Most of you know my story but for those who don’t, heart attack, quad bypass, heart attack in June this year.
I’ve been doing ok since but that’s where the problem starts just because you think your doing ok doesn’t mean it’s time to do loads. I ended up in hospital again yesterday following chest pains and so on. After all the usual tests and 7 hours in coronary care everything was fine and I could go home.
Basically I’ve overdone it I thought I felt ok to ride my bike, lift the washing basket, walk round Cheshire Oaks and so on but no, I’ve upset the muscles, nerves and general surgery. Time to start chilling again.
So please even if your body says go for it stop and think as my cardiologist said yesterday your still not quite 5 months yet it’s still very early days.
Thanks for reading this.
Martin.
Written by
Jako999
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I am sorry you ended up in Hospital but relieved everything is ok and a good post to make us realise that as much as we should get moving after these ops we should take notice of just how much we do and realise this is not a race but a recovery to be taken at a steady pace
This is when I think Rehab classes , keeping contact with your Rehab Nurses , listening to your body all come into place we need that guidance
So you go back to the start now and lessons learnt that can only have made you wiser and able to continue your recovery a little more gentler this time x
I had my bypass in 2017 and for months (I am sure over a year) I would get back and chest pains especially after doing something strenuous, in fact in the very early day I use to get pains after driving, all that twisting and turning.
I learned to recognise what was mainly muscular pain, in fact I would lie on my bed and visualise the pain and on every occasion I could see it was muscular. I would pop a few pain killers and see if that helped (it usually did)
I had 2 stents fitted last October by drilling and boy I found it brutal and again found I was having some muscular pain.
I say timely as I have just been up to my out house and brought in 2 big bags containing my Christmas tree and some decorations. I am Christmas crazy but even I don't decorate in November but with holidays and cat sitting I have a limited window to prepare.
I should never have brought them down myself, my brother had already said he would help but I am so independent, I am preparing myself for some discomfort.
We have to accept that we need to take time to heal and even when healed not to undertake tasks we don't have to.
So no carrying heavy items this coming Christmas season the heaviest things should be a sherry and a mince pie! 😉
We're all different, I was banging out push-ups and squats as soon as the Cardio Rehab course had finished, and with no ill effects.
I suspect the bigger problem in the UK isn't heart patients over doing it, it's the reverse, people slipping back into the couch potato life style that got them in trouble in the first place! So sure, take things at a sensible pace, but don't lose sight of the real goal, which is a root and branch lifestyle overhaul.
I believe it varies from health area to health area, but in my case Cardio Rehab was a six week programme that commenced about six weeks following discharge from hospital.
Most places have a rehab group consisting of a nurse and a cardio physio dept that assess you prior to doing any rehab.
Some people may find they are 'banging out push ups and Squats' and good for them but you have to make sure your body is healing sufficiently before undertaking anything to strenuous.
It does vary from Hospital area to hospital area as to what rehab you get and when but PLEASE speak to the experts before doing anything that could set you back, hopefully you will be doing the sit-ups and squats but when you are ready and not when people indicate you should be doing them.
I had open heart surgery and a bypass in 2017 and 2 stents in Oct 2021, I only had a single by pass so no arteries were harvested from my legs which could prevent some exercises.
Not true!! I think that is a very dangerous thing to post. It was best left at we are all different. I got my information from my GP so I know that is accurate.
I attended cardio rehab sessions now. And was just interested to here more of Chappychaps views and I would like to get to a a place of doing more than I am currently.
I find it interesting how everyone's professional will say different things. For example mine currently state I should work to a scale whereas others get given a heart rate not to go past. Both are accurate but different.
I like to hear people stories and find inspiration. The fact someone is doing push up etc is something I needed to here that it is possible in time.
I was a fitness instructor so it's good to hear this avenue can still be open to me in time.
That is because we are all different, we were physically different prior to surgery, our surgeries will never be 2 the same, it is likely the reason we needed surgery was caused by different things, the healthiest and more active amongst us have needed some treatment. We all recover differently which is why we need as much of a tailor made rehab routine.
It may well be if exercise increases HR they may need to prescribe a higher dose of beta blocker or other changes in your medication to make sure you can exercise safely.
I was more insulted by the blanket comment that it was more about people being 'couch potatoes' I believe that was the term used, when that could be so far from the truth to be insulting!
What also bothered me is that (unless I missed it) that poster indicated what they did but I don't believe they talked about any medical supervision, as I said I may have missed it.
Locally to me you do 6 weeks cardio rehab and then you can join for a £1 a session a longer term rehab that is in a sports club where with less monitoring you can build your strength and cardio but you will always be assessed before starting by a qualified trainer.
All I will say is don't do this without qualified support, that is the ONLY way to look after your heart and that does not mean you are a couch potato it means you are not going to screw up the work the cardiologist have done.
Chappychap, we are all different as you say and Kudos to you for ‘banging out’ your press ups at an early stage. However, to presume that most people with heart problems are ‘couch potatoes’ is simplistic. Personally I have always exercised every day in many and varied ways, am a non smoking teetotaller and was a trapeze artist into my sixties. Yet here I am, not quite 70, with Stage 3 HF. I, like many others on here, get so frustrated that I cannot seem to get back to my old active self but I do what I can…sometimes this comprises of sitting on a couch. Anyway, moan over, I am off to ballet now…roll on the day when I can get back to tap dancing.
Hi Martin, thank you so much for this post. It is so helpful. I am thirteen months post quad bypass and I think I should be able to do everything I used to without having to think. After all it is over a year for me! I am also type 1 diabetic for 34 years, but even so I still think it should be okay to push myself particularly in terms of fitness. I also have down days mentally with anxiety and sometimes push myself to convince myself I am okay. I am very aware that every muscle, nerve etc in my body can still ache if I do too much and I naturally think it is my heart until it calms down and I check my bp and heart rate etc.
Thank you again for your post, I guess it might always be softly softly and learning to listen to our bodies. I went for a swim the other day and was quite frightened, thankfully it was okay.
Take good care, Judi
Dear Jako999
Great post, simple and to the point, sorry that you ended back in hospital, but glad that it was all quickly sorted.
The nearest I got to that stage was one day I woke up feeling completely back to my old self and God did I go for it, from walking the dog too many miles to doing some DIY that I had put on hold.
The next day was like someone had pulled the rug from underneath me.
From shaking to dizziness , feeling sick and washed out, but long story short, like you I was told that I had over done it.
We are all individuals , I think its great when people post on here about their achievements and as much as I want to join them, mine have to be done slower than even I would like, but I will get to a level that I am happy with { whatever that maybe }
Thanks Jako, a timely reminder. Definitely something that I have problems with. It's great to make progress, but while we do need to do something physical, we need to err on the side of caution. For most of us it means a change in our philosophy of life to find satisfaction in rest days and more leisurely pastimes and see these as achievements.
Hello
I am miserable as usual but when I read " Thanks for doing the experiment for us " well I burst out laughing
See you are on top form again x
x
I think you are right we all have to be careful with our bodies. See with me I will not be having surgery. So they will monitor me and keep me on tablets to manage it. However I feel that I need to do some sort of rehab to build myself up. Admittedly iam never going to run a 10k marathon or climb Mount everest. Never was able to. But I just want to try and get back as normal as I can for me. Currently iam still working which helps but I have to be careful. I think work understands as the rule will be no heavy lifting or running which can put a strain on the heart. But brisk walking and cycling but just keep moving. It is hard though because my mind wants to do these thing but body says no. However when I discuss it with therapist I need to get my confidence back with small steps. But like she said you need to find your limitations to what you can or carnt do. If you don't try you don't know and you end up doing nothing. I found a sheet produced by nhs Southampton University hospital regarding exercise for congenital heart patients. Which seemed quite a good guide. Especially for my issue.
Glad to hear everything was ok, just sorry it took 7 hours, but we'd all wait for that time and more for the good news.
Reading through the various replies and comparing to my own experiences........ it's really strange....we need to rest our hearts after the HA's, stentings bypasses etc, and that's what our hearts need, but they also need exercising and progressive usage. I know the cocktail of drugs we take are designed to allow the heart to fill that extra bit more so each beat will be more effective and to lower the BP so the heart doesn't have to work so hard, yet exercise to work the heart so it recovered more effectively. Wow, no wonder we c**k it up from time to time and set ourselves back a bit. The heart does have quite a way of telling us we've overdone it.
I feel as though my meds, whilst doing all of the above and more, pretty much have me on a rev limiter, that is I can exercise, reasonably enthusiastically , reach my limit and then reign it back until I've recovered sufficiently and then gently go again. Not everyone's cup of tea but, 'if you do what you always did, then you'll get what you always got' My rehab, which I'm lucky enough to still be attending at the local leisure/fitness centre (the hospital is 40 mins away) is all circuit exercises with resistance bands and free weights. No dietary information or max heart rate, but we do need to provide BP readings before we commence, some do post exercise as well. It's well run and the instructor, well qualified misses nothing...
I count myself as most fortunate, in quite a number of ways,
M I totally get it mate. Although a different situation I’m the same too. This year trained for general fitness etc and in October attempted a virtual London Marathon. Managed it in two days but have been dealing with the after effects for over a month now. Fatigue off the scale and not sure why, feel so very tired sometimes even when I’ve slept well. Body is telling me to slow down I think! Much love Richard 💖
I have been following you with interest over the months as your circumstances seemed so similar to mine , a quadruple bypass, although yours seems to have been a month or so later. I think I am older, so have been reading with surprise how active you have been.
I am doing fine and do around 10000 steps a day and can manage hills but certainly no cycling or attempting to move heavy things. I think the lesson can be learnt by all who have serious heart surgery, which is to take it steadily, and especially in the early days, resist the temptation to do too much, as invariably it will come back to bite you and the good day will be followed by a much poorer day. They say it takes 6 months to get back to 'normal' and that will be a new 'normal' which might be different to the old one
The longer nights give us all more excuse to 'hibernate' a bit more without the temptation to need to make the most of daylight until 10pm. By 7pm I am glad to have the chance to wind down and start watching TV at 8.
I am not one for jigsaws, but those who have just had heart surgery might find this a useful darker nights and wetter days activity.
Glad you are out of hospital that will be a huge relief, feel similarly with the sentiment of your post title, August, heart attack, stent fitted, fractured ribs from CPR.
Exercise has been steadily increasing weight dropping, but it has taken a long time to heal, anyway rehab sent me for cardiac assessment to sort out a programme for me, did well and stated I should do the lvl 2 BHF.
So followed the higher. Intensity version completed but was slightly too much, so moved the next 2 times to the lower version.
Now my issue after following the programme, damaged all the muscles again that were repairing after cpr :(, didn’t have any issues at the time of exercising, so now I’m back to the walk and recumbent bike exercising, need to leave “big arms” and wall push ups of for a while longer, was nice to be told that in their opinion my knees would give out before my heart will (I have very bad knees). During the exercises my heart wasn’t the issue, it behaved like a trooper, got blinded by the heart is fine and feeling a sense of accomplishment and forgot about the damage sustained around my heart.
well done for recognising the fact you overdid it. It’s really hard to know how much is too much and I’m sure that given time you will be able to increase your activities. Patience is a Virgin as my dad used to say.
You will get that for quite some time I'm 10 months and had some physical chest pain from a 45m bike ride. Due to the poor roads and all the vibrations
Your body has to get used to those though. But as ever slow build!!
Oh how I envy those who are able to return to "normal" after their surgery.I had mine 4 years ago and I get worse with each passing month to the point where I have to be a couch potato.
I have tried walking but I get 50 yards down the road and I have to stop because my heart and lungs will whinge.
I could not have rehab as I was not deemed a suitable candidate for this area.
Please consider yourselves lucky that you have recovered and be careful when using insensitive comments like couch potato!
Jako I hope you continue to improve. Please do it at your pace and not because you were pushed into it.
Thank you for sharing. Its so easy just to do a little bit more and tip over. I know I I have done it as well.take care,remember like me the tortoise 🐢 wins the race.
I think there is one aspect people may not be aware of, the link between our immune systems and the clotting system.
The one thing that we want to avoid is any sort of thrombosis/clotting, as a thrombus in one of our coronary arteries is why a lot of us are here.
We trigger an immune response when we exercise. The more intense the exercise, the more the immune system knows it needs to do. The immune system can trigger/signal other systems in the body, this is a major role.
The practice of physical exercises acts as a modulator of the immune system. During and after physical exercise, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines are released, lymphocyte circulation increases, as well as cell recruitment.
The immune system is linked to and can trigger clotting.
If you clot in your newly opened artery or just newly plumbed in artery, that’s a problem.
The new drug eluding stents and dual anti-platelet drugs help (aspirin and ticagrelor) help, but it isn’t fool-proof.
That’s why they determine a heart rate that is not going to tax your system, you don’t have your immune system kick in, you don’t increase your chance of clotting.
I really didn't feel anything like my old self until at least12 months after the bypass. Even now I get tired a lot quicker than I used to. Unfortunately I had my heart attack and bypass in June 2021 and was never offered cardio rehab. Even now when I rang York NHS rehab number it goes to answer machine staging no face to face rehab offered. I ended up following the BHF videos and I take the dogs for 2 to 3 miles a day walks. Hopefully I am doing OK as I couldn't even get a yearly review face to face at the docs. I had to chase them 3 times and all they did was send me for a blood test and then rang me to say I can stop taking the Ticagrelor. Hopefully I am doing OK but I still get the occasional heavy feeling in the chest area and that's when I know have done enough !!
That is very true. On the other hand, it is important to keep your physical exercise going so that, the blood flow to the 2 vital organs, the brain and the heart is kept well perfused. The mind must stay active and positive because when one is affected by any physical illness, the negativity takes over. However, it is easy to be molly cuddled by your near and dear ones who are so well intentioned, but the overall result is not good in the long run. Best wishes.
Doesn't matter how long ago it was you need to be wary/careful of overdoing things in case they come back to bite you. I should know as I am just 7 weeks away from starting out on this journey 25 years ago. Yes been in and out of hospital a few times in that period and even had a phone call from cardio consultant on Thursday to see how things are going with another recommendation of further investigation.
Well I have written on here previously had a triple in 1977 at age 31 now 76.Was told I would be going to Frimley for recuperation it never happened.Sent home pretty soon after think 10 days.I know how it feels to take those first nervous intrepid steps outside wondering if the stitches will hold.In my case on both chest and right leg.
As you can see still after 45 years and counting I’ve even put in for a Guinness Record for longest surviving triple heart by pass patient,present on record 33 years. Waiting for verification.A couple of years ago was playing walking basketball, a cardiac class,Pickleball,circuit training and 2.5 hours of walking footie which I still continue today. Got 5 bikes of different classes which I can still do tough rides on.So I know how you feel but this proves it is still possible to enjoy a reasonably energetic life.
I’m 4 years following a triple by pass , when you get chest pain again it’s scary .for you and your loved ones .I got chest pain from time to time . But after further testing , scan , stress echo etc all proved normal with the heart , so went to see a must trusted physio , who explained what happens to your chest wall when they ‘crack open your chest ‘ it’s bound to cause problems when recovering , and she gave me excercises to loosen things up . Ido these daily , but from time to time I still get chest pain , I’m reassured that these are muscular , but they are still scarey. Keep up with the rehab , hopefully things will get better .
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