Recovery - what I think may help some

[dtread]

While out cycling this morning I was thinking about my recovery from the very debilitating and both physically and mentally exhausting and draining surgery. It took me a LONG time to recover, although at 58 when I had my surgery I was in very good physical condition, having been a fitness buff and not overweight. When I say it took a LONG time to recover, I am talking about the recovery of exercise capabilities; i.e., primarily cardiovascular and strength capabilities. Since I had tracked my workouts for years prior to the surgery, I was very "in touch" with my capabilities, and it was simply a matter of comparing workouts post-op to those pre-op. While I was back in the gym within about 3 - 4 weeks of surgery, the initial workouts were more psychological than physical. The surgery certainly "knocks the wind out of your sails" so to speak. At any rate, I gradually increased either the intensity or the duration of my workouts over time, being careful to not overdo it. Whenever I did any cardio type exercises I would always wear a heart rate monitor to track my heart rate. I would recommend this to all to ensure that you do not overdo it. Better to err on the side of caution than to overdo it and end up back in the ER, or worse.

At any rate, what I found that I think helped me in my recovery was when I was finally able to achieve a workout that was representative of what was a good pre-op workout or physical capability. At this point I mentally made a note that "Hey, I'm really recovered". From then on I reinforced this whenever anyone asked me how I was doing after my surgery with "I'm pretty much fully recovered", or something similar. I think this positive thinking has helped me overall in making both a physical and mental recovery from the event.

While I recognize that some may never fully recover from the surgery, I think that some positive thinking may help just about anyone.

 

[ken taylor]

Good to hear , now im 9 weeks post AVR was in good shape going in . One year before my surgert I was walking 12 miles a day ,six days a week witha twenty miler once a month. Bear in mind the first six miles was up hill. I turn sixty two in a few weeks from now, Im walking six miles a day six days a week at about a eighteen minute pace. I can tell things are diffrent now to get back to where I was is going to take a lot more time . If I walk the six at eighteen minute pace I have no problem. But if I go farther are faster it takes until about five oclock in the evening to feel normal and sometimes it takes until the next morning. Its strange during the walk at any speed are distance I have no proublem. It is the recovery where the problem is and I can tell if Ive over done it in just about two hours after the walk. I was hoping I could go to Spain and do a walk that is sixteen miles a day for about thirty days approx. five hundred miles . Do you folks think I can get in shape by Feb. next year to do it ? that would be nine months after my AVR. Is that too optimistic?