HI everyone,
I am faced with the prospect of having to undergo a relatively major surgical procedure. Not sure how it’s going to play out yet, but if I do it, it will probably mean a good 6 weeks, if not more, out of commission from everything - work, driving a car, not to exercise.
Has anyone else gone through something like this and how did it affect you? I am really worried about it. I have a lot on the calendar this year, including my first IM in August. Realistically I am trying to gauge if this would still be even a remote possibility for me if I have 1.5-2 months of essentially no training, but a good base beforehand. I’m skeptical but as you can imagine have a lot invested in this race emotionally, not to mention just the general fear of losing fitness from someone who hates even taking two days in a row off from training or physical activity.
If I do this how long am I looking at for getting back to my A game?
Thanks.
What kind of surgery are you having? That will determine a lot about your recovery.
Depends on what it is. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what you have on your
schedule if it’s required. You get it done, you go when you can and you
try not to be stupid. With a lot of stuff you can get back into some aspects
of training in a few weeks, but getting back into what you’re used to now is
probably months.
At least that’s what my thoracotomy taught me.
-Jot
What kind of surgery are you having? That will determine a lot about your recovery.
It’s brain surgery of a sort, unfortunately. I am exploring a bunch of options, as this isn’t my only one, but may (or may not) end up being the best. Just would like to hear some realistic accounts of what to expect from myself athletically and on what sort of time line after a major surgery from people who have gone through it.
I know a guy who had brain surgery and was back on the bike before his skull was healed. Like in a couple of weeks. Smart or not, he did it. I think he was just happy to be alive and celebrating life. Anyway, are the doctors saying 6-8 weeks? Is that negotiable?
Have a co-worker who had brain surgery. He was out for a while, but
also not athletic before and after so no idea. He did say it wasn’t that
traumatic (hard to believe, eh?)
It’ll depend on what your Dr. says. For most stuff like this it honestly
doesn’t matter what the recovery time is. There isn’t a lot of
“cosmetic brain surgery” that I’m aware of. 
Your life is more important than a race. Let the race schedule go,
do the smart things and if you’re able to participate in a few that works
but use this time to let go of your Type A.
-Jot
I know a guy who had brain surgery and was back on the bike before his skull was healed. Like in a couple of weeks. Smart or not, he did it. I think he was just happy to be alive and celebrating life. Anyway, are the doctors saying 6-8 weeks? Is that negotiable?
6-8 weeks seems to be the typical quote from the docs, though patient accounts vary somewhat to either side of this time frame. I’m going based on what the docs say as sort of a neutral start point, this may be negotiable by up to two weeks if I fare exceedingly well. Bike riding on the trainer would probably be the first thing I could start back on.
Have a co-worker who had brain surgery. He was out for a while, but
also not athletic before and after so no idea. He did say it wasn’t that
traumatic (hard to believe, eh?)
It’ll depend on what your Dr. says. For most stuff like this it honestly
doesn’t matter what the recovery time is. There isn’t a lot of
“cosmetic brain surgery” that I’m aware of.
Your life is more important than a race. Let the race schedule go,
do the smart things and if you’re able to participate in a few that works
but use this time to let go of your Type A.
-Jot
Interestingly enough I have two viable options, one of which is very invasive microsurgery and the other which does not involve opening the skull at all. It’s hard to willingly choose the more invasive procedure with more recovery time, etc., but if it looks like that would be a definitively better way to go I’ll do it, I suppose. Hoping the facts will point me away from the surgery, just don’t know for sure yet. I want to be prepared either way.
Thought I would share my experience with you. I had qualified for IM Hawaii at IM Florida in Nov of 2000. Well on Jan 12, 2001 I was rushed to the hospital and had emergency surgery for a ruptured aortic aneurysm(lower abdomen). Woke up the next morning in ICU with 24 staples holding my stomach together. One of the first things I asked my doctor was I still able to do Hawaii. He said my body would let me know. I got back on the windtrainer Feb 12. I had completely lost all my strength and endurance after the surgery. Did 30 minutes on the bike and really struggled. Very depressing. Swam? the next day for 500 yds. Felt like my incision was going to tear open. Also started walking in the pool. Ran outside for the first time on Feb 20th. Lots of pain in my hips. First time I felt like I was getting back to normal was the end of April. Up to then it was all a struggle. I made it to Hawaii and felt decent even with the lack of base training. Did a 12:55. Even went and did Florida 5 weeks later and finished in 11:16. Honestly though I think I over did it in 2001. I probably shouldn’t have done Hawaii/Florida. I wasn’t letting my body heal. My family doctor told me it takes at least a good year to recover from my type of surgery. So I would say don’t rush back into racing or hard training. Let your body heal. There’s always next year. Good luck!
The keys to this (and all medical stuff) are very simple:
- Get second opinions (I got opinions from two pulmonologists and
then interviewed two thoracic surgeons).
- Be active in the decision making process
If you have consensus from all the medical professionals, do the
one with the best outcomes, not with the lowest recovery times.
IMO.
FWIW, here is my narrative.
-Jot
Thanks for sharing your stories I am getting third, fourth and fifth opinions! While there are certain cases of my diagnosis in which one procedure or the other is clearly reccommended, mine is not neccesarily one of them. It seems I have both options at my disposal, with a different set of pros and cons that I need to weigh out.
Sounds like you’re doing the right things.
Good luck.
-Jot
If you’ve been training hard for a number of years, the break from training may actually do you a tremendous amount of good. I’ve had two serious wrecks with broken bones, surgeries and long rehabs. I was in tip-top shape when each one happened and did all I could during the rehab process to bounce back fast. I also pushed the envelope whenever the doc told me how far I could go. When I was able to get back to real training, things came along quickly and in a few short months, I was flying. I attribute it to the deep and complete rest my body got. Others I know who’ve had similar experiences have reported the same thing and have come to the same conclusion as to why.
So … you might just be doing yourself more good than you think. You might just end up flying!
.
I had heart surgery on November 12, 2008. It was perfromed through a cardiac catheter so no big incision, no open heart surgery. There is no such ting as “minor” heart surgery (especially when its yours!) but this was about the least invasive cardiac surgical procedure I’m aware of. I was determined to start the 100 run challenge on the 15th of December.
The surgery went perfect, the parts they installed in my heart work awesome and have actually made exercise easier. My recovery went well but there were days went I felt not-so-good. To be expected when they are shoving wires into and put patches inside your heart. They fixed a thing called a Patent Foramen Ovale (P.F.O.) that caused me to have a stroke. My stroke was super minor in the grand scheme of things.
I followed (most) of my doctor’s directives and I feel darn good now, but not so great initially. You have t give yourself time to heal, and healing does take time. I doubt I am fully recovered but I feel fairly close.
Best advice I can offer based on my experience is to follow your doctor’s instructions and ask questions. Often times physicians aren’t familiar with the physical demands of being an endurance athlete so it may be up to you to familiarize them with it- the Lance Armstrong analogy usually strikes a note with them.
Most importantly, best of luck to you and I wish you a full, speedy and complete recovery.