Surgery went well and I'm on the mend

[marni]

best wishes for a quick recovery and the patience to deal with recovery in general. Take the time to plan a couple of goals for the tuture, and a couple of bike dream trips- do lots and lots of on line research-hang in there and before you know it, you'll be back to riding. Blogging is a good idea, too few people write about dealing with life difficulties like a healthy person recovering from something major. It will help to inspire other bikers who may need the adivce and thought.

best wishes and lots of healing light.

[ny biker]

I'm glad to hear that things are going well.

I've known several people who found that talking about their experience with major surgery helped them deal with the process. So I would think that blogging about it might be helpful for you, as well as any readers who might benefit.

Of course you're always welcome to vent here as needed!!

[Bike Writer]

Thank you to all for warm wishes and thoughts. I feel stronger a little bit each day. I long to be back on the bike but for now I'll satisfy myself with other pursuits like outdoor strolling. With knee problems and working on my feet most of my life I've not been much of a walker except treadmills for exercise before knee problems. Right now it's my only way to engage with the outdoors.

Snapdragen, I have no plans for cardiac rehab as the Dr. has not ordered it, however it's mentioned in the book the surgeons office gave me. Do you know much about this?

Muirenn, yup the bike is often given as a form of exercise for surgery recovery, the cardiac surgeon is a cyclist because when he asked where I live he mentioned that he often rode to Whitmore Lake from Ann Arbor and we discovered that we both enjoyed bicycling. The surgeon who did my knee replacement is a cyclist also and deals with his own arthritis as well. I would think that those are both good endorsements for the benefit to joints and heart health that a bike can deliver!

jessmarimba, mind-numbing, good description.

shooting star you made me laugh

[shootingstar]

Ok, BikeWriter. ..you must have read my latest blog post. (I don't think I said anything too funny..here. Just good wishes. )

[Wahine]

I'm glad to hear that surgery went well. Cardiac rehab is a very helpful thing when it comes time to get back into activity and I would encourage you to ask your doctor about it since he hasn't mentioned it to you yet.

Good job keeping your head on straight! Continue to heal well!

[Crankin]

Nice to see you back, Bike Writer. I am sure that your recovery will progress nicely.

[roadie gal]

I'm so glad everything went well! Definitely call your doctor(s) and ask about rehab. Let them know you want to be able to do vigorous exercise in the near future. A lot of times doctors aren't clued into the fact that their patients want more than to just be able to get around. Heart docs, in particular, are used to older folks who aren't that healthy.

To use my own example... I got a pacemaker at the age of 45. Before getting it I had a LONG discussion with the doc about how I wanted to be able to run and bike and ski again. I think it was eye opening for him.

Make sure they set up a program for you that gets you going as soon as safely possible. I'm sure there are some rehab folks that are more keyed in to athletes that you could go to.

[snapdragen]

After my father had his bypass surgery, he went in for cardiac rehab. He liked it, it helped him get his fitness back, while making sure he didn't over do it. I don't know a lot of the details though.

[AppleTree]

Bike Writer, glad to hear your recovery is going so well...lots to look forward to in the next season! Winter is a good time to recover and make small steps to get stronger and feel better. You'll get there.

[Bike Writer]

I received a book on bicycling from one of my TE friends Hebe from the UK, I read a few pages before drifting off last night and I dreamed of riding all night or so it seemed. Not any special place I normally ride but a mixture of terrain from cobblestone little streets (none of those around here), to paved roads and gravel roads, pieces of pathway and everything in between. In my dream I sailed up hills chuckling that I was no longer out of breath. In my dream I rode for miles and miles. Nice. Sweet.

[thekarens]

I received a book on bicycling from one of my TE friends Hebe from the UK, I read a few pages before drifting off last night and I dreamed of riding all night or so it seemed. Not any special place I normally ride but a mixture of terrain from cobblestone little streets (none of those around here), to paved roads and gravel roads, pieces of pathway and everything in between. In my dream I sailed up hills chuckling that I was no longer out of breath. In my dream I rode for miles and miles. Nice. Sweet.

Awesome dream and something to look forward to during your recovery!