Heart Condition and Swimming

Actually I'm pretty sure Dave Costill at the Human Performance Lab at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana began testing for slow and fast twitch muscles in the seventies. It involves taking a muscle biopsy and microscopically looking at the fibers (although I don't know if anyone is currently "testing" muscle fibers).

At my pool I have become friendly with a fellow swimmer who is about 55, a high techie by profession and had a heart attack a few years back. He swims nearly every day and wears a heart rate monitor. He swims at a constant pace after a thorough w/u. He does not exceed his prescribed max hr. He also eats very well and has lost alot of fat. I am not an MD but common sense would seem to dictate that this is the way to go if you have heart problems. Also,competition is not necessarily something that will help your health.

I had a heart attack (4 stents) two years ago. I returned to serious workouts and distance a little less than a year ago, and swam in my first masters meets last spring. I have lost weight, my cholesterol numbers are very good, I take lots of medicines. My cardiologist was skeptical about competition, so had to pass a stress test with flying colors to persuade him. Oh, and I had an spontaneous a. fib just after my stress test and they kept me overnight. I had experienced that sensation every once in a while, but not chronically. I continue to read about people who expire or nearly so at masters meets, always as a result of CAD. But here is what I told my cardiologist: What I have gotten back is my self-identification as an athlete. Competition is part of that. I recognize that I have some elevated risk of a cardiac event due to swimming, but it's risk I am prepared to run, because the alternative is discouragement and sloth. Circumstances could change that--I'm not nuts--but for now, I am looking forward to decades of masters swimming. I have recently adopted the life goal of completing a 200 fly in competition. Members of this forum have been very helpful to me, and I hope to meet them, possibly next year at SC nationals, to which I will be going, hell or high water. Good luck working your way through the thicket of all this. You have already been through a great deal. You must be a sturdy soul. Best to you.

Mike Torsney is still competing I believe he had heart problems a year or 2 ago.

Good news, Rick. I had to have a second ablation and am glad that I did. No problems for almost a year. The best part is being off all heart medications. I swim much better and have more energy to enjoy everything. One of the medications surpressed the heart rate, which also seemed to surpress racing mode. I'm glad to hear you tried it and even better that it was successful. Betsy

I am 63, developed A-Fib four years ago (it does run in my family), read everything I possibly could about it (including tons of stuff on teachingg hospital sites), and then went to our University Hospital (Iowa) and talked it over with the Director of the Electrophysiology Lab (including my lifestyle concerns - e.g., swimming!). We determined that the ablation procedure would make the most sense, and I had it done a few weeks later (six hour procedure, you are half awake, pretty painless, and actually kind of interesting to semi-observe). They did keep me over night and I was walking all around the hospital during the evening. I have had no recurrences, do not expect any at this point, and I was biking within four days of the procedure and back in the water in a week (the main thing is the time needed for the incisions to heal). I would do this again in a second!!

Thanks, Betsy. I hope that your second ablation continues to be successful! And you are exactly right, getting off the meds allows you to get your heart rate back up; and feel and swim much better! (I keep trying to convince my brother who has had A-Fib since 1978 and is on lots of meds to get the ablation - but no luck!) Good health...... Rick

Thought I would resurrect this thread. Anyone else with cardiac issues working out, training, and/or competing, reading this? I'd be interested in discussing further. I had an MI almost two years ago and now back to swimming for my cardio part of my exercise 5 days a week. I swam competitively back n the Stone Age in high school. I'm 50.

My PA (who lives next door!) told me during my last physical (I told her that I've taken up masters swimming) that "if you can swim the amount you do & don't have chest pains or other problems, then that is like a stress test". I hope she's correct. When I was very small, I was discovered to have a VSD (ventrical septal defect, I believe -- hole between the chambers). I was never restricted from any activity while growing up, but they watched it very closely & saw a cardiologist periodically. I recall the doc saying once: "if it closes up, fine; if it doesn't, fine". Honestly I don't know if it's still there or not, but I do get a cardiogram each physical. Again, last physical, Bonnye looked at it, said "looks awesome" and proceeded to tell me the above statement. I too would be interested in what others have to say about this. :)

I have a friend, who, 7 years ago, developed paroxysmal a-fib, PVC's, and MVP at age 38. + family history. This was all SEMI-well controlled on diltiazem and metoprolol with half assed wt loss (240 to 230)--but A-fib was still a problem. Since gradually starting masters swimming last fall, with MD approval and negative stress testing (100% max hr and no s-t changes), echo, and ekg, his wt has dropped to 190. First he came off the dilt, now off the metoprolol. No afib events in 4 months, and only .2 sec off of 4 USMS cuts. He says taht shoulders willing, he's never going back.:applaud: