Any climbers out there

I am new to this site and have posted this thread on two other forums before I found this sports thread. Sorry
I just got my ICD defibrillator 8 days ago for Vtach diagnosed last year, VF two weeks ago and external defibrillation . 55 years old . I have been a avid rock climber for over 30 years having enjoyed all aspects of the sport. The last few years I mainly sport climb (5.12a/b)and boulder. Does anyone still climb as hard as they did before surgery? How about indoor training , any thoughts ? Climbing is such a big part of my life , I can't see giving it up. Is there any risk of pulling the wires from over gripping or pulling too hard? The sun is shining here on the West Coast and I feel like a prisoner in my own body. Help!!!!


1 Comments

climbing

by mike thurston - 2007-08-24 10:08:56

Rolf,
Interesting. I am 55yrs. old and have been climbing for about 16 or 17 years, although no where near 5.12.
I built and owned a climbing gym in Bloomington, IN. called Hoosier Heights. My son now owns and operates the gym. In Oct. 2000 I suffered a big heart attack and lost about 1/3rd of my heart. I received a stent and also suffered from A-Fib. I got back to climbing and took up biking and although dealing with the A-Fib was hard I did o.k. Long story short the A-Fib became permanent, my EF went down to 20% and I went through a failed mini-maze that resulted in me going into shock and having my chest cut open to finish the mini-maze. Bummer. Anyway I had my AV Node ablated and the ICD/Pacer installed on May 15th. of this year. EF went up to 45% and I have slowly returned to biking and lifting. So far I can ride my Mtn. Bike on the road for a couple of hours and feel pretty good. I want to start climbing and my EP and the Medtronic Reps. actually do not discourage this. I am fairly big for a climber (5'10" at 220lbs.) so I will lose weight and climb easy stuff. I to worry about lead damage but the Doc says it is difficult to predict what will and won't cause problems. Over the years I have come to realize that climbing for me is as much about relationships as opposed to how hard I climb. I will be more than content to climb a 5.3 at Seneca and 5.8 sport at the Red.
If harder stuff comes and is easier than that is o.k. too.
I once hiked from my hotel in Boulder up to the 1st. Flat Iron in 95% heat and then soloed up about 400 feet of easy rock to the right of the flat iron. I was in vicious A-Fib and I have had this happen on many, many occasions while leading, t-ring and biking. I am hoping that I will feel better than ever now that I am totally pacemaker dependent. I wish you all the best in your climbing and hope you get to live out your dreams.
Mike

You know you're wired when...

You can proudly say you’re energy efficient.

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.