Let's get moving!

It's been a fairly quiet couple of weeks. I had a two week span between biopsies, which was a nice little break. I go back tomorrow. We all moan about the biopsies but to be honest, it's a nice comfort to verify things are under control and it's always nice to see the awesome transplant team.

I've taken the initiative to do some of my own exercising. Doctors have told me about the different expectations of exercising after a heart transplant and I'm trying to get comfortable with those sensations. I'm told that since the nerves in my heart were cut I need to retrain them to acknowledge required changes in the heart rate. I've been told that since my brain won't know when to supply adrenaline I will get really tired and then all of a sudden, the adrenaline will kick in and I will be unstoppable! Look out Rockette! (My Rocky Mountain bike I named Rockette.)

I have been getting on the treadmill for about 20 mins almost every day for the past week or so. I have also been doing some yoga on the Wii. Ok, I've been playing the games too. But it's all exercise, right?

The exercise feels really good actually. I notice unusual sensations, for example, towards the end of my 20 mins on the treadmill my hands get really, really hot. They feel like they are burning. Weird, eh? I don't push myself too hard because I haven't met with the rehab staff for advice yet. That will be next week.

Here's a little secret, I actually have a fear of treadmills.... Go ahead, laugh. I will tell you why I have this fear. When I was first diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy I was scheduled for a stress test with the local cardiologist. Remember, at this time we all didn't know much of anything about my disease. I got on the treadmill and felt fine through the whole test. When I got off the treadmill my heart rate began to increase and it reached about 350 beats per minute.

So my fear is from a real source. You have to admit, that's crazy. Now my conscious mind says that everything is different now, and it really is. I was in great shape when I was on the LVAD and now I expect it to be even better. However, I will never forget that experience.