running

I'm curious about what runners experienced after they got a pm and tried to get back into running. I'm 47 and getting back into it but find I'm nowhere near where I was.
Thanks,
Rusty

4 Comments

running

by CathrynB - 2007-04-03 01:04:15

Hi Rusty. How long have you had your PM and how often and far were you running before? How much time have you taken off from running? I'm 50 years old and got my first PM 1-24-07. I've been a runner for 30 years, generally running 5-6 miles, 4-6 times a week. My EP told me not to run for 6 weeks after surgery. I'm running 4 miles now, but slower than before. The biggest problem I've had is figuring out how to keep my sports bra strap from pressing on the PM to the point of discomfort, and from rubbing the incision site to the point of serious irritation. I finally cut out a round disc-shaped thing from foam, used clippers to create an indented portion that fits over the PM, placed the disc inside a nylon sleeve and tied the sleeve to the bra strap to keep it in place. Assuming "Rusty" is a guy's name, you don't have this problem. My doctor says I'll be able to get back to the same level of fitness as before, and there are other runners on this site who have done that successfully, including a few who can run marathons still. It probably depends partly on whether your only cardiac problem is electrical, or whether you've got other cardiac or medical issues too. Mine is only electrical -- bradycardia, sinus bradycardia. I'm 5% pacer dependent, with a bottom daytime setting of 55 bpm, no rate response, and no upper limit. I'm beginning to think it just takes longer to recover, for some of us anyway, than we'd hoped. The docs make it sound like this surgery is "no big deal" but I think for most of us it's more than that. Good luck getting back into your running, and I'd love to keep posted on your progress and have another runner to compare notes with if you're interested in private message. Take care, Cathryn

me too

by Gonzi - 2007-04-03 04:04:08

Hey Rusty, hey Cathryn.
I'm a runner too. 37yrs old, PM inplanted Sept last year. I know what you mean. once i get to a certain speed i feel like I'm running in mud. It's like the pm drags my heartrate back down and i'm running backwards! Just hang in there. I push myself and it seems to be paying off. bloody frustrating those first few months.And Cathryn, I had exactly the same problem with the bra straps, so I bought strapping tape and put it over the scar when running. tho having said that, the scar still continually itches! I'm 17% dependant in upper, 18% lower. So NOT going to let this piece of metal rule my life!
Sasha

cardio shape after implant

by boogiewithstu - 2007-04-16 05:04:41

Hey you guys ..... I"ve had a pacer since 2002 and am now 38 years old .... one thing I noticed after the implant was my heart did not recover like it did before.... simple tasks made my heart elevate much easier ... I tried like heck to get back into shape but I just couldn't seem to get back my conditioning ..... my pacer only fires 2 percent of the time and I mainly only needed it at night when I would rest cause thats when my heart would drop beats ... I was borderline in even needing a pacer after and ablation procedure .... I now need medication to control my heart rate when exercising .... without the beta blocker my heart just doesn't want to relax ..... I was thinking maybe the wires were affecting my blood flow but my cardio doc says no .... bottom line is I'm a very active person and know my body well..... since the pacer I just simply don't have the same endurance .... have you guys had luck getting back to normal cardio shape after your implants? I'm having no such luck

Still running

by n2rnn - 2007-09-10 11:09:37

Am 11 months post implant and back to running about 25 miles per week. Have had some of the same problems getting back to where i was. Finally gave up and just decided to appreciate the fact that I am alive and still able to run at all. I'm 61 year old and will run my 10,000th mile this month in the Akron Ohio Roadrunner Marathon with a group of other cardiac athletes. Will do a 10-mile section as part of a relay team. In this summer's training, I have found that I have to stop and walk more than I ever have done before. I also have days when things seem like old times--9:00 minute pace and without too much fatigue. i guess I'm saying that no, things aren't as they were but I am really enjoying just being up and about. Survived complet heart stoppage three times between home and the hospital--that makes you glad you are still around to tell about it. Keep your spirits up. Don't let this thing keep you from pushing a little.

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