Posted: 3/14/2013 8:03:55 AM EDT
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I am 32 years old and I really want to get in shape. I will keep this as short as possible.
I am 5'6" I weight just under 160 lbs. I have weighed in the 145 range since high school but last year or so I have gained weight, nearly 20 lbs. I was born with a heart defect that i have had two operations for, last was in august and I have done good at recovery but i still have some problems with pvc's that I am on medications for. Two of the side effects of this medication are bloating and weight gain. I can eat a banana and blow up like a balloon. Its crazy. All my weight gain is in my stomach. I have discussed with my doctor about what exercise i should be doing, they have zero answers. I have asked for years and years and they wont tell me anything specific... They give me no direction at all. I thought about doing p90x but keeping it very slow paced, not getting my heart rate up super high and trying to kill myself. My wife and I have done it before with good results. I would really like to get a flatter stomach, increase my strength and importantly my heart. anyone have any in depth plans I could do that wont kill me. I cant stand it anymore. I have access to a free treadmill, that we will be bringing here soon. that will be a good start. |
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Solace, I'll just keep saying what everyone keeps saying. Lift weights.
I encourage any type of activity but the BEST one to include as a basic is weight lifting, specifically the big 3 compound lifts at a minimum. Anything else is gravy and I always say dress your food up with more gravy if you want. Squat heavy, deadlift heavy, bench press heavy. Doctors address the effects of ill health, kinda like a cop is a responder to a crime - after the fact. Preventative measures just aren't a strong suit in either profession and for good reason. They're busy the way it is and it keeps job security. You'll find outliers for sure. But I wouldn't rely on a doctor to tell me HOW to prevent something. Then again, I don't care for doctors at all. I'm stubborn though. If you want a primer on lifting weights, IM your email address and I'll give you a basic program and videos that I worked up. Are there better ways? Sure. Depends on your goals. You just have to be serious about it. It's 100% mental. IF you aren't committed to making a lifelong change, you're only fucking yourself but that's a personal choice. 
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I am 5'6" I weight just under 160 lbs. I have weighed in the 145 range since high school but last year or so I have gained weight, nearly 60 lbs. Your numbers don't add up. If you weighed 145 since high school and gained 60 lbs, you weigh 205. That is a hell of a ways from 160, which is it? PVCs are harmless unless you start having strings of them in a row, then you usually wake up on the floor. If you feel them, they can be disturbing and cause some anxiety, though. |
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I am 5'6" I weight just under 160 lbs. I have weighed in the 145 range since high school but last year or so I have gained weight, nearly 60 lbs. Your numbers don't add up. If you weighed 145 since high school and gained 60 lbs, you weigh 205. That is a hell of a ways from 160, which is it? PVCs are harmless unless you start having strings of them in a row, then you usually wake up on the floor. If you feel them, they can be disturbing and cause some anxiety, though. numbers were just a typo, corrected. PVC's can be pretty bad and I do have strings of them constantly. sometimes lasting hours. My heart also acts like it doesnt know what it is doing. example: at rest, steady heart rate, move my arm to turn on the lamp and it spikes for a moment then tries to rest again. its strange. medicine seems to help but among other things it makes me very tired. |
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I am 5'6" I weight just under 160 lbs. I have weighed in the 145 range since high school but last year or so I have gained weight, nearly 60 lbs. Your numbers don't add up. If you weighed 145 since high school and gained 60 lbs, you weigh 205. That is a hell of a ways from 160, which is it? PVCs are harmless unless you start having strings of them in a row, then you usually wake up on the floor. If you feel them, they can be disturbing and cause some anxiety, though. numbers were just a typo, corrected. PVC's can be pretty bad and I do have strings of them constantly. sometimes lasting hours. My heart also acts like it doesnt know what it is doing. example: at rest, steady heart rate, move my arm to turn on the lamp and it spikes for a moment then tries to rest again. its strange. medicine seems to help but among other things it makes me very tired. What are you taking? |
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Solace, I'll just keep saying what everyone keeps saying. Lift weights. I encourage any type of activity but the BEST one to include as a basic is weight lifting, specifically the big 3 compound lifts at a minimum. Anything else is gravy and I always say dress your food up with more gravy if you want. Squat heavy, deadlift heavy, bench press heavy. Doctors address the effects of ill health, kinda like a cop is a responder to a crime - after the fact. Preventative measures just aren't a strong suit in either profession and for good reason. They're busy the way it is and it keeps job security. You'll find outliers for sure. But I wouldn't rely on a doctor to tell me HOW to prevent something. Then again, I don't care for doctors at all. I'm stubborn though. If you want a primer on lifting weights, IM your email address and I'll give you a basic program and videos that I worked up. Are there better ways? Sure. Depends on your goals. You just have to be serious about it. It's 100% mental. IF you aren't committed to making a lifelong change, you're only fucking yourself but that's a personal choice. Im probably going to be limited to what I can squat,bench etc. excessive straining is definitely something I want to avoid. When they did my surgery in august they actually cut sections of the walls of my heart out in an attempt to physically shrink it. Bicep, tricep and back work I would imagine would be okay within reason. My heart did not really shrink and it takes up a huge portion of my chest... here's a pic 
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Did you post months ago about having a severely enlarged heart? yes. alot seems to have changed with my health since then. I felt pretty good at first, once recovery really started, but developed the pvc's and had to shuffle medications around and I think for the most part i have it under control now. |
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Solace, remember when lifting you can use whatever weight you want and go at whatever pace you want. There's no magic numbers. You craft it to YOUR body.
Whether it'll kill you or hurt or help... I have no idea. I just know that fortune favors the bold. Right now the only thing that can happen on your current course is you get worse. So it's up to you. Use bar weight. Hell, they got them smaller weighted bars too if you want to go under 45lbs. There's always dumbbells in any size as well. Personally, I'd go for it but I would probably kill myself in the process. Fuck it, I only live once. I'm not going to cage myself because I *might* die. I know I will die. It's a matter of when. |
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Solace, remember when lifting you can use whatever weight you want and go at whatever pace you want. There's no magic numbers. You craft it to YOUR body. Whether it'll kill you or hurt or help... I have no idea. I just know that fortune favors the bold. Right now the only thing that can happen on your current course is you get worse. So it's up to you. Use bar weight. Hell, they got them smaller weighted bars too if you want to go under 45lbs. There's always dumbbells in any size as well. Personally, I'd go for it but I would probably kill myself in the process. Fuck it, I only live once. I'm not going to cage myself because I *might* die. I know I will die. It's a matter of when. i agree. I dont have a single family member that wants me to do much of anything right now. They all refuse to let me lift a finger to do most things. My wife is an ER nurse so i am in good hands for the most part. I think if i started small and found my limits i could mix things up enough to not 'plateau.' Im not looking to get into a magazine or something just in better shape. |
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Nadolol. That's for hypertension. Are there any others? it's not only for hypertension. it also decreases irritation of the heart. This is an alternate use of the medication. i take a mens multi-vitamin, and baby aspirin. Interesting, I hope it helps you. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Solace, remember when lifting you can use whatever weight you want and go at whatever pace you want. There's no magic numbers. You craft it to YOUR body. Whether it'll kill you or hurt or help... I have no idea. I just know that fortune favors the bold. Right now the only thing that can happen on your current course is you get worse. So it's up to you. Use bar weight. Hell, they got them smaller weighted bars too if you want to go under 45lbs. There's always dumbbells in any size as well. Personally, I'd go for it but I would probably kill myself in the process. Fuck it, I only live once. I'm not going to cage myself because I *might* die. I know I will die. It's a matter of when. i agree. I dont have a single family member that wants me to do much of anything right now. They all refuse to let me lift a finger to do most things. My wife is an ER nurse so i am in good hands for the most part. I think if i started small and found my limits i could mix things up enough to not 'plateau.' Im not looking to get into a magazine or something just in better shape. Even just body weight squats and some wall pushups or something would be good just to keep your body moving...the last thing you want is to have a bad heart and then let your body atrophy right? |
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Solace, remember when lifting you can use whatever weight you want and go at whatever pace you want. There's no magic numbers. You craft it to YOUR body. Whether it'll kill you or hurt or help... I have no idea. I just know that fortune favors the bold. Right now the only thing that can happen on your current course is you get worse. So it's up to you. Use bar weight. Hell, they got them smaller weighted bars too if you want to go under 45lbs. There's always dumbbells in any size as well. Personally, I'd go for it but I would probably kill myself in the process. Fuck it, I only live once. I'm not going to cage myself because I *might* die. I know I will die. It's a matter of when. i agree. I dont have a single family member that wants me to do much of anything right now. They all refuse to let me lift a finger to do most things. My wife is an ER nurse so i am in good hands for the most part. I think if i started small and found my limits i could mix things up enough to not 'plateau.' Im not looking to get into a magazine or something just in better shape. Even just body weight squats and some wall pushups or something would be good just to keep your body moving...the last thing you want is to have a bad heart and then let your body atrophy right? I would think so. I am about to lose my mind ive been stuck in this house since august of last year. My wife and I are making some room for the treadmill now. I think i am going to cherry pick some p90x stuff and slowly do those at my own pace. Pause button will be my friend. |
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Nadolol. That's for hypertension. Are there any others? it's not only for hypertension. it also decreases irritation of the heart. This is an alternate use of the medication. i take a mens multi-vitamin, and baby aspirin. Interesting, I hope it helps you. it seems to, i still have good days and bad days though. I think its going to be up to me to take care of my heart. Im a bit discouraged none of my doctors will recommend any exercise. They wouldnt even suggest jogging or anything. walking was about all i could get out of them. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Solace, remember when lifting you can use whatever weight you want and go at whatever pace you want. There's no magic numbers. You craft it to YOUR body. Whether it'll kill you or hurt or help... I have no idea. I just know that fortune favors the bold. Right now the only thing that can happen on your current course is you get worse. So it's up to you. Use bar weight. Hell, they got them smaller weighted bars too if you want to go under 45lbs. There's always dumbbells in any size as well. Personally, I'd go for it but I would probably kill myself in the process. Fuck it, I only live once. I'm not going to cage myself because I *might* die. I know I will die. It's a matter of when. i agree. I dont have a single family member that wants me to do much of anything right now. They all refuse to let me lift a finger to do most things. My wife is an ER nurse so i am in good hands for the most part. I think if i started small and found my limits i could mix things up enough to not 'plateau.' Im not looking to get into a magazine or something just in better shape. Even just body weight squats and some wall pushups or something would be good just to keep your body moving...the last thing you want is to have a bad heart and then let your body atrophy right? I would think so. I am about to lose my mind ive been stuck in this house since august of last year. My wife and I are making some room for the treadmill now. I think i am going to cherry pick some p90x stuff and slowly do those at my own pace. Pause button will be my friend. That sounds like a pretty good plan I think. Of course I'm not a doc, so take that with a grain of salt. Good luck!
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Solace, remember when lifting you can use whatever weight you want and go at whatever pace you want. There's no magic numbers. You craft it to YOUR body. Whether it'll kill you or hurt or help... I have no idea. I just know that fortune favors the bold. Right now the only thing that can happen on your current course is you get worse. So it's up to you. Use bar weight. Hell, they got them smaller weighted bars too if you want to go under 45lbs. There's always dumbbells in any size as well. Personally, I'd go for it but I would probably kill myself in the process. Fuck it, I only live once. I'm not going to cage myself because I *might* die. I know I will die. It's a matter of when. i agree. I dont have a single family member that wants me to do much of anything right now. They all refuse to let me lift a finger to do most things. My wife is an ER nurse so i am in good hands for the most part. I think if i started small and found my limits i could mix things up enough to not 'plateau.' Im not looking to get into a magazine or something just in better shape. Even just body weight squats and some wall pushups or something would be good just to keep your body moving...the last thing you want is to have a bad heart and then let your body atrophy right? I would think so. I am about to lose my mind ive been stuck in this house since august of last year. My wife and I are making some room for the treadmill now. I think i am going to cherry pick some p90x stuff and slowly do those at my own pace. Pause button will be my friend. That sounds like a pretty good plan I think. Of course I'm not a doc, so take that with a grain of salt. Good luck! diamond pushups and ab-ripper... 
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I wouldn't reccommend any high strain stuff. While I don't understand your heart stuff and wouldn't understand it much better if you explained it to me, I would guess you are suseptable to re-enlarging your heart. When you are straining against a high resistance muscular tension is squeezing your blood vessels. To keep blood flowing your heart has to squeeze even harder and an enlarged left ventricle is the adaptive effect of repeatedly trying to squeeze blood through compressed vessels.
I definately don't reccommend sitting on your ass as your family members want you to. Medicine is starting to or has now realized that old school recommendations of not doing any physical activity for certain issues has caused more issues than it has ever solved. |
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I wouldn't reccommend any high strain stuff. While I don't understand your heart stuff and wouldn't understand it much better if you explained it to me, I would guess you are suseptable to re-enlarging your heart. When you are straining against a high resistance muscular tension is squeezing your blood vessels. To keep blood flowing your heart has to squeeze even harder and an enlarged left ventricle is the adaptive effect of repeatedly trying to squeeze blood through compressed vessels. I definately don't reccommend sitting on your ass as your family members want you to. Medicine is starting to or has now realized that old school recommendations of not doing any physical activity for certain issues has caused more issues than it has ever solved. Im more worried about my heart giving out/bursting than anything. they cut sections of weak walls out to help shrink and strengthen it. If you notice on the xray the left side has lots of white vessels this is the result of the valve not working and causing the vessels to enlarge. virtually no blood was going to my left lung before the surgery. its doing better but a heart that large is never going to be efficient. I plan on being active the best i can. i have got to get in shape. would you agree with cherry picking some p90x and taking my time with it and doing some moderate treadmill work? |
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It doesn't surprise me that the doctors haven't given you a lot of advice about exercise. My wife is a doctor and they just don't teach that at medical school or in residency. Doctors know exercise is important but aren't the trained to put together an exercise regimen.
I think in your case since you have some serious limitations due to your medical condition, you should really seek expert advice. The hard part will be finding someone. Personal trainers have no real expertise or professional training for the most part when it comes to this. You might want to look into a sport medicine doctor or ask another cardiologist since you have a heart condition. The only advice I offer would be to take it slow and don't really up your heart rate. Ask your surgeon about weight lifting before you do any. Dark Tide is a doc and may be in a better position to give advice. |
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I wouldn't reccommend any high strain stuff. While I don't understand your heart stuff and wouldn't understand it much better if you explained it to me, I would guess you are suseptable to re-enlarging your heart. When you are straining against a high resistance muscular tension is squeezing your blood vessels. To keep blood flowing your heart has to squeeze even harder and an enlarged left ventricle is the adaptive effect of repeatedly trying to squeeze blood through compressed vessels. I definately don't reccommend sitting on your ass as your family members want you to. Medicine is starting to or has now realized that old school recommendations of not doing any physical activity for certain issues has caused more issues than it has ever solved. ^ These are great points. You have to be very careful about any lifting and heavy lifting especially because of your heart contrary to comments suggesting lifting and even P90X body weight exercises. Have you sought secondary professional opinions regarding exercise in relation to your heart? Cardiac rehab specialists, cardiac physical therapy? I agree that you shouldn't be sitting on your butt but your exercise should be closely monitored and there has to be some cardiac docs or physical therapists that would have ideas regarding you exercising. |
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I wouldn't reccommend any high strain stuff. While I don't understand your heart stuff and wouldn't understand it much better if you explained it to me, I would guess you are suseptable to re-enlarging your heart. When you are straining against a high resistance muscular tension is squeezing your blood vessels. To keep blood flowing your heart has to squeeze even harder and an enlarged left ventricle is the adaptive effect of repeatedly trying to squeeze blood through compressed vessels. I definately don't reccommend sitting on your ass as your family members want you to. Medicine is starting to or has now realized that old school recommendations of not doing any physical activity for certain issues has caused more issues than it has ever solved. ^ These are great points. You have to be very careful about any lifting and heavy lifting especially because of your heart contrary to comments suggesting lifting and even P90X body weight exercises. Have you sought secondary professional opinions regarding exercise in relation to your heart? Cardiac rehab specialists, cardiac physical therapy? I agree that you shouldn't be sitting on your butt but your exercise should be closely monitored and there has to be some cardiac docs or physical therapists that would have ideas regarding you exercising. I have talked to doctors about what i should be doing for many years, probably 5+. None know. If I ask someone in an exercise type setting they dont know either. "talk to your doctor." Doctor has no idea. My sister is going to college to be a physicians assistant and she seems to think jogging would be good lots of walking too. The only reason i thought about p90x was because you can use whatever weights you want or no weights and the thing that made it really tough was the pace. I dont need to shed a ton of weight, I could sit at 160 for the rest of my life if I could get rid of this stomach and get some cardio and maybe get some muscle. My wife would be doing p90x with me so it would be good having my own nurse there too.  
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Have you taken a post surgery stress test? That can be used to determine a safe exercising heart rate. Although it is for cardio reccomondations and not strength training, at least as far as I am aware of. I would think getting your doctor to write a prescription/recommondation for that testing should be pretty easy.
As for treadmill and easier stuff from P90x, yeah I guess so. I would reccommend you also avoid anything with rapid posture changes such as burpees since that is going to have an effect on your blood pressure as you stand up and then go horizontal and back and forth. Not because I know what I am talking about, but because I am guessing it wouldn't be the best thing to do. More specifically, BP changes while having a high heart rate. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I wouldn't reccommend any high strain stuff. While I don't understand your heart stuff and wouldn't understand it much better if you explained it to me, I would guess you are suseptable to re-enlarging your heart. When you are straining against a high resistance muscular tension is squeezing your blood vessels. To keep blood flowing your heart has to squeeze even harder and an enlarged left ventricle is the adaptive effect of repeatedly trying to squeeze blood through compressed vessels. I definately don't reccommend sitting on your ass as your family members want you to. Medicine is starting to or has now realized that old school recommendations of not doing any physical activity for certain issues has caused more issues than it has ever solved. ^ These are great points. You have to be very careful about any lifting and heavy lifting especially because of your heart contrary to comments suggesting lifting and even P90X body weight exercises. Have you sought secondary professional opinions regarding exercise in relation to your heart? Cardiac rehab specialists, cardiac physical therapy? I agree that you shouldn't be sitting on your butt but your exercise should be closely monitored and there has to be some cardiac docs or physical therapists that would have ideas regarding you exercising. |
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Have you taken a post surgery stress test? That can be used to determine a safe exercising heart rate. Although it is for cardio reccomondations and not strength training, at least as far as I am aware of. I would think getting your doctor to write a prescription/recommondation for that testing should be pretty easy. As for treadmill and easier stuff from P90x, yeah I guess so. I would reccommend you also avoid anything with rapid posture changes such as burpees since that is going to have an effect on your blood pressure as you stand up and then go horizontal and back and forth. Not because I know what I am talking about, but because I am guessing it wouldn't be the best thing to do. More specifically, BP changes while having a high heart rate. I did do a treadmill stress test, I only made it to the 3rd tier which was basically a fast walk with a slight slant, too slow to run too fast to walk. My heart went stupid and I had to quit. PVC's all over the place, almost scary for me. my heart rate only got to 169 before I had to stop. I havent done any kind of lifting test or anything. Its very strange things like riding in an elevator make me VERY dizzy. yeah I agree with rapid posture changes too, I have to really pay attention to what I am doing nowadays. thanks for your advice. |
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I wouldn't reccommend any high strain stuff. While I don't understand your heart stuff and wouldn't understand it much better if you explained it to me, I would guess you are suseptable to re-enlarging your heart. When you are straining against a high resistance muscular tension is squeezing your blood vessels. To keep blood flowing your heart has to squeeze even harder and an enlarged left ventricle is the adaptive effect of repeatedly trying to squeeze blood through compressed vessels. I definately don't reccommend sitting on your ass as your family members want you to. Medicine is starting to or has now realized that old school recommendations of not doing any physical activity for certain issues has caused more issues than it has ever solved. ^ These are great points. You have to be very careful about any lifting and heavy lifting especially because of your heart contrary to comments suggesting lifting and even P90X body weight exercises. Have you sought secondary professional opinions regarding exercise in relation to your heart? Cardiac rehab specialists, cardiac physical therapy? I agree that you shouldn't be sitting on your butt but your exercise should be closely monitored and there has to be some cardiac docs or physical therapists that would have ideas regarding you exercising. I agree. im going to take everything as slow as I can go and ease into this. |
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When you say "Dr." are you talking about a Board Certified Cardiologist, or just what "kind" of Dr. is treating you? Pediatric cardiologist's. Its strange that it is pediatric i know but since ive went there since i was an infant you just stay in the same office, they treat adults as well. I have had yearly follow up appointments for over 30 years now. |
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I don't know anything in this area.
I just know the heart is a muscle. Working 24/7. I can't see why it wouldn't be beneficial to work it 15-20minutes a day with weights which would strengthen all other muscles and actually relieve your heart of some stress from the other 1420 minutes of the day. Chess, not checkers. That's how I view it. I mean, are you having some good vigarous sex? Is it any more difficult on the heart? What about a good deuce? Sometimes you can really push on those and work yourself up. Just sayin'.
That is *my* personal logic on it. Sitting around blows. Light activity is better than nada. |
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I don't know anything in this area. I just know the heart is a muscle. Working 24/7. I can't see why it wouldn't be beneficial to work it 15-20minutes a day with weights which would strengthen all other muscles and actually relieve your heart of some stress from the other 1420 minutes of the day. Chess, not checkers. That's how I view it. I mean, are you having some good vigarous sex? Is it any more difficult on the heart? What about a good deuce? Sometimes you can really push on those and work yourself up. Just sayin'.
That is *my* personal logic on it. Sitting around blows. Light activity is better than nada. not as much sex as I would like but we get the heart rate up.
I think this medication has slowed my digestive track down to almost a crawl. I am very careful not to push too much during a deuce because that would probably be very bad for me. |
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Where is your nearest University Affiliated Teaching Hospital?
I would look into a referral, if I were you. Here is a list stolen from healthguideusa.org ETA: Kentucky Teaching Hospitals are a critical part of the healthcare system. Teaching Hospitals in Kentucky are leaders in the clinical training of future physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals, Moreover, Kentucky Teaching Hospitals are at the forefront of the treatment of complex medical conditions and in the development and implementation of new medical procedures and technologies. Learn more about the inpatient and outpatient services these Kentucky Teaching Hospitals provide. Lexington, KY University of Kentucky Hospital Lexington VA Medical Center Louisville, KY Jewish Hospital UofL Healthcare University Hospital Louisville VA Medical Center |
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Have you gone to a clinic/hospital outside where you have gone or stayed in the same one? I am quite shocked that it's been this long that you cannot find a professional to guide you on this matter. Seek care outside the state if you can, look up cardiac rehab specialists. Some hospitals will have cardiac rehab centers in them.
Heart rate monitor is a must - get a good one. From your statement about the stress test, you want professional supervision. I did a short observation in a cardiac rehab unit before I started PT school, even now just finishing my DPT I would want a full on heart rate monitor on you. Only getting to level 3 on stress test, I don't think you want to be jogging. Weights are certainly questionable, even body weight. People far more stable were barely lifting 5lb weights when I observed. Your wife might be an ER nurse but you want to avoid you needing your wife's ER skills. |
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Where is your nearest University Affiliated Teaching Hospital? I would look into a referral, if I were you. Here is a list stolen from healthguideusa.org ETA: Kentucky Teaching Hospitals are a critical part of the healthcare system. Teaching Hospitals in Kentucky are leaders in the clinical training of future physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals, Moreover, Kentucky Teaching Hospitals are at the forefront of the treatment of complex medical conditions and in the development and implementation of new medical procedures and technologies. Learn more about the inpatient and outpatient services these Kentucky Teaching Hospitals provide. Lexington, KY University of Kentucky Hospital Lexington VA Medical Center Louisville, KY Jewish Hospital UofL Healthcare University Hospital Louisville VA Medical Center I had surgery at the (then brand new) Gill Heart Institute on UK's campus. Not heart surgery, mind you. But they were said to be excellent in the field. |
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Where is your nearest University Affiliated Teaching Hospital? I would look into a referral, if I were you. Here is a list stolen from healthguideusa.org ETA: Kentucky Teaching Hospitals are a critical part of the healthcare system. Teaching Hospitals in Kentucky are leaders in the clinical training of future physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals, Moreover, Kentucky Teaching Hospitals are at the forefront of the treatment of complex medical conditions and in the development and implementation of new medical procedures and technologies. Learn more about the inpatient and outpatient services these Kentucky Teaching Hospitals provide. Lexington, KY University of Kentucky Hospital Lexington VA Medical Center Louisville, KY Jewish Hospital UofL Healthcare University Hospital Louisville VA Medical Center I had surgery at the (then brand new) Gill Heart Institute on UK's campus. Not heart surgery, mind you. But they were said to be excellent in the field. yup. thats where i went/go, University of KY, Gill Heart Institute. Surgery wise everything was great, all other aspects we had to threaten to sue them once or twice... like i said my wife is an ER nurse and thank God she was there to know what was going on.
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yup. thats where i went/go, University of KY, Gill Heart Institute. Surgery wise everything was great, all other aspects we had to threaten to sue them once or twice... like i said my wife is an ER nurse and thank God she was there to know what was going on.I can't remember which surgery it was there but I had a newbie nurse that couldn't hit my vein. EVERY doctor/nurse that's ever poked me always say I have great veins. I guess that's a compliment. Easy to see and stick. I don't mind. So this newbie is missing over and over. I can feel the needle scraping AGAINST the vein. I just laugh and tell her to keep trying. I offer to help direct her hand. Poor gal kept getting more nervous and digging around. She pulled out and I said give it one more go, it won't be often she gets a patient willing to let her practice. She turns it over to this very effeminately gay nurse and he hits my vein in like a second.
On that note, I opted out of the nerve block when the anesthesiologist came in. He thought I was crazy. I said fuck no, I can take the pain. I hate the block when it wears off. Fun times. |
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Have you gone to a clinic/hospital outside where you have gone or stayed in the same one? I am quite shocked that it's been this long that you cannot find a professional to guide you on this matter. Seek care outside the state if you can, look up cardiac rehab specialists. Some hospitals will have cardiac rehab centers in them. Heart rate monitor is a must - get a good one. From your statement about the stress test, you want professional supervision. I did a short observation in a cardiac rehab unit before I started PT school, even now just finishing my DPT I would want a full on heart rate monitor on you. Only getting to level 3 on stress test, I don't think you want to be jogging. Weights are certainly questionable, even body weight. People far more stable were barely lifting 5lb weights when I observed. Your wife might be an ER nurse but you want to avoid you needing your wife's ER skills. your surely correct. Ill plan on really easing into this. |
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That might be a solution, to see if somebody will recommend (based on a successful intake evaluation) a course of Cardiac Rehab.
You will get your exercise in a controlled, monitored setting under the overall supervision of a Cardiologist. I don't know if this is feasible, or if you have any coverage, but it is worth looking into at least to the point where someone says "No". If there was any possibility of benefit, I don't see why it couldn't be done. |
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yup. thats where i went/go, University of KY, Gill Heart Institute. Surgery wise everything was great, all other aspects we had to threaten to sue them once or twice... like i said my wife is an ER nurse and thank God she was there to know what was going on.I can't remember which surgery it was there but I had a newbie nurse that couldn't hit my vein. EVERY doctor/nurse that's ever poked me always say I have great veins. I guess that's a compliment. Easy to see and stick. I don't mind. So this newbie is missing over and over. I can feel the needle scraping AGAINST the vein. I just laugh and tell her to keep trying. I offer to help direct her hand. Poor gal kept getting more nervous and digging around. She pulled out and I said give it one more go, it won't be often she gets a patient willing to let her practice. She turns it over to this very effeminately gay nurse and he hits my vein in like a second.
On that note, I opted out of the nerve block when the anesthesiologist came in. He thought I was crazy. I said fuck no, I can take the pain. I hate the block when it wears off. Fun times. ugh. they screwed up a few hep-orin (not sure on spelling) and i was bruised for months probably a few scars from those frickin things. this nurse kicks our door in on our room in the middle of the night screaming about oxygen levels. She was going berserk. You could look at the monitor and see they were fine but she flipped out and demanded I take oxygen. My wife looked at her and said, its just the monitor on his finger. its loose... She was treating a number and not the patient... after surgery they gave me medicine to wake me up, i still was intubated though. As I started to wake up they didnt like my oxygen levels so they gave me morphine to 'sedate' me, which decreases your oxygen levels even more. I was sitting up begging them to take that tube out for hours and they wouldnt. then they tied me to the bed and kept pumping morphine but i was awake. I was writing notes on notepads telling them i couldnt breathe and to take the tube out. they kept saying to breathe but after your chest has been cut open and your sternum cut in half its hard to take a deep breath... Reminds me of the Metallica song One. you cant breathe, you cant talk, you cant swallow you cant move I didnt have contacts/glasses so I couldnt see. It was truly messed up experience. My wife finally threatened to sue them if they didnt take it out and they finally did. Afterward every nurse apologized for what happened, the Surgeon tore everyones ass my heart Doctor pulled everyone in a room and tore their asses. I guess I got a new guy who was afraid to make a call and thought he would morphine me into recovery. they changed some policies around after that I guess... They then stuck me in a place called the 'dungeon' which was a section of the hospital that they dont really use anymore but is for overflow patients I guess. My wife noticed all the rooms there had the biohazard or whatever symbols and everyone was high risk/contagient and here I am sharing a bathroom with all of them, dead flies all over the place and I have just came out of open heart surgery. My wife flipped out. They didnt tell my doctor where i was and she couldnt find me to follow up. Once she found out I was in 'the dungeon' she flipped out and had me moved. I dont know that I would ever have surgery there again... |
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That might be a solution, to see if somebody will recommend (based on a successful intake evaluation) a course of Cardiac Rehab. You will get your exercise in a controlled, monitored setting under the overall supervision of a Cardiologist. I don't know if this is feasible, or if you have any coverage, but it is worth looking into at least to the point where someone says "No". If there was any possibility of benefit, I don't see why it couldn't be done. that may be an option. The Hospital my wife works at gives free health insurance. they just changed co-pays to 50$ (thanks Obama) though. But as long as you are treated at the hospital its free basically. The main branch has an exercise type section to it, that is rehab etc. its a bit of a drive though so we will have to weigh that. |
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That might be a solution, to see if somebody will recommend (based on a successful intake evaluation) a course of Cardiac Rehab. You will get your exercise in a controlled, monitored setting under the overall supervision of a Cardiologist. I don't know if this is feasible, or if you have any coverage, but it is worth looking into at least to the point where someone says "No". If there was any possibility of benefit, I don't see why it couldn't be done. that may be an option. The Hospital my wife works at gives free health insurance. they just changed co-pays to 50$ (thanks Obama) though. But as long as you are treated at the hospital its free basically. The main branch has an exercise type section to it, that is rehab etc. its a bit of a drive though so we will have to weigh that. That's not what you want, that is for "other" rehab, post surgical rehab for backs, knees, hips, limbs, and so on. You want specifically Cardiac Rehab. It is usually in a combined department with Pulmonary Rehab. You want continuous monitoring and a staff of trained Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab Nurses at all times. I am concerned that if you attempt to self-treat you are going to end up in more trouble than you are in now. |
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That might be a solution, to see if somebody will recommend (based on a successful intake evaluation) a course of Cardiac Rehab. You will get your exercise in a controlled, monitored setting under the overall supervision of a Cardiologist. I don't know if this is feasible, or if you have any coverage, but it is worth looking into at least to the point where someone says "No". If there was any possibility of benefit, I don't see why it couldn't be done. that may be an option. The Hospital my wife works at gives free health insurance. they just changed co-pays to 50$ (thanks Obama) though. But as long as you are treated at the hospital its free basically. The main branch has an exercise type section to it, that is rehab etc. its a bit of a drive though so we will have to weigh that. That's not what you want, that is for "other" rehab, post surgical rehab for backs, knees, hips, limbs, and so on. You want specifically Cardiac Rehab. It is usually in a combined department with Pulmonary Rehab. You want continuous monitoring and a staff of trained Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab Nurses at all times. I am concerned that if you attempt to self-treat you are going to end up in more trouble than you are in now. okay. I will look into it. thanks very much! |
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Guess I'm making light of your situation (we can all use a laugh) but If I was seriously put in a place called the "dungeon" in a hospital... holy shit that'd be awesome. But I'm a sick fuck.
I'd probably flip out though. normally i would laugh but the thought of an infection in my chest didnt seem fun at all.
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One more thing.
By "monitoring" I don't mean having someone stand around and watch you exercise, I mean having you hooked up to a three-lead EKG monitor, connected to a computer by radio telemetry, with a trained Cardiac Rehab Nurse sitting there staring at the screen. Good Luck. |