what to believe?
A Timeline:
circa three years ago
Emergency trip to hospital with madly fast palpitating heart and sweats. Over the next months, ECG's (plenty of), CT Scans, MRI scans.
Diagnosis: Atrial Fibrillation and heart failure (mad heart rhythm, not pumping oxygenated blood efficiently enough, dilated valve). Scheduled for a cardioversion shock therapy to correct heart rhythm, that should correct the valve too.
Cardiologist recommendation:
Avoid getting your heart rate too high. Otherwise, we've got it, OK?
"Ermmm... cycling?"
No. Nor any other strenuous stuff, OK?
"Yeah, OK, makes sense."
circa two years ago
Local Surgery GP follow-up appt:
Seems to be sorted now. Worried about your low resting pulse rate though (38). Let's reduce your beta blocker dosage.
One week later - Oh no! Emergency again after relapse and a collapse at home, ambulance in the middle of the night and emergency room cardioversion procedure.
Who the hell reduced your beta blocker dosage?
Cardiologist recommendation:
Avoid getting heart rate too high. Otherwise, we've got it, OK? And we'll tell your GP to leave the dosage alone. Numpty.
"Ermm... no cycling still?"
Yes. Still no. Nor any other strenuous stuff, OK?
"Yeah, OK, silly question. Oh well."
circa one year ago
Cardiologist follow up -
OK, you've been fine since your last treatment here. Now we want you to wear a portable ECG for a week, so we can see how your heart is doing. Ideally we want you to work your heart hard, do physically taxing stuff, and give us some really good data to see how your heart copes with the stress now.
"OK... but you have said to me to avoid getting my heart rate too high up until now?"
Yeah, but now we're telling you to deliberately get it working as hard as you can. The beta blockers won't let it get massively too high. After all, you won't die from AF, and we'll be able to tell more about why it happened, if it happens.
"Wow, that's great to hear. Apart from apparently you really want me to make myself go into AF and it's really unpleasant when I do. So I can get back to cycling?"
Yep. Please do. And really, it should help to start strengthening it up again.
"Good. I've got fat and well out of shape with two years of all this taking it easy lark. I'm ready to get started again."
circa today
I went to see the GP today. Two issues. A mole had changed texture on my back. I couldn't see it, but felt it as I was drying off after a shower, asked J to look and she said "You should get it checked out." So I was getting it checked out.
Secondly, I was having more issues with my breathing and strength occasionally, I thought possibly linked to my heart (occasional palpitations) and obviously still being under drug treatment for AF. This had appeared after I had done the one week ECG for the specialist cardiologists—for which I had a copy of the glowing report mentioning the my heart performing well at the 130-140 bpm rates I had been getting it up to while wearing the monitor.(I couldn't seem to get it higher than that, it's my new top rate, so evidently the beta blocker drugs are doing the job they're intended to do)
So the mole - benign, not a problem, well done for getting it checked out.
The breathing, flutters and no energy sometimes thing?
I see you're on beta-blockers.
"Yes."
Well, you're on those to keep your heart rate down
Squashes currently sub-surface uncharitable response. Go with "Yes, I know."
Well, really you should be avoiding getting your heart rate too high.
Oh FFS. (Not out loud)
"I like cycling." (Out loud)
Yes. You should avoid doing that though.
"I've been cycling since the cardiologist said it was a good idea. In fact, they said it would strengthen my heart again."
Does getting out of breath by climbing a set of stairs feel like it's got stronger?
Bugger. This is a Good Point.
Sigh.
"But this is intermittent, not all the time. I've lost 10 kilos and am feeling fitter, most of the time. You're not going to refer me for further testing of anything, at least an ECG?"
Not for now
"Or examine me now, listen to my breathing or my heart or anything?"
Not for now.
WHAT FOR NOW THEN? "So you're saying to just..."
Yes, cut down on alcohol and don't cycle for now. Thank you, bye.
Oh, I see.
My ten minutes are up.
Currently working through how to go forward from here. Apart from him also recommending reducing my alcohol intake (one whisky nightcap most evenings, same since oh, many years ago), and reducing caffeine intake (I've been decaffeinated since this all started three years ago anyway) he also recommended... get this... getting an electric bike. Like, 'if you enjoy cycling, you can just enjoy being on a bike with the feeling that some cycling is happening somehow, but not doing as much ummm... actual cycling'
WHAT IS THE POINT OF THAT?
It is not the same thing. I don't just want to be out on a bike, I want to be doing the physical cycling too. Feeling the effort. Actually doing the effort, fuelled by bacon sandwiches and cake, not lithium-ion and power stations.
So that's a no from me on all those.
I'll go with the cardiologists I think. They're specialists and had all the info, whereas the GP today didn't even examine me. And if I end up down in the cardiac department again, then at least I'll be back with the specialists who are going with the evidence they've got, rather than general patient advice guidelines, pulled from god knows where.
Next cycling blog from my hospital bed?
Yay, adventure into the unknown!
Written by a real person who completely ignores red wavy underlining and uses perfectly legitimate brand new words that just haven't made it to a dictionary yet.
Post Link: https://skryblans.com/what-to-believe
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