Regular Health Check Suprise

[joskin]

Hi Guys

As a lifelong rower and regular Ergo user I never expected this, but at a recent regular check up they spotted a heart murmur that was subsequently diagnosed as mitral valve prolapse, resulting in the requirement for surgery.

I am having the surgery to repair the valve at the Nuffield in Oxford in August my question is: as the surgery involves breaking the sternum, (I guess) are my rowing days over?

Any experiances too share, recuperation times etc, I am in my mid 50's and quite fit, (or thought I was...)

Many Thanks

[Quatroux]

You'll be back on the rower. I've been there, but I was in my mid-20's when they cracked me open. Here's how it works:
You wake up and you start walking as soon as they say you can. You don't stop. This is a competition. You walk and sleep until you can get behind the wheel of a car and are cleared for exercise. You'll then be back to normal with some minor adjustments for whatever medication they put you on.

[joskin]

Thanks for that Andy, good to know there is "light at the end of the tunnel".

[Gyrodon]

I actually started rowing as part of my rehab. You might want to check out this website to get some inspiration and to see how much others have accomplished. http://www.cardiacathletes.com/.

[Bob S.]

I had my chest opened for an aortic valve replacement and 3X bypass at the end of July, 2003, shortly before my 79th birthday. I started back on the erg a few weeks after that. I live in a rural area, so I was on my own for planning post-op rehab. My routine included erging, hiking, and going to a local fitness center for treadmill and resistance work. I tried to stick to a routine of one day of each for a three day cycle. By February of 2005, I entered a Crash-B satellite competition and qualified for a free round trip flight to Boston. By the following December, I went to Copenhagen with the USIRT and broke the 80-89 LWT WR. A few weeks later I became the first octogenarian to break 8 minutes in the 2k (7:54.9, which has been thoroughly clobbered by others since then).

So, yes, you can go back to rowing and/or erging with a wired up sternum. The recovery has to be gradual. It takes patience and persistence. I vividly remember feeling as weak as a kitten for that first month after surgery. I started out very carefully and just increased the load a bit at a time - baby steps.

Bob S.

[Quatroux]

I had my chest opened for an aortic valve replacement and 3X bypass at the end of July, 2003, shortly before my 79th birthday...

Awesome story! You can't beat that for motivation.

[Gyrodon]

Best of luck. Remember that slow and steady wins the race. If you try and rush things you will probably injure yourself and set yourself back. It took about eight months for me to fully recover but am healthier, fitter, and happier now than ever.

[joskin]

Thanks for all your positive feed-back Guys i'm almost looking forward to the challenge...

[Citroen]

Thanks for all your positive feed-back Guys i'm almost looking forward to the challenge...

Since you're from the UK, you may want to check out http://concept2.co.uk/forum