Aussie Chris
Well-known member
It has now been 6 months since surgery and what a difference 6 months has made. In the weeks leading up to my surgery I felt like a 95 year old struggling to walk 50 metres. Now 6 months on I feel like a twenty year old and just look like a 45 year old. It has been a really life changing 6 months.
A couple of months prior to surgery I was still leading a pretty active life but was starting to notice things weren?t quite right, mainly while swimming. No matter how much I trained my times were getting worse and worse. It wasn?t until I did my surf lifesaving proficiency swim for this last season and spent three quarters of an hour after the swim catching my breath that I thought it was time to go back to the cardio earlier than scheduled.
Well 6 months has actually gone very quickly. In the early stages I would read about how soon after surgery some of you were getting back into running, cycling and other physical pursuits and think WOW. You guys really got me up and going too. I think I started rehab about 6 weeks and realized I could push myself again, and even though I couldn?t swim yet I was so determined to get back in the water I went out behind the breakers at the beach and lay on my back and just kicked my legs. My wife was horrified when she found out and looking back now, it was a really stupid thing to do.
After 12 weeks I started swimming gently again and soon after that I was back on my surfboard. Initially the chest wires bothered me but within a couple of weeks that discomfort had passed.
About 2 months ago I started a new job working for someone after approximately 20 years of being self employed. I probably wouldn?t have thought about it if it wasn?t for me having OHS and having to wind my own business right back while I recovered. In the new job I can pretty much switch off from work when I leave. I no longer have ALL the worries, I work with a great team of people, I still have the flexibility I had when working for myself, and the office is only 10 minutes from home. I now look back and ask myself why I did not make the change earlier.
About the same time I started the new job I started swim squad training and now about 2-3 mornings a week I do a 3 kilometre ocean swim before work. I never could do that before even in my early twenties. I would just get too breathless. So looking back now it is amazing how long my faulty valve has been affecting me.
Yesterday I did my 3rd surf lifesaving patrol since surgery and I just felt like a big kid again because I had so much energy. In the past I would watch over swimmers from a patrol tower on the beach and occasionally get out in the water during the patrol. Yesterday I spent 5 hours in the surf on a rescue board just enjoying catching the waves while keeping an eye on swimmers.
Last week I saw my new cardio for a stress test which I passed easily and she doesn?t want to see me again until the end of the year.
It has been an amazing journey on this side of the mountain, and I am so grateful for the recovery I have enjoyed. I no longer think about an approaching birthday as ?oh no I going to be _____ this year, but rather I got to spend another year here with family and friends?.
OHS has definitely made positive changes to my life.
Thanks to all of you in the VR family for all the support you have given me since joining, it really has made a BIG difference having you all there to bounce thoughts off.
All the best,
Chris
A couple of months prior to surgery I was still leading a pretty active life but was starting to notice things weren?t quite right, mainly while swimming. No matter how much I trained my times were getting worse and worse. It wasn?t until I did my surf lifesaving proficiency swim for this last season and spent three quarters of an hour after the swim catching my breath that I thought it was time to go back to the cardio earlier than scheduled.
Well 6 months has actually gone very quickly. In the early stages I would read about how soon after surgery some of you were getting back into running, cycling and other physical pursuits and think WOW. You guys really got me up and going too. I think I started rehab about 6 weeks and realized I could push myself again, and even though I couldn?t swim yet I was so determined to get back in the water I went out behind the breakers at the beach and lay on my back and just kicked my legs. My wife was horrified when she found out and looking back now, it was a really stupid thing to do.
After 12 weeks I started swimming gently again and soon after that I was back on my surfboard. Initially the chest wires bothered me but within a couple of weeks that discomfort had passed.
About 2 months ago I started a new job working for someone after approximately 20 years of being self employed. I probably wouldn?t have thought about it if it wasn?t for me having OHS and having to wind my own business right back while I recovered. In the new job I can pretty much switch off from work when I leave. I no longer have ALL the worries, I work with a great team of people, I still have the flexibility I had when working for myself, and the office is only 10 minutes from home. I now look back and ask myself why I did not make the change earlier.
About the same time I started the new job I started swim squad training and now about 2-3 mornings a week I do a 3 kilometre ocean swim before work. I never could do that before even in my early twenties. I would just get too breathless. So looking back now it is amazing how long my faulty valve has been affecting me.
Yesterday I did my 3rd surf lifesaving patrol since surgery and I just felt like a big kid again because I had so much energy. In the past I would watch over swimmers from a patrol tower on the beach and occasionally get out in the water during the patrol. Yesterday I spent 5 hours in the surf on a rescue board just enjoying catching the waves while keeping an eye on swimmers.
Last week I saw my new cardio for a stress test which I passed easily and she doesn?t want to see me again until the end of the year.
It has been an amazing journey on this side of the mountain, and I am so grateful for the recovery I have enjoyed. I no longer think about an approaching birthday as ?oh no I going to be _____ this year, but rather I got to spend another year here with family and friends?.
OHS has definitely made positive changes to my life.
Thanks to all of you in the VR family for all the support you have given me since joining, it really has made a BIG difference having you all there to bounce thoughts off.
All the best,
Chris
