Crossfit confidence needed!!

Hi all,

I'm a 30yo female who was implanted about 8 weeks ago- I have neurocardiogenic syncope with the PM put in place for Bradycardia.
Prior to my implantation I was a big fan of Crossfit- having started in September and I felt I finally had found the thing that I enjoyed after many souless years of treadmills and rowers! Since my PM however I have found it difficult to imagine ever being confident doing Crossfit and not worrying about pulling my leads out. I just can't at the moment see myself ever going back to doing pull-ups, snatches or lifting anything over my head without being terrified afterwards that I've pulled a lead out. The surgery was traumatic for me so I really don't want to put myself in the way of more unecessary surgeries right now.

I'm determined not to let the PM affect my life in a negative way so am meeting with my Crossfit trainer today to talk about modifications - does anyone have any tips or stories that might help me get back to feeling confident? I am aware of the need to modify for the first 3 months but nto quite sure what's left that I can do confidently.

Thanks for your help- apologies if this question has also been asked already, it's my first time here.

A :)

2 Comments

training

by Tracey_E - 2016-01-12 09:01:42

As you heal and feel better again, it gets easier to trust the pm to do its job and stop worrying about all the what-if's.

If you were going to pull a lead out, odds are it would have happened in the first 24-48 hours. They do not put them in tight, there is slack between the device and where the leads go into the vein. This means that even if we pull, it's not going to affect anything in the heart. Also, from the minute they go in, scar tissue is growing around the leads holding them in place in the heart. After the first year, they are in there so solidly that it takes a special laser sheath to go in millimeter by millimeter to get them out. Nothing we do is going to pull it from the heart. They are meant to bend and flex with us.

How close to the surface is your device? If it's close to the collarbone, then you will want to watch it when you clean or front rack the bar. You don't want the bar putting direct pressure on the leads, or pressure on the collarbone putting pressure on the pm. If that's not an issue, then don't worry about it! If it is an issue, or you're not comfortable at first, use dumbbells or kettlebells for cleans.

There are some drs that say not to do a lot of weight over head and avoid pull ups, but there are many more that tell us to live our lives and go for it. I've been doing Crossfit for almost 5 years, with my dr's blessing. His only instructions were don't do anything stupid, stop if it hurts.

I messed up my shoulder so haven't done anything overhead since last fall. They give me v-ups whenever there are pull ups, planks for t2bar, bent rows for presses, cleans for snatches. I'm on meds that mess with my blood pressure so when there are a lot of burpees or other moves that are up/down, I do something else, but that's not the pacer. You've already been working out with NCS so you know what to watch for. It should be better now because your heart won't pause. Some days it's frustrating having to modify but the coaches are great at rolling with my needs. If you want it to work, they will help make it happen. I think that attitude is pretty pervasive among CF coaches. They want us to succeed.

Are you working out now? At 8 weeks you can do a lot! You should be able to run, squat, do core work as you feel up to it. Ease back into it. Listen to your body and stop if it doesn't feel right. And hopefully before you know it, you'll be back to where you were with more energy before!

In the same boat

by kghazari - 2016-01-13 05:01:49

Hi, I'm a 30yo female who got my ICD implanted nearly a year ago. While I don't do crossfit, I do box and it's taken me a while to have the confidence in my left arm to handle everything. Mostly I'm having nerve pain in my arm but that's the only thing that actually prevents me from doing anything.

I was born with a heart condition and know it can be scary to go through cardiac procedures, especially getting a metal device implanted into your pec muscle. In the last year, I've done yoga, boxing, full cardio routines, etc. and the best advice is to know it's all in your head and go to your happy place when you begin your workout. Find a way to distract yourself from the procedure. Use music or a book, talk to a friend or pay extra hard attention to your form (don't stare at your scar in the mirror) and eventually your mind will let go of that fear. Don't stress about over doing it, just go at the pace you feel like you can go and your heart (and body) will tell you when it's time to back off.

The heart is an amazing, resilient muscle. It won't let you do something to pull out the lead after 8 weeks :)

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