Heart Valve Surgery Opening My Heart: A Journey from Nurse to Patient and Back Again, Tilda Shalof. An insider's look at going through heart valve surgery and recovery. Tilda is an experienced nurse so has great insight into the medical system. The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, Adam Pick. Adam recounts in detail his … Continue reading Suggested Reading- Heart Valve Surgery, Social Support, Stress Management
Author: BionicOldGuy
I am a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the mechanical CAE field for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I have had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road.
Update on “Tips For Those That Need a Hip Replacement”
Emma Hayes, a physiotherapist and fellow blogger at MYTRAVELBUGBITE, brought up some important points about my post "Tips For Those That Need a Hip Replacement". I didn't want this to get lost in the comments so I will revise the post. For those of you that read it already, the first issue is that in … Continue reading Update on “Tips For Those That Need a Hip Replacement”
Running
I think a lot of us have kind of a love-hate relationship with running. On the one hand we may remember joyously doing it as kids, just running around playing. But we also may have learned along the way to think of it as a chore or punishment, like when you mess up in practice … Continue reading Running
Suggested Reading- Fitness
Challenge Yourself, Clarence Bass. Clarence has written many good books on fitness. This is my favorite because he motivates us to set challenges to inspire us to work harder. Clarence also has a lot of inspiration and information on nutrition and fitness on his website. The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit … Continue reading Suggested Reading- Fitness
Hiking
Walking gets a bit more challenging when you take it on trails, especially uphill, but the trails are often in beautiful settings. I like to use hiking poles because it keeps some of the impact from my hips when going downhill. It also makes me, a naturally clumsy person and prone to ankle sprains in … Continue reading Hiking
Other Aspects of Fitness -Meditation
This is a continuation of a post the other day about the “Four Pillars” of Healthy Aging, specifically about stress management. Sitting meditation is the most powerful method of stress relief I have found. Think of a time when you have spontaneously relaxed completely and gotten lost in the moment, your thoughts fading away as … Continue reading Other Aspects of Fitness -Meditation
Tips For Those That Need a Heart Valve Replacement
Heart valve replacement is even more intimidating than hip replacement. Again, the first step is to find a good surgeon you have confidence in. For the heart, I did not have a good word of mouth referral, but I had good luck with Adam Pick’s heart valve website. Just stick your zip code in his … Continue reading Tips For Those That Need a Heart Valve Replacement
Still Moving- A lot- Despite Osteoarthritis and a Hip Replacement
Yvette chronicles her journey in "Expedition out the backdoor". Among other things, she went on foot from Shropshire, England to Knoydart in Scotland ("sleeping rough" along the way) despite chronic osteoarthritis. Her ostoearthritis progressed to necrosis of the hip, and led to a total hip replacement. She and her family have since moved to an … Continue reading Still Moving- A lot- Despite Osteoarthritis and a Hip Replacement
Tips For Those That Need a Hip Replacement
Thinking about what it’s like when you find out you need a hip replacement made me decide to write up some advice based on my experience. This is pretty daunting, especially if you’ve never had major surgery before. The first step is to find a good surgeon you have confidence in. I was lucky enough … Continue reading Tips For Those That Need a Hip Replacement
Challenge Yourself (But Choose Your Challenge Wisely)
I got this idea from Clarence Bass, in his book Challenge Yourself. It can be much easier to motivate yourself to be physically active if there is some challenge you’re pointing towards. But we can tend to have a “bigger is better” mentality and choose tests like marathons, century rides, or climbing Mt. Whitney. These … Continue reading Challenge Yourself (But Choose Your Challenge Wisely)
BionicOldGuy 