Aging has its challenges

[Zealot]

At my wife’s urging, I went to the Emergency room March 31 after a week of having pretty serious heart palpitations and pain that left me tired and sick. 

They admitted me for tests the following day. Did nuclear stress tests, ekgs and echocardiogram.  Then they discharged me with orders to wear a heart event monitor for a month. 

Had my appointment with the cardiologist yesterday to go over the results.  I have premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). Level of concern is determined by what is causing them.  I also have severe bradycardia. When I sleep, my heart rate drops to 30 bpm.  He said unless I was a top endurance  athlete, this is also concerning. Again, need to determine the cause. And lastly, I have an aortic aneurysm. Large enough to be concerned but doesn’t need surgical correction unless other issues complicate.

Here’s the difficult part for me. He told me not to exercise at the levels I do.  I told him that when I play, I play hard. I don’t know if I can ‘not’ ride the way I ride, or perform martial arts with the intensity that so do. It’s who so am.

Observation, more tests scheduled, new meds.  Ughh...

I told my GP, “doctors are the cause of all our ailments. Every time we see a doc, we are dx’d with something else. So I’m going to stop going.”  She laughed. ?

My wife has always said that they’ll find me dead in the woods or on the side of the road due to a heart issue. She may be right. 

“Boots on!”

[petitepedal ★]

Damn I am sorry Z....hope they can figure it out and get you at least somewhat back on track.  I had the should thing happen again..like on the Great Adventure..lots of pain..gonna see a doc for it tomorrow morning...told my trainer I want a Jesus healing..just lay on the hands and all is good (or a pill or shot) not to patient about this stuff...

Will keep you in my prayers.

[Further]

I tend to strain muscles & tendons, they do 'ground' me, and take a long time to heal. But I do heal, sort of, and continue on.

Pushing into a heart attack, specially back in the woods, could be a one time thing.

I've met your wife, she's a nice lady, don't leave her alone

 

[Zealot]

Thanks Petite.  I’m not off track. At the moment, I don’t plan on slowing down. I have to live. Just got the puppy that I am planning on touring with, and we’re bonding pretty well. 

 

Sorry to hear you’re dealing with the shingles again. Hope you get your Jesus healing!! Will pray for you as well. ?

 

[petitepedal ★]

Not shingles...the shoulder pain that makes me wear the camelbak UNDER my arm Started this time when I was wearing the weighted vest!  I have realized how grumpy the pain makes me

[maddmaxx ★]

It's the reason I have a smart phone with me on rides.   It's on but tucked away somewhere in the bag.

 

It's there so they can find the body.  At almost 73 my HR max isn't worth a good warmup.

[Chris...]

8 minutes ago, petitepedal said:

Not shingles...the shoulder pain that makes me wear the camelbak UNDER my arm Started this time when I was wearing the weighted vest!  I have realized how grumpy the pain makes me

Happy belated Mother’s Day 

[Ralphie ★]

Well if you ever change your mind I'll be glad to show you how to relax and take it easy. :D

 

 

[Dottleshead ★]

34 minutes ago, Zealot said:

At my wife’s urging, I went to the Emergency room March 31 after a week of having pretty serious heart palpitations and pain that left me tired and sick. 

They admitted me for tests the following day. Did nuclear stress tests, ekgs and echocardiogram.  Then they discharged me with orders to wear a heart event monitor for a month. 

Had my appointment with the cardiologist yesterday to go over the results.  I have premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). Level of concern is determined by what is causing them.  I also have severe bradycardia. When I sleep, my heart rate drops to 30 bpm.  He said unless I was a top endurance  athlete, this is also concerning. Again, need to determine the cause. And lastly, I have an aortic aneurysm. Large enough to be concerned but doesn’t need surgical correction unless other issues complicate.

Here’s the difficult part for me. He told me not to exercise at the levels I do.  I told him that when I play, I play hard. I don’t know if I can ‘not’ ride the way I ride, or perform martial arts with the intensity that so do. It’s who so am.

Observation, more tests scheduled, new meds.  Ughh...

I told my GP, “doctors are the cause of all our ailments. Every time we see a doc, we are dx’d with something else. So I’m going to stop going.”  She laughed. ?

My wife has always said that they’ll find me dead in the woods or on the side of the road due to a heart issue. She may be right. 

“Boots on!”

I too was diagnosed with PVCs and later had 3 stents. In the end, I really had no control over either. I take the meds now and just STFU. I have no plans of dying anytime soon. Bottom line, if the cardiologist tells me not to do it -- I don't do it. They look at stats all day. If you want to gamble you can, but the odds won't be in your favor. If you need help reminding yourself of that, go sit down at a blackjack table and play basic strategy every hand. Do it every day of the week. Those odds and probabilities are damn accurate. They have an entire insurance industry making a living off it.

[Longjohn ★]

I did a lot better when I was active. Since becoming a full time caregiver I have been falling apart. 

[Dottleshead ★]

1 minute ago, Longjohn said:

I did a lot better when I was active. Since becoming a full time caregiver I have been falling apart. 

Maybe. But the frequency of your status reports has improved.

[MickinMD ★]

Learn to not train or play hard, at least until you're healed. Training or competing hard as you age, especially when you have health issues can cause setbacks. I was one of those "no pain no gain" aging idiots into my 60's.

I won a medal in the Maryland Marathon in 1987, coached cross country and ran with my cross country athletes until 2002 at age 52, at which point a series of connective tissue problems forced my retirement from coaching.  I was sure that I wasn't going to get back on track unless I pushed it.  Each time I had an operation or completed chiropractic treatment or completed physical therapy I acted as if my body would repair itself better if I let it know there were big demands put on it.

The result was more problems, forced sedentary lifestyle, weight gain, and pain.  Then I got smart a few years ago, still needed a rotator cuff operation in 2017, and 2019 is the first year since 2002 that I do not have some joint, tendon, or muscle that needs to heal.  At 68, there's surely another physical problem just around the corner but I'm not going to temp fate.  My exercise is done at a slower pace and I find ways to enjoy it even though I miss the thrill of the times when I was firing on all cylinders and impressing others.  I take more breaks during exercise and have my Garmin 510 Edge set to buzz if my heart rate passes 85% of max.

[Zealot]

57 minutes ago, Dottie said:

I too was diagnosed with PVCs and later had 3 stents. In the end, I really had no control over either. I take the meds now and just STFU. I have no plans of dying anytime soon. Bottom line, if the cardiologist tells me not to do it -- I don't do it. They look at stats all day. If you want to gamble you can, but the odds won't be in your favor. If you need help reminding yourself of that, go sit down at a blackjack table and play basic strategy every hand. Do it every day of the week. Those odds and probabilities are damn accurate. They have an entire insurance industry making a living off it.

It’s not about gambling. I’m aware of the odds. It’s simply about  about ‘living’ while I am alive.  That may not make sense to you. I don’t know. But for me, inside, I cannot become sedentary by choice. I need my adventures, wherever they might lead me. It’s who I am.

 

That’s just me.

[Dottleshead ★]

18 minutes ago, Zealot said:

It’s not about gambling. I’m aware of the odds. It’s simply about  about ‘living’ while I am alive.  That may not make sense to you. I don’t know. But for me, inside, I cannot become sedentary by choice. I need my adventures, wherever they might lead me. It’s who I am.

 

That’s just me.

Yeah sedentary is not the way to go. Just saying scale it back.

[donkpow]

30 minutes ago, Dottie said:

Yeah sedentary is not the way to go. Just saying scale it back.

More like fine tune activities to suit. They warned me about my abdominal aorta aneurysm and told me to stop activities but when they gave it a closer look, they said I could continue. Now I just have to keep getting monitored. The heart thing, I don't know. Same deal, I guess.

[Kirby]

I'm glad you went to the doctor and got some information.  Also help they can find something that helps you and also helps you enjoy the activities you want.

[tybeegb]

I agree on the "live your life the way you want to" philosophy.  But, aside from not slowing down, I didn't see any mention of your dietary habits.  That is one area you might want to look into to see if a change there could help.      

[late]

10 hours ago, Zealot said:

 It’s who I am.

 

 

Get your affairs in order, say your goodbyes.

[onbike1939]

13 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

It's the reason I have a smart phone with me on rides.   It's on but tucked away somewhere in the bag.

 

It's there so they can find the body.  At almost 73 my HR max isn't worth a good warmup.

If you have been an active person all  of your life it's hard to accept that you have to slow down when your health deteriorates.

I carry a smartphone at all times given I may have to call the paramedics at any time max. Also, I carry one of those spray things so I can kickstart my heart.

[late]

10 minutes ago, onbike1939 said:

Also, I carry one of those spray things so I can kickstart my heart.

??

[onbike1939]

4 minutes ago, late said:

??

Glyceryl Trinitrate Spray.....which you spray under the tongue causing an adrenaline surge.

You are really supposed to carry this at all times but I tend to forget.

Before you ask........no....it does absolutely nothing to aid erections. 

[late]

1 minute ago, onbike1939 said:

Glyceryl Trinitrate Spray.....which you spray under the tongue causing an adrenaline surge.

 

[onbike1939]

Just now, late said:

You may laugh.........but have you any idea of the number of shirts I go through?

[2Far ★]

Whelp, I'll see your PVCs and Bradycardia; concede the aneurysm; but raise you two murmurs and a left bundle blockage.

I got my heart rate to 140 while on the 24 hour EKG so the electrician-doctor said if I can continue to do that, then I don't need a pacemaker.

Any of your docs serious athletes? If not, then I'd say to workout to the level that you feel comfortable. I think if you were inactive, then you shouldn't start a vigorous program like yours, but continuing it ain't killed you yet.

The RC made me do squats before I gave the last time b/c my HR was below 50. ?

[Zealot]

2 hours ago, late said:

Get your affairs in order, say your goodbyes.

That can be said for all of us. No one is guaranteed another day.

[Zealot]

43 minutes ago, onbike1939 said:

If you have been an active person all  of your life it's hard to accept that you have to slow down when your health deteriorates.

This^^^

[2Far ★]

BTW, you had a sleep study done? My results were that while I have mild apnea, my O2 saturation dropped to 81% while I slept. One of the reasons I didn't feel rested after a night's sleep. Cardio doc said the low heart rate can because by sleep disruptions.

[Zealot]

20 minutes ago, 2Far said:

Whelp, I'll see your PVCs and Bradycardia; concede the aneurysm; but raise you two murmurs and a left bundle blockage.

I got my heart rate to 140 while on the 24 hour EKG so the electrician-doctor said if I can continue to do that, then I don't need a pacemaker.

Any of your docs serious athletes? If not, then I'd say to workout to the level that you feel comfortable. I think if you were inactive, then you shouldn't start a vigorous program like yours, but continuing it ain't killed you yet.

The RC made me do squats before I gave the last time b/c my HR was below 50. ?

I can still push my hr up to the 180s. I work out in the mid 160s to 170 range.   During the stress test, they stopped me at 143, which was interesting.  

But sitting here, am about 50 bpm.

The cardiologist is my age and an active person. So that’s good.  

What do they do for the left bundle blockage?

 

[Zealot]

22 minutes ago, 2Far said:

BTW, you had a sleep study done? My results were that while I have mild apnea, my O2 saturation dropped to 81% while I slept. One of the reasons I didn't feel rested after a night's sleep. Cardio doc said the low heart rate can because by sleep disruptions.

No, just the 30 day event monitoring.  Because of the 30 bpm, he talked about the things you just mentioned. The sleep study may be in my future...

[2Far ★]

41 minutes ago, Zealot said:

I can still push my hr up to the 180s. I work out in the mid 160s to 170 range.   During the stress test, they stopped me at 143, which was interesting.  

But sitting here, am about 50 bpm.

The cardiologist is my age and an active person. So that’s good.  

What do they do for the left bundle blockage?

 

Oh my last stress test, I had to push against the handlebars like I was pushing a wheelbarrow to get to 135 ( I must be a little older than you)

I just took mine a few minutes ago, I'm running about 40.

RE, the LBB. Usually they forget about it until they read my bi-annual EKG, pause a moment, check my chart & say "Oh, yeah."

[Airehead]

Z, sorry to hear you are having challenges but it is better to know and play a hand in how you deal with them.   Life is about balance. 

[groupw]

My Dr used to be a runner. He is pretty understanding and since my dad went to another Dr in the practice, he understands at least part of my motivation. 

His PA met with me first this week. Younger guy. First one aside from my Dr smart enough not to say “at your age”. That comment always pisses me off when I am in better shape than them. 

HR was good. BP was still high, but lowered enough they didn’t comment other than watch my salt. When I asked about any restrictions, he just said I’m active enough to know not to “push through” this pain and offered a stretching exercise to loosen up the muscles. 

[Zealot]

30 minutes ago, Airehead said:

Z, sorry to hear you are having challenges but it is better to know and play a hand in how you deal with them.   Life is about balance. 

Thanks, Aire. ?

Honestly, I was totally excited that the tests show no coronary artery blocskages. That’s what all the men in my family die from. Heart attacks due to coronary artery disease.  

[donkpow]

Speaking of MD's with athletic experience. I don't know what his game is but I thought I was going to have a cage match with the orthopedist.

 

I'd rather just get it out there. My new PCP doesn't know me very well, as yet. He sent me over for an ultra sound but told me these scans are notoriously inaccurate. Yeah, well, that adds up. Send me over for imaging but tell me to ignore the results. ?

[Scrapr ★]

2 hours ago, donkpow said:

Speaking of MD's with athletic experience. I don't know what his game is but I thought I was going to have a cage match with the orthopedist.

 

I'd rather just get it out there. My new PCP doesn't know me very well, as yet. He sent me over for an ultra sound but told me these scans are notoriously inaccurate. Yeah, well, that adds up. Send me over for imaging but tell me to ignore the results. ?

Hey...Docs got yacht payments too

[Longjohn ★]

At my wife’s urging I just went to a dentist appointment that she made for me. I’m not having any problems but usually went once a year just because. I haven’t been to a dentist for three years or so since my dentist went to jail. I get in there and meet the new dentist and she says she doesn’t do dentures but she can help me if I want implants. No thank you. What a waste of time. She did say my teeth looked really nice.

[2Far ★]

23 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

 so since my dentist went to jail.

Too much into the laughing gas?

[Longjohn ★]

4 minutes ago, 2Far said:

Too much into the laughing gas?

Actually it was alcohol he was drinking at home and he got pretty loud. Not sure if it was a party or just him. The neighbor called the cops, the cops wouldn’t leave when he asked them to get off his property, he went in the garage and got his shotgun. Not a smart thing to do. He’s been in jail ever since. He was an excellent  dentist.