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I have an echocardiogram test scheduled in two days because, it seems, my afib might be coming back after surgery on it (catheter ablation) 13 years ago.
After reading the posts above, I wonder how stressful they’ll make my echo this week. I hadn’t considered the test could undershoot for active people, like us cyclists. Dave |
#17
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Interesting conversation. Good luck. Just ride slowly and enjoy yourself. Tim |
#18
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OP, not sure if I saw what symptoms you were noticing that started you on this journey. What have you been feeling that made you concerned enough to start worrying about what was going on with your heart? Just curious what signs you felt.
Wishing you the best going forward. It's good you're on top of this. |
#19
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I don't have much to add other than to take things seriously.
I was talking with a local rider recently and learned that three cyclist deaths in the last few years that no one really talked about were all due to heart issues. Fitness was good to excellent, oldest was in their 50s, all three had some idea that something was happening with their hearts, and they all passed before they could get more definitive checks done. Apparently I have an inverted T wave, or something like that. My then doctor suggested I carry a printout of my echocardiogram with his note on it (that it's normal for me to have this kind of heart beat) so if I get knocked out, the responding medical people don't think I'm having a heart attack. Alternatively, he suggested that if I want a day or two off, to go into an ER rubbing my chest and complaining of chest pain. The ECG would show a heart attack (? I'm not sure if that's necessarily 100% correct) and the hospital would have to hold me for observation. I did a stress test, I was at threshold for forever, absolutely gassed, the crew working the medical place all came over to watch, and finally someone said that I'd done enough. They said a runner had come in and gone higher, but most of their patients weren't very fit. The treadmill I was on was labeled with a max weight, I think 450 lbs. There was another labeled 550 lbs. So those were the kind of folks they normally saw. |
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#21
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Recently retired surgeon here with relevant specialty expertise. Your aortic root issue is quite different from the more common issues we face as older cyclists - a-fib and coronary calcification that can be hard to differentiate from and may overlap with coronary atherosclerosis.
Aortic root issues are both far less common and more difficult to prognosticate/treat than these other things. Expertise is rare and concentrated in a few leading academic medical centers. The Cleveland Clinic is the world epicenter for complicated cardiovascular issues like this. I would be headed there with your echo results. Last edited by ldamelio; 02-01-2023 at 08:52 AM. |
#22
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As a PCP practicing in CT Yale New Haven has a CV surgeon that we used throughout the years for aortic root repairs/replacements.....https://medicine.yale.edu/surgery/ca...-elefteriades/
Patients loved him and his results were excellent. Good luck and stay fit if you are anticipating surgical intervention. |
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#24
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It's a long way from home for you, but the Mass General Cardio Performance center is probably among (if not the) the best of the best in the game. The number of signed olympic/professional sport jerseys addressed to / thanking the doctors inthe practice for their help that are decorating the walls there are confirmation of that. |
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__________________
“A bicycle is not a sofa” -- Dario Pegoretti |
#26
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Sorry, back to your regular programming....
__________________
“A bicycle is not a sofa” -- Dario Pegoretti |
#27
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Back in August I had a real tough cyclist stress test/ echo at a Sports cardiologist & they couldn't reproduce my odd deal I had all thru July Now after 5 month of no problems its back for the past two weeks random spikes to 200bpm but at least their just spikes that only last a second or two each. The tough part is actually getting into a cardiologist while its happening Last edited by flying; 02-01-2023 at 04:22 PM. |
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For those suggesting sports-specific cardiologists, how does one identify them? Is there a specific certification, training or designation to look for? Or is it more asking questions, and if so, what to ask about? When I review the bios on the cardiologists in our local group there are some comments about them individually being runners, rowers, etc. but none of them specifically state anything about athletic focus of their study or practice....
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#29
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__________________
“A bicycle is not a sofa” -- Dario Pegoretti |
#30
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But if the heart rhythm doctor agrees, I’m ready for another surgery because afib interferes with my cycling in two big ways: I go slower, especially on uphills, because too often I start feeling tightness in my chest. And now, since the cardio told me to go on a blood thinner (Eliquis, better than the old rat poison) to decrease the odds of a stroke, I feel a need to be more cautious than usual on my bike, with bleeding more likely if an accident occurs. Dave, who couldn’t get an appointment with Chinitz until the end of March which maybe says something about the prevalence of heart rhythm problems like afib and the American medical “system” |
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