I'm female, in my early 60s, live in the UK (NE Scotland) and have: angina (they're still working on why), recurrent pericarditis, pericardial effusion and some scarring, aortic valve scarring (considered 'trivial for now' by the cardiologist), and rheumatic heart syndrome (RHS). After root canal round-1 treatment in mid-March, the infection went to my pericardium (a vulnerable spot for me as I've had recurrent pericarditis since the early 2000s) and wowsa, was I unwell! But by late June I was given approval to self-manage a return-to-fitness plan. Part of my plan is daily walking - managing a twice a day mile when weather permits but also admit I love home gym equipment for when weather keeps me indoors. And weather has certainly been keeping me indoors this past six or so weeks - lightning and rain+heat+high humidity when it's not raining...
Owing only to space 'challenges' (we downsized a year ago) I've had to give away my beloved rowing machine - but am looking for an affordable small space version to replace it. I have my cardiologist's approval to use a rowing machine but he said 'Absolutely not!' to a universal (bench, sit-ups, leg lifts, etc). He also approved light free weights, some resistance bands, and two types of exercise bike - one is the (don't laugh, these actually do work!) simple on the floor pedal contraption with tensioner, and the other is a folding full size stationary bike. The resistance band the cardiologist approved is one of those spring things with foot bars and hand grips - gives a fair work-out as my sore stomach and leg muscles will attest
What, if any, home gym equipment are other hearties using?
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Sunnie2day
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My best bit of kit is a big blow up exercise ball. All sorts of leg exercise work with it (I have a knee replacement) but also great for back by doing squats rolling it up and down a wall.
With just about any upper body pain, I just lean back or side against a wall with it. It’s a really comfortable way of straightening back and relaxing- and it’s cooling. To cap it all, you can let the air out and shove it in suitcase, the pump takes up more room but it’s still super portable.
Love the portability and space saving part of those exercise balls but as I'm probably not going to be having my very dodgy knee replaced for several more years, I may have to give that one a miss - oh yikes just the thought of squats is making the poor thing ache!
How long after your replacement were you able to get back to exercise?
I was walking day 2 (well shuffling)😀. Physio kicked in the morning after, and was proper exercise about a week later. I had a lot of complications (knee cap was done too) so wasn’t fully active for a few months, which isn’t typical. Still a brilliant op. I was back to proper cliff walks after six months (until the heart stuff kicked off😢).
The trick is to do as much leg exercise as possible before the op. Take the pills and do the bends😀
It seems like a double-whammy to have knee (and/or back) problems along with heart problems. Every morning I have to think - which condition is worse today, knees or heart - before deciding which exercise plan to follow that day. There are days the thought of using the resistance band or the bike causes my knee to start shrieking even before I've pulled the band out of the bag or got the bike unfolded.
Good on you for knowing the leg strengthening work was as important pre-op as it was post.
That’s tough. I didn’t know about my heart problem until a HA two years after the knee job, although I can now see that it explains some of the problems during recovery. I had some great advice from my GP (who was a sports injury specialist). Pain protects the knee, but if the knee is already condemned, why protect it? Take or use whatever you need (ice🥶 all the time for me) and work it as hard as you can to build up muscles. Every hour before is an hour saved after. Worse case is your knee collapses, but then they will have to do the op earlier!
Voltarol is my best friend, I usually reach for the tube right after putting on my specs and taking my meds. That stuff really helps, I tried Heat Rub and Deep Heat but those weren't strong enough to ease pain enough to get me willing to get moving. It's not the fragrance I'd like to be known for but at least I can move
I'd laugh but it's not all that funny - half the time when I'm out walking I stop to give the knee a break and the other half to let the angina pain ease off (insert wry grin emoji here). sigh
My kit is fairly limited. I plan to get a proper exercise bike later in the year. Two mini ones have not been good - one wobbled side to side (borrowed) and another had different resistance right and left (purchased).
I have free weight envy the most my cardiologist will approve right now is 2.5kg but only after I work up from 1kg.
I'd been looking at those elliptical bikes but the cardiologist says no for now. Fingers crossed he'll agree come late October (cardiac MRI now set for the 22nd of Oct). Have you looked at those?
At Phase 3 rehab only two of us went to 2.5kg the rest were 0.5 and 1.0. I was though nearly four months post bypass when I started. Both of us are over 6'!
I used to be 5'6'', have shrunk down to 5'3'' (shocked me when the nurse said that!). Strong bones still, the only reason for the current weight restriction is cardiologist saying until he knows the cause of the angina he doesn't want me lifting anything over 2.5kg - I am not looking to be the next MrsUniverse body builder, but I will be glad to get up to 5kg just for the strengthening (ok, and some help with the bingo wings, if I'm honest). I think he's quietly relieved I can't find a good compact rowing machine for the same reason - I think he thinks I'll go 'whole-hog' and set the tension for max. I wouldn't but I can see his point
Speaking of rehab, our area cardiac rehab is reserved for the most needful (HA, HF, etc) - my conditions don't warrant referral so I'm managing on my own with approval from the cardiologist. I take print-outs (he has no patience for my fumbling with a smart phone to show him snaps) of equipment and exercises and seriously - he uses a big red pen to mark out the ones he doesn't approve.
I have, actually. We have a beautiful public bath in our town (I love Scotland, still calls the local public swimming pool 'a bath'), a bit on the pricey side to use regularly but I'll be in there come November if the MRI results are good enough for the cardiologist to give me the go-ahead.
Just reading this through dodgy Knees, dodgy Hips, dodgy Heart why would anyone want to exercise ??? Just take it easy with a bit of Gardening and a decent Walk.
Yesterday the range at Wareham was open ( troops must be on leave ) what a great walk to visit Kimmeridge and Tyneham Village great places to visit, without over stretching your worn out body parts ( chuckle ). My 13 year old granddaughter Runs and gets an adrenalin rush from doing middle distance track running now me Grandad just enjoys watching and thinks memories what used to be lol.
N E Scotland is that South of the Dee or North of the Don ? I used to walk from Inverbervie to Gourdon as part of my Rehab exercises.
I go swimming but you'd have a laugh if you saw me. I wear a wet suit to stop me getting cold because of my fickle blood vessels...any change in temperature can set of my vasospasms 😖
I used to be able to cycle 8 miles to work run up to the 3rd floor complete a 12 hour shift then home again....but no more.
I now sit peddling on my static bike cycling and getting nowhere fast.
Any upper body work will raise my heart rate and you have guessed it my angina kicks in.
I am stuck on 2.5 kgs weights no higher.
I had my perfusion MRI on Monday and guess what my raised heart rate caused some vasospasms and I was sent to A&E.....
Actually I don't think I would laugh at your wet suit, I'm thinking about the same thing as my swimming costume. I don't have MVA but cold water does set off my angina (one of the reasons the cardiologist wants to wait until the MRI to approve swimming). Did you have to get permission from your local pool to wear it? Ours says 'full body' coverings have to be approved before use (hygiene concerns apparently) but heart patients only need to tell them and they give immediate approval.
I'm so sorry to hear you've had to do an A&E call-in, that is never fun. How long were you in?
It was my coronary arteries misbehaving this time. I had ST elevations on my ECG so the staff in the MRI scanning dept wanted me checked out. The protocol had to be followed...
It all settled down and my bloods were okay. A dose of morphine and I was allowed to go home after 6 hours.
A big sigh of relief as I really didn't want admitting to a hospital not familiar with how to care for me.
I am of course very 'special'🤣😂😉
I just asked at the swimming pool and they were fine me wearing my wetsuit as I have a heart condition.
The tricky bit is getting it off when its wet best done in the shower.
I now have visions of myself giving up trying to get the wet suit off, and just going home wrapped in a thick terry bathrobe sitting on a plastic sheet to keep the car seat dry.
The zip runs up the back of the suit and even with a long tab on the zip I feel I have to perform a contortion that would make Houdini proud to unzip myself 🤐
I don't have any gym equipment, my mrs won't have it in the house, so I do stretches that have been given to me for physiotherapy for various physical problems I have had, To those I add press-ups and a kind of sit-up. I also go for a long walk most days.... And housework.
You could give Shibashi a try. You don't have to go out, it's very gentle and easy to learn. It takes about 20 minutes. Just follow the video: youtube.com/watch?reload=9&... I play it on YouTube via Google on my PC and "cast" it to the TV in the lounge to follow it. "Trust Me I'm A Doctor" found that it gave a good workout without strain or pain. My tutor says it can be done every day.
Thank-you for the link (sez the lady who can't wait to start back with the old Coleen Nolan dancercise DVDs), I will give that a run-past the cardiologist. Something indoors every day that doesn't strain but gives good results is right up my street!
Your wife sounds like my husband - he was too happy seeing off my rowing machine (well, it was big, could have had its own room sort of big), and he's not keen on my full size exercise bike despite its folding to only a little bit of what he calls clutter. Oh hang on, he doesn't like my bag of weights and resistance band and folding half-bike thingie, either! Yeppers, he sounds very like your other half
I have one of those step things - I use it to reach the upper shelves in the kitchen cabinets I do use the little floor pedalling thing during box set marathons, though.
I would love to have a dedicated home gym room but this cottage and its location is so perfect in every other way that we chose to give up hoping for that dedicated room - a decision we are trying not to regret as going from a large family home to a one bedroom (quite spacious but still, just the one bedroom) has been quite the adjustment.
You're so lucky to have a home gym room, and to have such a supportive spouse - I'm sure she's not trying to bring on another heart attack for you!
How do you like your elliptical? I see you have a stationary bike as well - doesn't the elliptical function as a stationary well enough?
Thank-you - especially for the good information about ellipticals and standard stationary bikes (but now I have even more serious 'home gym room' envy ). If a person has room to have both and want the best cardio work-out, they might be well advised to splash out (or hit eBay and the car boot - surprising, isn't it, the near-new kit available, and at such reasonable prices!).
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