Gym, week 3

[laura_dropstitch]

I'm just about to head to the gym to catch up with them about how I'm finding the programme they set up for me. It's been a week of more wobbling. I had bad fluid retention and breathlessness for a number of days after my "encounter" with the cross trainer. My GP told me that people with an ICD can't be referred to the Live Active scheme. (Not sure then why it's fine to take exercise advice from someone even less qualified?) She also put the fear of God into me regarding my defibrillator going off during exercise and was horrified to hear my heart rate wasn't being monitored. Just as I had calmed myself down about that, reminding myself that the consultants all laughed me out of the room when I suggested I could exercise to the point of 200bpm, I checked my heart rate (fitbit) on a leisurely walk to my daughter's school, only to find my heart rate was 149! Aaaargh!

I'm managing to be sensible again now, accepting I need to continue trying to improve fitness without any structured support and that means being patient and taking things very slowly, ie goodbye and good riddance to the cross trainer! 😂 I'm hoping my 149bpm was partially caused by stress (playground at pick-up is a stressful place) and reminding myself that 149 is NOT the same as 200.

Just hope I can remain rational and able to communicate once I'm in the gym. Hoping a) that the music is not too loud and b) that I don't get the same guy I had last week.

Wish me luck!

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star]

PS My lower-energy workouts have been going well, feeling fine the next day and better for having done it. Yay!

[skid112 Heart Star]

good for you, yes I'd leave the cross trainer alone for the time being and good luck

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star in reply to skid112]

Thank you

[Hidden]

My heart rate is about 160 when I'm having a brisk walk sometimes, and i've only ever got close to 200 going full pelt on a crosstrainer (never again!) so try not to worry

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star in reply to Hidden]

Maybe I should have startled a group for cross trainer avoiders rather than Fitbit users! Thanks for the reassurance. Today I went well and I'm back to full gym positivity again

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star]

My wishes came true - music not too loud and a different gym guy who properly listened to my concerns and sorted me out with a more manageable routine that I I feel comfortable following. Hooray! I'm now doing 13 mins on treadmill, 10 mins on bike and two sets on three resistance/weight thingies. Feeling positive again! Wow, amazing what a difference it makes to be listened to and advised properly!

The only blip was when the exercise bike read my heart rate at 225bpm! Got a bit of a fright but no shock (and my fitbit disagreed) so assuming it was a wildly inaccurate reading! Feeling good

[anke123 in reply to laura_dropstitch]

I asked at the cardiac rehab about my heart rate asit shows up on the exercise bike and I was told the sensor is not very accurate and to go more on how I am feeling.

They have never told me what my heart rate should be since i have been going there which does seem strange.

Glad it has been going better for you.

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star in reply to anke123]

Thanks, Anke, that's good to know. Like I say, presumed it was not very accurate anyway since my defibrillator didn't shock me, but still not very reassuring to see it pop up on the screen! I will officially ignore it from now on

[Sina-6491]

Good luck, lol

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star in reply to Sina-6491]

[Heartlady1]

Hi Laura.. .. definitely give that cross trainer a miss.... and the guy who suggested it.

Well done for persevering with the gym after that. It would have been very easy to give up at that point. And now sounds like you have the right regime and feeling good and healthy when doing it 😀 go you x

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star in reply to Heartlady1]

Aw, thanks Was being quite hard on myself for how thrown I was by it, but you're right, I could have given up. Probably helped that I'd paid for a year up front! Ha! Definitely feeling like it's sustainable now, just got to find the best routine time wise. Thanks again for the kind words x

[Heartlady1 in reply to laura_dropstitch]

You are my inspiration... to make me feel I CAN get back to my Pilates when the time is right... so thank you 😀 x

[Hidden]

Hi, apart from the small hiccups, ie the cross trainer! It sounds to me you are doing brilliantly, pity about the live active, I don't understand why your icd prevents you from going on it, I thought that was the idea of the scheme to keep a watchful eye that things were going ok and at the proper pace,keep the good work up and keep us posted as to how it's going xx

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star in reply to Hidden]

Thanks, Chaz I'm sure the ICD issue is probably insurance related, as ever, but it's pretty frustrating. My GP (she's lovely) was offering to get the consultant who fitted it to contact Live Active and see if he could give them enough information/reassurance to make it work, but I'd rather not take up the time of every medical professional in the west of Scotland, especially ones I've only met once! Besides, quite happy now with the "run-of-the-mill" support I'm getting. Still feeling good about it all today...apart from the sore bum! 😂

[Hidden in reply to laura_dropstitch]

Was it a Dr gardner at the jubilee that fitted it? That's who I have to see at the clinic next month xx

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star in reply to Hidden]

It was Dr Gardner I saw prior to fitting it (had seen a lot of him when I had my daughter, so already knew him) but someone else who did the actual procedure, just for timing/rota reasons.

Dr Gardner is great. He loves questions (make a list and you'll make his day!) and answers everything really clearly. I had some last-minute wobbles and he phoned me at the home one evening (totally out of the blue) to talk through everything. You'll be taken very good care of x

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star in reply to laura_dropstitch]

Phoned me at home, not at THE home. I wasn't institutionalised or anything 😂

[Hidden in reply to laura_dropstitch]

Thanks that's reassuring, I am hopeless with the questions always forget till afterwards, but I will write them down, I usually see Johnny Dalzell, who again I find really nice and helpful as are most of the cardiology team, I am off to the docs now re another change of meds, I will be writing a post on my return to see if anyone else is on them, so far this week I have seen, the heart failure nurse a different cardiologist at paisley, and 2 appointments with my GP, I am def a bit stressed out with it all xx

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star in reply to Hidden]

I've had spells like that, it's exhausting! If your heart is anything like mine, it will all settle down eventually. I now see cardiologist at Jubilee (following echo and bike test) every six months and pacemaker clinic every six months. Much more manageable!

I had a list of questions written down when I saw Dr Gardner and he actually rubbed his hands with glee when I pulled them out of my bag! 😂

Good luck with the appointments and medication changes x