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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [clownhead] [ In reply to ]
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WOW, I almost have the same story. Had my SECOND ablation last week.

After a three month battle with A-Fib in 2010 I elected to have my first ablation. I could go out and do a hard club ride of 50 to 70 miles on a Saturday, and two days latter I would find my self in complete A-Fib. After several cardio conversions I decided to have the surgery. Overall it was not a bad experience, but the recovery was extremely slow. It also did not help that I pushed myself to get right back to the same level of fitness within the first few months.

Fast forward ten months and I had my first taste of A-Flutter. Once again I discovered it on a ride. It is like a stabilized form of A-Fib. Had it occur a few more times and I did not hesitate to go in for "round two." Although I was not given a good diagnosis, that is they were most likely going to have to ablate my appendage, it turned out one of my pulmonary veins had regenerated. It has now been seven days since the surgery and I feel absolutley 100%. This time I am going to take a slower approach to my recovery, but I would not hesitate to have the procedure done again.

Ditto on the ALL the advice. I was lucky to have Dr. Andrea Natale both times and would not hesitate to recommend him.
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [The Colonel] [ In reply to ]
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Glad to hear that you are doing well...

(and, yes, a great EP is hard to find and makes all the difference.)
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [butcher] [ In reply to ]
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Just work with your Cardiologist and your EP.

Had an ablation to cure A-Fib in 2009 and another in 2010 to cure A-Flutter. Ran a 1/2 iron in between the procedures and 2 1/2's (plus numerous sprints and olympics) after. Running IM CDA this year (if this damned Plantar Fasciitis will let go).

Basically the advice you'll get on this board is poo. There are numerous folks who had success with ablations and have raced no problem. There are also numerous folks who will tell you not to participate in tri's anymore.

Unfortunately none of the positive polly's or negative nelly's are you. With that said if your doc's give you the all clear (as mine did, not only did they go all clear but they encourage me, I keep my cardiologist updated with my race results and he comes out to watch the local races and uses me as an example of success from a very bad situation) then you should be good to go. Just listen to your body.

Best of luck to you. With dedication and patience I'm sure you'll be back where you want to be sooner rather then later.
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [clownhead] [ In reply to ]
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Listen to your cardiologist.
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [The Colonel] [ In reply to ]
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Natale is the best. Period. He did my third, after the previous two failed, and knocked it out of the park. Full apendage & everything. If your insurance will cover it, and you can get in, its worth the trip to Scripps Green (or Austin) to see him.

____________
"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs." John Rogers
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [mopdahl] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for all the advice. As for now Dr. Natale wants me to keep my "ticker" under 150 bpm. Although I was back in the gym one week later, and got in a 30 mile ride last weekend, I have kept my heart rate below 130bpm.

I go back in for a check up on the 21st. As for now I am just on two months of Coumadin, and have been sending in daily heart readings via Life Watch. All I want to hear is “everything looks great,” and those three magic words, "NORMAL SINUS RHYTHM."
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [The Colonel] [ In reply to ]
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Hi, I haven't had a chance to come back to this tread for a while, so here's an update.

I had my first ablation on November 22nd, 2011. It made things even worst than before the ablation. I had episodes almost everyday and needed multiple cardioversions.

I had my second ablation on February 20th, 2012. I had an episode 7 days later and I was cardioverted. I had another one 5 days later that went away on its own 14 hours later. Then everything went well for about 2 weeks. Then, earlier this week, I got 2 episodes in 48 hours.

I wasn't on any medication (except Pradax) for the 1st episode after the 2nd ablation, and I almost passed out 5 or 6 times just walking in the ER. My HR went up to 230bpm. I also almost passed out trying to get up a few hours later in the ER.
I had a good discussion with my electrophysiologist and she convinced me to NOT do any Ironman/Half Ironman/Marathon. She's ok with me training 1 hour a day, and do a 2/2.5 hours race once in a while. So technically, i could do Olympic triathlons. But, after having an episode while not on medication and almost passing out, I decided that I was done with triathlons. If I would get an episode while in the water, there is no way I could get out of the water. I'd drown for sure.

So, I will focus on 10km race and maybe half marathons, depending how things go. I might start playing hockey and/or soccer again, so I will find other ways to get in shape.


Thanks for all the replies to this tread.
Eric


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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [butcher] [ In reply to ]
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Have there been any studies looking into the incidence of AF in the athlete/triathlete population? Just from the chatter on these boards, it seems that there are many more fit people that develop or suffer from AF than there are in the "real" world. Is this just a case of people on slowtwitch being more open and vocal about this issue?
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [butcher] [ In reply to ]
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Hi Eric-
I think it's fairly common to have 'healing arrythmias' for the frist 2-3 months after an ablation. The doctors i've spoken with say they don't pronounce a procedure a success or failure until 3 months post-op for this reason.

I was fortunate enough to not have any actual afib episodes after my second ablation, but my heart felt like it was jumping all over the place (likely PVCs) for several months after the operation, and it was easily a year+ until things felt more 'normal'. After my first ablation I had the worst afib episodes I had ever had for the first week, then things calmed down and it was much better than prior to the operation (though I still had some afib episodes with exercise, hence the second procedure 4-5 months later).

In other words, if your last procedure was Feb 20th, it's only been a month. After a month I think I had managed some walk/jog sessions on a treadmill and maybe a little bike trainer time. I think I tried a pushup once too. Get back on the couch, relax, recover, and don't make any conclusions on what you will or will not be able to do until it's been another few months to a year. (my advice based on personal experience, I'm not a doctor, etc. etc.)

Listen to your body, but don't give up hope yet!

keep us updated as to your progress.
Jeff
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [white wizzard] [ In reply to ]
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Some people simply must train and race. Call it addiction, call it atavistic, or even habituation, but it's there... Like most addictions, there are risks and rewards. For the vast majority of triathletes the risks are small and the rewards large, imho.

Having said that, I don't think I'd be racing Ironmans if I had serious heart issues. I'd go back to playing tennis, and probably doubles only. Maybe mixed doubles! ;)

The OP says above that PVCs can lead to afib or tachycardia. Is that right? I have had PVCs for 40 years, but can't get my heart rate above 150. (I'm old as dirt.)

-Robert

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [butcher] [ In reply to ]
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butcher wrote:
Hi, I haven't had a chance to come back to this tread for a while, so here's an update.

I had my first ablation on November 22nd, 2011. It made things even worst than before the ablation. I had episodes almost everyday and needed multiple cardioversions.

I had my second ablation on February 20th, 2012. I had an episode 7 days later and I was cardioverted. I had another one 5 days later that went away on its own 14 hours later. Then everything went well for about 2 weeks. Then, earlier this week, I got 2 episodes in 48 hours.

I wasn't on any medication (except Pradax) for the 1st episode after the 2nd ablation, and I almost passed out 5 or 6 times just walking in the ER. My HR went up to 230bpm. I also almost passed out trying to get up a few hours later in the ER.
I had a good discussion with my electrophysiologist and she convinced me to NOT do any Ironman/Half Ironman/Marathon. She's ok with me training 1 hour a day, and do a 2/2.5 hours race once in a while. So technically, i could do Olympic triathlons. But, after having an episode while not on medication and almost passing out, I decided that I was done with triathlons. If I would get an episode while in the water, there is no way I could get out of the water. I'd drown for sure.

So, I will focus on 10km race and maybe half marathons, depending how things go. I might start playing hockey and/or soccer again, so I will find other ways to get in shape.


Thanks for all the replies to this tread.
Eric


Eric, I was hoping to hear more positive news from you, so I am sorry to hear that the issue has not been fully resolved. From someone with no medical background, it sounds like you are doing the right thing. I would defintiely not push it if i were in your position. put hard-core racing out of your head, enjoy some light-to-moderate activity and I am sure you will enjoy that. maybe in 6 months or a year you will find fewer and fewer incidences. Here's hoping
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [JAM] [ In reply to ]
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First, I would like to thank all of you for your dedication to posting and attempting to get the best information our about ablation and triathlon. This is my first post to ST and I only found these threads during multiple web searches.

A quick history of me. Have been doing triathlons since 04. Family history is most likely the main contributor to my afib. I do have reason to believe that running was where it showed up first as my HRM was showing HR of 210 for 5k races and longer. This was about 5 years before the afib was found and was chocked up to a HRM that just did not read well. I was diagnosed with afib in Jan 2011 during a routine physical. Non symptomatic, (which drove my cardiologist nuts). Had a successful cardioversion.

Went back into afib while on vacation in early March of 2012. This time I got hit hard with many symptoms, fatigue being enough to keep me out of work some days.

My question is aimed at those who had afib 24/7/365. My fatigue comes and goes depending on what I do in a given week. The easiest way to explain it is in money terms. When I was not in afib, I had an energy income of $100 per week. Once in afib, the energy levels decreased to about $80 per week. This was livable. The problems came when I continued to use energy like I still had $100 a week coming in. Over a few weeks, my bank account was basically $0. Now, as I get ready for ablation on May 1, if I do much of anything, it is like using a charge card. I must pay back the energy over the next few days.

The worst was last Sat. I decided to put a small storage system under my bed, mow the lawn and shop for the parts for the storage system. I took breaks and felt great I finally got something done. It is now Thursday and I have missed 3 days of work and will not go back until after the surgery. I missed the work because I am a laborer/equipment operator with no light duty available. Just walking from my car and into work would get me huffing and puffing. I had no choice but to sit as much as possible. For safety reasons, I decided that since I had the time to stay out sick, I would. My other concern was the fear of pushing too hard, getting sick, and having to wait at least 1 more month for the surgery.

Now to the question. For those who had afib 24/7/265, did you experience these types of extreme fatigue. Also, if you have had the ablation, did you eventually get back to regular training. (JAM if I read correctly, you were a lot like me).

Mind you, I have never been competitive in triathlon except against myself. I do it as a lifestyle choice to try and stay healthy. Right now my main goal is not to feel like I am 85 years old. I will be working with my docs to get me back into training safely with few restrictions over time. In the short term, I will go slow. This I have been able to glean from these threads, so thank you again.
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [Ontherun] [ In reply to ]
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The type of fatigue you're describing is very similar to what I experienced. For the last 6-8 months prior to my ablation it quickly became a choice of if I wanted to try and exercise, or to be able to function in the rest of my life. Even on the days I felt ok if I went for an easy jog or something I'd be laid up for days after, either in afib or just lethargic with extreme fatigue. When I'd come out of a long afib episode I'd be heavily fatigued for several days after - in normal heart rhythm, but just exhausted. Almost like my heart muscle was fatigued from the lengthy afib episode and needed to recover before it could effectively pump blood to my body again.

I’m lucky in that I have a desk job with an understanding boss/company. Even then there were days when I either couldn’t go to work or couldn’t function at work. It would feel almost like there was a fog over my thoughts – I couldn’t focus on getting any task done. I can’t imagine trying to do any kind of active work while having serious afib problems.

To answer the other half of your question, after two ablations and a lengthy recovery I am exercising consistently again, if not nearly as seriously or as fast as I used to be. My limiting factors for the most part now are the @%#^$ chronic lower back and hip pain, not my heart function. Occasionally I’ll get some double beats or ‘fluttery’ feeling if I’m fatigued or pushing harder in training, but so far I just back off and the heart has been fine.

Best of luck with your ablation this next week. Be positive and don’t push the recovery!

J
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [JAM] [ In reply to ]
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It has been a week since my surgery, so I figured I would post a quick update. Things went better than expected as far as I am concerned. Other than a good amount of back pain while immobile for the first 6 hours, I have no other complaints.

Now I just need to work on not pushing yet. I am mentally ready to go, but will be taking my time. Thanks for the advice and help.
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [butcher] [ In reply to ]
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Eric

Not sure where you are located, but I will offer up one tiny piece of advice. Don't be afraid to look at other EP's if you are not getting the results you want. Skill sets in the medical profession vary just as much as they do in a field of triathletes. I know you have heard this one: "What do they call the guy who graduated last in his class in med school? Doctor, just like the guy who graduated first."

If you are in Florida by chance I can recommend an EP who most likely trained your EP on the Medtronic CryoCath system. Before Medtronic bought CryoCath they were a small private company and I called on the EP who was a primary investigator for them. He has trained EP's all over the world on this system and is a prince of a man as well. Skills, bedside manner and cutting edge technology all in one place is a tough find in any specialty. He is the guy patients come to when other docs say 'I'm sorry but you are just going to have to live with ........., it can't be fixed'.
Last edited by: tigerpaws: May 9, 12 5:14
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [butcher] [ In reply to ]
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butcher wrote:
Hi, I was diagnosed with AF in May 2011 It makes it very hard to train. I will get an episode a day for 2 weeks, then nothing for a few days, then more episodes. I sometime needs a cardioversion to get my heart back in rhythm.

I will get a cryoablation in the next few months, so hopefully that will solve my problem.

I haven't done an Ironman yet, only half Ironman, but I'm planning on doing an Ironman in 2013, if my heart can handle the training...

Those of you who got the ablation/cryoablation, were you able to get back into Ironman shape and compete it one? How long after the ablation were you able to resume training?

Thanks
Eric

I was doing light training after a week in all 3 of my cases. Two ablations and one cryoablation. But my condition was supraventricular tachycardia so maybe a bit different...
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [KingJulian] [ In reply to ]
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I want to reply to this thread so badly it hurts, but it seems almost pointless. If you have a heart arrhythmia, High intensity endurance events are probably not something you should do. Look at the number of posters on every one of these threads(do a search) that elude to multiple ablations, and complications. I completely understand the need to workout, and to compete. However, at some point in everyones life they need to objectively look at themselves and make some rational decisions. If you ask multiple cardiologist's to tell you what the best move is, eventually you will find one that will say "go for it". That person is in no way related to you, or the members of your family. Sorry. What you are going to need is one honest cardiologist, and some emotional maturity.
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [white wizzard] [ In reply to ]
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white wizzard wrote:
butcher wrote:
Thanks for your honesty white wizzard.

What do you thing about olympic triathlons and half Ironman?


I would stop triathlons because of the SWIM. You could get tachycardia , drop blood pressure, fall by the side of the road and likely survive in a road race. That happens in a swim and its over. You drown.

If I had what you have I would certainly stay fit but use MODERATION. No extreme efforts of either endurance or intensity.

Looking back on my life experiences my hikes in our great national parks were far more enjoyable and rewarding than any of the Ironman races I completed.

Boy do I agree with many comments here. Might as well offer my 2 cents. :o)

At 55, I have spent the last few years talking with older folks about racing. One common trend I have heard, and seen, is so many blew their bodies apart younger doing long stuff and now can no longer even run. Most say if they could do it over again they would have mellowed out.

I see so many who are into the long stuff, like IM, that I tell folks it is like they are on a drug. No amount of logic has them think about their long term life down the road.

Yes, I am a Type A that wants to be the best I can be, but at the expense of long term medical issues, like just the ability to walk and stand for a day, no way.

I read the studies going on of the Western state 100 folks to see why a number of these longer type runners have died from heart issues.

I have done lots of long stuff, but have basically stopped them all since it just seems to make sense that killing your body will make life down the road not much fun.

And I will add to the comments some have made about doing an IM. Yep, did one. During the entire race I was asking myself why was I doing this. It was painful, and it was in a lot of ways very boring. You swim a long way, bike a long way and run a long way, while eatting a who bunch of food. And that was "fun"? Family is impacted both in training and the race time. No more.

So now I just focus on doing shorter stuff. Allows me to train less. I can red line for 2.5 hours in the race and then go home and do things with the wife in the afternoon. Is it still too much? I just backed out of a race for Sat since I am still feeling the effects of my race Sunday. Balance. Smarts.

Always hard to stop the brain from saying keep pushing. But, I still want to be doing this at 70. Will you make it to my age of 55? Glad I did not even find this sport until my kids were older at 39,
and did not start to go nuts until 50.

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [Raf] [ In reply to ]
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"Have there been any studies looking into the incidence of AF in the athlete/triathlete population? "
----------------------------------------------------

Here's a good starting point.

http://www.wellsphere.com/...-in-endurance/729135

There is definitely evidence that would lead one to conclude that long term participation in endurance sports is one of many variables that contribute to atrial arrhythmias.

To my knowledge, there isn't a comprehensive "study" on the topic. Medical studies generally follow the dollars, and there aren't a whole lot of dollars to be made treating a relatively small group (uber fit middle age and older) with a relatively benign condition.
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [mr. mike] [ In reply to ]
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I spent almost 7 years fighting Afib before finally beating it back (probably only temporarily for the next 10+ years, but we'll see) with my 3rd ablation by Dr. Natale in May 2011. There are a ton of indicators for Afib, and endurance sports are just one of them. In talking with 5-6 of the leading cardiologists & electro cardiologists in the U.S., here was what I concluded seemed to be their shared opinion:

1. Genetics play a huge role. A large % of the population gets Afib as they get older. However a large % does not. If your father/mother had it, you will likely get it as you age, and there isn't much you can do about it.
2. Body morphology: if you are a guy, barrel chested, and tall, you are much, much more likely to get it at some point.
3. Endurance sports, especially when young---they didn't necessarily break down what "young" means, especially as the majority of their patients were north of 50++, but quite a few of them asked me during the diagnosis/background stage what sports I played in high school & college.....they all seemed to believe that an endurance background gave one a larger chance of developing afib at some point.
4. Diet. Smoking, bad. Caffeine, pretty bad. Drinking alot of alcohol consistently, very bad. Sugary/high-carb diet, very, very bad. Combo of any of the above for an extended period of time---yeah, you are basically begging for it.

Speaking for myself, I nailed all four (except the smoking part) pretty hard. My father developed it in his late 60s, and he certainly wasn't an endurance athlete, nor a heavy drinker/sugar eater or smoker, though he is barrel chested. I developed it in my mid-30s. 25+ years of high level/effort endurance sports (age group swimmer from 5 thru college, track/cross country in high school, triathlete at 15 doing 1/2 IM's at 16). Did I develop it early b/c I was a pool rat for 15+ years? Or because I drank heavily/ate horribly from college on? Or b/c of some really bad combo of all 4?

I do know this: it is progressive. I went from mild Afib that I could ignore on bike rides & still participate at about 70% effort and be ok to sitting by the side of a road in Australia 4-5x on a long bike ride, fairly sure that I was going to die as I was doing 300+ bpm & fully headed into Vtach, all within a matter of years. However, part of the reason for the escalation was b/c of the drink mixture I was on had a huge amount of simple sugars + caffeine, and during testing back in the states just drinking a small bit while sitting around put me instantly into Afib.

What I'm getting at is that everyone is different. If you are new to endurance sports, and suddenly experiencing Afib, it is possible that the endurance sport was only the final trigger based on your unique biology. Alot of us who have been doing endurance stuff for years are pretty aware of our bodies, and very sensitive to any change......in my experience that isn't the case with the beginner, so blaming endurance sports as the cause, while partially true, certainly isn't the entire story.

Learn to be your own Dr. on this. Learn your triggers, and avoid them if at all possible. Try the medications (they all suck in my opinion as none of them worked for me). However, based on my experience, I really think the only "cure" is a proper ablation, including the sinial node, but an expert.....my first two procedures were done in a minimally invasive way, working on the CAFE method of mapping the various short-circuits & then trying to ablate each circuit. Massive failure, especially the second time when I woke up & absolutely knew they didn't accomplish shit. If you are in Austin, San Fran or SoCal, go see Dr. Natale. He is simply the best (seriously, EVERY Dr. I talked to was in agreement on this). Talk to him about endurance sports & what is important to you. Understand the risks. And then, IMHO, get the procedure done INCLUDING the sinial node. Your life will be 100% better after.

____________
"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs." John Rogers
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [mopdahl] [ In reply to ]
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I have to put in another plug for Dr. Natale...absolutely the best. Now three months post my second ablation and feeling great. It is not only that I feel great, but I have had more tests than a lab rat in the last month and everything is normal. As a commercial pilot I had to undergo a pretty extensive "work up" to get my FAA medical back. Although my fitness level is about 50% of what it was before my first ablation, I am not too concerned because I know that it will come back over time. Getting my life and job back were my first goals. I would advise anyone with Afib to see Dr. Natale.
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [white wizzard] [ In reply to ]
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white wizzard wrote:
Since extreme endurance training and racing has a well documented association with atrial arrythmias why would you want to do an Ironman?

Seems rather foolish to me.


I had an ablation for tachy about 10 years ago and saw my surgeon recently, she said I have no exercise limitations i.e. Ironman's pose no risk to my heart.


Edit: I read back to some of your posts, see that you are an MD. I still don't see validity in your claim to stop triathlons because of an ablation. I'm not an expert but it seems once the extra tissue is removed, there is no longer a pathway available to initiate the tachycardia. If it doesn't happen again for ten years, it means it is impossible to have an episode again since the tissue must be gone? Unless the tissue can somehow regrow creating the pathway again? Is that even possible?
Last edited by: cyclops: May 26, 12 11:10
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [Ontherun] [ In reply to ]
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I’m glad I found this thread! I had this thing twice this year and I’m really concerned with the symptoms.

Here is little bit of history and background:

Age 42, Male, drink beer and wine maybe twice a month (lightly), lots of espresso every day (4-5 per day), high cholesterol (!), kidney stones now and then (I learnt later that calcium can play a role here). As mentioned in other threads, I’m in the periodization for IM Austria. Trying to set a PR for my A Race, I was hammering in training (every training) and I guess I didn’t give much attention to recovery. To complete the picture, I have various outside stress factors (family, work), so triathlon is a key activity to kill my demons.

Incident #1 – Feb/12:
  • - After a stressful day, (which included a nasty discussion with an operator from cell phone call center), I went to the pool for my usual swim practice;
  • - 15 minutes into the training and I couldn’t even swim 25m. Fatigued, I decided to call it the day. Just as I did so, I felt my heartbeat hitting the stratosphere. Went to the shower, things didn’t improve, call GF and she drove me to hospital;
  • - While en route, I felt an increasing pain in my left shoulder and arm, and I became alarmed it could be a heart attack;
  • - After the initial assessment from the doc, I reverted almost immediately without enough time for an EKG;
  • - Next day, feeling awesome, I went for a 2:30h ride (Z1-2) and felt great as always.


Incident #2 – May 16/2012:
  • - I felt a little bit tired this day, but decided to do my swim session (it appears swimming helps trigger this stuff). It was an interval set (3x4x100), did ok the first 2 sets, but barely finished the 3rd. Completed the volume, and hit the treadmill for a tempo run. Feeling exhausted, completed 70% of the run practice;
  • - Showered, went home, had dinner, everything went fine, until I felt the HR going up. This time I put my HR monitor and lay down in bed and took deep breaths. This time the symptoms were worse: heavy pain in shoulder and left arm, pain in my chin, though no sweat or feeling faint. Laying down, my heart beat stood still at 180 bpm for an entire hour. Just by raising to go to the toilet, I had a spike of 215 bpm (not even in training I get that!).
  • - After 1 hour of this and the pain in my left getting worse, I decided it was time to go to the hospital. Again, just as I did so, the thing reverted completely out of the blue.


In both cases, HR did not fluctuate / vary or seemed chaotic. It was more like a steady heart beat at 180+ bpm.

After this last occurrence, I scheduled a cardiologist but kept training @ Z1-2 (stupid!) on the following days, then I stopped all training when I developed an abscess ( http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...w/_pics...)_P3945095)

I saw the MD / Cardio who is specialized in sports on Monday this week and now I have a list of exams (blood test, MRI, scintigraphy w/ stress test) and a advised to stop all training until I get the results.

So now, I’m grounded til further notice. Waiting to get the results next monday an see what awaits me.
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [white wizzard] [ In reply to ]
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thanks for the perspective and time

at the end of the day is ironman just hype and marketing?


In Reply To:
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Re: Atrial Fibrillation - post ablation [clownhead] [ In reply to ]
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Mike -

Who was your EP? I'm in DC and may need an ablasion for WPW soon. I'm finding conservative cardiologists and EPs who tell me to take it easy. That's fine for their elderly and ill patients, but I'm training for my third IM and third Chesapeake Bay Bridge Swim.

Thanks!

Wombat
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