Hi, I'm a 57 year old male swimmer with atrial fibrillation taking rhythmol twice a day. (I'm in sinus rhythm most of the time.) I also do a 2,800 yard workout four times a week and aspire to NQT for the 50 and 100 freestyle.
I can't seem to get straight answers from my cardiologist. He says that it is fine to swim, but deeper questions are beyond him.
For example...
Is it OK to really press myself in my workouts?
(I'm out of breath at the end of some of my sets, but who isn't?)
Should I be thinking of long even swims rather than sprint swims?
(I do mile and two mile open water swims, but they're not very exciting for me.)
I'm fighting for breath sometimes during my sets. Is this just a matter of conditioning, or is there a direct link to the a fib?
I have the low side of normal blood pressure. Is there any relationship between blood pressure and whether people are better constituted to be sprinters vs. distance swimmers?
Any information from M.D.s and/or others who have heart conditions would be appreciated.
See you at nationals!
Originally posted by gull80
It depends on genetic makeup, and the relative proportion of fast twitch and slow twitch fibers.
This is perilously close to an endorsement of the early bloomin' school of thought and/or VO2MAX.
Careful 'Geek,
I got in trouble the other day for bringing up that whole shampoo thing (although I wasn't trying to antagonize anyone), not that you are, just be careful :)
My friend Mike introduced me to my wife. He was my best friend. We played waterpolo, swam in meets together he swam at U of Michigan and U of Toronto. The Cardio doctors told him he could swim.
A cardio Doc in Florida said he could rectify his condition by diet and exercise. He died in the pool during a master workout. Please be careful!!! Know your limits.
PS I am not a Doctor.
George
I've had two stress EKGs. In one I went into a fib after about 12 minutes. In the second I didn't go into a fib at all.
How does one get tested for slow and fast twitch?
To Geochuck: You didn't mention whether your friend had a heart condition, or if so, what it was. Any information?
Thanks for the comment about knowing one's limits, but I suppose that that is one of the most difficult things to know in life.
I'm looking into finding a device that can be worn in the water to monitor not just blood pressure, but other heart functions.
Originally posted by Hink
To Geochuck: You didn't mention whether your friend had a heart condition, or if so, what it was. Any information?
Thanks for the comment about knowing one's limits, but I suppose that that is one of the most difficult things to know in life.
He had a blockage his Doctor in Canada said he needed a by-pass but the doctor in Florida told him he needed exercise and diet change. All I know is we all miss him.
I had a stress test arranged by my doctor but the guy before me passed on during the test and I decided I was not going to take any chances.
George
If you haven't had a stress test, you probably should--to rule out coronary artery disease. Alternatively, you could consider a multislice CT scan. You're in the age group where CAD becomes a concern.
Are you in a. fib when you're feeling short of breath? If not, it might just be the intensity of the set or your level of conditioning.
I don't think anyone can say how hard you should push it. On the one hand, there is no evidence that you're more likely to suffer a heart attack during exercise than at other times. On the other hand, as a Houston trauma surgeon once told me, "Life's a crapshoot."
I do not believe there is any relationship between blood pressure and sprinting ability. It depends on genetic makeup, and the relative proportion of fast twitch and slow twitch fibers.
Originally posted by gull80
If he died during the stress test, then apparently he had significant heart disease. Statistically the risk of death with stress testing is 1 in 10,000. By comparison, the risk of death if you suffer a heart attack is roughly 10%. The key to survival is early detection of coronary artery disease and aggressive risk factor modification (lowering cholesterol, not smoking, control of hypertension and diabetes, diet, exercise, weight loss).
When the ambulance took him out I left quicklyI know the odds of it happening are great, The odds did not effect the way I felt.
My Brother was in London during the blitz. He was on leave and was walking down the street and saw a bomb drop into an anti aircraft gun implacement. He ran over over to see if he could assist. When he was there another bomb dropped into the same spot (I believe the odds to be over 1,000,000 to 1) But he was luckier than the others he survived. Me the coward that I am would have probably gone the other way.
George
Originally posted by geochuck
I had a stress test arranged by my doctor but the guy before me passed on during the test and I decided I was not going to take any chances.
If he died during the stress test, then apparently he had significant heart disease. Statistically the risk of death with stress testing is 1 in 10,000. By comparison, the risk of death if you suffer a heart attack is roughly 10%. The key to survival is early detection of coronary artery disease and aggressive risk factor modification (lowering cholesterol, not smoking, control of hypertension and diabetes, diet, exercise, weight loss).
Originally posted by Hink
I've had two stress EKGs. In one I went into a fib after about 12 minutes. In the second I didn't go into a fib at all.
Did either of these tests include some form of cardiac imaging (nuclear or echo)? This improves the sensitivity of the stress test (ie the ability to detect coronary artery disease). This is really the major concern in middle aged athletes. Sudden death during strenuous exercise in your age group, while infrequent, is usually due to CAD.
