Frustration

[stevo]

Hi All,

Having had a mitral valve repair in March I am experiencing real frustration with the progress of my running. Prior to op I was 90 min half marathon runner and now have trouble going very fast at all. Indeed to keep my heart rate below the limit imposed on me it could be described as a slow jog at best. This has lead to a feeling of frustration which at times turns to despair and at worst depression. I am finding this really hard and it takes its toll on other aspects of my life. I know running is not the be all and end all but I have gone from been so active to now worrying all the time and my anxiety levels are through the roof. I constantly think something else may be wrong with my heart. Toughest 7 months of my life. I try to be positive but sometimes it becomes too much.

 

[Freddie]

Hi Stevo,
Your not alone on this............trust me, I'm right beside you. Everything you said has described me perfectly. I too I'm 7 months and feel the frustration everyday. I feel what you have to work on (like me) is to really try to focus on the positive. That's hard I know, considering I had no systems at all before my surgery and I have never had so many aches and pains in my life (except delivering my 10lb son LOL)
Just work on your daily routine and you'll will see things will get better. We all heal differently, slow and steady will win the race. Keep your head up and be proud. This is just a large speed bump ................and we will both get over it.

 

[WayneGM]

Freddie's right....recovery takes pace and patience. Although I'm not a runner, it was hard not being able to do all the physical stuff I used to do with the same strength and stamina. Everyone's recovery is different....some faster and some slower. For me, it's been 20 months, and I think I'm finally there as I'm pretty much doing everything the way I used to. You'll get there, too. Try not to compare to what you were before all this heart stuff. Just compare improvements week over week, month over month, and you'll do fine. It does get better. Best wishes and good luck.

 

[Philip]

Hang tough, it gets better, perhaps not as rapidly as most would like but it does get better. At 16 months I'm still struggling to join the middle of the pack runners and only recently started making some progress.
Our running/recovery Yoda is msiwik. He has found a very effective physical and mental approach to recovery and is a great source of motivational material. I don't think he visits the site frequently but I'm sure he will respond to a PM if he doesn't see your post.
Philip

 

[MikeHeim]

I absolutely feel your pain and wish I could give you some words of encouragement. I was about a 3:30 marathoner until a year before my surgery (I did not know that I had a heart condition). Seven months after my surgery, I ran about a 26 minute 5K, which was more than five minutes slower than I had ever competitively run that distance in the past. At thirteen months, I ran a half-marathon at 1:59, which was also a personal worst by about 15 minutes. I felt awful and only stubborn ridiculous pride kept me under two hours, which would have been a devastating result. I have since been weaned off beta blockers, and I actually feel better while working out than I have felt in a long, long time. (Unfortunately, I now have all kinds of problems keeping my heart rate in an acceptable range.) However, I have not run a competitive race in quite some time. What beta-blocker are you on (almost everyone on this site is on one, so I will assume you are as well) and what is your dose? That's my only guess at this time.

 

[kodi]

I'll chime in and agree with all the other's comments; hang in there, it will get better. I'm 13 months post-surgery (aortic valve replacement) and I'm still struggling. The last two or three months have been better and I'm able to pick up the pace a little easier now. It's hard to compare now to pre-surgery as far as times go because I started slowing about one year prior to surgery but blamed it on getting older (I'm 69). I know that I'd like to get back to about a 9 minute training pace but it's going to take time. The frustration is just a by-product for us that are used to being able to push the limit. Be patient, it'll all happen.

 

[stevo]

Thanks for all the support guys. My cardioligist tells me there is no reason I cannot be as fit as I was but it will take at least 12 months. I sometimes still get anxiety while running which manifests as chest tightness which I worry about more etc aaah the cycle. All has been checked out and it is just anxiety. To answer Mike Heim - I am on no beta blockers but cardio has limited me to sub 158 bpm - I am 31. I try to keep to this but up hills it is very slow. I guess like all of you I want to get back to a life of not worrying but it always seems to be at the back of my head. Thanks again.

 

[tprice54]

Stevo

Stevo

Stevo, all good replies here...some of the best minds I know of
It takes awhile to get in shape....I don't know about BACK in shape...if we really get there. I think it is better to start all new records. Post-Op PR's. Let's be honest...is it fair to compare our old records with new ones after surgery????

 

[Freddie]

Stevo, all good replies here...some of the best minds I know of

I like the word "some"

 

[maka]

Stevo
I'm not a runner...more a "couch potato" but, trust your Cardio.....it takes about a year to feel like yourself again and than things starts getting better from there on. Remember that you rbody had a great shock and it takes time to heal. Rather than concentrating in what you can't do, think of all the positive things you are accomplishing. Trust me, you are doing GREEEEEEAAAT

 

[Kate]

I'm nowhere near the runner you are (proud to run 5k at 12ish miles per hour) but had a similar experience related to my hobby, which is printmaking. I had surgery in September of 2005, was feeling pretty good by January and tried to dive back in to my art. Now, printmaking is a very physical process requiring fast, hard labor for three to fout hours at a stretch. I was completely exhausted and discouraged. I couldn't understand it - I'd had a relatively good recovery, I was feeling well - what was the problem? It was a very difficult time and I ended up quitting printmaking entirely until very recently.

I guess my point is just that it really does take a year or more to fully recover and, at least for me, the second half of that year was more difficult than the first. When my incision wasn't fully healed and I couldn't lift a gallon of milk, my limitations were clear. Later, it was far too easy to put unrealistic expectations on myself and then get frustrated at what felt like personal failure rather than the simple reality of recovery from surgery.

The good news is that I really DO feel back to myself now and am enjoying printmaking again. I'm sorry you are having a tough time but please try to be patient with yourself and just give it a little more time. Best, Kate

 

[SumoRunner]

Patience, patience, patience. I'm 16 years out from OHS and in retrospect it's a mere blip on the horizon in the rear view mirror. I've been able to do everything I wanted to do except for a few short months back in 1991. It's of the same magnitude as the time I had a foot injury and couldn't run for a while. Hardly worth talking about.

 

[mntbiker]

Don't get frustrated, it takes time.

I found that improvements came in sudden leaps rather then a steady progression. Even now about 16 months after I am still making improvements. My max HR really took a dive after the surgery and it has been a struggle to get it back up. I believe the greatest improvements came between months 9 to 11.