Should You Exercise Before Heart Surgery?
Great questions keep rolling into my inbox! Thanks everybody!
I just received an interesting question about whether or not it is safe to exercise AFTER heart valve disease diagnosis but BEFORE surgery. Specifically, Brigid B. wrote to me:
Today I was told by my cardiologist that I had two leaky heart valves. The cardiologist did not seem too concerned. He said that approximately 80% of people have some leaking in their heart valves. He also said to come back in six months for a follow-up appointment. One of my symptoms is shortness of breath. I’m really concerned and will probably not sleep tonight.
I was wondering if I could ask you a question. I have been trying to get healthy and purchased a treadmill last month. Would exercising make my heart work even harder and potentially cause more damage to my heart valves?
MY RESPONSE TO BRIGID’S QUESTION ABOUT EXERCISING AFTER HEART VALVE DISORDER DIAGNOSIS
Hi Brigid B.,
Nice to meet you. And, thanks for writing me about the topics of exercise, leaky heart valves and heart strain.
It’s a really good question. In fact, it’s such a good question, you should probably phone your cardiologist and get his medical thoughts. As you will read below, I encountered this precise question following my diagnosis before my aortic valve replacement. However, I highly encourage you to chat with your cardiologist to get his ideas given each patient is unique.
As for me… Following my second opinion from Dr. Chaikin in Los Angeles, my cardiologist told me to STOP EXERCISING COMPLETELY. But, you have to remember, my situation sounds like it was much more critical than yours. My aortic valve was severely defective and my heart was already dilated. I had severe aortic stenosis and a bicuspid aortic valve.
That was a very, very, very tough time for me. I love to swim, to bike, to lift weights and to run.
But, here’s the GOOD NEWS…
Now, it’s two years after surgery. Guess what? I’m exercising about five times per week. I’m back at the gym lifting weights. I’m at the pool swimming laps. I run. And, I even surf occasionally.
For me, that is the blessing of heart valve surgery. It has given me a second chance to re-experience all that I appreciate about life.
I hope that helps answer your questions about exercise before heart surgery.
Keep on tickin!
Adam Pick is a former patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This special book was designed to help patients and caregivers better understand the opportunities and potential pitfalls of heart valve replacement and heart valve repair surgery. Ultimately, this book was written to minimize patient stress and to enhance the patient’s recovery. To learn more about Adam’s heart valve surgery book, click here.
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March 6th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
HI ADAM AND BRIGID: THIS IS WHY I LOVE THIS BLOG!! SO MUCH FEEDBACK!! HERE IS OUR EXPERIENCE. MY HUSBAND SERGIO (54 YO) WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A SEVERE DAMAGE IN HIS MITRAL VALVE, HE’S HEART WAS DILATED TOO AND HE WAS GIVIN HIS HEART A LOT OF WORK PUMPING. LET ME TELL YOU HE NEVER HAD A SYMPTOM ABOUT IT, BEFORE THE DIAGNOSIS HE WAS SPINNING, SWIMMING, SKATING LIKE AN 18 YEAR OLD, HE LOVES EXCERCISE BUT DOCTORS TOLD HIM TO STOP CLOMPLETELY WHAT HE WAS DOING, NOW HE KNEW WHAT HE HAD HE MUST GIVE HIS HEART A BREAK ON SO MUCH PUMPING. FIRST OF ALL HE FELT BAD BECAUSE HE LOVES TO EXCERCISE BUT WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU YOUR HEART IS NOT DOING WELL (IN SPITE YOU FEEL WELL) YOU BEGAN TO FEEL FEAR ITS GOING TO STOP SO WE THOUGHT IT IS FEW SACRIFICE JUST TO BE RELAXED AND PREPARED TO BE FIXED. THERE IS MORE RISK THAN GAIN BUT LIKE ADAM SAYS YOU MUST CHECK IT OUT WITH YOUR CARDIOLOGIST BECAUSE EACH CASE IS DIFFERENT. WITH THE HEART YOU NEVER CAN SAY EVERYTHING BECAUSE IN SERGIO’S CASE JUST ONE DAY BEFORE SURGERY IN THE CATHETHERISM THEY DISCOVERED HE HAD AN ADDITIONAL HOLE IN HIS HEART THAT HAD TO BE CLOSED!!!! SO AS MUCH AS YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEART BEFORE SURGERY IS THE BETTER. I HOPE EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK WITH YOUR HEART, MY BEST WISHES FOR YOU.
I FORGOT TO MENTION BRIGID MY HUSBAND MITRAL VALVE WAS REPLACED 15 DAYS AGO AND HE IS DOING EVEN BETTER THAN ME!!!!!
March 10th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Bridgid, Maribel:
first and foremost, always check with your cardiologist. Next to you, he should know your case better than any one else. And it is true, everyone is different, similar, but definitely unique. However, remember that the heart is a muscle (the most important muscle in our body)and that excercise makes muscles grow, which is fine and dandy for the rest of our muscles (they look better and get stronger, right?) except that because of the work the heart must do (pumping all that blood through our system every minute of our lives) it does not work the same. The heart gets bigger in a different way, remember it is sort of hollow inside to hold our blood and pump it throught the valves, but the “bigger” in the heart also means thicker walls, and reduced pumping capacity/ eventually an enlarged heart has more difficulty pumping (squeezing)the blood with the same force and then we get in trouble. It may be interesting to check, in addition to checking with your cardiologist, with an excercise physiologist out of curiosity, and see how they can explain this to you and if they explain it in a similar manner. Best of luck. John, my son, had his valve replacement with Ross Procedure March 5, and although he had a difficult 24 hours after surgery, everything worked for the best and he was released from the hospital today, day 5 post op! He is at home, resting, feeling better every hour, glad he read Adam’s book (and that his care team read it too!) re reading it again and getting ready to email pictures of his recovery and walking in the ICU. So far this evening his incision pain is very tolerable with the medications and he is on the minimal dose so far. Love to all, my “stitched” heart family! Mercy, mother of John.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Hi Mercy!!! We are so happy John is Ok. Isn\’t it a blink of and eye? sure it is!! I am glad everything went well in John\’s surgery and now he\’s home and well taken cared of. Say hello to him and congratulations!! Now begins a new phase in this stitching adventure: the recovery, it is good he is not having so much pain, Sergio is really painless and that is good for getting around by themselves. My piece of advice be cautios with the visits, Sergio began the visits as soon as he got out of the hospital and he catched a cold, minor cold but it put us in a big worry and he had to cough and sneeze a lot (ouch) take care of that, everybody will want to see him and people don\’t think about the consecuences, some of them don\’t even realize they\’re sick or becoming sick and believe me he surely catch it. After surgery and transfusions they are still weak and need to be in a very clean envioronment. Buy some mouth covers and have them around so when visits come you better ask them if they feel sick , believe me it sounds like not polite but I tell you is better to be not so polite than having him with a cold coughing and sneezing. Well I hope I hear more from you!!! Congratulations again!!!