I’m 50 and I race at XC at a reasonably competitive level so am active and train hard and as such, I always have concerns at the back of my mind because I am pushing my body regularly.

Both my parents died of heart related illness, as a result I have an annual check up every year, a few years ago I started to see a pattern of elevated cholesterol, nothing too major but it was on the way up year on year.

So I decided to take some action myself before I ‘needed’ to, I made a conscious effort to eat well for 80% of the time, mostly this is just fresh veg, lots of fruit, low GI carbs, fish, chicken etc.

Weekend 20% is my reward, I eat & drink pretty much what I want on a Friday night & saturday, as a result my last test had considerably reduced cholesterol increased ‘good’ markers and my risk of a heart attack had actually decreased to a good level too… this is particularly significant as it very rarely goes down as you get older.

Whilst i’m not suggesting it is a cure all, your diet can be a huge factor on general well being, it certainly won’t do you any harm

Thanks legolam, that is certainly the most simple to read article I have seen, I hazard a guess that you are “in the trade” as it were? The main point they make is that the benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks – not that’s any help to you or your family if it’s decided your time is up. The main problem is that most of us that ride bikes or generally do some sort of regular excercise are in the category of moderately fit or better, probably think we are all OK, hardly ever go to the doctors etc. Therefore have no idea if there is an underlying issue?

I hazard a guess that you are “in the trade” as it were?

Yup, I’m a cardiology registrar in the North East of England, currently doing research, so I have a bit of an interest in all of this!

I genuinely don’t know the stats for what proportion of those who have heart attacks have symptoms beforehand that they’ve ignored, although anecdotally it is something I see a fair bit.

I’m not sure I’d agree that fit people/athletes are at higher risk of missing symptoms though – heart attacks are caused by a narrowed (or blocked) blood vessel supplying the heart muscle with blood, but this often doesn’t happen out of the blue (although it can). The blood vessel often narrows over the course of weeks, months and years. As cyclists, we are effectively performing our own “stress test” every time we get on a bike – increasing our heart rate and asking the blood vessels to supply more blood to the heart muscle. If there is a narrowing building up, you’d think that cyclists would get some warning symptoms, whereas a couch potato wouldn’t notice until the narrowing was so bad that the person got symptoms walking around the house or at rest. Does that make sense?

I guess the message is to heed any warning symptoms (mainly chest pain or shortness of breath on exertion) and to minimise your risk factors as far as possible.

I have booked in for a check up at my local health centre tomorrow. I am nearing 40 so thanks for the kick in the arse I probably needed!

Good idea Skellnonch, I may try that approach. I’ll update this thread after seeing Doc’s on Wednesday evening.

It has probably been mentioned on page 1 and 2 (only read 3) but you can get self cholesterol testing kits from the chemist which will give you an indication of whether you need to speed up that appointment at the docs! 🙂

Have never had one before so did a test today off the back of the recent threads to see if I needed to worry. Seems I am borderline satisfactory / slightly high. Something to keep tabs on and maybe think a little more about what I eat.

@ on one orange. Try intermittent fasting. Dropped a couple of cholesterol points off both myself and partners results.

I simply follow the 16 hour fast 8 hour feed. So skip breakfast and eat dinner a little earlier.

The way I see it, instead of constantly grazing and giving the body fuel, fasting gives the central nervous system time to actually mop everything up and suppresses igf1 hormone which also puts you in repair mode.

Legolamb

If there is a narrowing building up, you’d think that cyclists would get some warning symptoms, whereas a couch potato wouldn’t notice until the narrowing was so bad that the person got symptoms walking around the house or at rest. Does that make sense?

Yep it does, I did get the warning signs and interpreted them correctly the second time around and took action immediately – thus my second stent – and funnily enough if you work in the North East my notes may have passed through your hands!

BUT

The first time around I had a fair chunk of the symptoms (i.e. Angina) prior to the MI but they were masked by Musco-skeletal pain. I have severe wear C6 & C7 probably due to the forces that were exerted on my neck and spine as a stage rally driver and navigator – I regularly used to be black & blue the day after an event on my collar bones and pelvis from being thrown into the harness, and that was sat in a made-to-measure seat with 3″ wide Willans multipoint harness. This didn’t include the numerous times that I was in a car that left a stage at high speed and hit something solid (I’d far rather be in a roll-over, the bulk of the accident energy is taken up in overcoming a low centre of gravity of the car). It was only in later life that I started wearing a neck brace as pictured below which made a major difference (to the point I used to lecture everyone on wearing one!).

My left shoulder suffered multiple dislocations after we burst my door catch a mile into a 24 mile stage – I hung onto the sodding thing for the rest of the stage so every drop or bump pulled my shoulder out of joint, you are on such a MASSIVE adrenalin high so you don’t notice it.

What I’m saying is that all of the angina pain I was getting prior to my MI could be accounted for by previous injuries, the thing that foxed everyone was that my blood pressure was spot on even when I was having the bloody MI! And my pain was unrelated to heart rate or exercise too, the week before my MI I’d ridden the red at GT three times and navigated on a tarmac rally 5 days before with NO ill effect, yet sat in a sodding meeting and away it goes.

I did get checked out poked and prodded but in the years leading up to my MI due to my lifestyle, age and fitness level, medically I simply wasn’t considered a risk. The one thing that was never conducted was a simple cholesterol test which would have shown I had issues. I now know that for me if I get sharp almost electric shock type shooting pains into my jaw that’s THE warning sign for me.

Someone mentioned recovery, basically there is very little advice out there about what a “fit” healthy and active person does to come back from a heart attack, all the advice is don’t over exert your heart (thus the crack about take up bowls) I was advised gentle cycling only if I must. The advice is aimed at the statistical bulk of MI victims who tend to be older, more sedentary with poor-ish lifestyles.

IMHO It’s not the health professions fault as up until about 10-15 years ago blokes (you know what I mean) who were closer to retirement age than birth age didn’t throw themselves off mountains or run marathons or cycle 120 miles or if they did they had been doing it all their lives so they were all ready fit. I think we are still a statistical anomaly in general terms, but as more people take up active and very active sports in later life then we are seeing more an more of this form of problem.

I think there does need to be some form of awareness campaign coupled with a study of how a “cardiac” athlete recovers from an MI, particularly the effects of BetaBlockers and ACE inhibitors on recovery in younger people – for me those two drugs were just plain wrong, they virtually crippled me and that was on a very low dose, in later life if I get a bit more sedentary then we’ll see but hopefully that won’t be for a long time. I’m happy to be a guinea pig and I’m sure others here are who are in similar boats, just as long as you don’t make me run on a cardiac stress test as my knees are booboo’d too 😛

The key point is never assume historical injuries are all that the pain you are feeling is, I did, the medical profession ten years ago did (I stress NOT their fault) and I (we) got caught out. Second time around the medics were more aware of these types issues but then I had history and was by then in the right age bracket.

There’s no denying that it’s a really tricky business trying to diagnose anything (not just heart trouble), and it’s not helped by the fact that everyone is wired up slightly differently and no two heart attacks feel the same!

I also agree that we have a bit of a “one size fits all” attitude to treatment and rehab (although it’s based on good evidence) after a heart attack, although again I hope we’re getting better at individualising (is that a word?) things nowadays.

I also agree that we have a bit of a “one size fits all” attitude to treatment and rehab (although it’s based on good evidence) after a heart attack, although again I hope we’re getting better at individualising (is that a word?) things nowadays.

Totally agree with this, and yes from my experiences far, far better at individualising care nowadays than ten years ago. I can’t fault my care, particularly when my second stent was inserted at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital which (being honest) is a bit of an angioplasty production line when you look at it, you’re in one day, job done, you’re out the next. BUT BUT BUT The staff are brilliant you are made to feel like you are wrapped in cotton wool – real individual attention. When they discovered I was a cyclist I was moved into a ward next to a chap who had been a semi-pro road rider which was superb. The surgical team was excellent, they spent a lot of time with me before the op. The Scandinavian lass (think she was a senior registrar) who performed the Angioplasty was just great – as was the rest of the team, yes you can feel stuff going on inside you which is a bit weird, I didn’t realise she’d finished till she leant over and said “there you go, you will ride again soon” and I just burst into tears. She said it was nice to “fix someone who could really make the most of what they had done”

The Scandinavian lass (think she was a senior registrar) who performed the Angioplasty was just great – as was the rest of the team, yes you can feel stuff going on inside you which is a bit weird, I didn’t realise she’d finished till she leant over and said “there you go, you will ride again soon” and I just burst into tears. She said it was nice to “fix someone who could really make the most of what they had done”

That was Ingi Gudmundsdottir – she’s Icelandic and one of the best doctors I’ve worked with (she was my registrar back when I was a really baby doctor and I really looked up to her). She’s a consultant back in Iceland now, and we miss her. She’ll be glad to know she’s remembered fondly by her patients!

Legolam – do you have any thoughts about plaque rupture and the likelihood of our sport to increase the chance of it? I ask because in my Dads case, he had a fairly fast crash onto snow covered grass and winded himself. He got back onto the bike and rode again but collapsed and died the next time he needed to climb. He had undiagnosed arthersclerosis and the consultant at the time mentioned plaque rupture probably played a part in his collapse. Is this something that us especially relevant to us MTBers (or anyone doing impact sports)?

That was Ingi Gudmundsdottir

As ever, I love how STW makes the world seem a little bit smaller. 🙂

Sad though the news has been, this a great thread. Good work OP.

That was Ingi Gudmundsdottir

That’s her, just found her name on my discharge letter, I thought at the time it was an Icelandic style patrinomic as in Ingi daughter of Gudmund.

Really nice lass and very, very competent and so was the rest of her team, I forget the name of her boss at the Freeman, I’m assuming she was a senior registrar in April last year.

As ever, I love how STW makes the world seem a little bit smaller.

I now have the weirdest sensation that an STWer could have been near me with sharp objects* Legolamb 😯 😯 😯 and what is more worrying is that I don’t know whether that statement is a good thing or a bad thing

*I could have been pricked ….fnnnaaaarrrrrrrrr 😛

I’m booked in Friday 😯

Don’t worry, I’m not pricking (or probing) anyone these days – I’ve taken time out to do research.

Plumslikerocks (good name!):
Impacts don’t have anything to do with the likelihood of plaque rupture. There’s some circumstantial evidence that, if you’re going to have a heart attack, then you’re marginally more likely to have it at times of physical or emotional stress eg during a marathon, whilst having sex, or on a Monday. I’m not sure it’s enough to make me avoid marathons, sex or Mondays for the rest of my life though. Well, maybe marathons. But that’s cos running is for people who can’t ride a bike.

But that’s cos running is for people who can’t ride a bike.

Or whose bike is broken… Stw is an all inclusive forum despite handicaps

Booked in at the doc’s on monday evening.

Booked in next Monday. General check up, but will ask for my cholesterol to be checked as well.

Hubby booked in next week (that’s the earliest they could manage – must be all you Stwers blocking up the system :-)).

I’m 36, I had mine last checked in 2011. This thread has reminded me and I am booked in first thing tomorrow morning for bloods 🙂 Cheers!!

I went for a general check up today and have my ecg/blood tests booked in for thursday.

Blood pressure normal but gained almost 20kg since 2006 (70.4kg-89.5kg) – I blame getting old and married in that time!

As I said on page one, I’ve been putting this off for years (in an I’ll do it next week kind of way)

Am now booked in for the 15th April

Thanks again o.p for giving me a much needed kick up the arse.

Booked for Thursday – worth checking out the pain in my shoulder and left arm that I’ve put down to my old busted collar bone rubbing on something or just not sleeping right but this thread and the fact my dad had a non fatal heart attack in his 50s suggests I ought not to ignore it.

Especially as I’ve been a bit of a couch biker for the last few years since first getting married and then having kids and going self employed. I guess I need to make the time to get out on the bike regularly again and give up on the sugar in my tea.

Cheers Jock

I’ve been thinking about going for a health assessment for a while but like lots of us have been putting it off – I know I’m over weight already, right?! Thanks for the kick.

As part of a company scheme I’ve got £200 toward a heath assessment/wellman check – any recommendations for where to go around Birmingham? I know there is a BUPA in Solihul but suspect the assessment would be much more than £200.

I’m 41 and a fat ****. Had a cholesterol test and to my amazement it was only slightly elevated. I was stunned as I’ve basically eaten utter shite since I was 17. No history of heart probs in family and don’t drink or smoke. Having said that, I have not and probably never will have a pension so maybe I should carry on in the same way….

Been thinking about this, I think we owe it to Steve and Brian to start some type of awareness campaign, their deaths and my post have bit a nerve here and I’m stunned by the response, but I haven’t got a clue how to go about this? I opened my metaphorical gob first so I’m happy to put the time in, help would be appreciated, anyone any experience of this and how you get the ball rolling or is it as simple as open some social media accounts (FB & twitter for starters) and start pestering the media?

My Mum was diagnosed with high cholesterol and is now on statins or whatever they are called. She has been riding and racing road bikes for years and is super fit and healthy. I have been pretty fit and healthy now for many years and vegetarian since the age of 18 (I know you can eat crap and be veggie). Was told I had a slightly raised cholesterol marker, was quite a surprise but looks like I inherited from my Mum.

Jock-Muttley you maniac, do you realise what you’ve done *. Read your post, thought “why not?”

Long story short: been in hospital since then, acting on your post!

Short story long: I went to GP next day at lunchtime. Told him I had no specific illness but felt Meh.

I had been pull-starting the petrol lawnmower previously and had muscular pains, like me it is difficult to start after months off.

He said come and play on our ECG, but it was broke. Let’s do BP – “ah!??”

So sent me to A&E. ECG fine woohoo! Pulse fine, cholesterol fine double woohoo!

BP through the roof. So still here getting loads of tests and Ramipiril.

Fingers crossed that I’ve not left it too late as hypertension is not nice.

* – thanks really, I was always going to go get it checked but never got round to it. I just read the post & thought if people from my online peer group are discovering issues, then go sooner rather than later.

So first of all bloods taken and blood sugar and cholesterol all good.

Now a thanks to JM, Steve and the fellow rider that fell victim to the same MI in Swinley a few months ago and passed away. I has given me the impetus to go and get this checked (I’m 47) and I will continue to have an annual check to ensure I am around as long as possible for my wife and family.

Er…. I’ve just had a twitter message to contact ITV News Desk, looks like someone in the media has picked up on this… ulp 😯 I’ll keep you posted.

Who was the rider in Swinley SixFootTwo? is there a name? So far I have Steve and Brian (Messiah).

Just spotted this too http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/rider-down-in-clwyds-n-wales

and this which may or may not be related but sounds like a collapse

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/rider-down-leeds

and this

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/a-work-colleague-died-last-night

and this

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/chest-pain-how-worried-should-i-be

and this

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/chest-pain-how-worried-should-i-be

and this

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/chest-pain-how-worried-should-i-be

and there is mention in here

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/i-dont-want-a-fag-i-dont-want-a-fag-i-dont-want-a-fag

Are we starting to see a trend emerging here?…. and that’s just from THIS forum only going back 6 months and using fairly restrictive search terms! Take into account that STWers are a tiny proportion of the active population … nobody mentioned the tri-athletes, joggers, footballers, rugby players, marathonists, hill walkers, swimmers, canoeists, rally drivers (know a few cardiacs there), etc etc etc… 😯

Folks we are dropping like flies out there… never mind bloody motorists killing us off on anecdotal evidence we are doing a fairly good job ourselves.

Glad this thread has had some effect.. 😛

Well, following on from this post I went and had my cholesterol tested this morning for the first time. 3.6 – so mid range according to the doc. This has given me some peace of mind.

Going to take a hard look at my health and make some changes – glad that I’m OK but room for improvement obviously.

Thank you OP.

I had the scary test result talk with my GP a few years ago. High BP, v high cholesterol, family history. My CVD risk score was way high for a 40 yo, can’t remember exactly, but between 15% and 20%

Dr gave 6 months to sort it out with lifestyle or on the drugs. My BP is now normal, cholesterol just on right side of ok. Why – weight down, exercise + fitness up – but also change of job/lifestyle so big reduction in stress. GP did warn that I would prob end up on meds in the end given family history – but everything I could do to push it back was a bonus.

So the moral is get yourself tested – you know it makes sense – I could have been sleepwalking to a stroke before I was 50 if I hadn’t.

Similar vein- a very good friend of mine died on Lochnagar a few years back. Very fit (ultra runner, with West Highland Way Race finishes), personal trainer to trade. No history nor warning, massive MI at the top of the mountain wthout any unwellness first. It would seem that a highly tuned machine can go very wrong quite suddenly.
Since then, I’ve worked to raise awareness of these and other health issues in ultra sport across Scotland. We have seen stent wearers (for example) returning to run 50miles and beyond. Stay positive guys.

Jock,

One more for you from a few months ago.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/any-rider-with-heart-problems-who-ride-on-here

Like you I have noticed more cardiac related threads over recent years, but then you do pick up on these things having had a near miss.

There are probably and sadly a few that will no longer be contributing to threads as they didn’t make it.

We have seen stent wearers (for example) returning to run 50miles and beyond

When my second stent was inserted (over the top of my original*) it literally felt like (to draw an automotive analogy) somebody had unblocked a fuel filter to a carb and I could open the throttle full again, weird and surreal sensation but very welcome.

*and with this I got very, very lucky as the heart tissue in that area was already damaged by my previous MI so the 100% occlusion didn’t do that much more damage, in need to dig out my discharge letter but it was about 1% loss of heart function.

Peter,

I found that but it looks like I boobed the link in my post thanks for picking up on that.

Yeah it does make you wonder when STW keyboard warriors go silent… 😕

Thanks for this thread Jock

I know my blood pressure is a little high…

OK – I’m going to book a test.

Similar vein-

😆

Very good.