Heart Attacks and stuff

[Barry]

13 hours ago, crazyt said:

learn to love scotch.

Not even a steep learning curve. And yes Scotch, but any whisk(e)y, really. And if you can't enjoy it neat, just proof it down with a little water. I'd be a large person indeed if I drank beer like I drink whisky. 

[The Tip]

1 hour ago, Barry said:

 if I drank beer like I drink whisky. 

That's sort of my problem. But for me its that I drink whisky like I drink beer. "Sipping" is not in my vocabulary.

Edited April 23, 2019 by The Tip

[notyal]

I carry a single aspirin in my pack in case someone on a ride I'm on goes into a cardiac event. Luckily, I haven't had to use it, which means that one is probably a 10 year old pile of dust that needs to be replaced. I think giving someone having a heart attack an aspirin is still a thing, right?

[cxagent]

20 hours ago, Morealice said:

I think the best precaution is to go have a stress test done (assuming you can just have one prophylactically) and any kind of imaging available to see if you’re really at risk. A lot of times there will be a genetic component to this as well. 

Having a conversation with a cardiologist is not an awful idea once you hit a certain age. Some may say it’s a waste of money, but not in my opinion. There’s value in a good doctor’s knowledge and experience. I recommend Jerry Gilbert at Austin Heart. 

Depending on someone to know CPR is more of a crap shoot than finding out about your own risk factors and likelihood of a cardiac event, in my opinion. 

Been thru this several times. The first "stress test" they said they would not do because I was in such bad shape. I told them when I left the Doc office I was going mountain biking, by myself in the woods. Mountain biking was where I was pegging the heart rate monitor (220 bpm max - I was hitting that  in the first 1/2 mile and never dropped below 220). They decided to do the stress test so I would at least be in the doc's office when *IT* happened. The "stress test' was uneventful. No surprise to me but it was to them.

Lots of good advice above. I'm not going to repeat it. Diet and exercise are HUGE factors. But so it genetics. And so is luck. Diet and exercise are the only ones I can control. The other one I can control is which cardiologist I see. I have been to several. Two of them are well known to other doctors. When one doctor says to me "Can I refer you to another cardiologist?", I understand what they really mean but can't /don't say. My experience is if you can get an appointment this year without another doctor calling for you - find a better cardio. Most of the cardio's you can get an appointment with may be better than no cardio but not by much.

 

[The Tip]

10 minutes ago, cxagent said:

. Most of the cardio's you can get an appointment with may be better than no cardio but not by much.

 

Made me think of that old joke,

Q: What do you call the medical student that finished last in his class?

A: Doctor

[RidingAgain]

Was experiencing some heart palpatations recently. Have had them on and off for maybe twenty years, but this time felt a little different. From a scan maybe 8 years ago I know that my heart is slightly enlarged in a way that's not abnormal for a person of my height/size. Anyway, had one of those coronary calcium tests done — $75 out-of-pocket cost — and got a 0.8 result, which my heart doc was pretty impressed by. I was thinking about a stress test, but with insurance it's $800+ out-of-pocket, and my doc wasn't convinced that I needed it.

After looking at all my scans and listening to my description of what happens he said that he thinks that what I have is a weird little thing called a node in my heart that interrupts the normal electrical impluses and causes the skipping. But he didn't seemed worried about it at this point. And when I had this checked some eight years ago the doctor then didn't seem worried either.

For some reason I think allergies have something to do with this. And a lack of sleep. And stress. And a lack of proper nutritional habits.

Apart from riding, I play squash maybe four times a week, sometimes for upwards of two hours. For those who are not familiar with squash, it can be a mainly anarobic type sport, with high heart rate over an extended period of time. It's not unusual for pros during a match to maintain a 180-210 heartrate for 15-20 minutes per game, with just two minutes of break in between a possible five games per match (I've seen a match last just over two hours at that intensity). For me, I try to pace myself so that I can stay on court for longer periods. But squash has given me the ability to recover fairly quickly from hard excursions. Whereas riding helps with the more anarobic side of this — for endurance. I think both work together towards better overall fitness. But squash can be hell on knees and hips.

Pretty much gave up drinking alcohol back in the mid-'90s. Went out riding in the early morning after partying one Friday night and found myself utterly sick. Afterwards I realized I couldn't (or didn't want to) do both, so I gave up the partying. 

Owning a business can be stressful, and often means terrible eating habits too. I got as high as 287lbs (I'm 6'4") before I was convinced I had to reverse the situation. I'm now at 240lbs and have been headed down for the last six years. My goal is 200lbs, but I'm not in a rush. As long as the trend is downwards I don't mind if it's 1lb a month or 5lbs a month. And I haven't owned a business in many years.

Gene-wise... My mother is 95, and my dad is 96. Both have their physical problems, but both still have their minds intact.

I think personal health is a matter of all things that we encounter in our daily life — from the air around us, to the food we eat, to the realitionships we have, to the activities we participate in, and inherent health problems — and how we respond to these things. With all the information that's out there we should really be ahead of the curve in taking care of ourselves, and I think are ... But... Life expectancy in the US has dropped in the last two years (first time since '-62-'63)... So maybe we need to not get complacent about it.

Edited April 25, 2019 by RidingAgain

[Manster]

I had a PE (Pulmonary Embolism) earlier this year.  Basically, a big blood clot moved from my leg through my heart and lodged at a bridge in my lungs.  The ER doc’s looked real close at the CAT scans of my heart to see if left side (side that pumps blood to lungs) was over stressed compared to right side.  Said I was lucky to have a strong heart since a lot of the men you hear of dying of heart attacks in their early 50’ & 60’s are really PE’s where the heart blew itself up trying to pump against a blood clot lodged in the lungs.   I’m Taking blood thinners now which was the easy fix, and I am fully recovered and riding every day.  But I’m still kind of shocked that it all snuck up on me with almost no warning.  No family history of DVT’s (Deep Vein Thrombosis) or PE’s and no pains at all from my right leg which was loaded with DVT’s (blood clots).

In this case though a strong heart which I can only attribute to biking may have saved me.

Edited April 23, 2019 by Manster

[June Bug]

A friend of ours (roadie)  is a poster child for a life saved by CPR.  He was on a group ride that started in south Austin and his roadside collapse was witnessed by an RN who pulled over and immediately began and maintained CPR until the ambulance arrived.  The EMTs did not think he was going to make it, but he was revived by AED in the ambulance and again in the hospital and then had surgery/stents.  He was in his early 70s when it happened, and was a super fit rider.  He's doing fine and is back to riding quite a bit.  His heart issues are genetic, but he did begin an anti-inflammatory diet and has done well on it. 

Many of us then took a Red Cross CPR course after that happened.  I wouldn't mind a refresher. 

Me and the mister both had a full cardiac evaluations at 65 and 69 respectively.  The cardiologist told me, "I'm not going to make any money on you!"  Just had an evaluation for irregular heart beat but apparently "palpitations" are benign and in the normal range. 

Current cardiologist is Eric Tiblier at 38th and Lamar; highly recommended.

I'm not afraid of heart attacks; strokes, on the other hand, scare the crap out of me. 

 

 

[throet]

On 4/23/2019 at 4:42 PM, Manster said:

I had a PE (Pulmonary Embolism) earlier this year.  Basically, a big blood clot moved from my leg through my heart and lodged at a bridge in my lungs. 

@Manster Curious if the clot originated from some obvious trauma to your leg or if it just formed due to some unknown reason? Had a buddy who died from the exact same thing after ignoring the symptoms because he didn't have health insurance. 

[AntonioGG]

I was warned by someone about the risk for PEs on endurance athletes.  It seems like having a big event like Ironman or 24 hour race, then getting into a plane for a few hours after has some risks.  Since I heard that, I wear my compression socks on flights after big rides.

[Manster]

13 hours ago, throet said:

Curious if the clot originated from some obvious trauma to your leg or if it just formed due to some unknown reason? Had a buddy who died from the exact same thing after ignoring the symptoms because he didn't have health insurance. 

Since Dr. can't find a specific cause for the blood clots that formed in my leg he says I have to be on blood thinners for the rest off my life.   I had heard that 6 months was the normal perscription time and then you could go off the blood thinners.  Apparently that only applies if they can find a specific cause like a recient surgery/injury.   I do have a metal plate in my right leg from an old dislocated ankle, but no ones seems to know how that could cause blood clots.  It is just the only differeence between my right and left leg so they are pointing to that as the cause.

[Txduc]

I heard a long time ago but can't remember where that for long flights to take baby aspirin to help with keeping the blood thinned out to avoid this.  I take long flights (10-17hrs) about 6 times a year and thus far no issues and I do make a point of moving and stretching every couple of hours.  I too have lots of hardware but luckily no issues thus far.  On a semi related note my heart CT scan came back with a score of zero so all good there.

[notyal]

8 minutes ago, Txduc said:

I heard a long time ago but can't remember where that for long flights to take baby aspirin to help with keeping the blood thinned out to avoid this.  I take long flights (10-17hrs) about 6 times a year and thus far no issues and I do make a point of moving and stretching every couple of hours.  I too have lots of hardware but luckily no issues thus far.  On a semi related note my heart CT scan came back with a score of zero so all good there.

As long as your heart BPM doesn't come back with a score of zero.

[AustinBike]

51 minutes ago, Txduc said:

I heard a long time ago but can't remember where that for long flights to take baby aspirin to help with keeping the blood thinned out to avoid this.  I take long flights (10-17hrs) about 6 times a year and thus far no issues and I do make a point of moving and stretching every couple of hours.  I too have lots of hardware but luckily no issues thus far.  On a semi related note my heart CT scan came back with a score of zero so all good there.

Just landed in Toulouse, France a few hours ago. 3 of the 4 of us were in compression socks (only I, the mountain biker was in normal socks, actually pearl Izumi bike socks). Allegedly compression socks are the way to go.  

[Txduc]

1 hour ago, notyal said:

As long as your heart BPM doesn't come back with a score of zero.

True my RHR is low but not zero that would be a bad day

[Txduc]

1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

Just landed in Toulouse, France a few hours ago. 3 of the 4 of us were in compression socks (only I, the mountain biker was in normal socks, actually pearl Izumi bike socks). Allegedly compression socks are the way to go.  

LOL that'll be me this weekend but unfortunately I'm headed to China

[AustinBike]

7 hours ago, Txduc said:

LOL that'll be me this weekend but unfortunately I'm headed to China

Nice, I took the wife there last fall. If you need any recommendations on places to eat or things to do in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong or Shenzhen, ping me. Outside of those places you are on your own.

[AntonioGG]

9 hours ago, AustinBike said:

Nice, I took the wife there last fall. If you need any recommendations on places to eat or things to do in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong or Shenzhen, ping me. Outside of those places you are on your own.

My colleague is just coming back today.  He found out some info about MTBing in Hong Kong there for the next time we're there (including how to get to HK from Shenzen).  He would have gone this time but they had some rain and opted for hiking instead.  It looks pretty nice around Shenzen.  I looked in Austinbike for China info but didn't see any.

[Txduc]

13 hours ago, AustinBike said:

Nice, I took the wife there last fall. If you need any recommendations on places to eat or things to do in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong or Shenzhen, ping me. Outside of those places you are on your own.

Thanks for the offer.  I'll be in Xiamen for work arriving Sunday and flying out on Friday so other than the normal dinner and bars in the evenings I'm not going to see much. 😞 

[AustinBike]

4 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

My colleague is just coming back today.  He found out some info about MTBing in Hong Kong there for the next time we're there (including how to get to HK from Shenzen).  He would have gone this time but they had some rain and opted for hiking instead.  It looks pretty nice around Shenzen.  I looked in Austinbike for China info but didn't see any.

Yeah, every time I was there it did not work out. I had a bike connection once, years ago, but have lost touch with them. There is a good urban "ride to the ride" thing going on. We were there in October and there were plenty of fully kitted riders on the streets, looking like they were going to or coming from a ride.

[June Bug]

Haywire Heart published by VeloPress:

Quote

Too much exercise can kill you. The Haywire Heart is the first book to examine heart conditions in athletes.Intended for anyone who competes in endurance sports like cycling, triathlon, running races of all distances, and cross-country skiing, The Haywire Heartpresents the evidence that going too hard or too long can damage your heart forever. You’ll find what to watch out for, what to do about it, and how to protect your heart so you can enjoy the sports you love for years to come.

The Haywire Heart shares the developing research into a group of conditions known as “athlete’s heart”, starting with a wide-ranging look at the warning signs, symptoms, and how to recognize your potential risk. Leading cardiac electrophysiologist and masters athlete Dr. John Mandrola explores the prevention and treatment of heart conditions in athletes like arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation and flutter, tachycardia, hypertrophy, and coronary artery disease. He reviews new research about exercise intensity and duration, recovery, inflammation and calcification, and the ways athletes inflict lasting harm.

 

[throet]

48 minutes ago, June Bug said:

Haywire Heart published by VeloPress:

 

Interesting. Had a good buddy who died suddenly in his sleep at 41 from some sort of microvascular disease. He was a triathlete, marathoner, and MTB endurance racer. While many athletes, myself included, have slightly enlarged hearts, his was discovered upon autopsy to be really huge and mushy. I've often wondered if his excessive endurance training and competition actually led to his ultimate demise. Not sure that I'll read the book though. At 60, I figure anything really serious would have got me by now, and I tend to take everything in moderation. Most of my rides are around 1.5 to 2 hours, and if my heart gets racing too hard, I rest for a few moments. 

[Ridenfool]

My smart watch tells me that I maxed at 135 bpm and averaged 128 over 12 miles yesterday while averaging 7 mph. As fer as I can recollect, this average speed at Rocky Hill hasn't changed for me up or down much more than a half a MPH over a span of a couple of decades.

This heart chart indicates this reading is toward the top of the healthy range for "moderate" activity for my age, or, at the lower end of the "vigorous" activity range. Either way I'm pretty good about pacing myself and taking a break rather than pushing harder. 

Mostly, I just like to ride, and I've got nothing to prove that doing anything differently could bring me. Had it not been for this thread I'd likely not thought to look up the numbers. It is good to know I seem to be in the healthy zone.

 

 

[AntonioGG]

I've been reading about Lennard Zinn's heart for a while.  It's the reason he rides an e-bike now.  It's a worry of mine considering the racing and training I do.  I'm 47 and still hit 182bpm when I ride hard or train hard.  For endurance racing though, the avg is way lower.  I've gotten two stress tests with echo cardiograms and everything's good.  Maybe getting started later in life (more serious riding starting at 37) makes a difference.

[cxagent]

13 hours ago, Ridenfool said:

This heart chart indicates this reading is toward the top of the healthy range for "moderate" activity for my age, or, at the lower end of the "vigorous" activity range. Either way I'm pretty good about pacing myself and taking a break rather than pushing harder. 

I find that "heart chart" interesting. I say that some information is better than no information. But the 'one size fits all' raises more questions for me than it answers. The "average maximum heart rate" column looks to match the old rule of thumb that your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. (At least the couple of ages I checked matched exactly.) Since I was seeing a heart rate that was rarely below 220 - should my age have been zero? Or negative?

When I had it measured my aerobic threshold was 165 bpm. But that chart says my maximum heart rate should be 160 so I need to back off if my heart rate goes above that. By that logic I will NEVER go anaerobic. Maybe that works for the 'average American' but it does not work for me. I save my anaerobic efforts on long rides (EB, MS150, etc.) but I regularly push to anaerobic zones.