I was recently diagnosed with a Long Q Rhythm. I'm wondering if there is anyone else out there with this problem.
My Dr. recommends Beta Blocker and no more racing. He also commented that I've had this condition all my life so I'll probably be ok.
I would like to PM with anyone out there who is swimming with a similar situation. I am feeling very conflicted and would like to talk to someone in the same boat.
I read the paragraph about the sisters who swam in Nationals with a Long Q diagnosis, in fact that article motivated me to go to the electrophysicist (sp) and get this checked out by a specialist.
Bobinator, I think Gull is more qualified than I to shed light on this, but let me try. First of all, be careful about opinions generated by what peope have "read". There are gigabytes of information out there that seem authoritative but are not. Let me restate what I said earlier; you do not have to have a genetic risk to develop "torsades de point", the fatal arrhythmia. The mechanism of sudden death can occur any time the QT is significantly prolonged, even if acquired. I cannot stress that enough. I'm not trying to convince you one way or the other, but you should have all the facts before making a decision.
As far as risks, here is the deal. Think of going out in the sun without su screen. Your risk of melanoma increases, especially with burns. The chance that you will get melanoma is still small, but instead of being that one in 10,000 of the general population that gets it you might be that one in 500 of folks who get too much sunlight. Does that make sense? The issue of whether to be scared or not depends on the person. If I tell you that there was a shark attack at a nearby beach, are you nervous going into the water? Some people freak out, others continue to surf comfortably. Really depends on the person.
I understand this might be inherent to being in medicine (and having to give out unwanted and frightening diagnoses all the time), but sometimes medical people seem to lack the ability to really put themselves in the shoes of someone getting these diagnoses.
Yes. We get it. There is a risk - though no one can say how great. On paper it's been proven. Ok.
So, think about being over 45 with three successful pregnancies, a bunch of marathons or years of swimming at an elite level and intense activity levels for years after that. Think about how it is to not have symptom one of any kind of problem and to be told that suddenly you are this fragile creature who needs to live in fear of what might happen. Can you see how incredibly annoying, frustrating and creepy this diagnosis is? At this point in the lives of people like Robin and I, is there any greater danger of death from LQTS than there is of driving on the highway?
Can you really say you'd just up and quit swimming if this happened to you???
Bobinator, I think Gull is more qualified than I to shed light on this, but let me try. First of all, be careful about opinions generated by what peope have "read". There are gigabytes of information out there that seem authoritative but are not. Let me restate what I said earlier; you do not have to have a genetic risk to develop "torsades de point", the fatal arrhythmia. The mechanism of sudden death can occur any time the QT is significantly prolonged, even if acquired. I cannot stress that enough. I'm not trying to convince you one way or the other, but you should have all the facts before making a decision.
As far as risks, here is the deal. Think of going out in the sun without su screen. Your risk of melanoma increases, especially with burns. The chance that you will get melanoma is still small, but instead of being that one in 10,000 of the general population that gets it you might be that one in 500 of folks who get too much sunlight. Does that make sense? The issue of whether to be scared or not depends on the person. If I tell you that there was a shark attack at a nearby beach, are you nervous going into the water? Some people freak out, others continue to surf comfortably. Really depends on the person.
I understand this might be inherent to being in medicine (and having to give out unwanted and frightening diagnoses all the time), but sometimes medical people seem to lack the ability to really put themselves in the shoes of someone getting these diagnoses.
Yes. We get it. There is a risk - though no one can say how great. On paper it's been proven. Ok.
So, think about being over 45 with three successful pregnancies, a bunch of marathons or years of swimming at an elite level and intense activity levels for years after that. Think about how it is to not have symptom one of any kind of problem and to be told that suddenly you are this fragile creature who needs to live in fear of what might happen. Can you see how incredibly annoying, frustrating and creepy this diagnosis is? At this point in the lives of people like Robin and I, is there any greater danger of death from LQTS than there is of driving on the highway?
Can you really say you'd just up and quit swimming if this happened to you???
