Bowling

[JetService]

I'm chomping at the bit to get back to my bowling leagues and wonder if anyone has experience with this? My upperbody is still very sore, but I suspect I'll have to deal with some soreness to get back in the swing of things. My first opportunity is next Tuesday which will be exactly 5 weeks post surgery. I realize I'll have to deal with some discomfort and pain while getting the 'bowling muscles' going again and that's OK; my only worry is damaging the healing process. Does anyone think this is too soon or dangerous? I will be swinging a 16 lbs. ball 50-60 times in a 3 hours span. Any thoughts for experience with this? Thanks!

Darren

[LUVMyBirman]

Hi Darren,

Hate to put a damper on a good time. Would be a good idea to wait a little longer. You don't want to bust a wire.

It's been almost 5 years since my surgery...if I pull the wrong way, or I suppose against the grain, it still hurts.

Did you happen to see your chest x-rays? Lot of wire holding your sternum together.;)

I am sure you will be back to your games soon. Would give it a solid 8 weeks for that type of pulling. Or longer.......check it out with your doc.
Take care

[Ross]

It's too soon my friend. Talk to your Doctor, but I'm sure he's going to tell you to hold off for quite a while yet.

[Heather Fisher]

Jet Service,
Don't push against it. I'm 3 months post op and am just starting to lift 30 lb suitcases into govt vehicles. My co-workers are giving me heck (not the usual words I would use)when I do this. In fact they give me grief every time I turn around. It's horrible, I know!! Take a couple more months off. I know medical science gave you this surgery and you feel able, but take advantage of it and take it easy...give it a full time to recover, then you can say you have done everything you were supposed to!
Wishing you the best,
Heather

[KristyW]

Jet,

I too am a bowler. I had my surgery in Mid-June of 2001 and I didn't get clearance to bowl again until Mid-October 2001. My Dr. didn't want me to start out with my "full weight" ball either. I actually started out 4 lbs lighter than normal and "upped" the weight every 2 weeks. It took about 6 weeks to be back at my regular ball weight. It still took another couple months before my chest muscles stretched enough to have a decent backswing.

I asked why the big wait, and you may be surprised at the answer I received. The Doctors want that sternum to heal fully. They're not worried about blowing out the valve or opening the incision. If we do too much before the sternum fully heals, then we're looking at a distinct possibilty of arthritis in the sternal area. Now, if you're on coumadin/warfarin arthritis is a BIG problem as anti-inflammatories are hard to come by for us. (Celebrex is the only one that is ok right now, and it needs some monitoring.)

So, patience my friend, you'll get to bowl soon.

[Tony]

Hi

Prior to my open heart surgery they gave me a video which dealt with recuperation. In the video the doctor said no to golf until 12 weeks post op.

I would think a bowling swing would be comparable as far as strain on the chest is concerned.

Tony

[fyrfytr]

Hey Jet Service,
I am with everyone else. You need to just take it easy for awhile longer. I know it is how to do but it is the best for you. You should ask your Dr. what they have to do if your sternum doesn't heal properly. When they showed that to me it made a believer out of me.
Take Care

Dave
_________________________
Surgery: 4/21/03
Aortic Aneurysm Repair
AVR, with a St. Jude Mechanical

[Johnny Stephens]

Darren, I gather from this and your other threads that you are an active sort, and find the convalescent period frustrating. This is common, but think of it this way - if you push it too hard and damage your sternum, how long will you be laid up then? In some cases an injury can so complicate healing that it requires reconstructive surgery to fashion a makeshift sternum (I forget what this operation is called, but as Dave mentions, it's not pretty).

[JetService]

So what you're all saying is give it a shot and see what happens, right? heh heh Just kidding!!! OK, I can't agrue with all of that. I can certainly wait! I do like the idea of decreasing ball weight when the time comes. I'll talk to the cardiologist and surgeon on the 19th with that plan and see what kind of date they give me. Much appreciated!!!

Darren

[Granbonny]

If you are itching for some exercise..:D Why not start around the house. like vacuum..unload the washer..fold the clothes, empty the dishwasher.:p :p This should help strengthen your arms for that bowling way...down the road..:p :p Plus..help the wife out too.:p :p Granson loves to bowl..bought him a 10 lb. for Xmas..Didn't know how expensive they were:eek: :eek: $100.00 plus now I have to get the bag. He will be surprised.. We have a great bowling alley in my small county. All computerized, ect..great food..ect..so it will be something for us to do on weekends in the winter. Will only let him bowl 2 games...3 tires him out too much. Age 11..and hitting 100. Not bad..:D Hubby plays with him. No way, I would. Just washing windows..hurts my shoulders (after 18 months):eek: :eek: Bonnie

[ccrawford]

Jet Service - Hey guy - bowling is fine - just leave the ball at home and do the 12 ounce curls while everybody else throws the heavy stuff in the gutters. Seriously, thats a bit much for where you are. Have a little patience, you'll be there in no time at all, and I'll guarantee that you don't want to experience the pain of doing it too soon.

[Rain]

Hey Darren,

You might talk to Bill H. and Ron K.

Those guys are GOOD!! They bowled nearly perfect games in Vegas!!

[khan2]

Jet: Check with your doctor but I'd recommend you wait till 3 months. The reason is to let the breast bone (sternum) heal. If you broke your leg, you'd be in a cast for 3 months to let the bone set. The same is true for your breast bone but no one could wear a cast around their chest for 3 months. So we count on patients to avoid lifting heavy objects or playing tennis or golf .... or bowling... until the bone heals.

What can happen is that the two halves of the bone will not heal together properly. They may stay separate or they may form a joint of fiber instead of bone. In either case, if the bone heals badly, you may be left with a permanent clicking in your breast bone as the two halves move against each other. The main group I've seen do this are avid golfers, tennis players usually know better!

[Ron K]

Hi Darren,

I haven't been around VR.com for a few months, but I was just scanning through some of the recent posts. Your question about bowling caught my attention and I thought I'd send a short response.

When I had my surgery (AVR) I was 59 and in relatively good shape. I bowled in 3 leagues a week. I really enjoy the sport and like you, I was anxious to get back to it. My cardiologist and my surgeon both felt that my recovery was going extremely well. The surgeon felt I could try bowling again at 8 to 10 weeks post-op and the cardiolgist said 10 to 12 weeks.

I tried bowling with my regular 16 pound ball at week 7. I threw 3 games and felt pretty good, but I was sore the next day. I waited another 10 days or so, and tried again. This time I did very good and had no problems with soreness or pain.

I've been bowling regularly since then and I've never had a problem. In fact, I celebrated my 6 month anniversary of my surgery by bowling in a house tournament and winning! (The physical accomplishment meant much more to me than the few bucks in prize money, believe me!)

Since you're a lot younger than me, I assume that you are back bowling by now. If not, you should be in another week or two. (It's a little scary throwing the first few balls. You're not sure what to expect.) You'll do fine. Don't worry about it!

Please post and let us know when you are bowling again and how you're doing.

Ron K.

[JetService]

Hi Ron K. I am indeed back and have bowled for two weeks now in both leagues. My Fri. Night league is an 'every-other-week' so I've only been back for one week there. I feel great so far with no soreness at all except in my arm from being off for so long. The chest feels great. I know what you mean about the nerves for the first throw. During warm-up, I could almost feel everyone holding their breathe as I gingerly threw my first ball. Funny thing is, people assume its the heart that is the concern rather than the bones. But as warm-ups progress, I started throwing at 100% and it felt great.

My scores however, didn't feel so great LOL! I returned to my Tue. league and threw my worst series of the season. It was kind of expected, so I wasn't too concerned. But the following week, I threw even worse which turned out to be my lowest series in about three years. But my Friday league, I would say my consistency suffered most. I rolled 159-279-168!!! It was very strange. I sandwiched a career game between two duds. I threw nine in a row (it should've been 10, but I was brutally tapped in the last part of the tenth :D ). But despite that game, I'm a bit discouraged so far. Fortunately, there's a lot of time left in the season, and I'm just grateful to be back and having a great time!!!!

Thanks for checking in and congrats on your tourney win at 6 months!!!! That is just awesome! Well done!!!!

[Andrea]

I feel your pain fellow bowler! LOL

Gotta wait though... things can happen, ya know?

I wouldnt vacuum at 5 weeks either... at 10 weeks I steam cleaned and ended up in Afib pulse of 190+ and was stuck in the hospital for 3 days before they could convert me :(

Now at 6 months I still havent had the time to hit the lanes again, but I am really looking forward to it!