Can't exercise :(

Colorscheme

So, last week I had a cardiac ablation for AVRNT. No heavy lifting or exercise for a week. It was one week ago on Tuesday, I thought I'd be able to handle exercise but nope. Not only do I have horrible fatigue, but chest pain too due to inflammation from where the tissue was burned. It takes three months to fully recover since scar tissue has to form.

For those who don't know what AVNRT is, it's a type of fast heart rate that occurs when you have extra pathway in the atrium, on the right side of the heart. This pathway causes a circuit loop which in then causes the heart rate. During my EP study, the doctor said my heart rate was 240 so he said all he could do was burn enough of the area that my hr can't go that high and that he can't abate the entire extra pathway or else I'd need a pacemaker. I'm 31, so the doctor obviously wanted to avoid putting any device in my chest.

Has anyone had this done? did the side effects go away? I've been having problems since I got out of the procedure. The catheter site kept bleeding and I was so nauseous and exhausted that I slept for five hours.

It's disheartening since I've been exercising five days a week since I got my Fitbit in August, averaging 15k-16k steps a day. I can barely manage 5k. It feels strange not to move much.

I know exercise isn't necessary to lose weight, I'm going to have to rely on a calorie deficit until I'm feeling better.

snickerscharlie

Another suggestion would be to go into maintenance until you are better. Losing weight is not a race. Let your body heal and then gradually pick up where you left off.

Colorscheme

Yeah, that's true. If it's possible though, I'd like to lose weight instead of maintaining since I'm right at the edge of overweight and normal BMI. I guess I'll take it one day at a time and see how I feel. I can't say that the ablation has been worth it. I didn't know the doctor would not be able to ablate much, had I known that I would have said no to the ablation.

queenbekks

I had (a completely different) surgery over the summer and couldn't exercise for 3 months. I was so upset at first bc I have always relied on exercise to lose weight (thereby eating whatever I wanted). However, I kept reading that a healthy diet is how to lose weight, while exercise is how to get in shape. So I changed my attitude and chose to view those three months as an opportunity to really make myself eat better, track accurately and faithfully, measure portions, etc. And I lost 15 lbs. Good luck and good health! ::

snickerscharlie

realityfades wrote: »

Yeah, that's true. If it's possible though, I'd like to lose weight instead of maintaining since I'm right at the edge of overweight and normal BMI. I guess I'll take it one day at a time and see how I feel.

It's just a number on the scale as well as a number on a chart, though. I get how important that is, having just recently gotten from an overweight BMI into a normal one myself, but you've got some bigger fish to fry right now, mainly giving your heart time to heal.

If you can manage a slight caloric deficit and a wee bit of walking every day, so much the better. But don't beat yourself up over it.

Colorscheme

Queenbeks: That's exactly where I am right now. Thanks for the vote of confidence, though. It is frustrating, I got so used to walking and made it a habit.

Snickercharlie: you're right, it is just a number. I have been trying. I managed 10 and 11k steps on Monday and Tuesday and felt sort of ok, but I only managed 8k steps yesterday and that felt like I was pushing it. I'm playing it by eart. Resting when I feel like I need to, trying to get a little walking in if I feel up to it. I guess I just have to get used to a different way of life until I'm fully recovered.

Liftng4Lis

I would worry about getting better right now. Exercise will be there when you're healed up woman!

HappyHope0123

How about entering into a cardiac rehab program through the doctor's office? I'd do what you can...don't over do it, but maintain as much as you can...what about different types of activity...do you think bike riding or water sports would be too much? How about breaking your activity up throughout the day?

Colorscheme

HappyHope0123 wrote: »

How about entering into a cardiac rehab program through the doctor's office? I'd do what you can...don't over do it, but maintain as much as you can...what about different types of activity...do you think bike riding or water sports would be too much? How about breaking your activity up throughout the day?

I don't know if I could do rehab. Well, I know I could but I'm a full time parent to a one year old so if I did do it, I'd have to get someone to watch my son. My bike is at my parents house, I have no place to store it where I live. I've been doing Leslie Sansone's walking workouts on youtube.

It seems the morning is the hardest, with some energy returning in the afternoon, so that's when I try to do a 15 to 20 workout.

HappyHope0123

Are you seeping well? What makes mornings the hardest?

Colorscheme

I sleep ok. Go to bed between 9:30 and 10:00 pm. Wake up at 7:00 am because that's when my son gets up. What makes mornings hard is the fatigue. I don't understand why I am so tired, I was never this exhausted before the ablation but ever since I had it, I've been feeling wiped out until 1-2 pm. Then I start feeling tired again in the late afternoon/early evening.

I just have to do my best to get through it and hope the fatigue goes away as I heal.

WendyLaubach

My brother-in-law and aunt both had this procedure. It does get better! But be sure you're in communication with your doctor about how tired you feel and whether anything needs to be addressed. After that, it takes patience to recover from surgery. Maybe think of this as a time to find out how much food your body needs when you're not very active? The scale tells the truth. Somebody here recommended a great site, www.eatthismuch.com, where you can plug in the calories you want to eat every day and it will spit back out a daily or weekly menu, complete with recipes and shopping lists. Truly a no-brainer for when you need to concentrate on daily tasks and physical recovery.

I hope your doctor gave you some guidance about post-operative exercise levels?

HappyHope0123

It doesn't make sense that you are waking up feeling fatigued. Is the kiddo sleeping through the night? Are you? I'd go see the primary care doctor. Are you iron deficient?

ReeseG4350

Most of the comments here are spot on. Your number one priority at this point is to heal! (Yes, even if that means you gain a few pounds!!!) But, gaining weight is not a given. That one year old can keep you hopping, I know. And that, in itself, can be exhausting under the current conditions. But he can also help you with your weight maintenance period. Whenever possible, put him in a stroller and take him for a slow, easy stroll around your neighborhood. If you're not trying to run a marathon, the cardio can be a great help both in your weight control and your cardiac rehab. Since you walk everyday anyway, even if only to get from one room to another, a concerted light walking program right now can help keep you on track for your ultimate goals without taxing your heart beyond your capacity.

realityfades wrote: »

"I'd like to lose weight instead of maintaining since I'm right at the edge of overweight and normal BMI."

Remember Aesop's tortoise and hare. Take it slow. Take your time. Keep your target in focus and don't try to force it. Unless your goal is simply to leave a beautiful corpse, then you need to look at the long game. Life has its setbacks. Expect them. Learn to adjust when necessary to stay on your path. You'll make it. It won't happen overnight but then, few things in life do. And, anything worth fighting for is worth the time you invest in it!

Good luck. Get healthy.

Colorscheme

HappyHope0123 wrote: »

It doesn't make sense that you are waking up feeling fatigued. Is the kiddo sleeping through the night? Are you? I'd go see the primary care doctor. Are you iron deficient?

My son has been sleeping through the night since he was 4 months old. Not deficient in anything, I had to have a bunch of blood work for the procedure, plus I was in the hospital last month and had blood work there since I had cellulitis and needed a week of IV antibiotics.

I was pretty much fine until the ablation, maybe the fatigue has to do with the heart going crazy for a while until the ablation settles. Supposedly, it gets worse before it gets better.

WendyLaubach wrote: »

My brother-in-law and aunt both had this procedure. It does get better! But be sure you're in communication with your doctor about how tired you feel and whether anything needs to be addressed. After that, it takes patience to recover from surgery. Maybe think of this as a time to find out how much food your body needs when you're not very active? The scale tells the truth. Somebody here recommended a great site, www.eatthismuch.com, where you can plug in the calories you want to eat every day and it will spit back out a daily or weekly menu, complete with recipes and shopping lists. Truly a no-brainer for when you need to concentrate on daily tasks and physical recovery.

I hope your doctor gave you some guidance about post-operative exercise levels?

The doc said no exercise for a week. When the week was up, I started getting back into walking. But my chest hurts on and off all day and the fatigue prevents me from doing more. I see the EP next week. I have an implantable loop recorder so if there are any additional problems, he'll be able to see it. In the meantime, I am going to do the best I can but not push myself too far.

I'm going to the site, I haven't heard about it before. Thanks for the info.

EvgeniZyntx

realityfades wrote: »

I sleep ok. Go to bed between 9:30 and 10:00 pm. Wake up at 7:00 am because that's when my son gets up. What makes mornings hard is the fatigue. I don't understand why I am so tired, I was never this exhausted before the ablation but ever since I had it, I've been feeling wiped out until 1-2 pm. Then I start feeling tired again in the late afternoon/early evening.

I just have to do my best to get through it and hope the fatigue goes away as I heal.

Talk to your doctor. You might have an apnea or other cardiorespiratory response related to the surgery which would result in fatigue.

Colorscheme

EvgeniZyntx wrote: »

realityfades wrote: »

I sleep ok. Go to bed between 9:30 and 10:00 pm. Wake up at 7:00 am because that's when my son gets up. What makes mornings hard is the fatigue. I don't understand why I am so tired, I was never this exhausted before the ablation but ever since I had it, I've been feeling wiped out until 1-2 pm. Then I start feeling tired again in the late afternoon/early evening.

I just have to do my best to get through it and hope the fatigue goes away as I heal.

Talk to your doctor. You might have an apnea or other cardiorespiratory response related to the surgery which would result in fatigue.

Yeah, I see him next week and will ask him about that and the chest pain. I know there's going to be some irritation but sometimes people get pericarditis from the procedure as well as other stuff. And I have a loop recorder implanted so he'll be able to see if anything else abnormal is going on.

ninerbuff

It's a SERIOUS issue. Don't do anything that your cardiologist doesn't approve of. I've worked in a Wellness Center and met members who suffered from this and many aren't put on even moderate exercise programs till they have full clearance by their cardiologists.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Colorscheme

Really? I was told I could start walking a week after the procedure, and by three months will be mostly healed. I will double check with my EP when I see him next week. I honestly thought the recovery would be much better than it is. I read up on the procedure and I also talked to the EP about what to expect afterward but reading and experiencing it are two very different things.

ninerbuff

realityfades wrote: »

Really? I was told I could start walking a week after the procedure, and by three months will be mostly healed. I will double check with my EP when I see him next week. I honestly thought the recovery would be much better than it is. I read up on the procedure and I also talked to the EP about what to expect afterward but reading and experiencing it are two very different things.

You're asking the boards (who probably aren't experts in the field) for advice or experience. Say you take just advice on walking. Your blood pressure drops and you get dizzy or feel faint. You DON'T think that could be serious?
Whatever protocol your cardiologist gave you should be the protocol you follow.
You can control weight by calorie intake. Exercise isn't even needed to do it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

tbilly20

I would ask for a second opinion. Everyone is different, but AVNRT should one of the easier arythmias to fix. This is far better than AFib or WPW.

I had the same procedure done 5 years ago. I had two excess pathways, both of which were ablated. I was told by my ElectroCardiologist to cease exercising for one week as my incision site healed. I was cleared to resume workouts after that, and I have not had an episode since the surgery.

The first few days are very hard. Your heart has been burned, and even walking can be quite taxing. By one week's time, I was back on the bicycle. Within a month, I was as good as new.

Always do as your doctor advises you, but don't be afraid to ask questions or seek a second opinion!