Recovering from CABG

[BrazAd]

I’m 65, been cycling for 7 years, will cross the 46,000 mile mark on tomorrow’s ride… and have to have open heart bypass surgery this coming Wednesday, 11/06. I have -ZERO- symptoms, but you can’t outride your genes!

Any tips for recovery from those who have “been there, done that”? I know to listen to my medical team, be patient, etc.

I normally ride around 7k miles per year and ride 15 centuries +/- annually. Will my stamina return after the recovery period? (I’m at 78 centuries and want to ride 100 - it’s just a goal, nothing more).

Your positive stories will help me, as well as your warnings!

Thanks in advance,

Gary
Leesburg, GA




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[Novasfyre]

Originally Posted by BrazAd

I’m 65, been cycling for 7 years, will cross the 46,000 mile mark on tomorrow’s ride… and have to have open heart bypass surgery this coming Wednesday, 11/06. You can’t outride your genes!

Any tips for recovery from those who have “been there, done that”? I know to listen to my medical team, be patient, etc.

I normally ride around 7k miles per year and ride 15 centuries +/- annually. Will my stamina return after the recovery period? (I’m at 78 centuries and want to ride 100 - it’s just a goal, nothing more).

Your positive stories will help me, as well as your warnings!

Thanks in advance,

Gary
Leesburg, GA




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fwiw my old neighbor rode Vail pass with me and kicked my ass 7 weeks after open heart surgery. While I may suggest a bit more recovery than that if you are going into it with a good base you'll be much better off as you recover.

[mass_biker]

About a year ago I had open heart surgery to fix a failing mitral valve. I was 52. Great (or so I thought) health + overall fitness, but the doc was pretty adamant in me addressing this right away as the mitral valve prolapse was quite advanced and I was on the cusp of some pretty dramatic deterioration of health.

Post surgery, and within the week I was on the trainer (going easy!). Think I did 1/2 hour.
And then pretty much each day or so after that I would do 15-30 min on the trainer. Very easy.
By week 2 I was outside. And grateful to be outside.
Once I got off the betablockers (protocol I think for post OHS) I felt a lot better on these rides.

What helped a lot was coming into surgery with a lot of base fitness. I also worked on my core strength as I was concerned about the upper body trauma. In other words, I trained for the surgery/recovery. Something you’ve likely been doing as a cyclist/athlete.

My advice is to take lots of naps, listen to the docs, and realize that the human body wants to live (and heal, recover etc.).

Since then I’ve celebrated each 6 month (2 now) anniversary with an epic ride. 6 months in, it was an April century - 100+ miles/10K feet of climbing. A year+ it was 75 miles/7k+ feet of climbing. Always grateful! My mileage has definitely increased after my surgery. As has my appreciation for the sport.

Please PM me with any questions - happy to discuss at length…

MB

[Epicus07]

Best of luck with your procedure. Your heart should like that extra blood flow. Your medical team will have the best insight into your recovery but I think it bodes well that you are active going into it. They should be referring you to cardiac rehab. These programs are usually pretty awesome and will help you build up your strength, stamina and confidence. I see many centuries in your future.