Shooting after heart surgery

[Muddyboots]

Dont be shocked when your Cardiologist puts you on a treadmill within a couple of months following your surgery.
I called my surgeon and wanted his opinion on that, and he said go for it.
Can hiking around hunting be any worse?

Yes it can unless you are flat lining shooting at an animal. Your total body reaction to not only seeing an animal but settling in for shot is an exciting endeavor to say the least. Blood vessels expanding, contracting, respiration rate jumps, heart rate jumps, your chest is moving pretty good prob after the shot. The stress on installed blood vessel grafts and sternum will be significant. Only his cardiologist knows if and how much damage was done to his heart from the heart attack. FYI heart attacks can damage the heart such it may take long time to recover from the damage or the heart is left with reduced capacity. This is not a broken leg that just heals up as good as new. Every heart attack is different on how and what occurs during and in aftermath. I was lucky with no damage identified with several ultrasound evaluations 3-6 months after recovery. "It's just hunting" and if you cannot realistically and SAFELY hunt this year, do the work to insure you can the following year with PT, commitment to exercise and yes, diet changes. You will hit ground "running" with much better physicality and enjoyment. Your mental condition will also benefit.

There are things you can do to enjoy our sport. Build a rifle, prep a gazillion brass, update reloading equipment, "hunt" down reloading components etc.

The OP was aware of his potential and thankfully did not ignore symptoms. Many do not and are no longer with us.

BTW If your heart rate isn't affected by hunting, take up checkers.

 

[memtb]

Yes it can unless you are flat lining shooting at an animal. Your total body reaction to not only seeing an animal but settling in for shot is an exciting endeavor to say the least. Blood vessels expanding, contracting, respiration rate jumps, heart rate jumps, your chest is moving pretty good prob after the shot. The stress on installed blood vessel grafts and sternum will be significant. Only his cardiologist knows if and how much damage was done to his heart from the heart attack. FYI heart attacks can damage the heart such it may take long time to recover from the damage or the heart is left with reduced capacity. This is not a broken leg that just heals up as good as new. Every heart attack is different on how and what occurs during and in aftermath. I was lucky with no damage identified with several ultrasound evaluations 3-6 months after recovery. "It's just hunting" and if you cannot realistically and SAFELY hunt this year, do the work to insure you can the following year with PT, commitment to exercise and yes, diet changes. You will hit ground "running" with much better physicality and enjoyment. Your mental condition will also benefit.

There are things you can do to enjoy our sport. Build a rifle, prep a gazillion brass, update reloading equipment, "hunt" down reloading components etc.

The OP was aware of his potential and thankfully did not ignore symptoms. Many do not and are no longer with us.

BTW If your heart rate isn't affected by hunting, take up checkers.

Hunting induces far less stress on my heart than getting my butt kicked at checkers…..or any other sport for that matter! I guess that we all have different "stress inducers"! memtb

 

[yobuck]

We all react to things in a different way, and we each need to deal with that accordingly.

 

[dodge8mm]

I have a pacemaker/defibrillator, they told me to go at it as hard as my body would let me.

 

[Old Rooster]

One piece of advice from someone who has lost 3 younger family members to heart related death as well as my dad who died of lung cancer.
Stop doing the things that hurt/damage your heart.Do the things necessary to strengthen it.
Shooting/hunting is cathartic but not necessary for life.Many want you around as long as possible so Old Rooster wishes you the best brother.

 

[Buttermilk]

Is it possible to shoot a hunting pistol in Lee of a rifle with out worrying about damage to the heart or surrounding area?

Obviously after a proper amount of required healing, perhaps this would allow one to get back to shooting sooner.

Something like a well built XP-100 with a good muzzle brake might be doable. Just speculating.

 

[Nimrodmar10]

Or along the same line, get a Caldwell Lead Sled with the weights installed. You shouldn't feel the recoil at all. That's how I test the really heavy kickers like a 3.5 inch turkey gun shooting 2 9/16 Oz. Of heavy shot. The sled takes all the recoil.

 

[Crockett12]

You didn't say if you had stints put in or open heart surgery -- as they're very different with stints a piece of cake compared to open heart surgery! I didn't have a heart attack but was apparently a candidate to have one at any time when they put me in surgery within 4 days of determining I had serious blockage! I was on the operating table for a stint on a Monday in February of 2018 when they decided the blockage was too bad for a stint and I needed surgery instead. So I was back on the table 4 days later where they opened my chest and did a quadruple bypass. That was the first of February and I didn't feel I could be counted on for anything until the folowing August. However I went on a bird hunting trip that October but still wasn't as strong as I felt I would be -- but could still shoot the shotgun without fear of hurting me! I just wasn't strong enough to do the all walking to be able to keep up with the other guys! So -- if you had a stint or even mulitple stints, you'd be OK within a week or two to shoot a rifle -- as long as it wasn't a .375 H&H or a lightweight 45-70 or such! If you had open heart surgery, you won't even BE ABLE to hunt or shoot any rifle until maybe 6 months later or more!

 

[kfreeze]

Not exactly your situation, but I was in a bad accident on sept 5th of 2015, I broke my sternum, bruised by heart and lungs, broke a bunch of ribs and vertebre. I had a plastic shell on my upper body and neck until dec. Begining of nov days after getting released from a nursing home (at age 32 by the way haha), I went deer hunting shooting an ar10 in 7mm-08. Even with a brake and the lighter recoil from the gas system it was all that I would have wanted to endure the recoil of. Felt like shooting my 300 win mag now at that time. My doctors gave the go ahead though. If they didn't open your chest you may want to explain more to them.

 

[wldcat]

You didn't say if you had stints put in or open heart surgery -- as they're very different with stints a piece of cake compared to open heart surgery! I didn't have a heart attack but was apparently a candidate to have one at any time when they put me in surgery within 4 days of determining I had serious blockage! I was on the operating table for a stint on a Monday in February of 2018 when they decided the blockage was too bad for a stint and I needed surgery instead. So I was back on the table 4 days later where they opened my chest and did a quadruple bypass. That was the first of February and I didn't feel I could be counted on for anything until the folowing August. However I went on a bird hunting trip that October but still wasn't as strong as I felt I would be -- but could still shoot the shotgun without fear of hurting me! I just wasn't strong enough to do the all walking to be able to keep up with the other guys! So -- if you had a stint or even mulitple stints, you'd be OK within a week or two to shoot a rifle -- as long as it wasn't a .375 H&H or a lightweight 45-70 or such! If you had open heart surgery, you won't even BE ABLE to hunt or shoot any rifle until maybe 6 months later or more!

It was open heart surgery, had two bypass's a coronary maze and what's called an atriclip. It was comical after the procedure when the surgeon said all went well and so on and then told me 8 weeks to heal and as long as nothing went wrong in recovery I would get full release Nov 5th. So I proceeded to tell him that's perfect we have a hunt scheduled Nov 6th in Idaho!!! He got this blank look on his face and after what seemed like many minutes but I'm sure was only seconds he just said you can't shoot!! But he also declined to give me an estimate as to when he felt it safe for me to start shooting again. One therapist guessed after the new year before I shoot again but I am expecting the dr to investigate this and we will talk about it more in the coming weeks

 

[cheeseburgersfearme]

I'll try to make this short and sweet but couldn't get a straight answer from my dr so maybe some members have been through this and can help me and my dr make an informed decision. I had a heart attack Sunday the 2nd, got transported to a heart facility and had a couple bypasses put in a couple days later. After surgery they told me I would have no restrictions after nov 5th, as in full release! So I said that's perfect I have a hunt scheduled in Idaho November 6th !!!!! And then they all looked at me kind of crossed and said you can't shoot a rifle! So I guess it's not full release after all, closest thing I got to someone giving me a time frame was an occupational therapist and she said at least after the new year before I can shoot again. Not shooting a cannon either, this year's rifle is 11lb 6.5ss with a brake, basically zero recoil but I do plan to listen to dr and not shoot, but I would like to find out when it is safe to shoot.
Thanks for any insight anyone has

I had my heart attack while hunting. Walked out to my truck (after sometime getting right with the man upstairs) drove an hour to the ER, 1 stent and was shocked back to the world, 3 months later I got a pacemaker / defibrillator. I was on light duty restrictions (lifting, climbing and such). Took 1.5 years to get the ok to draw my bow. It's 2 years now. I've been shooting for a year. Used my light restrictions as a chance to get rid of a couple of my heavier guns and build some lighter weight ones.

 

[Coldfinger]

I'll try to make this short and sweet but couldn't get a straight answer from my dr so maybe some members have been through this and can help me and my dr make an informed decision. I had a heart attack Sunday the 2nd, got transported to a heart facility and had a couple bypasses put in a couple days later. After surgery they told me I would have no restrictions after nov 5th, as in full release! So I said that's perfect I have a hunt scheduled in Idaho November 6th !!!!! And then they all looked at me kind of crossed and said you can't shoot a rifle! So I guess it's not full release after all, closest thing I got to someone giving me a time frame was an occupational therapist and she said at least after the new year before I can shoot again. Not shooting a cannon either, this year's rifle is 11lb 6.5ss with a brake, basically zero recoil but I do plan to listen to dr and not shoot, but I would like to find out when it is safe to shoot.
Thanks for any insight anyone has

Your doctor was probably thinking of the CNN NBC type shootings he sees on the news.

 

[wldcat]

Your doctor was probably thinking of the CNN NBC type shootings he sees on the news.

I do live in California so odds are he is liberal and anti 2nd amendment

 

[Muddyboots]

The OP listened to that little voice that is telling you something is wrong. I attached a thread that I hope some will remember just in case that little voice is whispering heads up!

Thread 'Heart Attack'
https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/heart-attack.247130/