SNOW is coming, Do I.......

[Freddie]

Its Sept.22/07. I'm almost 6 months post-op. Doing okay. Its been 3 weeks since my first echo and still no results......so it HAS to be good.

The question is:
Seriously; should I dare to shovel snow this winter??
We can get some major winter storms here in the Canadian prairies.

You can check out one of our winter storms on: youtube.com and type in the search box "Saskatoon Blizzard". This storm was on Jan.10th of this year. Took us three days to shovel out.

 

[Ross]

Get lots and lots of wood stored for heating and stay in the house. You don't need to be shoveling. Now if you can get a snow blower, that might be a bit more forgiving. I know I need one too. I have to rely on someone to plow my driveway for the wife to get to work and she missed a day last year due to the car being stuck in the drive.

 

[EVELYN]

Hello Freddie

My husband, Tyce, is 5 years out of AVR surgery. I still don't want him shoveling snow. I'm the shoveler, he can ride around on the tractor and plow the driveway. I don't know how much you're allowed to lift post op, but anything is too much for me and snow gets heavy quickly. Just my thing. I'm sure many others will weigh in on this thread, so you'll get a consensus.

Evelyn

 

[Cooker]

Freddie.....just don't push yourself. I think everyone is different as to what they can do when FULLY HEALED.

This brings up a question. Is there a rule of thumb about the amount of weight we should lift, move, push, pull etc? I know after surgery they said ten pounds. I don't feel restricted (one of the lucky ones I know) in what I do at all with the exceptions of something just being to big or heavy for me to tackle IE the same things that would have been to much for me before surgery. Any thoughts?

 

[EVELYN]

Hi Cooker

I think our cardio told Tyce that 50 lbs. was the amount he wanted him to lift. Of course, he lifts heavier, but not without my nagging at him. Hope that helps.

Evelyn

 

[Bina]

Hey Freddie, let the men do the driveway.....if you need to do a little cleaning up in front of the door or steps, that should be fine in moderation. Not the heavy wet snow; just the light, fluffy, sparkly stuff.

 

[Lynlw]

Freddie.....just don't push yourself. I think everyone is different as to what they can do when FULLY HEALED.

This brings up a question. Is there a rule of thumb about the amount of weight we should lift, move, push, pull etc? I know after surgery they said ten pounds. I don't feel restricted (one of the lucky ones I know) in what I do at all with the exceptions of something just being to big or heavy for me to tackle IE the same things that would have been to much for me before surgery. Any thoughts?

Cooker, Justin has alot of things wrong with his heart, but the rule of thumb he has always been told, once he recovers from his surgeries, is it is ok to lift,push,pull ect anything that he doesn't have to grunt or bear down to lift. They always said that made more sense than a certain number since people are different (and he was still growing)

 

[JimL]

I pushed the snow off our driveway with a shovel the first winter after surgery, and then went back to shoveling. What's a weight limit? I never lift more than what I'm lifting weighs. I do shovel only for about 10 minutes at a time; if it takes all day to shovel the driveway, there's always tomorrow.

 

[WayneGM]

Last year (post-op) I NEVER shoveled snow. That's what teenagers are for

I helped my son start the snow blower but after that he was on his own.

This year, however, I'll be back at it. As his schedule at school and working part-time pretty much rules out helping me.

 

[Freddie]

Hubby works out of town all week, and the teenagers schedule on campus is crazy, plus working, bowling and curling, he'll never be home. Sounds like a snow blower is the answer.

 

[PJmomrunner]

Hi Freddie:

I'm still in the waiting room with lifting restrictions. I use a snowblower. My wise old dad told me when I bought it not to make the mistake of buying a little bitty blower thinking it will be easier to handle--they're not easier, they're harder to handle. Get a nice big blower that propels itself and doesn't have to be manhandled through bigger loads or uphill. The following is Consumer Reports' Quick Pick summary:

Best for most and capable all around:
1 Toro $1,250
2 Yard-Man $1,100, CR Best Buy
4 Craftsman $950, CR Best Buy

All three offer quick cleaning, easy controls, and good handling for their size, courtesy of a trigger-release drive disengagement and a single-lever joystick for the chute. The Toro (1) offers the smoothest of these chute controls, though the Yard-Man (2) performs as well overall for less. Consider the Craftsman (4) if you?re willing to trade some discharge distance for a lower price. Stronger users may also want to consider the $700 Yard Machines (9), which performs well but lacks trigger releases.


For larger driveways:
3 Troy-Bilt $1,300

A 30-inch swath helped the Troy-Bilt (3) clear faster than most. Trigger controls and a single-lever chute control add ease.


For lighter jobs:
13 Honda $750 (gas)
14 Toro $540 (gas)
21 Toro $300 (electric)

The four-stroke Honda (13) performs best and has the most accessible chute handle. The Toro (14) is the best value, though its two-stroke engine requires fuel mixing. Both are inexpensive compared with the two-stroke Toro (15), which has a wider swath but costs $900. Consider the electric Toro (21) for smaller driveways. Also consider the Toro (22) if you?re simply clearing light snow from a porch or walkway.

 

[Marguerite53]

Well, if you procrastinate on buying the snow blower, you might check with your local boy scout troop (they do have Canadian Boy Scouts, yes?) Definitely, they are always on the lookout for doing good deeds in the community and you could get on a regular schedule with that. Helps you and the scouts. They earn merit badges, and it shouldn't cost you anything! Of course, a donation to the troop is always a nice thing.

NO SHOVELLING on your own!!!

Marguerite

 

[Nancy]

Make sure what you buy has an electric starter. Joe could never shovel, so I did all the snow cleaning for years with a very old and heavy and excellent snow blower which could cut through 5' drifts of ice/snow mixture with its heavy metal extensions. The electric start was a gift from Heaven. Pulling to start that thing would have dislocated my shoulder, and is heavy duty work for anybody.

Multiple speeds, including reverse and heavy solid tires are important as well.

Now that the old machine has given up the ghost, I have someone plow.

I don't miss snow blowing at all

 

[Karlynn]

Yes, snow blower with electric start - when you are given the okay to push. Snow shoveling is really just a bad form of exercise for anyone. It's one of those things that have to be done, but it really is an exercise that causes the body to move and lift weight in very bad positions and causes undo stress on the spine and joints. Orthopedists love winter because they see so many people in their office with shoveling related injuries. Most people don't grow up working on farms and doing this type of activity daily, so when winter rolls around the body is doing things it's not been trained to do the body gets upset.

 

[Bina]

Sometimes its worth it to go with a snow removal contract.
Out of town we had paid 500 for the winter, in town it was more like 300$
We had superb service, every thing was clear for hubby to go to work at 4:30 in the morning, and they would come back during the day to check on drifts.
Now we have a blower since hubby only goes to work at 9 am.
Some winters may have 5 storms, some may have 15 storms....we never know.

 

[Freddie]

Okay, so I won't shovel!

Not too many Boy scouts around here anymore. And since I'm not really working, contracting it out is too expensive.

What's your pro's and con's with a snow blower?

Inquiring minds NEED to know

 

[WayneGM]

Even the self propelled ones need to be manually maneuvered at times, and they can be heavy. On perfectly straight pavement and fairly light snow that's not too high its no problem. It's when you get dense snow (like after the plow comes through and blocks the driveway), tight areas to maneuver, or high drifts that it can get a bit tricky.

 

[geebee]

Freddie,

If you are not working, do you really need to go out when there is that much snow? Can't you wait until someone comes to dig you out? I know it might make you a bit crazy to be stuck at home until the weekend but better than stuck in the hospital due to an injury.

Try to be kind to yourself this winter.

 

[Nancy]

I don't know how much they charge to snow plow your driveway there, but here it's not too bad, maybe $25.00 per plow, after 6".

A good heavy duty snow blower with electric start will cost you about $1500.00 plus tax, not to mention any repairs that might have to be done down the road, and I found mine in the shop quite a bit at about $150.00 a pop.

You can have a LOT of snow plowing done for that amount of money, and you wouldn't have to worry about any injury or hurting your heart.

Wayne is very right about having to maneuver a heavy snow blower. They weigh a lot, and if they get stuck in your driveway for who knows what reason (mine used to just stop from time to time), you will find yourself pushing it uphill.

See about getting a snow plowing contractor.

 

[Lynlw]

another thought would be a local church, not necessarily one you go to but close ones. Our church usually has lists of people who need help with snow and other people willing to do it for free or a small amount of money