pullovers, flyes

Are these ok? I am now 5 weeks post-op. I had a pacer implanted while on vacation emergency style. The doc here is so nonchalant, at week three he said I could do anything I wanted, weights and all. Only thing he said was he would frown on my using a jack-hammer.(No danger of that!)

I'd love to go ahead and do like he says, but I have these visions of the leads ripping out of my heart as I do a nice stretch with my flyes! I remember at the hospital one of the docs telling me my weight-lifting days were over. So, I'm confused! Any words of wisdom out there?

4 Comments

depends..

by turboz24 - 2009-09-13 09:09:28

It seems to depend from Doc to Doc, also from how the pacer was implanted. There are several veins they can access to implant the wires, mine for example goes into the axillary vein.

I'm cleared to do any weight lifting I want to, including military presses, flys, etc and if your pacer was implanted with an active person in mind, you should be able to do the same.

I would confirm with the doc who implanted the device so you can know how it was implanted.

Untimately it's up to you want you feel you can and can't do, though even if there is an increased risk of lead issues.

My suggestions

by ElectricFrank - 2009-09-13 10:09:46

Start off gently to give your body a chance to get used to it. After all it's been at least 5 weeks. In my case I saw the cardiologist for a checkup about 2 weeks after the implant. At that point he told me to go back to normal activities and just avoid things that hurt or seemed to pull on the incision.

Funny you should mention a jack hammer. Somewhere around 6 mo to a year I planted some shrubs in the front yard and used a jack hammer to break up the hard pan.
That's when I discovered the rate response was on and the jack hammer drove my HR through the roof.

frank

hi hotreds!

by GMan - 2009-09-14 09:09:47

I'm going in tomorrow early. I will ask. I'm at 7+ weeks and can't imagine flyes & pullovers yet.

Gary

The most important thing is

by walkerd - 2009-09-15 07:09:32

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!!!!! It will tell you listen to it. I was told 6 weeks after mine but I had had High risk bypass aug of 08 then my pm/defib installed in sept, so I took it a little slower, but I was told by all listen to your body, the greatest advice I was given, 5 weeks seems a little quick but Im no doctor, go slow with whatever you do and be aware of what your body tells you and make sure you listen.
dave

You know you're wired when...

A thirty-day guarantee is not good enough.

Member Quotes

The experience of having a couple of lengths of wire fed into your heart muscle and an electronic 'box' tucked under the skin is not an insignificant event, but you will survive.