Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - Accidents & Injuries

Report Accidents and Injuries

Topic Date User

CABGs & climbing - a random info thread ... 25-Oct-2018 At 7:49:27 PM IdratherbeclimbingM9

Message

Another update...

Since last post in May, I have largely avoided the Victorian winter with a three month surfing (and occasional deadly riding!), holiday up the east coast of Australia.

Some observations arising out of that time;

* My overall fitness / endurance initially wasn't great for surfing, but it improved.

* At start of that period my weight was relatively stable, but I lost another 1.5 kg over that three months (this despite eating adequately and healthily);... weight which in my opinion I can ill afford losing, as the chest wiring became more evident than ever.

* Cardiologist immediately before that trip gave the okay to resume climbing, and also fine tuned the blood pressure tablet dosage I was on. All good on that front and now have more flexibility to further self refine it if necessary.

* I tried doing some chin-ups during that time and was flat chat doing three consecutively! This despite handling three to four hour surfing sessions okay. Prior to the bypass procedure I could pull 30 chin-ups without much worry, ... though typically finding the last half dozen an increasing struggle to do.

Upon return home I again saw GP, mostly to renew my referrals to Cardiologist and Surgeon, as they expire at 12 months, and I have further ongoing tests scheduled for just after they expire!
The Cardiologist one is particularly important because Vic Roads will auto-cancel my Drivers License if they don't receive an update report at the 12 month mark from same.

The GP also gave me a referral to a Physiotherapist to educate me on further rehabilitation that I can undertake for my upper-body, though I had already started down that track of my own accord by obtaining (and using) some exercise weights and literature about same, so this will supplement nicely.
Have attended Physio and found it helpful with targeted upper body exercise regimes and learning of resistance apparatus usage. I've since obtained a few different weight/strength ginormous rubber bands, and am using them too, to facilitate the process.

Re facilitation. I have also fine tuned my diet to include more protein so as to get back some of the bulk I had before.

Since being home, my mountain biking has further improved and I'm now averaging 75 km per week over three sessions, which is up from the previous 50, and have even got to 100 on a couple of weeks.

But, the all important part (and reason for this post), is that I resumed serious climbing earlier this week with an ascent of Noblesse Oblige at Mt Buffalo!
Okay, it's not that big a deal in the scheme of serious climbing due being a modest grade slab, but it is multipitch, and I did it in approach shoes to make my footwork more precise!
It was great fun. In particular I really enjoyed doing ballerina style step-through moves to avoid the squidging-off tendency of climbing in 'gum boots', compared to the precise adherence of proper rock shoes!
It was a fun day and the two others that I took enjoyed it also; one being an absolute beginner (his first climb ever), and the other being a sport climber wanting to learn multipitch and trad. Both gave positive feedback and want to do more!

Although I could have resumed harder climbing earlier (at 7 months instead of 11), I have not set myself any target other than to enjoy my climbing, especially regarding getting back to thuggish-style (read overhanging) routes. I'm happy to continue working back up to that level and mixing it up with the upcoming Buffalo Aidfest along the way.