Devastated! Heart Attack at 59. Former fitness gone forever?

MartinP · Post by **MartinP** » 9 Jan 2015, 12:45pm

What I thought was heartburn after a tough (for me) Sunday club ride turned out to have been a heart attack. At least that is when the doctor says it accured .. I went out again on the following Wednesday and did another 60 miles (Garmin recorded average 3 degrees c, average 16.5mph, average bpm 130 and max 170). Similar chest sensation, no real pains, which this time did not ease. Hospital on Thursday, troponin rise to >10,000. underwent Angiogram -stenosis in circumflex artery treated with SeQuent Please drug coated balloon. This all happened 1st week in December. Have tried easy cycling as moderate exercise (keeping heart rate below 130) but with any real exertion I get optopic/palpatations. Hospital put me on a treadmill and same thing happened. Doctor has increased my betablock to compensate but this so far has not worked.
Anybody out there who has experienced similar and can offer me some words of reassurance/advice/ guidance?
Frankly I am devastated as cycling is a big part of my life.

PH · Post by PH » 9 Jan 2015, 12:48pm

No advise sorry, but I'm sure there will be.
It's only been a few weeks, don't overdo it and look after yourself. GWS

al_yrpal · Post by **al_yrpal** » 9 Jan 2015, 1:54pm

My wife, who was a very experienced medical heart nurse says listen to your body and take it easy at the moment until things recover otherwise it could become much more serious. Difficult to accept except that its obvious really. Really enjoyed your Patagonia blog.

Hope things get better for you over time.
Best wishes

Al

Post by **Vorpal** » 9 Jan 2015, 2:06pm

I'm sorry to hear this. I hope that you can resume normal activity as part of your recovery.

I don't have any special experience or knowledge about this, but I do think you should discuss it with your doctor or specialist.

If they have said that it's okay to cycle, just don't let your heart beat go over 130 BPM, then don't exert yourself at all. At the slightest sign of a hill, or something to cause exertion, get off and walk. Continue when you can and don't overdo it. As al_yrpal said, you can cause permanent damage; then it will be gone forever.

MartinP · Post by **MartinP** » 9 Jan 2015, 6:01pm

Thanks guys, I think it's more a matter of me coming to terms with it all. You are all right of course; slow and easy. Hopefully back to some kind of fitness by the Summer. Doc. Said heart condition is one third lifestyle and two-thirds genetic. My father had his first heart attack at 50! The good news is that he is still alive and kicking at 91!!

tyreon · Post by **tyreon** » 9 Jan 2015, 7:42pm

Tish! What a tish! Sorry to hear it. Bad luck. Truly hope things get better for you. Feel sure your cycling will go on...but you might have to adapt to a more moderate/modest pace.

I visited where you're at some years ago. I never thought I would 'get ill',somehow get-something-wrong-with-me. Those things happened to other people. Somehow(I don't know how!)I was exempt from...well,any sort of illness!!! I was gonna get some aches and pains,something 'wrong' at 75/80. Well,things didn't work out like that. My number(not too disabling,but enough for me to have to be on medication every day)called a little early. I'm now not the go-anywhere,go-for-as-long-as-you-like,camp-out,go-round-the-world guy I would have liked to have been...and see others of my own age doing. Grrrrr...) Still,you have your bikes,medicine has moved on,you can still cycle,things(hopefully)will settle...even improve...be made stronger? Go easy on yourself. I still haven't got over my diagnosis of 20 years back!! I am a slow learner...

Do as much as you can...without crucifying yourself or your health. There other guys(and gals)out there...some in the churchyard...who do have worse,and have better chins. When I think and sometimes complain about my own health issues,I should feel ashamed with what others have and make no song-and-dance about.

I'm more of a sympathy man: will listen to you and maybe empathize where you're coming from. What you(and I)may need is some boot-up-the-but bloke,some example who puts some perspective on matters.

Go easy on yourself(tho sometimes this can be the wrong medicine)

Tigerbiten · Post by **Tigerbiten** » 9 Jan 2015, 8:59pm

GWS.

Two thing I can think of .......
First one fairly obvious:- Get yourself an E-bike for the hills.
That way you wont work as hard but you will still be able to get out.
Second one not quite so obvious:- Go recumbent.
Because you are almost laying down, the heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood around the body.
A bike is faster but a trike is easier to start on and has no minimum speed uphills.

Luck ................

mnichols · Post by **mnichols** » 9 Jan 2015, 10:03pm

Just wanted to express my sympathy

I have heart problems myself and can empathise

Good luck and best wishes

elPedro666 · Post by **elPedro666** » 10 Jan 2015, 12:53am

I'm off the bike for a few months while I heal up from an operation and even this is hard to put up with, so I struggle to imagine the mental adjustment that you're having to make.

For what it's worth, you have my sympathy and best wishes, and like everyone says; take it easy on yourself: a few months or even a couple of years is nothing in the context of a full lifetime.

TonyR · Post by **TonyR** » 10 Jan 2015, 1:24pm

If you had the heart attack at the beginning of December then its early days in your heart repairing itself and the electrical wiring settling down. Talk to your cardiologist and physio about when, where and how much exercise you should do. Cycling is very good recovery exercise but you do need to let things heal properly or you could do more damage . You might also want to talk to him about alternative drugs. Beta blockers slow your heart and can deplete your energy for cycling.

hondated · Post by **hondated** » 10 Jan 2015, 5:10pm

Martin P wrote:Thanks guys, I think it's more a matter of me coming to terms with it all. You are all right of course; slow and easy. Hopefully back to some kind of fitness by the Summer. Doc. Said heart condition is one third lifestyle and two-thirds genetic. My father had his first heart attack at 50! The good news is that he is still alive and kicking at 91!!

That's good news Martin just take it easy and get well soon.

thirdcrank · Post by **thirdcrank** » 10 Jan 2015, 5:47pm

Martin P

First, take heart ( :oops:

) from the fact that being a cyclist probably made your heart strong enough to survive the heart attack.

It's now over ten years since I started with heart disease and fortunately for me, I didn't have a heart attack. The next bit is much more difficult because you obviously have to take medical advice but IME, not all of it is helpful. My own GP at that time was quite an elderly chap and he had no idea about cycling. When I told him at which point on a local hill I generally began to feel the discomfort in my chest, he would not believe that as a 59 year old, I was capable of riding a bike up the hill (not a particularly steep one BTW) All sorts of other stuff frightened the life out of me. I eventually decided I'd have to do my own thing, including riding up the bigger hills but every twinge had me worrying. In short, listen to all the advice you can get but get it from young, fit doctors.

elPedro666 · Post by **elPedro666** » 10 Jan 2015, 8:13pm

"yes, I'd like to see a young, fit doctor please..."

Think my missus may have tried something similar in the past...

eileithyia · Post by **eileithyia** » 10 Jan 2015, 9:30pm

My commiserations.
I would say it is probably early days so give yourself chance to recuperate and recover.
I can only offer observation from others i know of; 1 friend had an early heart attack and then took up both cycling and long distance running (I don't mean marathons, I mean 100 mile whole weekend events) and is fitter now than before. Another had a heart attack while out cycling, 15years on is still cycling. My uncle's was 30 years ago, treatment was not quite so immediate as it is now, but nonetheless a year or so later he had a triple bypass and was back to the walking he had previously enjoyed.. 30 years is still relatively healthy.

MartinP · Post by **MartinP** » 10 Jan 2015, 11:09pm

Thanks guys, there is some really sound advice that I really appreciate. Sounds soppy but it's uplifting to hear such positive encouragement from you all; it can be quite a lonely place if you let it fester. My consultant is a keen cyclist and is keen to get me back in the saddle. I am planning to buy (my first)turbo trainer and gradually build myself back into it, heeding all your good advice. As the terminator said ....I'll be back!,

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