Glad I found this forum

[Adam T]

Hi everyone. I am a runner/cyclist/triathlete and I'm having an AVR in two weeks. I can't tell you how encouraging it is to read some of these posts about how you folks have been able to resume your active lifestyles after surgery.

Obviously, just getting through surgery and the first few days of recovery is my most immediate concern, but it's good to know that I can look forward to getting back in shape at some point.

I'm looking forward to comparing notes during recovery. Who knows, maybe I can get in on a marathon relay one of these days:)

Thanks for the posts everyone.

Adam Taylor

[msiwik]

Hi everyone. I am a runner/cyclist/triathlete and I'm having an AVR in two weeks. I can't tell you how encouraging it is to read some of these posts about how you folks have been able to resume your active lifestyles after surgery.

Obviously, just getting through surgery and the first few days of recovery is my most immediate concern, but it's good to know that I can look forward to getting back in shape at some point.

I'm looking forward to comparing notes during recovery. Who knows, maybe I can get in on a marathon relay one of these days:)

Thanks for the posts everyone.

Adam Taylor

Adam - this is a terrific website with something for everybody. There are a number of active athletes and those ranks continue to grow. Let us know how we can help. We will be counting on you for the next round marathon relay team - tentatively scheduled for Oct. 2007 so you will be ready! Good luck with your surgery. Mark

[Marguerite53]

Hello Adam. Glad to have you with us. You have a great attitude and because you are in excellent physical shape (other than the darned valve!) you should have a smooth ride "over the mountain".

I am 5 weeks post op, 52 year old female, NOT in any kind of good shape and I still managed to have a pretty boring "ride". Thrilled to be sporting my new bovine valve, feeling stronger and healthier every day......and I could not have made it without the help of this wonderful community.

So please feel free to ask questions, vent concerns, share frustrations.....whatever you need. Someone is here!!

Welcome aboard!

Marguerite

[Phyllis]

Welcome, Adam. You should do just fine- being in good shape to begin with is a definite plus! Give us your exact date of surgery and I will be glad to post it on the calendar so we can keep track of your surgery and complete recovery.

[geebee]

Welcome to VR.com.

As you have found, there are a number of members who are extremely active and will have answers to your activity level questions. Those of us who are less active but who have still been there, done that, can add our 2 cents to your general surgical and recovery questions.

As Mark said - there is something for everyone here and all are very welcome.

[tommy]

Adam, glad you found us.
We look forward to your successful surgery and speedy recovery.

[BillCobit]

Welcome, Adam.

Good luck with your upcoming surgery. Please check in after surgery and let us know how you're doing.

Recovery and training can be a bit more challenging that the "back-to-normal-in-12-weeks" discharge guidance that OHS patients are typically given. A lot of folks seem to find the first 6 months or so to be difficult and potentially discouraging, but patience and persistance ultimately pays off. We've got a lot of collective experience at this forum, so please don't hesitate to post Q's as you have them.

Regards,

[MitralMan]

You tri's are inspiring!

[Adam T]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I'm scheduled for June 6th at 5:30 AM. I'll be at the Medical University of South Carolina.

[Phyllis]

Put you on the calendar Adam- sending you our best wishes and hope you can have someone update us.

[LLJ]

Hi Adam, welcome to our band of merry hearts! Come for the advice,stay for the humor,inspiration and truths that be told! I have a feeling next year the Vermont Marathon will be fielding several relay valver teams!
Laura

[Marguerite53]

welcome to our band of merry hearts!
Laura

WOW, Laura! I LOVE that one! Band of merry hearts! That's a keeper!!

:D Marguerite

[mbfleth]

Hi Adam,

Welcome to the band.
Hints from experience...
Make sure that your Cardiologist knows that you fully intend to maintain an athletic lifestyle. Communication and understanding will go a long way.
Ask for Cardiac Rehab and be clear on the activities that you will be enjoying. Cardiac Rehab is more than just a treadmill and a towel these days. They have exercise physiologists that will tailor a program which focuses on "valve healthy" workouts to build the strength you will need to ride and run.

[Adam T]

Thanks Mark. I'm going to take your advice and "run" with it. I've already talked with my docs about resuming athletic activity etc. I think maybe we'll get into some more detail next week. I have my pre-op workup on Monday.

What specific benefits did you see from cardiac rehab? I guess I thought it was just "a treadmill and a towel."

[msiwik]

Thanks Mark. I'm going to take your advice and "run" with it. I've already talked with my docs about resuming athletic activity etc. I think maybe we'll get into some more detail next week. I have my pre-op workup on Monday.

What specific benefits did you see from cardiac rehab? I guess I thought it was just "a treadmill and a towel."

Adam: For the first six weeks after surgery, walking is sufficient. We can talk after the first week of your surgery about you are doing but you need to let the sternum heal. Cardiac rehab begins after six weeks and there it's about making sure you don't overdo in terms of intensity or volume. Invest in a heart rate monitor if you don't have one. My personal opinion and it's just that - is that most of the first year should be low - intensity workouts (no more than 60 to 75 max. heart rate). In other words, the kind of running that you would do for "recovery after a race" or a long run when building endurance. What is important is to get a baseline on the strength of your heart as you begin the second six week period of your recovery. For me, they did a stress test on an echo and that set the parameters for my exercise regimen. Stay in touch. Mark

[MikeL]

I just found this site and appreciate the information and personal encouragement here. I had my aortic valve replaced about 5 weeks ago and am starting to run (slowly). I did a marathon (my one and only) last Thanksgiving in Atlanta. I'm very interested in how post op meds affect exercise. I'm feeling rather slow but thankful to be getting better.

[msiwik]

I just found this site and appreciate the information and personal encouragement here. I had my aortic valve replaced about 5 weeks ago and am starting to run (slowly). I did a marathon (my one and only) last Thanksgiving in Atlanta. I'm very interested in how post op meds affect exercise. I'm feeling rather slow but thankful to be getting better.

Congrats on your successful surgery. What meds are you on? Welcome to the site and hope that you will become a regular member and maybe a participant in a future marathon relay. Mark

[MikeL]

I'm on Digitek, Toprol, Lipitor, Coumadin and asparin. By the way, I was certainly NOT running at 5 weeks, post op. This must be the memory function I hear people talk about. I'll take any excuse! It's been a little over 3 months. In reading the other posts I guess I'm doing ok, maybe even returning to running a little soon. But I feel good. It just feels like there's a governor on my heart. I realize that surgery sets you back physically but all those meds have to have some effect also.

[msiwik]

Mike: We will need others to chime in as I have not been on any meds. I will say that there is a residual effect from the drugs used to put us under and prevent memory formation. Jack N. talks openly about his hip replacement and if he had to do it over again, he would try to do it under a local because it took a year to get the drugs out of his body from the hip replacement surgery. Mark

[BillCobit]

This is a story I'm following w/ interest:

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/11/26/100loc_arunner001.cfm

"On Sunday, six months and seven days after doctors at the University of Washington Medical Center opened his chest and replaced his aortic heart valve, Watkins will run a 13.1-mile half-marathon."

I checked his results - he managed a 2:51 half mary 6 months after surg.

But this is the one that really fascinates me:

"But in June, just a few weeks after being discharged from the hospital, Watkins told his wife, Kerri, that he had set a goal not just to begin running again, but to compete in an Ironman competition within a year.

The grueling event, which will be in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in June, includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle race and full 26.2-mile marathon."

He is indeed registered for this event, so I'll be rooting for him and will also be very interested to see how his day goes. What an amazing personal victory to pull this off just one year after surgery.

BTW - I tried to recruit him to join us at VR.com through an email message to the reporter that wrote the story - not sure if the message was passed on or not.

[msiwik]

Bill: I am glad you tried to reach him through the reporter. One of the things that made the marathon relay such a success was that it was five like-minded people hanging out together - all of whom were positive about life and wanting to better themselves. With all the negativity in the world, I am happy to hang with our heart buddies any day! Mark

[Adam T]

Wow, what an inspiration! I'm going to bookmark that article for the times I'm felling sorry for myself or just plain lazy. Thanks for the link. I hope this guy joins the forum. I'd love to see his training program and his numbers.

[MikeL]

I also saw that article and was inspired by it. I'm wondering if any of you encountered any resistance from family, friends and even medical professionals to your intention to run after your surgery. I'm also still curious if any of you have any insight into the way post op medications affect exercise capabilities. Thanks for being here for us newbies who still don't know what to expect.

[Adam T]

My doctors have been very supportive. I asked a lot of questions during my last appointment and the only long-term restrictions they said I would have are from contact sports, etc.

They told me nothing should keep me from pursuing any type of endurance sports as long as I took my recovery slowly and used some common sense in the short term.

My wife has been supportive as well and has been very involved in the whole process, asking questions, etc.

I think this has helped me keep a good attitude and kept me focused on doing the right things from the start.

It never hurts to do as much research as possible and be informed enough to ask your doctors the right questions. That's how I plan to approach this and that is why I'm reading this forum.

Good luck to you.:o

[bobcatrel]

You should be fine. Docs had me walk 5 min/3 times a day for the first week and then upped that to 10 min/3times a day the second week. At my month checkup I was doing 20 min/three times a day. Towards the end of each week I felt like I could go longer but I stayed with the plan exactly.

At the month checkup I was given the OK to begin jogging and riding a bike. The sternum was the main problem with this as it is not healed so you will need to be careful and go slow. Your feet pounding and bumps on the bike will be uncomfortable for a while.

At 2 months I did a 20 mile bike ride and at 3 did a 5K.
Follow directions exactly. Good luck next week!

[MitralMan]

Other than lower blood pressure (98/68 last time I looked, first thing in the morning) it evens out any hiccups I might have had (arrythmia) and I think it supposedly has my heart at a lower BPM, all else being equal.

Having written this, I seem to have no trouble getting to a higher maximum HR than I achieve before surgergy (173 pre-surgery pre-big problem, 190 now -- and I'm 49).

Sorry, that's all I can tell you.

I also saw that article and was inspired by it. I'm wondering if any of you encountered any resistance from family, friends and even medical professionals to your intention to run after your surgery. I'm also still curious if any of you have any insight into the way post op medications affect exercise capabilities. Thanks for being here for us newbies who still don't know what to expect.

[MikeL]

Thanks Bob. It's encouraging to see how early you began running and biking. I'm feeling good and anxious to take things to the next level. 3 1/2 months post op I'm running a couple of miles every other day at about 11 min/mile pace. Of course I'm still walking a lot also.

[Superbob]

Just wanted to say you guys are an inspiration.

I used to be a competitive runner (mostly 10Ks but a few marathons).
Now, as an old retired guy, I find victories in overcoming spinal stenosis through physical therapy instead of surgery, and in coming back from heart valve/root surgery to work out regularly, take hikes with my dog, and ride my exercise bike.

Love reading about the vr.com relay team and other activities. Keep it going!

[BillCobit]

:-( Unless there's an error in the online splits, the poor guy was able to make the bike cutoff but did not finish the run.

TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:34:12) 2:28/100m 1966
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT 56 mi. (4:01:39) 13.90 mph
FINAL BIKE SEGMENT 56 mi. (4:41:34) 11.93 mph
TOTAL BIKE 112 mi. (8:43:13) 12.84 mph 2091
TOTAL RUN 26.2 mi. (--:--) --/mile

There was another nice story about him at Ironman.com:

http://ironman.com/columns/ironmanlife/kevin-mackinnon-talks-about-david-watkins-and-his-journey-to-get-to-ford-ironman-coeur-dalene

He had a very rough time with his illness and surgery. My hat is off to this guy for such an aggressive goal and a valiant effort. I hope he comes back for another try and a successful completion.

This is a story I'm following w/ interest:

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/11/26/100loc_arunner001.cfm

"On Sunday, six months and seven days after doctors at the University of Washington Medical Center opened his chest and replaced his aortic heart valve, Watkins will run a 13.1-mile half-marathon."

I checked his results - he managed a 2:51 half mary 6 months after surg.

But this is the one that really fascinates me:

"But in June, just a few weeks after being discharged from the hospital, Watkins told his wife, Kerri, that he had set a goal not just to begin running again, but to compete in an Ironman competition within a year.

The grueling event, which will be in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in June, includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle race and full 26.2-mile marathon."

He is indeed registered for this event, so I'll be rooting for him and will also be very interested to see how his day goes. What an amazing personal victory to pull this off just one year after surgery.

BTW - I tried to recruit him to join us at VR.com through an email message to the reporter that wrote the story - not sure if the message was passed on or not.

[lopearredlady]

Adam,
With your attitude, you will be in that marathon!!!! You and I have the
luxury of having surgery the week of the 4th--you on the 6th and me on the 5th. Prayers from Texas are going out to you and I wish you the best for a speedy recovery! Shall we have a race????!!!! Your youth will win I am sure, but I plan to make it a close second.
Here's to good health for both of us,
Terry

[Adam T]

Thanks Terry, but I'm already a month ahead of you. My surgery was June 6th.

I'm working on that marathon. That's what I keep thinking anyway. I'm doing lot's of walking. Some days are better than others though. I see the Dr. for my 3-week followup tomorrow, so I'll find out just what my restrictions will be for the next few weeks/months.

Good luck to you, and thanks for the kind words. I'll look forward to comparing recovery stories with you.