When did you start to feel good again?

[kschroed]

My last surgery had complications and the recovery was long and tenuous. I'm hoping for a better outcome this time. When did you begin to feel like your old self again? I don't mean just the incision healing and that sort of more immediate stuff. When did you feel like you could get up and walk somewhere or go dancing or something like that? You know, like you did before the symptoms of the valve disease slowed you down.

 

[pellicle]

Hi
I was walking in ICU within 24 hours of the surgery. I walked around the ward and then when I was walking around the block when I got home.

My wife took me out to the local mountain national park 1 month after surgery and (of course) I wasn't carrying a backpack but I managed about 4Km that day.

Same goes for my second surgery, within a month I was walking up my steep hill carrying light groceries (like milk and eggs)

By 4 months out I was moving furniture out of my dads apartment.

 

[lilyofthewest]

For me...5 months and I thought it would never come. It's a huge relief to be back

 

[honeybunny]

Gosh, it was such a gradual process that I can’t pinpoint exactly when I felt better but it was months, even though I returned to work after 8 weeks. I was 61 when I had my surgery and had a passive lifestyle so those were contributing factors.

 

[Enigmalady777]

I'm still waiting....all kidding aside, my surgery was March 29, so I'm approaching the two month mark and I really started to feel like myself around 6-7 weeks. Of course as soon as I hit 6 weeks, I jumped in feet first and resumed all my regular activities with gusto, probably did way too much. I'm the type of person that just keeps pushing through, so the recovery period, especially the first few weeks were rough for me.

 

[epstns]

For me, it came in stages. The first few months were a blur, due to complications. I went back to work part-time at 6 weeks, and started rehab at 12 weeks. Both of those points were milestones, as was my "graduation" from rehab at 24 weeks, at which time I was back to pretty much normal activities. The next major milestone was about the 1-year point, at which time I was finally able to comfortably do push-ups again. I'm now over 7 years out, and I'm as normal as I'll ever be. . .