Could I be over doing it?

[klynnc]

Hi all, I am 11 days post-op and back home in New Orleans and I am not feeling anything like I expected or like I was told to be prepared for. I am not complaining b/c I feel great, I am just wondering if I could be over doing it without realizing it?
I was told to be careful with my stairs b/c they didn't want me to wear myself out going up the stairs one time and then be worn out the rest of the day. The day after I got home, we were leaving for the grocery and I went up and down the stairs 3 times (forgetting stuff) before I realized it and I felt fine. I'm sure this is good news and I do get tired mid afternoon and rest, but just wondering if others have felt this good and then paid for it later or something? The guidelines I got seemed appropriate to me 2 days after surgery as I felt pretty bad at the time, but now that I feel good, they seem EXTREMELY cautious. I was told that I shouldn't even start a cardiac program until 6 weeks post-op. I am maybe younger than some of the patients at age 40, but I would assume this was taken into consideration.

I am careful not to lift ANYTHING over 10 pounds and try not to have any sudden twists or turns, but other than that, I feel fine to carry on with most of my normal daily activities (without driving). Just looking for some feedback - I am sure there are great variations in recovery depending on many factors, but I would love to hear some other stories about your recoveries and any advice...... Thanks!

 

[ChouDoufu]

everyone is different, but the guidelines are for everyone - very conservative and
very safe, both from a medical and legal standpoint. what i've learned so far is
that how you feel post-op and how fast you recover depends on how much damage
there was and what condition you were in pre-op. the forum residents advise you,
with good reason, to take it easy and not push too hard.

but then taking it easy and pushing hard is relative. i was in good shape going in,
the surgery was uneventful, so i've been fortunate. i'm trying to get through
recovery as fast as possible, but not too fast. how fast is too fast? basically i'm
doing as much as i can while listening to what my body is telling me through fatigue
and soreness and tiredness. my body will tell me when i've been overdoing it.

so far it's worked well. at two weeks was walking 8 miles per day, at three weeks
12 miles. at four weeks did a 9-mile walk. at 30 days did some very short, very
slow jogs on the track. at 32 days covered 15 miles, including a 13-mile non-stop
hike. today, at five weeks, had another short track workout. and in one week i
hope to be doing some outdoors cycling, sternum permitting of course.

mostly feel pretty good. once or twice my body yelled at me that i'd done too
much, so backed off for a day or two to rest. i'm not having chest pains or
difficulty breathing or dizziness. the pains i get are tightness at the top of my
scar area, off to the sides of my poorly developed pecs, and especially in between
my shoulder blades.

 

[DebbyA]

Just my opinion...if whatever you're doing just makes you tired, it's probably ok. If it is painful, makes your heart rate irregular, or you feel like you're losing ground, you may have to back off. The delay in rehab is to allow your sternum to get mostly healed, though some start sooner. At the one-month followup, my cardiologist told me to walk till I was tired, then come home and rest.

 

[Adrienne]

I was told that whatever we did (walking, etc.), it should be "easy". If it doesn't feel easy, you may be doing too much.

 

[neil]

like to think of myself as fairly fit and even my cardio said with my fitness should be a breeze,but even he said take it slow ,to fast and it can kick you in the teeth,everbody is different and we all have our different rates of recover,choudofou man i take my hat of to you 8 miles after 2 weeks WOW,

 

[catwoman]

Just my opinion...if whatever you're doing just makes you tired, it's probably ok. If it is painful, makes your heart rate irregular, or you feel like you're losing ground, you may have to back off. The delay in rehab is to allow your sternum to get mostly healed, though some start sooner. At the one-month followup, my cardiologist told me to walk till I was tired, then come home and rest.

Just remember that you do need enough energy to get back to Point A while walking. Unless someone can walk back home and and drive a car to pick you up because you're too tired to walk back. (Been there, done that about 4 weeks post-op.)

I did not go through rehab -- my doctors did not recommend it. And neither did John's doctors when he had MV repair.

 

[Philip B]

Over doing it?

Over doing it?

As others have noted, the recovery process is a very individual thing and perceptions about what constitutes over doing it vary from individual to individual as well.

My recovery seemed pretty easy compared to what others reported. My cardiologist dropped me into a rehab program to slow me down.

Yes, your body will let you know if you are going too fast. Just make sure you listen to what it's telling you and you'll be okay.

-Philip

 

[Herburban1]

chou are you sure they didn't put in som extra bionic parts.

 

[ChouDoufu]

no extra parts that i'm aware of, in fact i think they left a few out....like when your
wife tells you to 'fix' the toaster. you put it back together, but still have some washers
and springs and some weird shaped plastic thingy left over. i'm pretty sure the doc left
out the 'governor,' which in my case was a nasty calcified 0.6 cm valve...which
promptly crumbled and came out in seven pieces.

so walking is fine, but arm work will take a while. went domestic today, swept and
mopped, chopped up bananas and coconut and chocolate and pineapple for
bread making, washed dishes, scrubbed the wok, washed clothes, and finally
(ouch!) hangded clothes. ooh, i be soooo sore.

one more week! i can finally go and get me a $3/hour massage.