Hi, GCC,
First, I warn you, this is a long & echnical
message. Second, you may find it interesting if you are in the same
boat I'm in...addicted cyclist of any age.
----
I'm dipping in to the
GCC professional talent and asking for a 2nd-3rd- and so on opinion...I'm
sure there will be several...here is the situation and questions:
I
have been an endurance athlete since 5th grade: running, soccer, triathlon,
etc. Nowadays, I exclusively cycle. I ride 4-5K miles per year.
I'm 6' and 147 lbs. I lost weight from 155 in the summer so I could
climb better at 3 Gap to finish 14/550. I did it by carefully limiting
portions and knocking out fats like peanut butter and choc. chip
cookies. I kept the weight off for my best ever ride in the 2007 SFC
at 4h29m...22.3 mph. I'm male, 52 yrs, with a resting HR of ~45 bpm.
Cholesterol is ~180 mg/dL. Trigly. & HDL in normal range. LDL is
slightly above normal (max = 99
mg/dL) at 122 mg/dL. My max HR is ~168 bpm achieved during a June
'07 treadmill EKG. During cycle races/rides, I cruise at HR ~120-140,
but can repeatedly crank it up to 155-165 to deal with gaps, surges, &
final sprints.
Important: In 2002, my youngest brother died from a
sudden and surprising heart attack while surfing. While he had known
triglyceride problems, it was still a surprise. He was 40. I have
worked with my own doc since then monitoring my health, focusing on my
heart with an initial baseline resting EKG & a treadmill stress EKG. I
have always passed his muster and he has reassured me all is well. I have
NEVER had any symptoms associated with cardiac disease....shortness of
breath, dizziness, etc, etc.
Now, I had a balloon sinuplasty Monday
19 Nov for chronic sinus issues. In pre-op the anesthesiologist
pointed out on my EKG that there was a "slow R wave
progession." Even though I had missed it and my doc did not mention
it to me, turns out I had a similar situation on an EKG taken during the
course of my physical in June 2007. But, the precautionary 5 year
updated treadmill EKG I had done as a follow-up was graded by the
cardiologist as excellent with "great capacity for exercise and low
probability of underlying coronary disease."
On the other hand, the
anesthesiologist felt like I should pursue this R wave issue with my own
doctor. In the meantime, I did some research yesterday afternoon,
re-educated myself about reading EKGs and discovered two things about slow
R wave progression:
1) though a non-specific result, it can be
indicative of scary underlying coronary problems.
2) it can be seen
in endurance athletes, otherwise healthy athletes, specifically marathoners
and cyclists.
3) Most EKGs are done on normal, often non-athletic,
&/or unhealthy people. At the
moment, I consider myself "abnormally" healthy.
So, here are my
questions to those who seriously cycle and have some medical knowledge as
practitioners &/or patients...if anyone cares to throw in their two
bits of opinion...I will eagerly await your thoughts, and for the GCC legal
types...no, I hold no one accountable for my health but me. Yes, I
have contacted my own doctor asking these same questions, his answers are
pending for when we soon meet..here we go:
1) As a long time
committed endurance athlete, have I "changed" my heart to produce this
"slow R wave progression?" Is comparing my "abnormal" EKG with the rest of
the population like comparing apples to oranges?
Or...
2) Do I really have the beginnings of underlying coronary
issues and my lifestyle is just nice collateral to counter this underlying
problem?
Sorry for the extreme detail...but this stuff is fun.
I'm a physics teacher with a master's in zoology
(Go figure!)...I like numbers. And, on something like this, the Devil is
in the details.
If you made it this far...I know, I know...TMI...but
thanks for reading. Send me some thoughts...Bob Howland
Be a better pen pal.
Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See
how.
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