Swimming

[YorkshireBertie]

Asking those of you that have had a bypass about your experiences with swimming?. I had my 4x bypass last August and so far have focused exercise on daily walks after I finish work (currently averaging around 5 mile a day with longer waks at the weekend) and absolutely loving it. I now want to take it up a level and as the local pool is at the end of my road I am thinking of doing a daily swim in the morning before work (maybe an hour of moderate Lane swimming but would work up to that gradually). My concern is that although my recovery and healing has been brilliant, I do get a little discomfort now and again as my chest bone heals and I am worried I might cause some harm or even strugglewith swimming. My cardiac nurse says I am absolutely fine to swim but I am just a bit nervous. What are your experiences?.

[Blearyeyed]

So being a passionate swimmer ( and coast lifeguard about 109 years ago😆😆😆) now with heart problems I did a lot of research on this.I don't have an ICD but do know the guidelines for swimming with one.

This advice is mainly based on recommendations given by the Association of Physiotherapists in Cardiac Rehabilitation, last reviewed in 2019.

They also have a very handy downloadable pamphlet for all types of "Hearties" about all things water based which you could Google.

Other recommendation is based on general advice from Cardiology Units and some rare points to consider with an ICD which have recently been researched.

The advice for swimming after surgery or getting an ICD is as follows:

Begin swimming after 8-12 weeks from surgery to allow full healing and for the leads to settle but only after you have gradually built up your strength with other cardio exercises like walking , gentle strengthening and flexibility exercises etc.

Avoid extremes in temperature, leisure centre swimming pools are fine.

When you first go to the pool with an ICD go with a friend, just in case you get any side effects or a shock from the device you aren't expecting , if you can't go with a Swim Buddy just tell the Lifeguard that you have an ICD and ask if they will keep an eye on you and tell you when to leave the pool. Go for 15 minutes in the water to begin with and slowly work your way up, whether you are exercising or swimming.

It's good to tell the Lifeguard that you are in the pool and have an ICD each time you go to the pool so they can be aware.

To get your confidence back in water go to the pool but begin with Aqua Exercises and Aqua Walking instead and a few widths in the shallow end of the pool ( this is my own tip but it does work wonders to build strength and confidence for all those getting back into the water after surgery or with chronic illnesses).

You could even consider finding a local Aquafit class or seeing if a local heart group has a sporty group of members that meet up to swim and exercise and try this before doing sessions on your own.

Warm up with some stretches or a stroll before you get in the pool and drink a good amount of water before you start.

When you first go back in the water start slowly, just a few minutes and a few slow laps and you may need to alter your stroke from the one you used before.

Breast Stroke is the favoured stroke with devices because it causes less movement of the leads and less stress on the chest area, especially if you still have chest discomfort.

Don't do swimming underwater or over strenuous water activities like Diving or swimming against the current or tidal waves if you choose a bit of sea swimming.

Take a water bottle poolside , it does help to reduce feeling symptoms caused by quick changes of position from swimming to standing and getting out to have a drink of water before getting out or sitting poolside with a drink for a few minutes before heading to the changing room.

I leave mine near the lifeguard and give them a wave when I'm getting out and they bring it to me.....service is everything!😆😆😆

When you begin doing longer swims have a drink of water to help your hydration and heart rate after each 15 minutes of activity. It helps your energy and reduces the chances of feeling symptoms with most heart and blood pressure issues to do this during water and land based activities.

Make sure you take a healthy snack with you to eat with some water after your session. Bananas and Nuts are good to replenish any salts lost into the water.

A rare , but more recently researched issue has been that chlorinated water has in a few people caused inappropriate shocks because of the effect on leads and occasionally on sensitivity of devices. This is something to be aware of rather than scared of .

So I'd say you are safe to try and I hope things go well and you get to enjoy swimming again. Bee