10.5+ years since Natale ablation

I missed my 6 months update. I bet you thought I had left this world

So, it is a month after my 10.5 year update (I update the forum every 6 months)

No ablation meds except adult aspirin daily, went from 1 year of continuous 24/7 AFib to NSR for over 10.5 years now. Not much change from the last report.

Here is my more than 6 months update.

So, I turned 76 in November..

I continue swimming 4-5 hours weekly, bicycling 100 miles per week (generally 20-30 mile rides) whe n the weather allows, walking several miles per week.Still no formal sprint triathlon, although there are days when I do the equivalent, just at my own pace.

I continue TRX training, also, and am getting more advanced..

Other things:

I continue pushups - 50 at a time - bench presses, planks, curls, rows, am doing a lot of balance exercises on the BOSU ball, balance board, etc., and a lot of stretching. About 120 minutes of exercise/stretching daily. I do regular (4-5 times per week) bicycle rides in the summer followed by a 40 minute swim, and lots of walking.



I am still active in the gospel singing group I started 10 years ago, We sing all across the state. We are now welcoming ladies into our group..

[www.xyzingers.info]

and my advocacy activities continue. [www.pad-co.info]

I m writing this to provide hope to some of you, and to show that a good life can still go on in your 70's

Best of luck to all of you.

Denver



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2016 04:28AM by dnvrfox.

Great to read this! I'm 67, one year + out from my third Natale ablation. Feeling good now, getting my diet dialed in (see "The Perfect Health Diet"), my home gym is coming along, like yours except kettlebells and airdyne along with the weights, I have a squat rack not a full weight rack. I don't do the TRX stuff but do a lot of hiking and walking. I hope to feel as good as you do now in ten years. I love stories like yours. George is quite inspirational also.

This is very encouraging to read. Congratulations to you Denver and to you also Mike.

Hi Denver,

Glad you continue to do well! Keep it up!!

George

Thanks, folks.

I don't use the weights much any more - at least the BP. I use my body weight (planks, pushups, pullups, chinups) a lot, and a lot of TRX (body weight again). The stand has a dip bar on it (body weight again) - I do 20-30 at a time. I also use elastic tubing and bands,and dumbbells - from the floor, mostly.

The stretching I do daily, emphasizing my lower body, hips, quads and hams and lower back - where I have some pretty messed up vertebrae, discs, etc. As long as I do the stretches and strengthening faithfully, I am fine (so far). I did have a fusion five years ago. I also roll my entire body on a foam roller, emphasizing the IT bands.

I took a good fall off of my mountain bike last summer onto my back, bruised some ribs. It takes a LONG - I mean LLOONNGG time to recover from bruised ribs.

Pretty much OK now, but HAVE to stretch that back daily.

BTW, I have never been much of an "endurance" athlete - in fact, never much of an "athlete" - in the common concept of athlete. I have done some bicycle centuries and one 350 mile sponsored "Ride the Rockies." But, I don't believe that had anything to do with my AFib. Instead, I have been under tremendous stress in the past associated with family issues (two children with profound disabilities) and, if anything,the exercise has helped to reduce the stress. I believe stress was the underlying factor of my AFib.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2016 01:23PM by dnvrfox.

Hello Denver! Great to see your continued success report. Love your gym.

So very sorry about your children and, of course, that unremitting stress is very damaging. Glad you have found a way to blunt the effects.

Thanks for your reports as they offer invaluable encouragement to others who are struggling.

Best to you,
Jackie

Hi, Jackie - nice to see you are here encouraging and providing info to folks as always. What a great asset you are.

Denver

Congratulations on your 10½+ years. You'll soon be catching me up - I reached 13 years of nsr in January. At age 78 I still scuba dive, do fairly strenuous aqua aerobics three times a week, lots of stretching and excercises for my back which is fragile but still holding up without pain. Life is good!

Gill

Gil - that is great to hear. Watch out - keep looking over your shoulder - I am right behind you.

Denver and Gill,

Thanks for giving inspiration to those of us with recent ablations. Glad you are both so active and doing so well. I love seeing your updates.

Doreen

Denver,

Impressive and inspirational. Hopefully, some will understand the benefits of being fit and change their lifestyle toward those of us that love life and what it has to offer.

I am almost 71 and 9.5 years from a successful ablation. I returned yesterday from two days on the Outer Banks in NC, where I had two good days of windsurfing in winds from 20-30 mph. I carry a GPS and recorded just under 40 miles of windsurfing at speeds up to 29 mph. This is early season and I workout regularly to be ready for wind, but I am still not in great windsurfing shape. Doing things that are physically challenging is a real kick, and no doubt help keep both mind and body young.

Hi, Ken. Sounds like tremendous fun doing that wind surfing..

Because of the weather, for the first time in a couple of months, I got a short 9 mile bicycle ride in today. Started off with a 2.5 mile walk early this am. Lunch with relatives. Then bicycle ride. Temp all the way up to 60F, which is perfect riding temp.

Great to hear from you as always Denver.. Your story is always inspirational and you are a good example of the wide range that individually still healthy exercise can span for some former afibbers and those who've had a long term successful ablation as well. What is a good sustainable level for each one of us in reality each person will have to discover on thier own.

Keep the updates coming to us too please... it's good to hear from you and that is true however life is unfolding at the time.

Be well,
Shannon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2016 04:36PM by Shannon.

Thanks, Shannon. Yes, each of us finds our own level of participation in the world and how that will occur. I will try and keep posting every 6 months.

Denver,

Once hooked on windsurfing, it's a lifestyle with a level of high excitement and a low level of risk that compares to little else, but the learning curve is slow. It takes commitment, and it's been my thing for over 30 years. I have experience with Autocross/cars, Motocross/motorcycles, Mountaineering, Rock Climbing, Snow Skiing, Water Skiing, Running, Backpacking, River Running/rapids, Zip Lines, Caving, Body Surfing, Scuba Diving, Spear Fishing with Scuba and skin diving, Golf, Hunting (birds only), and maybe a few things I have forgotten. Windsurfing in challenging conditions offers as much of a "rush" as any of the above and it's incredible exercise. An hour in strong winds, and every muscle in the body has had a great workout.

Life is good!!!!

It is exciting finding all these "older" folks enjoying life to the fullest in many different ways. Congratulations to all who are participating in life as much as their circumstances allow.

See you in 5 months!

You guys are inspirational. I had a close call this year surfing in Hawaii that required 7 stitches. My regular doctor said to me disapprovingly/jokingly that people like us keep him in business doing dangerous stuff.

researcher,

There are smart risk takers, unlucky risk takers and dumb risk takers. From the list of all the "risky" things I have done in my life, there has been only ONE incident that kept me out of service for more than a day. A badly injured (torn ligaments) right ankle from a Motocross crash in 1969.

I think most of us "seniors" understand the consequences of a bad decision and are much more cautious than we were several decades ago. Clearly, it's not true for all of us if you watch any of the "video" shows on TV or on line. Still plenty of "dumb" seniors to keep the Doctors in business. And I am not suggesting that you are one of the dumb ones, just unlucky. Nothing wrong with trying to surf, unless you can't swim.

We all take calculated risk to enjoy nature. Nature was a beast this last surf season in Hawaii. Four days after the seven stitches, I caught the best wave of my life. I will probably not see waves like that again where I am in a decent enough condition to surf them. Life without any risks is not living. I lap swim daily so I won't suggest to others, including young surfers, to surf big waves without being able to survive a pounding and swim distance. Probably true for windsurfers also.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/2016 06:09PM by researcher.

researcher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You guys are inspirational. I had a close call
> this year surfing in Hawaii that required 7
> stitches. My regular doctor said to me
> disapprovingly/jokingly that people like us keep
> him in business doing dangerous stuff.


I might suggest that it is more likely that it is folks who don't exercise and push themselves (perhaps including taking risks) who are more likely to keep that Doc in business.

And - one person's risk is another's easy activity. I.e., I work a lot on balance, while other folks have lost their's.