Caravanning after heart surgery
Just asking for some advice from our fellow caravanners as my husband is having heart bypass surgery this year. Wondered if anyone has gone through the same kind of operation and how they managed after their recovery. It is rather scary for us , I do not
drive but will have to start lessons soon although towing for me will have to wait awhile. We really love going away in our van and will be sad if we have to stop. Any advice or stories would be welcome.
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I would love to say I can help but I am in the position where my overweight partner aged 67 got a triple bypass 2 years ago..he insisted on starting up caravanning again a couple of months ago..I drive but cannot tow..it's painful watching him with the sweat running off him while we are pitching..putting up the porch awning takes ages.im only 5.4 and struggle helping ..took us recently almost 3 hours to connect the water sort the awning.etc etc..meantime he had to keep stopping with the sweat dripping off him..he struggles to get down on the ground and even longer to get back up...I'm hoping someone will reply and say it gets better...
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Hi Reading this it could have been me that's written it
my partner is 18 stone 6ft 4 and 68 years old.he got a triple bypass 3 years ago..im afraid he's going to hate me soon as I'm going to have to say enough is enough..he has brought one of those gardening kneeling seats to help him get back up when pegging otherwise he cannot get back up.i help as much as I can with pitching and even say to him leave it and I will do it but that doesn't go down well.and like you im 5ft 4 I can drive but I cannot tow..my partner gets short of breath and huffs and puffs.it looks painful watching him struggle with his sweaty red face and i know its painful for him in his cgest and shoulders.. to me it does not look like a pleasure for him anymore its more his stubborn streak with saying he's not giving it up.i would give up caravanning in a heartbeat as in all honesty ive never truly enjoyed it but for my partner its a totally different story..he gave up drinking and smoking and still works but sees the caravanning as his only thing left before his bypass ☹ 0 -
First thing I'd ask is do you really need to erect an awning as that is usually the most difficult part of pitching. We don't usually bother these days. We leave the table and chairs outside. If you have a motor mover then that also takes much of the strain out of the job.
He sounds as though he's overdoing it and is not prepared to 'give in' but I sincerely hope that doesn't come at a price.
My hubby is reasonably fit and well at 71 years but I tow and we each have our own jobs when pitching or leaving a site so we share the load.
I love caravanning but he'd give it up in a heartbeat I know. I feel we only have a few years left before we make the decision to stop caravanning.
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Certainly seriously consider a motor mover if you don't already have one.
Hope it all goes well for you
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I am 77 and had 3 stents inserted last year ,now find wth not so drastic surgery and 6ft and 13st , even i will not put up a porch awning on the day of arrival ,my OH is not in the best of health and a non driver so cannot really help a lot,,
The only time now we have the lightweight porch awning in use is if we are any longer than a week, i then just take my time with plenty of rests,
Most of the time now we do not use an awning ,but we have on our Bailey a roof mounted wind out Thule canopy which we find quite adequate for our needs most of the time
Ps i went many years without a Motor Mover and although not used alot it is there if needed,it was on "doctors orders" he has a caravan ,that OH bought one and had it fitted
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I'm the same as AD. Mover essential. A few years ago in Italy (Lake Tressimino) we met a Brit on site who had had a heart attack whilst staying at the same site the previous year! His wife did not drive so Red Pennant came to his aid even arranging for his outfit to be driven back to UK. My message is, subject to Doctor's orders, go for it.
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I am only coming up to 68, however due to arthritis I definitely don't want to faff with an awning. Getting down is not too bad ............! I certainly could no longer safely manhandle our 1.5 kg caravan on a flat tarmac surface, never mind gravelled and sloping. Similarly I only use the 3.9 kg propane bottles since they are lighter and less awkward due to lesser bulk.
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Anyone who undergoes heart surgery is invited, along with their partner/spouse to attend informative and helpful sessions which advise on a gradual recovery programme. These include input from pharmacists who give information about the drugs that may be described, a dietitian who will give useful information about healthy foods, and if so requested, weight loss and lifestyle changes. There is usually a qualified physiotherapist as well giving advice on suitable exercise, frequency of exercise and tasks that should and shouldn’t be attempted. The course is rather generic, designed principally for those whose lifestyle and/or dietary/drinking/smoking dependencies might have had a contribution to heart disease, but it is possible to get further help if there is something in particular that might help recovery, particularly with coming to terms with a life changing event. Partners are invited because it can help the recovered to share this recovery with someone else who can then understand what is involved.
From a caravanning point of view, heavy lifting of anything can be an issue. Anything that raises heart rate above a certain guidance threshold is an issue. Eliminating, sharing, changing how you do some tasks will help. There is also a mental health element involved as well as physical, any heart attack or heart problem for most individuals is very very scary. Some folks have provided some great ways of continuing with being able to caravan, so I hope this helps. Each patient/person is different though, and a good understanding of what caused the need for surgery, and how best to deal with it is critical.
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Margaret had a quadruple heart bypass about five years ago. Not that it is particularly relevant as I have never expected her to get involved with the heavy stuff associated with caravanning. However about eight years ago we did have a bit of an epiphany when bringing back the caravan from the dealer we found there was a problem with the motormover and we had difficulty getting the caravan back in the back garden which is up a slight slope. Previous shorter vans I was able to reverse in but not so easy with this van as it was longer. I had also not long before that had a hip replacement so perhaps not the strength I once had. I am not sure that it scared us but it did rather illustrate our limitations. The following year we changed to a motorhome after 30 years of caravanning. I would say that has given us a new lease of touring life as we find it so much easier in setting off and setting up, far more relaxed. I think we all have to face the possibility that we won't all want to carry on with our hobby for ever. If it becomes a struggle and lacking in enjoyment you do have to question whether it is the right thing. All I would say is that you also have to think about what might replace it as it would leave a big hole in many of our lives. I also worry about the longer term impact of COVID. It has forced us to have a break from our hobby and many will still be uncomfortable going back to it any time soon. It has also impacted on alternatives holiday options that many of us in the older age group like to take part in like cruises and coach trips so there is a big void waiting for us all if we are not careful.
David
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I towed a caravan down to a site about 50 miles away for a retired work colleague to put it in storage for him. As he improved his wife would drive him down and the site would put on pitch before their arrival.
I did say to contact me if/when he wanted it towed elsewhere or home. We were not friends a such but he did phone me a few times and the following year he did say that he was still storing there but had towed off to other sites himself.
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Rabbit house, Good wishes to you both. Get well, be strong, take the cardiac rehabilitation program. Re assess your situation next Spring.
My own experience is simple - not to build your whole leisure life style around Caravanning, because if it goes - and one day it will - you will need other interests. There is a world beyond caravan sites.
I hope things go well for you both.
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I realise the initial OP is from 2015, and the subsequent 2 appear to be from the same poster, but I do believe there may be others in the same situation now, ie coming up to having heart surgery, so any advice will be welcome I'd have thought. I know it was to us at the time. So: my OH had a single bypass 14 years ago now. Agree with what ttda said upthread, post surgery there was, even then, quite a lot of support, with various meetings, where both OH and myself were encouraged to attend.
I'd also say, go to the gym when it's offered. My OH did, and really enjoyed that part of the rehab actually.
Three months post surgery we went to France for 6 weeks; but had a MH at that time, so a bit different to a caravan of course. But in that respect I'd endorse advice by others in this thread.
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It’s been constructive for me, as I didn’t realise it was an old post.😁
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hi as we have a very large dog whom we do not want to keep chained to the ground then yes we do need to erect an awning which i do help with,but my other half is a stubborn so and so lol we also have motor movers all the time on the several vans we have owned and he refuses point blank to use them
although to be fair hes excellent at reversing a large twin axle as hes always towed large trailers etc, i do worry about him and i understand where hes coming from as he loves caravanning,it wouldnt be a great loss to me as i only went along with his love of it when i met him....but hes not what i would call a now 68 year old and hes now getting tests for his heart again,we still have a caravan which is really his and he refuses point blank to give it up even with his health problems,ps funny thing is this newer caravan we have just bought was sold to us by a person who is giving it up because of his heart health lol 0 -
I had extensive heart surgery 4 years ago, you don't say how old your partner is (and I am not asking) but for context I am in my late 40s and it may be that (relative) young age played a part in what for me was a relatively good road to full recovery. The first 3 months were hell. Make no mistake about that, but from about 6 weeks after the operation I was offered twice weekly physio-therapy to start building the stamina back up and promote a return to general good health. If that's available to your partner, my advice would be to snap it up. There were people doing it ranging from early 40s to late 80s and they all, myself included, felt it helped massively with the recovery.
I would say that in my case it was probably about 6 months before I was comfortable doing the more challenging day-to-day physical things (may sound silly but until then even cutting the grass took it's toll). But from about 6 months to a year I continued to make a point of exercising at least once a week and things continued to improve to the point where a year down the line you would never know, apart from the impressive scar down my chest, that I had ever had problems.
Of course everyone is different but in the end it turned out alright for me
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May be an old post, but as Ina said, info may be useful to others.
I had a triple bypass in early June 2015, age 73, after suffering angina for about a year. I was not that ill, hardly any pain, just a bit tired when doing things.
My mother had angina for many years, but lived to age 98, my father died age 67, due to a stroke, so there was family history.I felt so much better afterwards, and my recovery was quite quick. 6 days in hospital ( fantastic hospital) then gentle exercise, building up each day, then some exercise classes organised by NHS. I was signed off in mid August, and we went away in the van in September for 4 weeks.
We left the porch awning at home as it would mean stretching up, but otherwise things were normal.
2016 we were off abroad again, 2017 also. OH does not tow, so all driving was down to me.
Still doing well 5+ years on.
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