Posted by steve giddings on February 07, 2002 at 13:24:35:
In Reply to: Re: 18 Week Update - Mini-Maze III at Cleveland Clinic posted by Jim Roff on February 06, 2002 at 19:06:40:
Jim:
I thiink the short answer to it seems like 19n weeks should be long enough is: "It's not." Look at some other parameters associated with the procedure. Is the pain completely gone from the incision site? What is your resting heart rate in NSR compared to what it was prior to surgery? Is your exercise tolerance anywhere close to where it was prior to surgery? Are your scars flat and pale or are they still raised, pink and a little tender? It takes up to a month for atria to begin mechanically contracting even after being electrically cardioverted. There are post op studies (Japanese group, can't find my file) that showed that atrial contractile function took 6 months to a year to return in post maze patients.
People take a long time to completely rehab after major injury or surgery. I like to use Ernie Conwell (I'm a Rams fan) as an ezxample. He injured his knee more than 3 years ago. It took him until this year to reach the level of performance he ahd reached prior to injury (apart from dropping a crucial pass in a Superbowl).
It took me from one to two years to get to a point where I felt "recovered" during exercise. Anders Kingstadt, who posts here and had surgery about the same time I did, reports a similar experience. It has only been in the last year that my cardiovascular performance (I'm a masters rowing competitor with delsions of grandeur)got better than it was prior to surgery.
SO Be patient. ANd best of luck
Steve Giddings