I felt some chest discomfort on a run in April this year. I’d never felt anything like it. I slowed down to walk and it went away, and I continued my run. But it kept coming back every time I ran, or swam, or rode my bike to work. That’s when I contact my friend, the cardiologist at Mayo in Rochester, MN. He suggested I might have “walkthrough phenomena stable angina,” which is ischemia that gets better when you slow down and the coronary arteries dilate, allowing a return to exercise.
Dammit. I didn’t want to hear that. I was able to get appointments with local physicians and cardiologists after convincing them that my BP as measured at a supermarket BP tester was high.
I’m 50. I’ve taken care of myself and done plenty of endurance sport events. I’m not going to list out my results, but I’ve had some decent times. But mostly, I’ve been taking care of myself and working out hard for at least 42 years now. I grew up swimming and picked up running and tri after college.
I had a normal exercise EKG on the stress test, with results that indicate my risk for MI is really low. I could have kept running after 11 minutes, but decided to stop. Blood tests indicate that I have slightly elevated LDL (103). The true diagnostic test was the CT-A, which revealed that I have an Agatston score of 323 and blockages in my coronary arteries. This is all a betrayal, it seems, or all the years of hard work and eating well. It just shows that I can’t outrun or out swim heart disease. At least I have had warnings and I’m on baby aspirin and a statin.
Right now, I’m at a loss. I’ve set up my life around working out and planning for events, and now I’m sorta scared. I don’t run far from home, and I carry my phone and ID in case the big one hits. At least if I’m in the pool, there will be lifeguards around. I don’t feel like I can go swim OW anymore.
I’m adding long walks just to keep moving. I don’t want to back down, but it seems like that’s the direction I’m headed.
This sucks.
Dammit. I didn’t want to hear that. I was able to get appointments with local physicians and cardiologists after convincing them that my BP as measured at a supermarket BP tester was high.
I’m 50. I’ve taken care of myself and done plenty of endurance sport events. I’m not going to list out my results, but I’ve had some decent times. But mostly, I’ve been taking care of myself and working out hard for at least 42 years now. I grew up swimming and picked up running and tri after college.
I had a normal exercise EKG on the stress test, with results that indicate my risk for MI is really low. I could have kept running after 11 minutes, but decided to stop. Blood tests indicate that I have slightly elevated LDL (103). The true diagnostic test was the CT-A, which revealed that I have an Agatston score of 323 and blockages in my coronary arteries. This is all a betrayal, it seems, or all the years of hard work and eating well. It just shows that I can’t outrun or out swim heart disease. At least I have had warnings and I’m on baby aspirin and a statin.
Right now, I’m at a loss. I’ve set up my life around working out and planning for events, and now I’m sorta scared. I don’t run far from home, and I carry my phone and ID in case the big one hits. At least if I’m in the pool, there will be lifeguards around. I don’t feel like I can go swim OW anymore.
I’m adding long walks just to keep moving. I don’t want to back down, but it seems like that’s the direction I’m headed.
This sucks.