exercise after heart surgery?

Please can anyone help. I had open heart surgery on july 31st. And had some major complacations double pnewmonia. also congestive heart failure. Now i realize i half to build my strength . but wondered if any one had been thru this.   thank you so much 

     lilsobergirl

hey there,

im a nurse and several open heart  patients i work with ask this question. typically the younger ones, like yourself. what type of workouts did you do prior to your operation? my best advice would be to start out slow, like walking 1 mile than build from there, if you experience chest pain or shortness of breath during this i recommened you speak with your doctor and he may be able to put you on a exercise regimen. remember to eat healthy as well, because diet and exercise go hand in hand.  

That is amazing that you have come through that procedure unscathed!  You can do simple strength training exercises around your house (ie doing squats with a 5lb bag of sugar etc).  Before you do anything though I would echo krenren and speak to your doctor about it. 

I had congestive heart failure 3 years ago and I know what you mean about exercise. I need it bad but can't do enough of it.

I was in a wheelchair with a broken foot for 3 months last year and the muscles in my lower left leg melted away to nothing. Thats making it very difficult to move around enough to burn calories.

My cardiologist gave me a stress test. Result: no heavy lifting. No weight training. Only riding a bike, swimming, walking, slow jogging and stretching. Can't rebuild muscle that way... I can't even burn enough calories to keep the fat off.

Thanks for listening..