Well, you have successfully convinced me to go to the doctor before, but not after age 40, lol.

lol
that is the advantage of seeing a female physician - smaller fingers :)

Point of order:
Wouldn't we be glad our doctor is an athlete because we have an athlete's lifestyle?

I'd be out the door if my PCP started to harangue me about "prevention."

Hi Mark, sounds like a great story to inspire others. I know just the person who is worried about training after valve replacement. I'll see if I can track it down. Interested in telling your story on my blog, which is all about inspiring people to get on with their lives? If you're interested, just go to my profile - having been banned once, never did work out why, and I sure don't want to link it here. I'm sitting in the lobby of the Cleveland Clinic, and feel very lucky to be here. Kind Regards, Kevin

Yep, Lance Armstrong was pretty young when he had his seminoma (or was it a Sertoli cell tumor, I forget), and in spite of everything, I still consider him to be a great athlete, and I was sorry (a) he didn't show any remorse, and (b) they stopped him competing in triathlons. I was hoping to meet him. Cheers, Kevin

Hi Dave,

I appreciate your comments.

The biggest problem I have is getting medical professionals, especially most (8/10) cardiologists, to actually listen to me. They will listen to my wife (nurse), but not to me (veterinarian), and I don't know why. I try not to rant or be impatient. Your comments are spot on. I think the best book I read on this critical issue is Your Medical Mind. My real goal isn't to give physicians a hard time but to get people to take responsibility for their health. It's a two-way process, but many don't want to do the work, they just seem to defer to the 'higher power' without doing any of the work, except for popping a pill they don't understand.

Much appreciated, as I await the wonders of modern science at the Cleveland Clinic. I'm so lucky!

Cheers,

Kevin

Hi Twar, thanks for the response. It really is up to the patient to take some responsibility. My approach as a patient was laid out nicely in Love, Medicine and Miracles, by Bernie Siegel. If my doctor won't give me a hug, I find another doctor. My last cardiologist (unnamed to protect the innocent), actually gave me a spontaneous hug, and said, "A man after my own heart," when I said why I didn't want take beta-blockers. This gave me much food for thought on the litigation issue. Cheers, Kevin

the advantage of my knowing my patients is that as I take a history, if I find out you are an athlete (which usually comes up when I get to what someone is doing for exercise) then the discussion is targeted - what (if any) supplements....

athletes already 'get it' for the most part. unfortunately the majority of my patients are not athletes

Hi folks, I think I'm still around for three reasons (apart from my parents meeting, that is), (1) regular checkups, (2) Ironman training and (3) the study of body awareness. Can't wait to get my stent fixed and get back in training. I'm turning into FatOldDog. Monday here I come. Cheers, Kevin

Sorry he passed away, but it made me laugh, I don't know why, I like your handle, and yes, I followed you on Twitter - looks interesting. -k

Hi folks,

(1) statins (muscle toxins) are nowhere near as effective as diet and exercise (lots of exercise), which took my resting genetic hyperlipidemic HDL from <20 to 79 on the last count, whilst
(2) beta-blockers would prevent my training, risk severe vertigo, ruin my sex life, and who knows what, but they would have done nothing for my almost certainly genetically-based AAA.

Can't wait to get back to Ironman training (crossing my fingers) once my stent is fixed, however, but that is another story.

I appreciate the comments, whether people agree with me or not - it's about making people think.

It doesn't matter who's right, only what's right, and often we're all guessing.

Kind Regards,

Kevin aka FitOldDog -> FatOldDog

Hi Eppur,

I'm pleased to be back, too. Never did work out what happened, even Dan didn't know why: I was banned, and once that was fixed my account remained deactivated, and so I had to resurrect my old account that Dan found and I had forgotten all about (set up before my AAA, in another life), so I'm back and trying not to be banned again.

I'm sure you'll find the right person, as Phoenix is a big place.

Kind Regards,

Kevin (sitting in the Cleveland Clinic, getting fatter by the minute).

Hi Rruff, don't give up, there's a good one out there. Drugs are great if you know how they work and when to take them and when not to take them. Just takes a little thought and information. Kind Regards, Kevin

Hey, RatSnake, I'll try to come up for your race, depending how I have to approach safe cycling with the stent extension (getting close to my hip joint, may have to ride standing much of the time), and how it fits in with Eagleman, Placid and Mont Tremblant. Cheers, Kevin

May 17, so its early, before all of them. Heal fast and thanks for your interest!

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The Rat Snake:
A Tribute Race at Gilbert Lake State Park, Laurens, NY May 16 2015
Follow the Rat Snake on Twitter

Hi, thanks for the comments (hard to answer all of them, as I have been driving to Cleveland and now I'm waiting in the lobby of the Clinic).

Just wanted to let you know that I found both my hyperlipidemia and my AAA myself:

Hyperlipidema: by chance 30 years ago, in my lab, running a Sephadex column to test human plasma for protein binding and used my plasma for the test, was like milk, LDL/tgl >2000, HDL <20, but fixed it eventually, a long story.


AAA: through body awareness training and the 2010 Lake Placid Ironman - that's when FitOldDog was created and my life changed.

No doctors involved in the initial diagnosis in each case, just luck!

I think that your primary care physician should be yourself, and your secondary care physician should be your doctor.

You live with yourself 24/7, while your doctor is run off their feet, harassed by insurance issues, constantly having to second guess what the patient really means (we veterinarians don't have that problem), worrying about litigation, having to constantly keep up with the literature, and heavens knows what else.

I couldn't do it, so I really appreciate my doctors, even the ones who aren't the best on the planet - never met many who weren't doing the best they could.
Cheers,
Kevin

someone once told me "listen to your patient they will tell you what is wrong and if you keep listening they will tell you how to fix it"
much of that is true - at least the first part. particularly in patients who are body aware as most athletes are

I also know my patients well enough to know which ones know themselves :)

Completely dependent on the individual and I speak only for myself. I am more knowledgeable about diet and exercise (and several related topics such as obesity comorbidities) than my physician, it was the basis of my doctoral studies and is a major component of my career. Also, discussion about other lifestyle-related health factors (substance abuse, contraception, etc.) aren't necessary for me. Totally agree that every 5yrs should be the bare minimum, including a full blood panel, regardless of perceived health; so I am do up in another three. Of course as I get older (currently 32) basic physicals and preventive care will become more consistent.

It is not just because he is an athlete, it is his history record as a surgeon that count.

I think the banning was done by Rappstar, or at least he was privy to the reasons for it.

I like the comment you just made that "It doesn't matter who's right, only what's right, and often we're all guessing." All too much ST discussion seems to degenerate into personalities and ego rather than addessing the topic.

Keep us informed regarding your return to training and racing!

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Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
Which is probably why I was registering 59.67mi as I rolled into T2.

Hi Maxtbicycle,
I agree that my surgeons surgical record is critical, but in my case her experience as an athlete and awareness of my desire to continue Ironman training is influencing treatment and followup. She had meetings with the 'stent builders,' one engineer being a competitive cyclist, because of my concern about safely training on the bike without risking my stent extension into the external iliac. Furthermore, as my treatment is part of a clinical trial she expressed an interest in doing some research on my case, which interested me a great deal.
Other surgeons I spoke to could not understand why I would want to continue cycling at age 70, and gave no thought the questions I raised on the issue, essentially dismissing them out of hand as the rantings of some old guy. So, I'm really pleased that my excellent surgeon is aware of the challenges I intend to face, and showed an active interest in our arriving at a successful conclusion (which in my case would be Eagleman, Placid and Mont Tremblant next year, for starters).
I sure appreciate your comment, however, as I wouldn't want to go to a terrible surgeon who was a great athlete, that's for sure. First things first!
Cheers,
Kevin

Hi Trigrrrl! This is music to my ears. When I was a practicing veterinarian years ago, the same was true. Thanks for your comment. -kevin

Good luck with surgery!

Keep us posted.

.

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Larry Creswell
http://www.athletesheart.org, @athletesheart

Thanks Larry, I guess my job is to trust the people and the process, which I do, think and feel positive, and enjoy the ride. Your support is very much appreciated. Cheers, Kevin

I am glad everything works out for you sir. I did not know that you were 70 and I am happy to know that you are in great health. My father is 70 and he is in great shape too. If I can see my future at 70 with great health and shape like you and my dad, my life would be complete.