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This year was going to be a year checking off a few things from my bucket list. I just completed the Snake Gap TT and earned a buckle. Check that one off! Bought a new rode bike, check! Next was the Big Frog 65. I was feeling great about my training at this point of the year.
That all changed on March 13th. I was at my local trails (Blankets Creek) early in the morning. While finishing my second loop, I suffered a heart attack. I have justed turned 42, lost 20 lbs over the last 2 years, consider myself in better shape than most and do not have a family history. I do not smoke, nor do I drink more than 3-4 beers in a week, at most. My wife and I are pretty intentional about eating healthy most of the time over the last few years.
A few things that I wanted to share from the experience.
1. We may do everyhting right when it regards to our training, but we can not ignore getting routine physicals.
2. We cannot ignore symptoms of heart attacks because we think it could not be happeing to me.
3. As much as this pains me to say, there is more important things in life than biking. Though I am dying (no pun intended) to get back to riding.
4. I cannot "out pedal" what I eat. A lifetime of pizzas, burrito, wings etc… can catch up to you.
5. Teach kids early what it means to have a healthy diet. Not just about not getting fat.
6. Understand the dangers of stress on the heart.I am still very early in my recovery, so these were just a few things that I wanted to share. I have had more than two of my riding buddies take to "heart" what happened to me and go get checked out. Maybe this can inspire others a well.
I would like to hear if others who have gone through this while in the peak of their riding days.
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good luck on recovery have not had heart attack myself but bad family history really puts into perspective the meds I have to take to not have one just turned 42 and still think that I’m too young to have heart problems but very thankful for modern medicine and healthy eating hopefully keep it away for awhile good luck and keep after it
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I wish you luck on your recovery and you will be back on the bike before you know it! I actually had to have my aorta replaced a few years back, after open heart surgery, I have a neat new synthetic one. That set my riding back quite a bit (also resulted in an extended sabbatical from this fine forum). I started back on my road bike and after my chest healed up, I was able to hit the mountain bike.
One great thing all of my heart doctors have said is that biking is great for the heart! Although I kind of left out the downhill part of it….
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Man, that’s crazy! I’m glad you’re okay and I hope that you can heal up soon and get back on the bike!
Did the doctors confirm that it was a dietary thing, or can they not tell?
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Man! Best of luck with a speed recovery!
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My heart condition is genetic, bad mitral valve. Killed my dad at 60. Brother and sister had valve repairs at the best facility, the Cleveland Clinic. Even though I had the best coverage (I thought) Blue Cross wouldn’t let me go out of state and had the repair done in Phoenix. As a result I still have a 5% leak, while my siblings don’t leak.
I have been a vegetarian since 19, now 59. Diet IS huge but not all, some conditions are in your genes.
My brother, bad diet had the repair at 41, sister, pretty good diet at 49, me at 48.
It took 2 weeks before I could pedal around the neighborhood and 3 months before rejoining group rides but at 6 months I felt stronger than in years. Now I get out of rhythm occasionally, makes riding twice as tough. -
Don’t you love insurance??? Ugh… I go for an echo cardiogram on my aorta/valve tomorrow. Bit nervous about it because the doctor mentioned it was leaking a bit last time, and I’ve been fighting fatigue, which is a signal of a leak. Man, I’m back in shape from my last surgery, not looking forward to another!
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Major bummer dude. I hope you have a full recovery. I have the dreaded high blood pressure deal. I got it from my mothers side. By the time I was thirty I have been taking blood pressure medicine . My 4 brothers and my sister got the gift. I have always exercised and ate well. My mother died from a heart condition at 69 she had four heart attacks three bypass surgeries and replaced three heart valves. Her first heart attack was in her mid thirties. Her father and brothers all died from heart decease . I would put my money on complete heart failure or cancer ( father) on my demise one day but till then I go for the gusto. I am 52 and still ticking. I just hope I,m doing something I like when it happens . I would like to have a few grand children before then and I will feel like I lived a good life. I also get physicals every year.
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Thanks for the well wishes!
After spending yesterday in the hospital yesterday a due to a complication of my second heart cauterization, I am reading all these replies. Before March 13th, I did not pay attention to heart issues, but I do now.
I believe that most of us try to eat healthy. Certainly, there are different degrees of that. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to completely reduce the intake of cholesterol and other toxins from the "American diet". We have butchered and altered our processes of foods that you have to be a scientist to figure out every meal. That is why we have the epidemic that we do in America.
My conclusion is that we have to take care of what God gave us, and the rest is up to him. Certainly, live life and enjoy it. IMO, this is only temporary.For my family, we are going to be eating a lot more fish, beans and fruits and vegetables. Try and get as much "organic", "free range" and "natural" as possible. It is more expensive and time consuming, but worth it, if my kids can have a different adult life. I can just cut out a few dinners at my local Mexican restaurant!
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Trying to teach my kids about healthy eating now we also got the horrible genitcs both my parents and my older sister have had heart attacks. My wife and I just lost a bunch of weight and are now teaching our kids that all the fast food and junk food are not good for you the are still pretty young so we have good chance. They are resisting some of the veggies now we should have probably started sooner. I know you will be back on your bike soon and good luck on recovery. Always live life to the fullest have fun while your on earth
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This thread scares the hell out of me.
Eating is more of a hobby than a necessity for my German/Italian family. Add to that, smoking and coffee drinking. Thankfully there are no alcoholics! Lol. Obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer runs rampant through my genes. That’s why I’m doing everything I can before I hit my 30s to evolve my life into one that is healthy and sustainable.
Good luck on a full recovery my man. Wishing you the best.
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"mtbgreg1" wrote
Man, that’s crazy! I’m glad you’re okay and I hope that you can heal up soon and get back on the bike!
Did the doctors confirm that it was a dietary thing, or can they not tell?
They really cannot tell. I was told that once you have plague in the lining of your arteries, you cannot reverse it. You can reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood stream. I am looking into second opinions on that. I am also looking to natural means to controlling the cholesterol. I just do not like the idea of taking meds all the time.
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Good luck and hope they let you back on the bike soon. (I’m out since the 1st with injurer and it sucks) Maybe you can find organic, free range bacon
I wouldn’t look forward to taking meds every day ether but the "natural" stuff just doesn’t do much. The Cardiologists get the bucks for a reason, I’d do what they say. -
I will [i:255jsk6p]not[/i:255jsk6p] get on my food intake and/or professional medicine soapbox and just say: Good luck in the recovery, UltimateTherapy, Bubblehead10MM, and gar29!
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"Jared13" wrote
I will [i:1wle3j5g]not[/i:1wle3j5g] get on my food intake and/or professional medicine soapbox and just say: Good luck in the recovery, UltimateTherapy, Bubblehead10MM, and gar29!
This. Good luck with a speedy recovery! I come from a family with a host of different health problems, including obesity, cancer, and arthritis. So we’ll see how that goes for me. 😮
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It has been a month since my heart attack. I did have some complications from the two heart cath’s, as a results I lost an artery in my right wrist. No worries, you have two in each arm!
Following a clean report from a nuclear stress test, I was cleared to get back to exercising. Last week, I eased into it by getting about 80 miles total in three rode rides. I was in S. Florida, so hills was not an issue, just head winds. Yesterday, I rode my local trail (Blankets Creek), while it felt great to be back riding on dirt, I could tell I lost a lot of conditioning.
It will take a a while a to get back to the shape I was in when it happened, but that is the least of my worries. Just happy to be riding.
Going to another doctors appointment tommorow to discuss meds. I hate them!
Enjoy every ride, and slow down to appreciatte the sport we love. Not being able to ride for a month has giving me a renewed excitement about riding.
Thanks again for all of the support and good wishes. See you out there.
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Glad to hear that you are back on the bike & on the road to recovery man!
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"UltimateTherapy" wrote
Last week, I eased into it by getting about 80 miles total in three rode rides.
27mile rides after a heart attack……. I’m not to sure if you call that easing into it! LOL
Good for you, and keep up the positive mind set and the old ticker will be as good as new in no time..
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Good job! The cardio is definitely a help for recovery. Glad to hear you’re back on the bike 😄
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You’re going in the right direction and although you can’t completely erase history, you can still have a vast improvement in your quality of life taking care of yourself as you are now.
Mad props to you for including your kids in the shift to healthy living. You’re going to give them a head start that the majority of the children in the world won’t have. In a country in which the government can call a pizza a vegetable, there’s not many people that are looking out for them.
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"schwim" wrote
In a country in which the government can call a pizza a vegetable, there’s not many people that are looking out for them.
Wait… Are you telling me that pizza isn’t a vegetable!? Oh crap 😢
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"slipfinger" wrote
[quote="UltimateTherapy":1n0l728h]Last week, I eased into it by getting about 80 miles total in three rode rides.
27mile rides after a heart attack……. I’m not to sure if you call that easing into it! LOL
Good for you, and keep up the positive mind set and the old ticker will be as good as new in no time..[/quote:1n0l728h]
LOL I felt the same way when I read that… I thought I was going to die after about 10 miles this weekend. 😮
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If I understood the article correctly you recently had a heart attack and the last few years you have been healthier, loosing weight, eating right etc.
It is good that people learn from this and I think that if you had not done the healthier lifestyle approach these last few years you may not have recovered.
I have lost friends due to heart attacks and it is one of those areas that you cannot really see how healthy the heart is, it just hits you like a bus, then it hits everyone around you. The heart is still just a muscle, just an important one and from before you are born it beats, it beats every day, other muscles get a rest but the heart keeps going. I think its good to remember it not just what you eat, its how you made it and it is also what you choose to do with it.
I wish you all the best in your recovery and hope you get to return to the trails soon 😀
Dac
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I hope you are on your way to speedy recovery. My dad died of heart attack and ever since that unfortunate incident happened, I became more conscious with the foods that I eat and I make sure that I exercise regularly too.
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I wouldn’t look forward to taking meds every day ether but the "natural" stuff just doesn’t do much. The Cardiologists get the bucks for a reason, I’d do what they say.
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