Recovery not as fast as at first

[jds]

Hello -

I had an MV replacement May 23 and started to recuperate quickly. Walking 2 hrs a day through the first month then some biking and running and weights through July. But running endurance was not coming back very fast. I could run (slowly) a little less than half a mile then walk a quarter then run another half.

I went to kids' camp where I volunteer in early August and was clearly not at 100%. We dance almost every night and I couldn't keep up.

I'm OK but re-conditioning more slowly than I would like. Probably no triathlon in October. It's hard to be patient.

John

 

[Cooker]

John,

What are you now about 10 weeks?? Sounds to me like you are ahead of schedule. It will come. Push too hard and it may back fire on you.

Tom

 

[tprice54]

I feel your pain

I feel your pain

I am the same way...I am 6 months out, was able to run 15 miles yesterday, but slow and some walk breaks to do it. Just a couple of thoughts I had...first, any medications you are taking post op can affect your performance. I found this with Toprol. I am off it about 2 months now and can feel a difference. Second, you really are not that far out post op, so give it awhile.....

 

[WayneGM]

Ditto what Cooker said......At 10 weeks, I found my mind was ready but my body wasn't. When I'd push it, my body would rebel and I'd be set back a few days. I also thought that in first weeks immediately after my surgery, my recovery was progressing much faster than I expected. Then it slowed down and the incremental differences week over week became smaller and smaller. I had to learn to pace myself and be patient. Good luck.

 

[SumoRunner]

One additional problem I had was that a lung was collapsed during surgery. That was 16 years ago now so maybe the procedure has changed since then, but what the doc said was they packed ice chips in the chest cavity when they opened you up. Suspended animation sort of. It often deflated a lung to the point where it wouldn't re-inflate all the way for quite some time.

I complained enough about it that they had me do one of those breath-a-lizer tests ever two months to check the progress. It took me about 6 mos before the lung capacity was back to full. For me the decreased capacity was significant. Maybe you had something similar but not quite as radical. It'll come back in time.

 

[Jim P]

John,

Have you been doing Cardiac Rehab? That helped me a lot. Give yourself a little time. At 6 months post-op, I feel like I am better physically than I was before surgery, and I am quite active now.

 

[Tom F.]

When you hit the 3 mos. post op. point most people feel pretty much back to normal. But you likely still have a ways to go. I, and others I know, were able to handle the day-to-day challenges at 3 mos. just fine. But pushing it, hard workouts, that type of thing, I just could not do. It took me until about 9 months before that extra reserve strength needed to push myself was there. Until then, I would suggest that you exercise, but do not try to set records.

 

[BillCobit]

Hi John

Hang in there and be patient. I was determined to do a sprint triathlon 5 months after my MV surgery. I really struggled with it - toughest race I ever did. I tried another one at 6 months and it was not much different. I agree with Tom - it takes 9-12 months before you are physically ready to start pushing again. If you are deteremined to do that tri in October I understand - but go easy on yourself. 2008 will be a better season! If you do decide to do the October race, please let us know - we'll be rooting for you.

 

[Philip B]

Recovery Time

Recovery Time

Hi John,

I'll echo what others have said...at ten weeks post-op you're probably doing really well.

It's important to avoid overdoing while working towards where you want to be with reference to fitness goals. If you continue to work towards reaching your goals, you'll get to where you want to be. Assessment of real progress is often difficult when one wants to be 100% as soon as possible.

-Philip

 

[jds]

Hello -

Thanks for the advice. It's probably good and, like most people on this board, I'm not good at being patient.

I've been on a low dose of Metoprolol - 25mg once a day. My BP has been pretty good - on the order of 105/70 so my internist said I could drop it and wath my BP. I have a cuff at home and take it daily.

Try to be patient. Try to be patient. My mantra - easy to say, hard to do.

John

 

[tprice54]

Good

Good

I think you will feel a difference (IMHO) after getting the Metoprolol out of your system (may take some days).

 

[MikeHeim]

Ditto on the beta blockers. I still don't have the endurance that I used to have, but I now have a new Cardio that's supportive of me wanting to drop them altogether. I was on 150mg of Atenolol per day for about five months, then dropped to 100mg for another six months, 50mg for six months, and finally just dropped to 25mg for the past three weeks. I always feel better when my dosage is dropped and I'm hoping to get off it permanently within the next few weeks. Good luck!