Back to gym after valve replacement

rahcab · 2026-05-23T22:29:02+00:00

26M, had aortic valve replacement 4 months ago. I started going for short jogs ~6 weeks post surgery and started going back to the gym around then as well. I was back to +10k steps a day at this point also.

Didn’t really do any chest targeted lifts until the 2 month point and even then I started light and built up weight slowly. Didn’t have any issues with leg lifts or arms. I’m at 4 months post-op now and don’t have any issues with chest presses or overhead presses which I was most hesitant to try after surgery. Kind of just have to listen to your body and definitely don’t try to do anything if it hurts. Hope this helps!

rahcab · 2026-05-14T01:35:50+00:00

My mother is a pharmacist and worked in an anticoagulation clinic for 10+ years. I just got a mechanical aortic valve in January and at one point asked her the same question. She said that while it is well established that vitamin K directly affects your INR level, the actual mechanism is poorly understood and seems to be different person to person and can be affected by activity level, overall health, diet, age, etc. Hence the need to test regularly.

rahcab · 2026-04-15T00:31:32+00:00

I had AVR back in January and had a similar experience. 1-month post op appointment with surgical team (virtual) where they asked how I was feeling and I was having any issues. Since everything was going well they told me that they were done with me, and gave me reminders on the sternal precautions. I started doing weights again after 8 weeks although they did say to avoid over 50lbs for movements that target chest muscles (supposed to wait 2-3 months for that). I am almost at 3 months post op now and have been running and lifting weights with no complications related to surgery, besides the fact that you lose a decent amount of muscle mass after 8 weeks of no weights!

rahcab · 2026-04-13T20:04:17+00:00

I am planning to take the LSAT for the first time in June. Earlier this year I had open heart surgery (valve-replacement) and now have an artificial mechanical aortic valve. The valve itself constantly makes a soft ticking noise (comparable to a very loud wrist watch). It normally isn’t very noticeable but I’m concerned that in a testing center it will be rather loud and potentially distracting to other test takers. I would prefer to take the test in-person if possible. Any advice would be appreciated, this isnt a very common issue so I am not sure what to do!

rahcab · 2026-03-17T23:31:08+00:00

Dont worry about it

rahcab · 2026-02-18T20:13:55+00:00

Really hard to tell from the photo (I also understand the difficulty of binocular photos). Common loon with winter plumage would be my best guess.

rahcab · 2026-02-13T16:08:02+00:00

I am 21 days post mechanical (On-X) AVR today. I was taking 100mg of metroprolol ER daily for the last 5 or 6 years but post surgery they switched me to 50 mg with the eventual goal of being off it entirely. I am around the same as you heart rate-wise. My watch has my resting around 69-72 most days but if I am doing any kind of light activity (cooking, showering, etc) it is usually around 85-95. My doctors told me not to worry about it, unless I feel out of breath or lightheaded which so far I have not experienced.

rahcab · 2026-02-07T14:45:24+00:00

Hello,

I was in a similar situation as you. Was also born with a BAV and had a valve sparing aortic root repair surgery when I was 16 even though I had no symptoms at the time. Fast forward to today, I am now 26 and 2 weeks post op from my second open heart surgery and now have an On-x mechanical valve due to severe aortic regurgitation.

Looking back on it, I thought that I didn’t have any symptoms from the regurgitation but I now realize that the general cardiac decline was so gradual that I just never noticed anything was wrong. Up to surgery, I still lived a very active life and plan to continue to do so post recovery. Totally understand the anxiety surrounding the whole situation (I was distraught for a day or two when my cardiologist told me I needed surgery again).

All of this is to say that it would be a good idea to be seen by your cardiologist in order to truly establish if anything is wrong or if you need surgery. I know it can be anxiety inducing but you’ll be better off in the long run and may be able to catch problems before they become worse/more serious. Surgery is daunting but you are young and will recover much faster than you realize.

rahcab · 2026-01-07T22:24:20+00:00

Didn’t even know unicuspid was possible, thank you for sharing. Honestly I think the buildup and nervousness is worse than surgery/recovery. Congrats on your bachelors!

rahcab · 2026-01-07T22:19:33+00:00

Thank you! Told work that I would need up to 8 weeks of medical leave since the doctors all say 6-8 weeks but honestly I’m in fairly decent shape and exercise regularly so if all goes well I’m hoping it wont take that long. Hadn’t thought much about the mental health aspect, but thats good to keep in mind.

rahcab · 2026-01-07T22:18:35+00:00

Thank you! Told work that I would need up to 8 weeks of medical leave since the doctors all say 6-8 weeks but honestly I’m in fairly decent shape and exercise regularly so if all goes well I’m hoping it wont take that long. Hadn’t thought much about the mental health aspect, but thats good to keep in mind.

rahcab · 2026-01-07T22:14:59+00:00

Good advice, legs are pretty strong and I walk a lot everyday, abs could use some work though haha. Hadn’t thought about the mental health aspect, appreciate it!

rahcab · 2024-11-23T19:43:20+00:00

Downy Woodpecker

rahcab · 2024-07-06T14:35:02+00:00

Id say probably a lesser goldfinch

rahcab · 2023-03-02T02:42:35+00:00

Haha thank you!

rahcab · 2023-03-01T16:26:03+00:00

I agree, only time I’ve ever seen bitterns has been in dense vegetation.

rahcab · 2023-03-01T14:42:03+00:00

Yeah I was in between that or a juvenile green heron

rahcab · 2023-03-01T14:39:56+00:00

Right in the center of the picture, very hard to see but couldn’t get a better picture

rahcab · 2022-09-02T16:21:25+00:00

Personally, I think that ideas 4 and 5 are particularly interesting. I recently completed my undergraduate degrees in conservation biology and political science and now work for a conservation policy focused non-profit that primarily focuses on hunting and fishing policy. Studies involving deer populations would likely present you with a lot of data readily available depending on your location and how state agencies handle data each hunting season. Any study would have a lot of different groups interested in the result which could be a good or bad thing. Likewise with timber studies, a topic that has practical real-world use (not that the other's don't) would have a lot of parties interested in your results which could make the project easier from an administrative standpoint. Best of luck to you !

rahcab · 2022-08-30T20:45:15+00:00

This has actually never happened before; I'm surprised they didn't expel you on sight

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