conservative approach and I'm more than happy to just be out there running again, nowhere near what I used to do, but happy!

Having said that, I really do know how frustrating it can be though!!! At 4 months I was running a mile, at 5, 6, 7, 8 months I wasn't even running a half a mile (I was seriously freaking out). Now, after 10.5 months, the longest run I do is 6 miles and I run 16 miles per week - no problem.

Hang in there, I've heard that the recovery is not linear, mine certainly was/is not.

Rachel

 

[Lily]

Hello everyone,

I'm approaching the five month anniversary of my surgery and my recovery is a little slower than expected. I was signed up for the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon this weekend but had to defer my race entry to next year. I'm not sure what is normal for five months, but a 2 mile run is still difficult for me. I'm still on rythmol and metoprolol for afib, so that might be slowing me down a little. I guess not everyone can recover as fast as Pattillo and GymGuy. Despite the slow progress I'm still very happy about the outcome of my surgery and this forum has been very helpful

A triathlon?!? At five months post-op?!? Escape from Alcatraz? Swimming too? Wow! Yeah, the beta blockers can be very important but they sure can slow a person down. But you may not be on them forever, nor at this dose. You're probably way ahead of most of us in your recovery. And I agree, I really appreciate this forum too. Best wishes

 

[tprice54]

All good posts here, not much more I can say...sometimes I pause before psoting how quick some of us can recover, just so others don't get depressed when they are slower. Sounds like you have a good attitude, and realize that you will get better, just at a different rate than some others....keep that tri as a goal, and work to get there next year.

 

[RunMartin]

I agree with Scott. It took me a long time to feel right. Some people seem to get going straight away! My lungs were still sore (if I pushed it) up to a year after the AVR. Be patient and run to your ability on the day and not what you think it should be. I eventually took the step to go training with a beginners group (I have been running for 30 years). It was the best thing I did to help me back - I am now back with the main training group. I am now competing in long mountain races and long open water swims. A year ago I did not think I would ever do that again.

Good luck with your running
Martin

 

[dtread]

Sheldon, it takes a LONG time to get back near 100% after the trauma of the surgeon's knife. I was 58 when I had my AVR, and it really took me about a year to get back near 100%. I was back around 70% of pre-op within about 3 - 4 months, but closing the gap on the remaining 30% or so of pre-op conditioning took a lot of hours in the gym and on the bicycle. Everybody is different though, and age and other factors play a part as well. But the time when you're not able to work out, plus the trauma of the surgery, all the medications, the healing itself, etc takes a tremendous toll on your physical fitness level. Generally speaking the younger you are, and more fit you are when you have the surgery, probably the quicker your recovery. But there are exceptions, depending upon a lot of factors.

 

[SheldonGrunwald]

thank you all for your comments and support. I guess my surgeon and cardiologist set expectations that were a little too high. I am still happy to be active again even if it's not at the previous level.

 

[TheGymGuy]

Easy does it. Listen to your body and if you must push it 1-5% over it's ability. All will come back and be normal soon.

 

[H.E.pumper]

Every recovery is different. I would bet the metoprolol has an effect. It does slow the heart down.

For myself, I have had to come to the realization that I will not be the same bicyclist that I used to be. I now focus on my HR while riding much more. I notice that when it goes up for long periods, I am much more tired.

Stay Well
Scott

We are much alike Scott, in that we both live in the Cleveland area, are bicyclists and had Dr. Pettersson's hands inside our hearts. As you can see I have the SJM Trifecta tissue aortic valve and am somewhat older than you (63). I've been seriously bicycling for 35 some years. I'm only 11 days post surgery and quited miffed that I have lost ALL of my aerobic fitness! I realize that I need time but geez, I'm worthless now. Since my biscuspid valve was a lifelong handicap one would think I would eventually have an improved aerobic fitness level with my new valve....at least that was what I was hoping for.

Tom

 

[tprice54]

Tom, believe me, your fitness before surgery is really helping you out now....you will improve, but you have to give it time. Fitness before surgery most often leads to a much quicker recovery......

 

[spartangator]

Sheldon, as others have said, please be patient with yourself. No joke, it was 18 months before I felt right. I started racing again at about 10 months and was performing OK, but things were clearly different.

You'll arrive. Stay in good touch with your care team, keep your excellent outlook, and you'll get where you want to be.

 

[H.E.pumper]

Tom, believe me, your fitness before surgery is really helping you out now....you will improve, but you have to give it time. Fitness before surgery most often leads to a much quicker recovery......

I always knew that good pre-surgery fitness would help with recovery and even though my cardiologist had me on restricted exercise protocols I was routinely cycling and doing my phys ed style exercises up until the day before surgery. Reading the many posts here concerning recovery time kept me motivated to keep up with my regimen. Since I was exercising at a restricted, pre-surgery level of 7 (with 10 being my normal fitness level) I guessed my fitness level after surgery would be at a level 5 or 4 or so.....imagine my shock when I found my 10 day post surgery fitness level at ZERO!!! I just did not realize I would be starting over at such a low, low fitness level. My brain tells my body to get going but after walking slowly up a small flight of stairs I am out of breath...GEEZ!

Yes I will be patient (hey, old people are impatient for good reason)
Yes I will call about professional cardiac therapy asap.
Yes I will stop whining about it.
Yes, attitude is everything.

Tom

 

[haggis basher]

Hi H.E.pumper
I am amazed by your expectations of fitness after only a few days! You have just been in for life-threatning heart surgery, where the whole body and mind went through a terrible hammering!
I have one of the 'strongest' wills in the universe, yet at a couple of months i was crying, thinking I would never be able to exercise at 'any' level again
It is now 10months after AVR, and last saturday, I ran a 5km x-country in the mud in 26min 21secs(not bad for a 72 year old) Just have patience, it will only come right when the body is ready.
Good Luck
Brian

 

[epstns]

Tom - I, too, was 63 at the time my bicuspid aortic valve was replaced. I wasn't a cyclist, but I was a recreational runner for 30+ years prior to surgery. My way of describint things is not that I lost my fitness -- I just mis-placed it! It took me months to find the level of fitness I had just prior to surgery, and now at nearly 16 months, I'm back to where I was around 6 months before surgery. True, I am a year and a half older (now 64+), but I do feel that I can do more now than I was able to do at 6 to 12 months pre-surgery.

Hang in there. The others are right -- attitude is everything, especially at our age!

 

[H.E.pumper]

Tom - I, too, was 63 at the time my bicuspid aortic valve was replaced. I wasn't a cyclist, but I was a recreational runner for 30+ years prior to surgery. My way of describint things is not that I lost my fitness -- I just mis-placed it! It took me months to find the level of fitness I had just prior to surgery, and now at nearly 16 months, I'm back to where I was around 6 months before surgery. True, I am a year and a half older (now 64+), but I do feel that I can do more now than I was able to do at 6 to 12 months pre-surgery.

Hang in there. The others are right -- attitude is everything, especially at our age!

I'm starting to resign myself to a long period of pathetic inactivity (relatively speaking). I called the Cleveland Clinic post-surgery help nurse asking about cardiac therapy and she was sorry to tell me that I won't be approved for therapy for 6 WEEKS after surgery. For this OHS I gave up my summer sand volleyball league, my yearly trip in July with my hiking club to Colorado to hike up 14,000' mountain peaks and a volleyball cruise to Bermuda in August...oh well, thanks for the information and encouragement, it is greatly appreciated.


Tom

 

[escargome]

Tom,
Yes you did have to give up your summer sand volleyball, your hiking club trip, etc. But....you are still here on the flower side of the daisies. I know, to you 6 weeks is a lifetime before cardiac rehab, but your body doesn't think so. Give you muscles (particularly heart) time to get over being hit by that darn train...
While patience is not a virtue for some of us old people (me included) just go slow, yes you can't play volleyball, but you can walk around the block an extra few times. Can you go to a pool and just walk back and forth through the water and do laps that way it keeps your legs in shape. Hang in there...