Earlier in the year I was pretty fit and successfully completed the Peaks Challenge event 235km/150m with 4500m/14,750 of climbing. Then I developed sepsis a month later after a routine operation went wrong. I was in hospital for over a month the first time and ended up with a stoma/colostomy bag for 5 months. When I was discharged I could barely walk. I then spent another week in hospital recently to have the stoma reversed. A big operation.
My fitness went from a 93 down to 10. Sounds like/feels like my cells, muscles and mitochondria have been demolished. I want to get back or exceed where I was but I’m so tired and easily exhausted. My old recovery ride smashes me. My bloods revealed I was anemic but an iron transfusion has helped restore that.
Has anyone else come back from something similar? If so how long did it take?
Is TR best to navigate the return or do I need to just ride and rest a bit before resuming structured training? Appreciate any advice, tips and war stories.
Dude! That’s some serious issues, but I’m really glad you seem to be coming out of it basically OK. Sepsis killed my dad. You don’t say how old you are, and that can make a big difference. I’d suggest just riding and enjoy being alive. I think you’ll feel when it’s time to try getting into training again.
Oh so sorry to hear that about your Dad. Hope you’re doing OK. Yep it’s no joke. And far more common than people realize. It definitely wasn’t on my bingo card… I’m mentally 27 and some piece of paper says I’m 58. (No idea how that happened but keen for more birthdays.) I had a full year of events planned but now thinking 2027 will be the year of the rebuild and then we go again in 28. Maybe an Ironman? L’etape? Mallorca 312? Peaks again. World Fondos would be cool too. Happy riding! Cheers, A
Legitimately glad you’re still with us—sepsis is no joke!
I can’t say I’ve had anything on the order of magnitude of what you’ve had, but I echo what Saddlesaur says—go easy and go by feel. You’re alive, which not everyone with your experience gets to be!
A very tiny version of this happened to me when I got COVID for the first time—my old recovery power became my VO2, and it stayed that way for a long time. Real talk: I’m still, three years of solid training later, nowhere near where I was before I got sick, but I’m riding all my favorite rides and races, and I’m alive to do it. There’s a version of the story that doesn’t turn out so well, so I aim to be grateful to be on a bike and for whatever fitness I have (which, hey, if you did Peaks, your fitness was already way off the end of the scale; it’s hard to keep perspective about that).
I’m in a somewhat different situation. I’m a Boomer and got chemo/immunotherapy, then surgery and now chemo and immunotherapy again (we are going for a cure, but no guarantees). My abilities vary almost daily. I depend on RPE for whatever ride I am doing and am trying to give myself some grace. My advice is to use RPE as your guide. If the goal of a workout is zone 2, VO2max, or whatever use the RPE skills you’ve learned from your previous training to determine how hard to go. Also, I’m using my rides mostly to give me joy. Be kind to yourself. Best of luck to you.
First, so glad you are doing ok and got through the worst of it. Sepsis kills many people every year.
I would continue to focus on recovery. It sounds like you ostomy got taken back down, which should help with absorption. Nutrition is going to be super critical so focusing on a good diet with lots of whole foods will be helpful. I’d also lean into metrics. Work with you doctor to check regular blood work including CBC, electrolytes, creatinine (kidney function), iron levels, etc. Tracking things like resting heart rate and HRV could also be very helpful as you get back into training. You are going to need a lot of recovery between sessions.
