bgdoyle

Until I can ride my bike again. 7 weeks out of Aortic valve replacement. Have to give my chest a chance to heal. It's 'killin' me (not riding). I was riding 25 miles a day the last month before surgery. Got 800 miles in the spring / summer. Was hoping to get in 1000, but the doc said it was a best to have the surgery while I was still healthy (just rated at severe aortic valve stenosis, but no symptoms), so we got 'er done. That first month after surgery was pretty rough as the ventilator allowed my lungs to fill with a lot of fluid. So yackin that up was pretty painful. Doing good now, just gotta wait. Hoping for a mild winter!

Troul 

Sounds like a doo doo experience. If you dont mind, about how old are you?

Flip Flop Rider

winter in Nevada should be pretty mild right?

bgdoyle

67 in two months.
This is Nevada, you never know about weather. We are at about 4300 ft, high desert. It can get cold (-12F) and windy. But it usually stays dry. You just have to wait and see.

Troul 

Thanks.

At least the weather can bring you a warmer drier positive than here.

BobbyG

Did you get Schrader or Presta valves? (Or being an older model Dunlop/Woods?)

Just kidding...all the best for a complete recovery and the best possible outcome!

bgdoyle

On my bike I have presta (with caps) but internally I got cow. 25mm but I don't know if that's a id or od.

livedarklions

Happy for you that the surgery appears to have gone well and the physically hard part of recovery is over--hacking with a post-op chest sounds incredibly awful.

So I think the service BF can best do for you is to provide you with suggestions of how to pass the time while you wait to be fully healed. I'll go first:

1) Make up increasingly elaborate stories you can tell strangers about how you got those chest scars.
2) Shopping for a new bike.
3) Starting a thread on BF with a post that takes a completely unreasonable position about how everyone should be using the exact same tires you use at exactly the same pressure, and then arguing with all the irate responses.
4) Giving all your household appliances clever nicknames.

Glad everything was caught in time. Once we reach a certain age, we all know somebody who didn't find out until it was too late. You'll be back chasing them desert critters before you know it.

rumrunn6

good luck, be a good patient, you gonna start with an indoor stationary thing like they have at gyms?

bgdoyle

I've got a nordictrac recumbant exercycle. Started on that about 3 weeks ago. Just getting my legs moving. This past week its been 41-43 minutes / 10 miles @14-16 mph. No real load on the pedals but it's something. I used the exerbike to get down from 328lbs about 5 years ago. Gained and lost but I retired last year and was able get back on the real thing. So much better. Trouble is you have to watch how far you ride out, 'cause ya gotta ride back!

ps - been eyeballing the Giant Revolt, pretty much the same as my Defy but fat tires. Right now I turn around when the pavement ends.

DrIsotope

Moved to Pills & Ills.

Fendertele

Prayers for continued recovery and getting back to your passion soon.

OldTryGuy

Good luck and make sure to tell slower riders to -----

MOO -- ve over when you pass.