How an active lifestyle saved me- My Fitness Journey post Sternotomy- Month 1

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of exercise and how I benefitted from it during and after my Sternotomy. Allow me to use Medium as my medium to tell you the story of my fitness journey before and after my surgery.

This was me, probably the thinnest version of myself post-college:

Circa 2012. Nothing really bad about being thin but I prefer to see myself buffed. It is a personal preference.

I cannot say I was a fit kid back in the days. But I was not sedentary either. In 2020, I started going to the gym. It was a must. I researched about diet, watched a lot of Youtube videos of fitness influencers and applied the concepts here and there. But the Covid-19 Pandemic happened. Gyms closed. Luckily, there was a nearby gym who opened their doors, exclusively for us. I was able to still lift some weights. My goal was to increase body mass. I started with 57kg, which was still a normal weight for a small person like me. End of 2021, I weighed 64kg.

Early 2022, I was diagnosed with Thymoma. It’s a rare tumor that grows in the Thymus Gland. In short, the tumor was in the middle of my heart and my left lung. It was a devastating because I am required to undergo a major surgery where they will open up my whole chest to remove the 8cm tumor. I was in my “healthiest” when this happened.

Weeks before the surgery, I prepared myself. I walked 10,000+ steps every single day and went to the gym almost everyday. Rest days are for Yoga and meditation. I promised myself that I WILL NOT LET THIS SURGERY BREAK ME.

Here I was before the surgery:

And here I was the day after surgery:

Eggs for protein.

This also happened Day 1 after surgery. I was able to walk on the corridor of the hospital. People were amazed.

My doctor highly encouraged me to walk. This will allow me to practice my lungs and to avoid getting pneumonia.

It sucks to see myself with all these gauze.

A week after my surgery, I was already able to walk 10,000 steps.

My dad and uncle decided to take me to Clark so that I can complete my daily targetted steps. I still find it difficult to walk. I can hardly breathe a full breath.

And here I am now, 1 month after surgery:

I lost a couple of kilos but I am happy that I almost do not look sick.

My preparation prior the surgery saved my life. It was an investment that I will not regret. Without exercise, I probably am still weak now.

My current exercise plan

Because of some precautions and limitations of the surgery, I am not yet allowed to go to the gym maybe until 3 months post-op. I am still not allowed to carry things heavier that 10lbs. So what I currently do now is completing my 10,000 steps/day. I am also focusing more on exercises for the lower part of my body, meaning glutes down to calves. I also do some biceps and triceps exercises using my aunt’s 3lbs dumbells. I am literally starting from scratch. I also bought a set of bands for added weight while doing the leg workouts.

This Medium publication will mostly be about my personal journey on fitness but I will also post some inspiring articles that may help you start an active lifestyle. So please do follow this publication or my Medium main account.