11 inactive sedentary years

[DarrellA]

Holly, Good Luck on your procedure on Thursday. I hope that you have no complications and your cardio rehab people let you get back to rowing in a short time. I will be adding you to my prayer list.

[Holly62]

Thank you Darrell, much appreciated, did another 10k today, making hay while the sun shines

[jerrytheplater]

Wow Holly, I have prayed for you and will this Thursday. Another stent. My doctor is waiting to see if my medicines clear out the one artery that is still partially clogged.

It does feel great to be doing some work. The Cardiac Rehab is so low on force, I'm trying to be patient. I'll see what they give me today. Mondays are the days they increase workouts. I did tell them I'm rowing. My doctor specifically told me not to worry about my heart rate, to row where it is comfortable and not crazy hard work. I was up to 100 BPM Friday. Still keeping it to 15 minutes for rowing. I was down to about 2:30/500M.

[Dangerscouse]

Well I have my final stent threaded through the spider web in two days time, so it will be two days rest then a slowly increasing rowing regime.
Did a 10k today, I just know I'm not going to feel this good on Thursday morning

Best of luck on Thursday Holly

[Holly62]

How are you today Jerry,
anyone whose had stents fitted will know how I feel right now, that horrible breathless heavy feeling, another two scars in the making on my right wrist, another on my left inner elbow where the cannula went, and of course the rapidly developing bruises, and down the snake I go.

Two days until my rehab starts and the slow steady climb back to where I found myself and beyond.
Positive stoic mindset in place, good bad or ugly are all the same, love your fate, learn from it and make the best of the hand you're dealt....
Back on the concept 2 in two days, and twenty days slowly increasing distance and heart rate.

How's your rehab going Jerry?

[DarrellA]

Hi Holly, I am happy to hear that you had a successful procedure and are in the healing process. Well at least back online I hope that you cardio rehab goes well for you. Since you went through it once you at least have a clue on what to expect. Happy thoughts and prayers your way as you go through the healing and rehab process. Plug away through the process and heal up fast since DHR is slipping in the standings as we need your meters Thanks for posting so we know that you made it.

[jerrytheplater]

How are you today Jerry,
anyone whose had stents fitted will know how I feel right now, that horrible breathless heavy feeling, another two scars in the making on my right wrist, another on my left inner elbow where the cannula went, and of course the rapidly developing bruises, and down the snake I go.

Two days until my rehab starts and the slow steady climb back to where I found myself and beyond.
Positive stoic mindset in place, good bad or ugly are all the same, love your fate, learn from it and make the best of the hand you're dealt....
Back on the concept 2 in two days, and twenty days slowly increasing distance and heart rate.

How's your rehab going Jerry?

Glad to hear from you Holly. Glad you are well enough to post. I know I was totally exhausted the day after my heart attack/stenting. I didn't sleep with all the monitors on me in the ICU.

Things are going very well with my recovery. Now that you mention it, I did have a bit of breathless feeling. Didn't know what was going on.

I had to wait till I could get a Stress Test before I could start Cardiac Rehab. Plus, they wanted my wrist to heal at least a week before doing anything strenuous.

Rehab is starting to add some work in. Most has been slower than warmup pace without any work being done. I am rowing on my own after Rehab. Last Wed I brought my HR up to about 110 for a few minutes. Was enjoying some harder pulling. I wish I could bring my Model C into Rehab and have them monitor my heart as I row.

Again, glad you are back. Do you feel any different now that you've got the stents? I can't say I did. Or do.

[Holly62]

Hi Jerry, initially, you just feel rubbish, no two ways about it, I don't think I felt at all well for several weeks after my heart attack and initial stenting. What I did notice though over the three months afterwards was, the breathless feeling dininishes, the heavy chest feeling gets better and more importantly that "dread" feeling drops away, leaving you mentally able again, and what I mean by that is that a significant part of this process is regaining and reclaiming your mental strength.
My "can do" moment came during rehab, in month 5, I was on the treadmill boring as hell, the place had ten of us in various stages of rehab, was otherwise full of medical and physio crew, all of us on heart monitors.
I just thought, I'm safe here, if I have a heart attack I get instant medical attention, mental shrug I start to run, not jog, 10.5mph is me running...
It got some attention, briefly, then a thumbs up, it's like I broke through some imaginary barrier that was in my own mind of my own making, I relaxed, breathed steady, and continued for five minutes, rested and repeated...
Five months of being an invalid and I was free. I returned home, got on line ordered my concept 2, I'd sold my first one because rowing was just too hard in my pre heart attack state, in the two years I had it I covered only 35,000 m, pitiful..
Puffing and panting, rubbish.
I know things improve to the point where I can do 10k four times a week and feel good doing it.
Tomorrow I'm going to do 1k and get back on the ladder.

[jerrytheplater]

Those "mental strength" comments are pretty spot on. You've got something there. I know I've been a bit scared. Yesterday I had to miss Cardiac Rehab so I did it on my own at home. Lifted weights-Rehab told me to start at 8 lbs per arm. I left those weights at work so I dug out my bar here at home, 45 lbs. (22.5 lbs/arm), and still did three sets of 10 easily, although I'm a bit sore today. I'm done with those wimpy weights. Walked/ran 15 minutes like at Rehab (here I do need to get back into running. Haven't done that in too many years), rode my bicycle at a fast pace around my house for longer than the recumbent bike at Rehab. Then came in and stretched since I was warmed up. Rowed 20 minutes and my Heart Rate was up to 120 for a bit (22 spm, 2:23/500 M). Had to remember the doctor said not to pay attention to the HR, listen to your body. It felt great and I could have gone longer, but I had to make dinner!!

[Holly62]

Brilliant news Jerry, I'm really happy for you, puts a spring in your step being in control of your own destiny again.
I've been up and about, took my dogs for a walk around penalta park, bit puffy but the blue sky and sunshine made it all worth while.

[jerrytheplater]

Brilliant news Jerry, I'm really happy for you, puts a spring in your step being in control of your own destiny again.
I've been up and about, took my dogs for a walk around penalta park, bit puffy but the blue sky and sunshine made it all worth while.

Good news.

[warnie]

Fascinating to read this thread and wishing nothing but the best for you Jerry on your recovery and also Holly on her own recovery. I only noticed on page four of this thread that Holly, you're only 10 minutes away from me - it's a small world!

I've not rowed for 2 years and have only started back around 2/3 weeks ago and really enjoying it. Starting slowly, not pushing the rate I'm doing around 5k per session, a far cry from what I used to do!!! Today marks day one of The Pete Plan but still maintaining a low SPM (18) and a slow per 500 at 2:25. I just feel alive and very blessed to be able to do it.

Keep going Jerry and Holly and may all the strength and wind be in your sails!

[jerrytheplater]

Thanks Warnie. Small world indeed!!

Question for all: Any idea why there is such a perceived difference between doing curls with one solid bar/ two hands and doing them with two bars? Same total weight: one bar=45 lbs, individual bars are 22.5 lbs each.

Could it be one arm is doing more work than the other and helping the weaker arm?

[Tugger*#]

You guys Holly62 and Jerrytheplater are putting me to shame with your times and distances covered each week and I have only had open heart surgery he says only lol.

You are both doing extremely well looking at what you say you are doing just take it steady and ease into it there is no rush.

I think all you guys who can get a 2:30 / 500 split need to appreciate how well you are doing, this is still something I am aiming towards without making me ill.

I did an 8k a couple of weeks ago and had bad tight chest afterwards - nearly calling for ambulance but checked my stats and they were ok. So just put my CPAP mask on and laid on bed for 1.5hr woke up no pain - turns out after looking at my Concept logbook I had been pulling like a steam train and had several 500mt split pb's and an overall PB. It has made me just a tad wary but working back up to it - it is the effort not the distance that caused it chest was just simply tight and needed to relax.

[jerrytheplater]

Good to hear from you Tugger.