VR in the winter & rehabilitation

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Teresa

Teresa

VR.org Supporter
Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
126
Location
about 40 miles west of Boston, MA
There is a good chance that I will be having my VR sometime this winter (I am hoping for Feb '09). I know the drill when it comes to recovery at home: eat, breath, sleep and walk! I am currently very active and walking is part of my exercise routine. My main concern (there are probably more that I should worry about than this) is getting a walking routine started in the dead of winter. Did some of you go to a gym (before your cardiac rehab started) and walk on the treadmill when the weather outside was cold, snow, ice? If you walked outside, did you go alone? I am planning on keeping my gym membership "open" while I am recovering just in case I feel up to going for a stroll on the treadmill. I know the hospital sends you home with the list of do's and don'ts in addition to the visiting nurse that comes to the house shortly after I am discharged.
 
don't know where in Mass you are, can you go to a mall and walk? We have mall-walking clubs here. They usually go in before the stores open, but are not supervised per se, just a bunch of people who don't necessarily know each other walking. If you do venture out alone, take a cell phone - borrow one from someone for a week or two until you feel good about being on your own.
 
I had my first OHS the week before Christmas and my second last February. I walked outside from the day I came home. I walked up until the day I went to the hospital and walked right away when I got home.... of course, short distances first.

I saw my cardio two weeks after I was home. He knew I was walking home from his office and he thought that fine. (I got a ride there and live just under a mile from his office.)
 
Dick's surgery was in December and he walked outside in the cold for 8 weeks until we traveled to FL. He tried the mall, but didn't like it as much. I walked with him when he first started and was only doing a mile a day. He walked on a boardwalk at a public beach here. When he got up to 3 miles a walk, I sat in the car in the parking lot and watched him- LOL!
 
Hey Teresa, there is a great thing called YakTrax which are like putting chains on the bottom of your boots. Then you don't have to worry about slipping on ice. I found they help alot in snow, like if you are walking in the woods or a park, but not good on cleared sidewalks. Check out their website: http://www.yaktrax.com/.

Go Jays, then Red Sox are second.
 
I had my valve replacement in July of '07. When it was too hot to walk outside hubby and I went to the mall. It didn't matter when we went - just that we walked. Fall got me outside again and I walked outside until it got too cold, then back to the mall. By that time I was back at work and was able to get to the mall on my lunch break.
 
Hi Teresa,
I had three valves done 12/23/04 and started walking at the malls right away. It is fun to walk a bit get cocoa and sit and people watch, then walk again. I am from Boston also and had my surgery at Mass General. I am sure you will do great if you already have a walking plan.
 
You people are great! Thank you for the quick reply, suggestions and comments about your own journey! I forgot about the mall-there is one about 2 miles from my house! I know that there are more important things to worry about when I get home but exercise & going to the gym is sooo part of my life! Tonight I was thinking that a year from now, my surgery will be over and I'll be able to get my life back to some what normal!
 
Good luck with the exercise... I'm dealing with the opposite problem that we'll be heading into the very hot Australian summer (90's-100's+) and am trying to work out where I can go walking. At this stage my hallway is looking quite good..! :D
 
Please, if you are going to go outside when there is any ice or slippery snow on the walks, get some footwear that has slip resistant bottoms, or things you can put on your shoes like Yak Trax.

I live where it is very snowy and cold in winter, in upstate NY. I have some sneakers from Skechers that I bought on Zappos.com. They have slip resistant soles. They are actually made for waitresses, and they have them for waiters. But I also found that they work on ice. I think they are called Skechers Work.

Walmart has a brand with slip resistant soles too. But they are not as good on ice.

When it is really bad with snow cover on top of ice. I wear Yak Trax on my shoes when I walk the dog.

A walking stick is nice also.

You don't want to slip and fall on ice.
 
Believe me, this is not a silly question....walking is a very important part of your recovery. I live in the snowy Syracuse area and had surgery in January 2007. Luckily, being a runner in these parts, I had a treadmill in my basement to use on bad days. If the roads were clear, I walked outside.
 
Excellent thread! I am terrified of falling on ice. At 6"5" I just have too far to go until I hit the deck. I have the YakTrax that are really great. I walk twice a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year outside...4 miles a day. I have a polar grade parka, ski mask and gloves. But if there is ice, then I don't walk. When i have my surgery, walking will be even more important. If it's winter I'll still try to walk as long as there is no ice.

Jim
 
I had my surgery in February, the dead of winter, and was home alone. I couldn't drive meself anywhere and where I live we don't have any public transportation. I just walked around the main floor of the house during the week (essentially in circles). Even if it was dry out, it was still cold so I didn't walk outside. Catching a cold in the early stages of recovery would not be fun....coughing and sneezing...YIKES! :eek: On weekends my wife took me to the mall. Once I could drive again, I went to the mall myself, until the weather got better.

You'll make do. Just don't make not having a good place to walk an excuse not to. Best wishes and good luck.
 
I seem to be in the minority recommending the GYM.
If it is affordable...do the gym.
They will probably be suggesting a cardio re-hab program soon
after surgery. Say yes~~ It's very-very important.
When re-hab is complete, take your program to the gym and
slowly increase your exercises.

Ps. many insurances will pay for all or a portion of the gym cost.
Check your carrier asap.

good luck and God bless!
 
See if you can find a gym or rec center with a real indoor track. They are much more fun and motivating than a treadmill. Walking outdoors is the best because of the fresh air and sunshine dimension, but as many people have said, you have to watch for ice, plus some days it will be dark and stormy.
 
Hey Theresa, I know the mall near you opens early for walkers. I'm not sure if it's every day though. The Y near me has an indoor track. You are so ahead of me I haven't even thought of that yet.I'm not one to work out, I would rather play softball or skate or water ski..We have a rink in our yard in the wintere but I don't think I'll be able to skate for a while...Yikes if I fell.
 
In my case, I walked alone the first few weeks and only in front of the house. But when I was allowed to increase the time to half an hour, I had my sister walking with me, just in case I felt dizzy or fell as I was taking BP and Beta Blocker medications and I did not want to take any chances. When I started rehab and I thought I was feeling great, my ECG showed PVCs which I did not feel or notice. I am glad I did not exercise on my own, as with the rehab they managed to decrease my speed and direct me until the PVCs are now rare.

Good luck on your surgery and wish you a smooth recovery:)
 
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