Taking Longer than I thought

[stevo]

I am 7 months out from MV repair and although I can feel my fitness slowly improving when I try and get going with some decent training - or what I called decent training prior to op I get tired. For example today as part of my job as a teacher we had a 19km run. I was great for the first 12 km ( hilly course on a hot day) and was passing other teachers etc but then fell in an absolute heap with no power in my legs etc. Can anybody indicate if they experienced these bouts of dissapointment as they recovered and how long did it take before you resembled your former self in a physical capabilities sense. I have had the remodelling of the heart mentioned to me by my cardio and he said this can take up to a year. When I cannot do the things I want and at the intensity I used to I get very anxious.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the help so far.

Stevo - Vic, Australia

 

[BillCobit]

Stevo -

I still have pipe dreams about achieving the level of disappointment you describe, but I understand satisfaction with performance is a personal and highly variable thing. I don't know if I'm comparable to you in any way, but for what it's worth, at 7 months post op I was still a fair bit from my full recovery; I would estimate 8 on a scale of 10. I certainly wasn't running any hilly, hot half-marathons either! It sounds to me that you are doing very well. Please give yourself some more time.

 

[MarkU]

I agree with Bill, you seem to be doing well. Although I was "functional" three to four months post-op, it took me nine to twelve months to feel completely recovered from my surgery.
Good luck and keep it up.
Mark

 

[tprice54]

One Year

One Year

As Bill and Mark stated, plan on a year. I found my recovery is not linear at all, but jumps and backslides...now at 10 months and some days I feel like I can fly, some days I feel like a dog.

 

[Ross]

12 full months. It really does take that long.

 

[Cooker]

12 full months. It really does take that long.

Amen.......I thought I was completely back at 4 months??I was not. There is a world of difference at a year out. It passes quickly?..be patient.

 

[jds]

Running recovery seems particularly slow

Running recovery seems particularly slow

Hello -

Had an MV replacement the end of May, 2007.

I started recovering very well also. Was up to 1 hour a day of walking within a week after leaving the hospital.

Checkups went well. BP in range. Weight came back. Biking and weight-lifting and rock-climbing going well.

But running performance has been very slow coming back. In my rehab classes, only recently (mid-November) have I been able to hit 6 mph (10 minute miles) for a few minutes. Running on rolling terrain outside is difficult. I am improving but really, really slowly.

Glad for the good results in weight-training and frustrated by slow progress in running. Just keep going.

Good luck to us both -

John