Cipollini has heart surgery

[mcteague]

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mar...-from-surgery/

Mario Cipollini battling heart conditions, recovering from surgery

Tim

[d_douglas]

Timely. I just turned 50 and through a routine checkup, found out I had a blockage in an artery myself. I had a stent installed on Monday.

I am a big healthy looking guy. I am not skinny, eat a bit too much ice cream, tapered down a lot of exercise to ‘some’ exercise after my kids were born (in the past ten years) and a perfect storm brewed to create a significant blockage.

Apparently I have a genetic disorder where my body doesn’t fully metabolize cholesterol as it should, so this damage occurred.

The good news is that I have not had any ‘cardiac event’ and this was picked up by chance, so my doctors say I’ve dodged a bullet. That said, in spite of it being genetic, I am changing my diet and exercise habits to make sure I avoid this any time again.

Good luck to Mario - I am rooting for him. Not so much for his stupid behaviour with his wife, however...

[Elefantino]

Heart disease is a stunner when you're told you have it. In a flash you think of all the negatives including not being able to ride anymore. Thankfully the negatives (mostly) are false!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[avalonracing]

Glad to hear that you caught it!

Originally Posted by d_douglas

Timely. I just turned 50 and through a routine checkup, found out I had a blockage in an artery myself. I had a stent installed on Monday.

I am a big healthy looking guy. I am not skinny, eat a bit too much ice cream, tapered down a lot of exercise to ‘some’ exercise after my kids were born (in the past ten years) and a perfect storm brewed to create a significant blockage.

Apparently I have a genetic disorder where my body doesn’t fully metabolize cholesterol as it should, so this damage occurred.

The good news is that I have not had any ‘cardiac event’ and this was picked up by chance, so my doctors say I’ve dodged a bullet. That said, in spite of it being genetic, I am changing my diet and exercise habits to make sure I avoid this any time again.

Good luck to Mario - I am rooting for him. Not so much for his stupid behaviour with his wife, however...

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by mcteague

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mar...-from-surgery/

Mario Cipollini battling heart conditions, recovering from surgery

Tim

It's hard to look at how big and ripped Cipollini is and not wonder what kind of, um, diet, he's been on over the past few years.

[mcteague]

Originally Posted by avalonracing

It's hard to look at how big and ripped Cipollini is and not wonder what kind of, um, diet, he's been on over the past few years.

Unfortunately that was my first thought as well.

Tim

[bigbill]

I keep an eye on my heart health after a clot scare in 2011. I take a statin and my latest cholesterol was 148 with good ratios. When I lived in NE Texas, one of the really strong guys had recovered from bypass surgery the year prior. One afternoon we were in a group about 5 miles from home when he started slowing down. When he exceeded 120HR he'd get painful throbbing in his neck. We stopped and told him to either call his wife or an ambulance. He did neither but we all slowed down and rode with him back to his house. He got two stents that evening. I went to see him a few days later, "hey dumbass, it was just a bike ride, nothing to die over".

[d_douglas]

Originally Posted by avalonracing

It's hard to look at how big and ripped Cipollini is and not wonder what kind of, um, diet, he's been on over the past few years.

We do not and have not shared the same lifestyle. Mine is more flamboyant

I am apparently an odd case as I rarely drink, never smoke, exercise daily and eat a generally solid diet. If nothing else, I am a man of moderation....

My one thought is my sedentary job. Sending emails and taking conference calls is not exactly good for blood circulation.

[wc1934]

I liked Il Re Leone. Wish him a full recovery.

One has to wonder if the drugs he took caused this condition - "heart muscle grows around the coronary artery and constricts blood flow".

[Black Dog]

Originally Posted by d_douglas

Timely. I just turned 50 and through a routine checkup, found out I had a blockage in an artery myself. I had a stent installed on Monday.

I am a big healthy looking guy. I am not skinny, eat a bit too much ice cream, tapered down a lot of exercise to ‘some’ exercise after my kids were born (in the past ten years) and a perfect storm brewed to create a significant blockage.

Apparently I have a genetic disorder where my body doesn’t fully metabolize cholesterol as it should, so this damage occurred.

The good news is that I have not had any ‘cardiac event’ and this was picked up by chance, so my doctors say I’ve dodged a bullet. That said, in spite of it being genetic, I am changing my diet and exercise habits to make sure I avoid this any time again.

Good luck to Mario - I am rooting for him. Not so much for his stupid behaviour with his wife, however...

Just curious, How did a routine checkup catch a blocked artery? Just had one and other than standard blood work and the Doc listening to my heart I am not sure how something like this could be detected without complaints of symptoms.

[d_douglas]

I had a standard blood test and ecg (per doctors suggestion) just before my 50th. The ecg picked up a faint irregularity and they just asked to do a treadmill stress test, then more blood work and then a stress echocardiogram. It snowballed from something very small - I must say, it was a pretty good catch by all the doctors. I had a ‘lipoprotein A’ test done which I had to pay for (this is Canada - quite unusual to have to pay) - apparently this is not condoned by the Canadian Medical Association as it is not proven as accurate enough, but in my case, it was dead on and identified this genetic disorder that I apparently have - $65 well spent.

My complaint was that I was tired and lacking energy. I experienced no pain at all.

My dark sense of humour routinely joked with buddies about being the guy dropping dead of a heart attack on the side of a MTB trail. I will not be joking about that anytime again

[tv_vt]

I had to chuckle when I was reading about this on Cyclingnews a day or two ago, when Mario mentions cranking up a climb pushing 500 watts, and a photo of him riding without a helmet. Mario being Mario.

[clyde the point]

Interesting to follow the health issues from riders active during this time period in cycling. Sad to say that the consequences will ultimately trump any (race) results.

[Mikej]

To the gentleman with the blockages, what EXACTLY was the blockage? Calcium buildup in an artery?

[d_douglas]

Originally Posted by Mikej

To the gentleman with the blockages, what EXACTLY was the blockage? Calcium buildup in an artery?

Yes, I guess!? They said ‘plaque’. Is that calcium? I’d like to get rid of it, but it doesn’t work that way I assume.