UGHH

Hi all...since last fri (3 weeks post op) i have been running and running.... WOW am I tired. It has certainly caught up. I am curious...when can I get back to the gym again? I gained 49 lbssince Sept. when I started getting the dizzy spells..fainting and all that jazz. *cries* no energy does that to some people I guess. I wanna get back into shape again..I wanna get back out there. I took my kids to the lake yesterday, for a few hrs. I relaxed while they wandered..but the 200 yrd walk from the shore to the vehical was a killer!!!! I am TERRIFIED of my HR now. Actually feeling my Heart Beat.... and race now is crazy to me!!!! (with excersise or stress my HR would bottom out and I would pass out before) now I feel it rise like never before. So what do I do?? I am scared of this thing...called a "normal BP" & "paced HR" Thanks Guys!!!!

3 Comments

so perfectly stated!

by painthorse - 2010-04-07 01:04:20

hang in there...

pat

fear

by Tracey_E - 2010-04-07 01:04:23

First of all, trust the pm to do its job! They call it "normal" for a reason, it's how the rest of the world's heart beats and with a little help, ours can too. The time to be afraid was BEFORE you got it, when you were likely to pass out. Now you've got a high tech computer at your back keeping you safe. Every time you feel your rate going up, remind yourself that that's exactly why you got it- so your rate would go up instead of bottom out.

It's perfectly normal to be hyper-aware of your hr for a while after you get it. My resting rate tripled when I got my pm and it felt like I was loaded up on too much coffee for months. The feeling will go away! Resist the urge to count your pulse all the time, it just makes you focus on it more rather than moving on.

If your dr says it's ok, you should be able to get back to the gym now. No arms before 6 weeks, but light cardio should be fine. Start slowly. I started with short walks, gradually adding speed and distance, and the elliptical on the lowest setting. It's frustrating, but you're still recovering and you've got the extra weight and being out of shape from the time you were sick working against you so you're not going to be back where you were a year ago by next week. But you WILL get back! You're on the road to full health now that your problem is fixed. I'm trying to get back into shape and take off the 20 lbs I gained with my last round of troubles, it's not fun! I've done it before, and I'll do it this time too.

It sounds like you might be overdoing it? It's so easy to do with a family, life doesn't go on hold because we had surgery. If you overdo, it will most definitely catch up to you. Listen to your body. It's good to be active and get back to normal but when we feel too tired, we have to quit and rest. When I had my last surgery in Jan, I was still napping pretty regularly a month later. I was at the gym again and back to most of my usual routine, but some afternoons I just crashed! My type-A brain wanted to have a cup of coffee and keep going but my common sense said go read a book until I doze off. I tried to let common sense win most days :o)

If you feel bad on exertion- even a short walk- call your dr and ask him to check out the pm. It could be that your settings need adjusted. We don't always come home with them right where we need them to be, it can take a few tries to get it tweaked.

Try not to give up and not to get frustrated! Before you know it, you'll be beating the kids back to the car and not even getting winded.

In the Same Boat

by JustKristin - 2010-04-07 03:04:04

I totally understand and am in the same boat you are in. It is soooo frusterating to wait to get back out there and do things you think you should be able to just do. Learning patience has not been easy for me. As a matter of fact, if you read a few messages down, you will see me loosing it again. Take it easy, just like TraceyE says. She speaks the truth. You WILL feel better. Stop and smell the roses (or I guess it was sand in your case! lol) Listen to your body...rest when you are tired. Be active when you are feeling good. The crazy "feeling your pulse" thing does go away in time. Although it is wierd to feel your heart banging away in your chest when you are lying in bed, isn't it???
Kristin

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