By Ken Bingenheimer
The results of the coronary angiogram would not have been as surprising if I had not been to a cardiologist for a nuclear stress test just four years ago. At that time, I was told my heart was in excellent shape. This time the verdict was blockages so extensive that immediate surgery was necessary.
I was living on borrowed time.
So, for the first time since I bought my first motorcycle 29 years earlier, I found myself facing an extended time off the bike. No wiggling around this one.
But we’ve got plans! In early July we’re taking a ride with friends to Bampf and Jasper. And as soon as we get back from that I am turning around and taking off with the guys on our annual ride. The scheduled surgery was on March 16. That gave me 16 weeks—112 days—to get back in shape.
Make no mistake: After bypass surgery you would lose a tussle with a baby. The simple effort of chewing made eating an exhausting endeavor. Turning over in bed required calling the nurse. (The worst part was the breathing tube they put in for surgery. It was still in when I came around and I felt like I was going to drown in my own saliva. They have your arms tied down because they know that if you could you would immediately rip that thing out. Fortunately, they removed it just a couple hours after I regained consciousness.)

A week after surgery they sent me home. My wife, Judy, was there with me all the way, always with a smile on her face and words of encouragement.
Progress was slow until the doctor took me off a few drugs that were sapping my strength—primarily the beta-blocker. I could go outside and walk up and down the block. After 10 days without leaving the house, this was heaven.
Horizons were opening up. Each day our walks went further and by Day 27 we walked more than a mile in one trip. After which exhaustion knocked me down for a while. All exertion had its price. Push, work, build up strength, but be prepared to collapse on the couch afterward.
Day 32—We went to do the paperwork for rehab, which was to start the next day. Teresa, the rehab nurse, said no problem whatsoever being ready to do the Canada ride in early July. Great! And I drove home from the rehab center. That was my first time behind the wheel.
Life was becoming more and more normal.

Six weeks and my life was almost back to normal—except that I was still weak. I went to rehab or got other exercise every day but the minor amount of exercise that exhausted me was ridiculous.
Eight weeks had elapsed and frustration was setting in. I felt fine. I felt like I could get on a bike and ride with no problem. Then I would exert myself a little more than normal and have to rest for an hour before I could do much of anything. Or I’d walk up a short flight of stairs and have to grab hold of something and lower my head to keep from passing out. They said 12 weeks should have me feeling like my old self. Here’s hoping.
Week 11—Stamina returned! We took a 12-day trip and walked 3 to 5 miles every day, and I felt fine.
One day shy of 12 weeks, the doc said ‘go for it’ and I went riding! I expected to feel rusty and a need to re-familiarize myself, but as soon as I swung the leg over and fired it up, it just felt normal. It was like I had ridden just the day before, not three months ago.
Hallelujah, I’m on the bike again!

Ken Bingenheimer is an AMA Charter Life Member from Denver. Connect with him at www.motorcyclecolorado.com/blog.