Thread: Heart surgery

Originally Posted by Barry_White

That's probably true Wheelin and it's just like a car that you've had that done to you just don't flog it quite as hard as you used to.

A heart surgeon is just like a motor mechanic, the only difference is the heart surgeon does it like he has to do it through the exhaust pipe while he has the engine running.

I just had a dejavue moment Barry

My experience (only stent fitted) is that after operation wounds healed they encourage excercise and frown on a loafing lifestyle. The neighbour next door had the quad bypass and he put my scaffolding up for me, so it does pay to think positive, after medical advice of course.

I have strict exercise and recovery plan to follow. For instance I am not allowed to lift any more than 4kgs. for a few weeks. All lifting is to be done with both hands. I have a neat little toy to assist my breathing develop and this is to used every 1-2 hours a day.
I won,t be able to mow the lawn or beat the wife for a least 3 months.
It will take 6 months for the sternum to heal completely.
I can't Drive for 6 weeks. I must walk for suggested minimum times each day, do upper body exercise etc....
The worst thing about bypass surgery is that everything is to be done gradually, no matter how good I may feel.
At the moment I feel like I have not felt for years - BLOODY TERRIFIC!! But I'm frustrated because I can't touch the lathe and all those other finger removing toys. I cannot even begin to clean up the shed.
Otherwise I am having a great time under the watchfuleyes of SWMBO.

We told you so.

Originally Posted by artme

I have strict exercise and recovery plan to follow. For instance I am not allowed to lift any more than 4kgs. for a few weeks. All lifting is to be done with both hands. I have a neat little toy to assist my breathing develop and this is to used every 1-2 hours a day.
I won,t be able to mow the lawn or beat the wife for a least 3 months.
It will take 6 months for the sternum to heal completely.
I can't Drive for 6 weeks. I must walk for suggested minimum times each day, do upper body exercise etc....
The worst thing about bypass surgery is that everything is to be done gradually, no matter how good I may feel.
At the moment I feel like I have not felt for years - BLOODY TERRIFIC!! But I'm frustrated because I can't touch the lathe and all those other finger removing toys. I cannot even begin to clean up the shed.
Otherwise I am having a great time under the watchfuleyes of SWMBO.

I reckon schooners are under 4Kg's. but then again........???????
Take it slow and easy.

Artme it does get better uncle had one and has returned to flying which he thought he'd have to give up. Not only that but at age 70 jumped/parachuted in a tandem jump. He's just turned 80 and still fly's once a week.

artme, glad you are back with us.
One strong word of advice and that is don't treat yourself like an invalid and more importantly don't let others treat you like one. they mean well but get back to life.
I had a bad time with heart failure. Blood poisoning , six months in hospital and finally a new valve, the other banded and a puncture repaired. They had to take out the old defibrillator and put in a new pacemaker/ defibrillator.I had deteriorated so far that even my vocal chord muscles had failed.
Point I wish to make is settle down to a daily routine of exercise and stick with it. Recently I asked my cardiologist, who is a friend, how hard I could work at exercise. He grinned and said the heart unit wouldn't let me go above 170 beats a minute so just "go for it"
I've bought a new yacht and sailed it up the Qld coast. Yesterday I was out chainsawing fallen trees and still came in to do my exercise routine after that.
Like you I was limited at first to 2kg. Now on the lat machine I"m pulling 45kgs in three sets of ten reps, that's in addition to other weights and twenty five minutes hard pedalling on exercise bike.

Quality of life is what it's all about so get fit and enjoy it.

Only problem I have is alcohol. I've always enjoyed wine, preferring quality to quantity. But with low blood pressure and tablets that also reduce BP I am limited to about two glasses.

Sorry to lay out my problems in such detail but only put them in as a guide to what you can achieve. I don't want to be dramatic but my wife, who was a cardiac nurse said she thought the only push ups she could see me doing was daisies

If you want to you can always PM me, I've lived with this for about three years now so I might be able to help with some advice especially on the mind bit, which I consider the most important hurdle.

Jerry

Great Post Jerry,
That's exactly what we all need to hear.
My "Gone to God" FIL could have done with that message, as after his op he wouldn't buy new shirts......as he wouldn't get the wear out of them
With that attitude, he didn't hang in long enough to need replacement batteries in his machine.
Very good to hear such positive stuff!!

All good advice thanx, Jerry I have no intention of sitting about saying "woe is me", but SWMBO seems to think I'm a delicate type - you know, the sort who as a kid did ballet and got asthma. That aggravates me no end but I can understand as her father died after such an op.

I don't think the red stuph will be a problem.I've never been into cheap bombo. I just don't know jow much of the good stuph I'll be able to accommodate as the prices go up.

Tomrrow, despite SWMBO. I shall be walking the track along the creek. Just a couple of days and I'm bored sh*&%^&%* walking around the house.

artme,

Remember what said about not being an invalid or letting others help you be one. success is in the mind

I had lost fifteen kilos whilst in hospital and all of it muscle. I tried pushing a plane a week after coming out and found it was right at the limit of my power.
We are all a bit lazy and I found myself letting my wife wait on me. Small things like getting me a coffee while I just sat and let her. Remember she was a cardiac nurse and knew what I could and should do. Son in law who knows value of exercise ( his son has cystic fibrosis and if he doesn't exercise he dies) When out on the yacht S-I-L wanted to raise and lower the sails. I had to tell him "No way. You sit and watch and only if I'm in distress will I call you. Same goes for raising and lowering anchor."

Two people who should know better still managed to want to "help". I might too easily have let them help. I was grateful for their concern but you see how easy it is to fall into the invalid trap.

Another point. We all start off exercise with good intentions and often find excuses to miss a session. ALL of us. I used that to good advantage and it might help with recruiting your wife to do the same. I explained to my wife that I might backslide on exercise and asked her to drive me to it when I weakened. It's good because she feels involved. One way she uses is, "You can find five excuses not to exercise, but it only takes one good excuse to get stuck in."

And get good advice. While in hospital ( before the op) I asked one cardiologist what I could achieve when I was patched up.
"About 25% of what you were before" was the answer. I was shocked and later when he did his rounds asked my cardiologist if that was the best I could do. We have known each other for years and he replied. "It's up to you. We can give your heart the major service, but like a car standing idle in the garage it deteriorates if not used. At worst 25% is about right, try for the best."

Sorry about the lectures but I saw many different attitudes among patients when I was "inside"

Jerry


eveeryone is entitled to my opinion

Glad the op went well Artme. Get out and about everyday, it will tire the blackdog and it will want to sleep.

Glad to hear the op went well Artme.

It is a shame you cant clean the shed.
I get really annoyed when the sawdust gets above my knees.

Festool have some light tools!!