Latest / From Recovery to Wellness | Life After Heart Surgery, Aneurysm Repair & Cardiac Healing / Overcoming Plateaus

Transcript

Overcoming Plateaus · From Recovery to Wellness | Life After Heart Surgery, Aneurysm Repair & Cardiac Healing

0:07
Hello and welcome back to from recovery to wellness
0:12
the podcast where we focus on healing after heart
0:15
surgery Open heart surgery aneurysm repair and
0:18
cardiac events using simple supportive and realistic
0:21
tools I'm Arnita and today We're talking about
0:26
something that almost every recovery journey
0:28
includes But nobody really warns you about and
0:32
that is the plateau That moment when you feel
0:37
like you're making progress and then suddenly
0:39
you're not You were walking more and then you're
0:43
tired again. You were sleeping better and now
0:45
you're waking up anxious You were feeling stronger
0:48
and now you feel stuck and if you're like most
0:51
people your mind starts whispering things like
0:54
Am I healing wrong is something wrong with my
0:57
heart? Why am I not improving anymore? Did I
1:00
do too much? Did I do too little? Is this just
1:04
how life is now? Let me tell you something right
1:07
now. A plateau does not mean failure. A plateau
1:11
does not mean your recovery is over and a plateau
1:14
does not mean you're broken. Most of the time
1:17
a plateau is simply your body doing what it was
1:21
designed to do. And today I'm going to help you
1:23
understand that. And I'm going to give you some
1:26
gentle safe strategies to move forward again
1:28
without pushing your body past what it can handle.
1:32
So take a deep breath with me and let's get into
1:37
it. Now, what is a recovery plateau? Really?
1:43
What is a recovery plateau? Well, Let's first
1:46
define what a plateau is. A recovery plateau
1:49
is when your progress slows down or stops feeling
1:52
visible, even though you're still healing. And
1:55
I want you to hear that clearly. Even when you
1:58
don't feel progress, your body is still recovering
2:01
because healing isn't linear. Recovery isn't
2:04
a straight line upward. Recovery looks more like
2:08
a wave. You improve then dip. You feel stronger,
2:12
then you feel tired. You feel hopeful, then you
2:15
feel scared again. And that back and forth pattern
2:18
is not unusual after heart surgery, open heart
2:21
surgery, aneurysm repair, ascending aortic aneurysm
2:25
surgery, valve repair or replacement. after stents
2:29
have been put in heart attack recovery stroke
2:33
recovery or cardiac rehab in fact the plateau
2:36
is often where the deepest healing happens not
2:39
the dramatic healing the not the the invisible
2:42
the invisible healing is what what is going on
2:46
during the plateau the kind you don't see on
2:48
the outside but it's happening now did you know
2:54
that um Your body uses a huge amount of energy
2:57
for internal healing even when you are sitting
3:00
still. That means even if you feel like you did
3:03
nothing today, your body may have been working
3:06
all day. Healing tissues, regulating blood pressure,
3:10
adjusting to medication, rebuilding strength,
3:13
reducing inflammation, repairing your nervous
3:16
system, recovering your heart and vascular system.
3:20
So if you've been frustrated with yourself, I
3:23
want you to release that. You are not lazy. You
3:27
are healing. Now why plateaus happen after heart
3:32
surgery and aneurysm repair? Let's talk about
3:35
why that does occur. Because once you understand
3:40
the why, you can stop blaming yourself. And here
3:42
are the most common reasons. Number one is that
3:46
your body has moved into a deeper healing stage.
3:49
Early recovery often shows fast improvement,
3:52
but later recovery is slower because your body
3:54
is rebuilding at a deeper level. It's like the
3:58
difference between cleaning a wound versus rebuilding
4:00
the tissue underneath it. That deeper rebuilding
4:03
takes time. Your nervous system is still in survival
4:07
mode. Number two, many people don't realize this
4:10
after aneurysm repair or heart surgery. Your
4:13
body often stays in a heightened state. Your
4:16
nervous system stays alert. And when your nervous
4:19
system is stressed, your body heals slower. So
4:22
you may notice anxiety spikes, trouble sleeping,
4:26
sudden tears, excuse me, fear of your heart rate,
4:29
fear of exercise, feeling and feeling off for
4:32
no reason. Those are not weaknesses. That is
4:37
trauma recovery. So the third reason why is that
4:42
you may be under -fueling your recovery. Sometimes
4:45
we eat less during recovery because appetite
4:48
changes, medications change taste, depression
4:51
reduces appetite, and the fear of eating wrong.
4:55
But your body needs fuel to heal. Number four,
4:59
you may be overdoing it without realizing this
5:03
is a big one. Sometimes plateaus happen because
5:06
your body is saying slow down, not because you're
5:09
failing, but because you're doing too much too
5:12
soon. I'm guilty of that all the time and your
5:17
body really needs more rest than you think. Number
5:20
five is emotional recovery hits later. This is
5:25
one of the most common things that I see. At
5:27
first, you're just trying to survive surgery,
5:29
but later when the danger has passed, your emotions
5:32
catch up and you may feel grief, anger, fear,
5:36
sadness, panic, frustration, or loneliness, or
5:40
there may be other feelings that you can't even
5:43
explain. And that emotional weight can make you
5:47
feel physically sick too. Now there are signs
5:51
that you're in a plateau and You want to know
5:55
what is normal and then what is normal when it
5:59
comes to being in a plateau? besides versus being
6:05
I hate to use this word but Feeling over dramatic
6:11
But all of the feelings any feeling that you
6:15
have I just want to make this clear is valid
6:18
It is valid because everyone is different. Everybody,
6:22
everyone's body may respond differently. No one
6:27
is the same. And so if you want. If you want
6:33
to be, I want to put you at ease with this because
6:36
one of the hardest parts of recovery is not knowing
6:39
what's normal. So here are common plateau signs.
6:42
You feel like your stamina stopped increasing.
6:45
You're walking the same amount and not improving.
6:48
You get tired more easily. Again, your sleep
6:51
gets weird again. Your mood drops. Your confidence
6:55
drops. You feel discouraged. You feel impatient.
6:58
You feel like you're behind and I want you to
7:01
hear this. These feelings are common. Your feelings
7:04
are going to be all over the place, perhaps.
7:07
I just want to say that I belong to a few community
7:12
groups. I see a lot of questions and a lot of
7:20
people sharing their responses and people sharing
7:25
their issues. And one of the things that really,
7:30
really struck me was that I was shocked that
7:33
there were a couple of guys on there that said
7:36
that when they came out of surgery, they were
7:38
different people, you know, and a couple, well,
7:42
I know one for sure said that He, him and his
7:45
wife got divorced because he wasn't the same
7:49
person he was before he went under the anesthesia.
7:52
And so I know that feelings can be all over the
7:56
place, but I, and I, and see, I don't, that was
7:59
something that, you know, was very new to me
8:01
because I'd never, you know, I didn't go through
8:04
any emotional roller coaster like that. But again,
8:08
that's why I say that everyone is different.
8:10
And so again, the feelings that you have are
8:14
common. Now, of course, if you ever have chest
8:17
pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath or
8:20
a new serious symptoms, always, always contact
8:24
your medical team. I know sometimes I want to
8:26
delay when I have like a funny kind of... unfamiliar
8:31
pain or something quirk or pain somewhere or
8:36
some some kind of sensation I want to put it
8:39
off all it's nothing it's nothing but then you
8:41
know I get my my head on straight and I said
8:44
let me call my doctor but every single time based
8:47
on my history My medical history they always
8:53
tell me to go to the ER and so, you know and
8:56
then I feel much better after you know, I've
9:00
Been there and then after they give me the results
9:03
and usually it's nothing so far. It's been nothing,
9:06
you know, and so I'm blessed in that area. Well,
9:10
I'm blessed all the way around because I don't
9:13
have to be here on this podcast today so but
9:18
Yes, contact your medical team if you are having
9:21
any. any kind of symptoms something that's not
9:25
that that you're unfamiliar with and uh but in
9:29
many cases a plateau is not a danger sign it's
9:32
a pacing sign it's a recovery sign and so uh
9:36
the next question is i've been asked is how do
9:39
you break through a plateau without overdoing
9:41
it now let's get to this part is what you really
9:44
need what you do what do you do when you feel
9:47
stuck i'm going to give you a general reset plan
9:50
What step one is to stop measuring recovery by
9:54
speed? This is the first mindset shift Recovery
9:57
isn't a race. Your body is not competing. You
10:00
are not behind You are simply healing on your
10:04
timeline again. Everyone is different Step two,
10:08
you want to switch from more to consistent. Most
10:10
people think the answer is do more, but in heart
10:13
and aneurysm recovery, the answer is usually
10:16
do it consistently. For example, instead of trying
10:18
to walk 30 minutes one day and crashing, try
10:21
10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the
10:24
afternoon, and then you might want to add 10
10:26
minutes in the evening after dinner because consistency
10:31
builds stamina more safely. than pushing. Now,
10:38
you step three, you want to track what you're
10:40
doing. This is huge because sometimes you think
10:43
you're stuck, but you're actually improving in
10:46
ways you don't notice. Track things like your
10:49
walking minutes, your energy level, your sleep
10:52
quality, your mood, your blood pressure if appropriate,
10:56
your heart rate if appropriate, your appetite,
11:00
even if you have any swelling. record that in
11:04
your pain level, but don't obsess over this.
11:09
But to witness your healing, that's the most
11:11
important thing to document what is taking place.
11:15
And then after you do that, you want to add this
11:20
is step four, add one small upgrade, only one,
11:25
not five, not six. Not two, only one, because
11:30
you don't want to overwhelm yourself or overwhelm
11:32
your body. And these upgrades include, again,
11:38
only one of them. Here are some examples. You
11:42
can drink more water, add a five minute stretch,
11:46
or take a 10 minute nap, or eat one extra protein
11:50
snack, or reduce screen time at night. or do
11:53
breathing exercises or take a gentle walk after
11:57
meals. One small upgrade is how you build momentum.
12:01
And then step five, you rest on purpose. I want
12:06
you to hear this clearly. Rest is not what you
12:09
do when you fail. Rest is what you do to recover.
12:13
So schedule rest. plan rest, protect rest because
12:17
rest is not optional after heart surgery and
12:19
aneurysm repair. Rest is part of the prescription.
12:23
Now I just want to say that as since I have I'm
12:28
in April 2026 I will be three years in post my
12:34
surgery and then the second one I had the EVAR
12:37
the stents put in my groin and that was in I
12:41
think October of 23 uh so anyway i'm three almost
12:47
three years out and since my surgeries i do not
12:51
sleep well i don't know if it's because if i'm
12:54
older or or just because my body has changed
12:58
i don't know what that is but i don't sleep i
13:01
don't sleep as much but uh i tried to be restful
13:06
during the day and not have uh a lot of um Activities
13:12
going on Because I also take into consideration
13:16
Resting is just removing the stress as well because
13:20
when I'm stressed I can't sleep anyway, and so
13:23
I try to make sure that Everything is I'm intentional
13:27
about resting throughout the day I used to continue
13:30
to keep going and going and going until bedtime
13:33
that doesn't help me either So, you know, I just
13:36
try to take a moment Every day and just rest
13:42
intentionally and what I have found is that every
13:46
day in the morning That's my my peak time where
13:49
I can think clearly I can get things done, you
13:53
know, and then I have my lunch later on and then
13:56
well around between 1030 and And noon, because
14:03
I wake up at five, I get up, I'm hitting the
14:06
floor at five generally. And so, you know, everything,
14:10
my meals come early. And so I try to shut down
14:14
everything that I'm doing, whether it's my podcast,
14:19
my leather work. writing, whatever I'm doing,
14:23
my energy is gone at two o 'clock in the afternoon.
14:26
I'm done. You know, I put in my eight hours if
14:29
I wanted to really calculate it. I am so done.
14:32
So I can't do anything. I can't think my mind
14:35
is foggy. All of that. And so I just stop. And
14:39
then that's the time that I take to rest on purpose.
14:42
And so it's like I said, rest is not what you
14:45
do when you fail. Rest is what you do to recover.
14:48
And that's what I am doing during the day at
14:52
two two o 'clock and after I'm resting to recover
14:55
because I still feel my body even after three
14:57
years going through uh post surgery surgery going
15:01
through changes and so uh you know I I just keep
15:05
that mindset that I'm still recovering and I
15:08
have to remind myself that oh you can't pick
15:10
that up you can't do what you used to do you
15:13
know your body is a bit different You know, and
15:16
so I intentionally rest on purpose. And so, uh,
15:21
the next one is schedule rest. Again, mine is
15:25
two o 'clock after two o 'clock. I'm resting.
15:27
You plan your rest. You protect your rest because
15:30
rest is not optional after heart surgery and
15:34
aneurysm repair. Rest is part of the prescription
15:37
and that goes on, uh, um, uh, post -surgery.
15:43
pretty much well forever and so and fear is heavy
15:49
and that's one of the things that you know if
15:52
you rest you can just kind of calm down a bit
15:55
and so if fear is very heavy fear makes you tense
15:59
fear makes you tired fear makes you avoid movement
16:03
fear makes you question yourself so if you're
16:06
in a plateau and you feel emotional you are not
16:09
dramatic you are not weak you are a human being
16:12
recovering from life -altering event from a life
16:15
-altering event and that deserves compassion
16:18
the emotional side of plateaus now i want to
16:23
say something tender and honest. Plateaus don't
16:27
just affect your body, they affect your mind
16:29
because when you stop seeing progress, your mind
16:31
starts creating fear. And fear is heavy, fear
16:34
makes you tense, fear makes you tired, fear makes
16:37
you avoid movement, fear makes you question yourself.
16:40
So if you're in a plateau and you feel emotional,
16:43
you're not dramatic, you are not weak, you are
16:46
a human being recovering from a life altering
16:48
event, and that deserves compassion. Now, We're
16:53
going to move on to our food of the week. Our
16:57
food focus for this week is the avocado. I love
17:01
avocado for recovery because it's soft, easy
17:04
to digest for many people, easy to prepare, and
17:08
packed with nutrients that support heart health.
17:10
Here's why avocado is so valuable after heart
17:13
surgery, aneurysm repair, and cardiac events.
17:16
Avocado contains heart healthy fats. These fats
17:19
can support healthy cholesterol levels and help
17:22
your body absorb fat soluble vitamins. Avocado
17:25
contains potassium, which supports healthy blood
17:28
pressure balance. And after aneurysm repair,
17:31
blood pressure management is often a major part
17:34
of healing. Avocado also contains fiber, which
17:39
supports gut health and cholesterol. And after
17:42
surgery, gut health matters more than people
17:44
realize. Then avocado is also a calm recovery
17:48
food, meaning it's gentle, satisfying, and helps
17:51
keep your blood sugar stable. And stable blood
17:54
sugar can support stable energy and mood. Easy
17:57
ways to eat avocado this week. You can mash it
18:00
on whole grain toast, which they call Excuse
18:04
me, avocado toast. You can have slices of avocado
18:09
with eggs. You can add it to a salad, which is
18:12
something that I definitely do. But you know
18:15
what the funny thing is, is that it doesn't have
18:16
any taste. But the thing that motivates me to
18:21
continue eating it is that I know that it is
18:24
a healthy fat and it is good for me. It's nutritional.
18:29
And then so I add it to my salads and I also
18:33
blend it. into smoothies as well so that would
18:36
be another suggestion to blend into a smoothie
18:39
or simply sprinkle with a little salt and lemon
18:42
now before we close i want to give you a reflection
18:47
question and i want you to actually answer this
18:50
write it down say it out loud or think about
18:52
it for a full minute and here it is what is one
18:56
small sign that you're healing even if it doesn't
18:59
feel dramatic maybe it's you walk two more minutes
19:03
Or you needed less pain medication or you slept
19:07
an extra hour or you felt less fear today Or
19:11
you laughed or you ate better or you asked for
19:14
help or you had one calm moment Those small signs
19:19
matter. They are proof So now let's summarize
19:24
what we covered today. Here are your key takeaways
19:27
from this podcast Recovery plateaus are normal
19:32
after heart surgery, aneurysm repair, and cardiac
19:35
events. Healing is not linear. Progress comes
19:39
in waves. Plateaus often happen because your
19:42
body is doing deep internal rebuilding. The safest
19:46
way to break through a plateau is consistency,
19:49
not intensity. Emotional recovery is real, and
19:52
it often shows up later. Avocado is a heart -smart
19:56
recovery food that supports healthy fats potassium
20:00
and fiber. So I want to thank you I'm going to
20:03
leave you with those those thoughts and I want
20:06
to thank you so much for spending time with me
20:08
today and if you're in a plateau right now I
20:11
want you to hear this clearly you're not failing
20:14
you're not stuck forever you're healing even
20:16
when you can't see it. Now next week we're going
20:19
to shift into something that helps you protect
20:21
your healing long term. We'll be talking about
20:24
heart smart lifestyle at lifestyles after heart
20:27
surgery aneurysm repair and cardiac events. The
20:31
daily habits that help you feel stronger more
20:33
stable and more confident in your body again.
20:37
So if you're ready to move from just surviving
20:39
to truly building your wellness you're going
20:42
to love the next podcast. So be gentle with yourself,
20:47
be patient with your body and remember be well
20:51
because healing is still happening.