Practicing sports has always been a hugely important way of release for me. I remember very well how 6 years ago I was told that I needed an implantable defibrillator, so my greatest fear back then was that I wouldn’t be able to play sports as intensively as I used to do. So I was incredibly happy to see that, after recovering from the initial S-ICD surgery, I could do mountain-biking, windsurfing and skiing like before. What a relief!
One important reason why I wasn’t so eager to go under the knife for another S-ICD, was that I would have to interrupt my sports routine for yet another few weeks. But that’s part of the game. ‘Count your blessings’, I said to myself, because in daily life my S-ICD doesn’t bother me in the least.
Right after the device change-out I noticed that I made a surprisingly quick recovery, so even after one week I felt this urge to start riding my mountain bike again. Not very sensible, of course, as the fresh wound needs time to heal properly. My wife managed to keep me away from my bike for exactly one week and a half, but after that I was back in the saddle again! Apart from the fact that the scar was slightly more sensitive this time, it was as if nothing had ever happened at all.
I would never advise anybody to start intense exercising within two weeks, because I am not a medic. But it is significant indeed that things went so quickly with me. By the way, my sister had the same experience. After about 2.5 weeks she resumed her marathon training again! I had never expected such a quick recovery.
You can’t imagine my sense of relief when I think back of all the sports restrictions I feared. In that sense the S-ICD may even have made me more fanatical than before.
While I am writing this, I am checking the weather forecast for the coming weekend. Yes, it’s going to be windy. Surf time!
Rob.