Exercise with aneurysm?

[ptoddy]

Hi everyone, hope you all had a good Christmas.

I was wondering if anyone can help me on what exercise it is possible for me to do. Before diagnosis in June I was running 20-30 miles per week at 6.5-7 minute miles and felt really fit for a 42 year old. The cardio told me to stop lifting weights, which I didn't do much of anyway. But she said it is ok to continue running but to slow it down and not to go from slow to sprint. After all my research I realise that it is not good to get my BP up. It is normally 100-110/70 but after a couple of slow runs, a minute after I stopped my pulse was 100 and my BP was 135/80. 2 minutes after this it was back to normal.

Stress wise running makes me feel so much better. I'm not talking about running how I was before, just a little more than walking pace 2 or 3 times per week, my pulse not going above 120. If I need surgery next year don't you think it's in my best interests to keep on top of my fitness and keep my heart as healthy as possible? When I don't run my stress levels build up and I start to worry and think this will be putting more strain on my aneurysm.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks, Paul

 

[Keithf]

Hi ptoddy:

I really don't think anyone knows the answer to your question. For all you know you could run a marathon every week and be fine, or you could stay in bed all day and have the aneurysm disect. But since they can do this operation on some fairly old people, I think fitness may not be such a big factor. On the other hand, being operated on under emergency conditions definitely is risky.

By the way you are lucky that your cardiologist told you about the risks of exercise.

Cheers!

 

[ptoddy]

Thanks Keith

I just feel if I am sitting around doing nothing, feeling sorry for myself it is not doing me any good.But if i do a little light jogging it will keep my heart in better shape.As long as my BP does not go to high and my pulse goes no higher than 115 I think I should be ok.

Like you say it could disect if I do nothing.

Paul

 

[MikeHeim]

Very impressive times! I did not have an Aneurysm, but your instructions sound similar to what most people get when surgery is approaching. I was running 25-35 miles per week at 7.5-8 minute miles, and was told that was much too fast. I was also given a HR cap of 130. Being a workout freak, I was used to pushing myself as far as I could go, so being given the above restrictions was really frustrating. At first, I went to the gym and worked out on the machines that had HR monitors, but still had an extremely difficult time staying under 130 and also feeling like I got a good workout. Additionally, I worried so much while I was working out that I was doing additional damage to myself that the workouts themselves went from stress-reducing to stress-causing. Eventually I gave up and worked out less and less. My attitude evolved into one where I wanted to do everything in my power to get my surgery as soon as possible so that I could get back to doing what I wanted how I wanted.

You are absolutely correct in that you want to be in as good of shape as possible when you go into surgery. It doesn't necessarily make the surgery any easier, but it does help with the recovery. If you are able to find acceptable workouts within the restrictions you have been given, you should continue them indefinitely. I wish you all the best going forward.

 

[Magic8Ball]

Your problem is that you know about the anurysm and that makes life complicated.

I was doing martial arts twice a week until about 6 months before i found out about my anurysm....i had calf problems that kept me static...had i continued for those 6 months who knows, i may never have made it to the cardiologists appointment

I think that if you just led a normal active life but did not push things you would still be in great shape for recovery...i wouldn't say i was in the greatest shape but the recovery has been pretty easy overall.

With the condition i had/you have it really is a "get it done as quick as possible" scenario...the sitting around thinking every chest/rib pain is a rupture is not healthy...

 

[ks1490]

I think you are doing the right thing - viewing yourself as doing all the right things to keep yourself healthy for surgery (and life thereafter!) while not overdoing it. I got slightly mixed messages from my 2 cardios (1 primary, 1 second opinion) - primary said I could take hr up to 120-130 but just don't lift weights, no isometric exercises; 2nd opinion cardio said to exercise but to "take it easy". I've struck a happy medium and do treadmill keeping hr no higher than 110. Since a third cardio would likely give a 3rd opinion, I think you just have to do what your body is telling you to do and to keep up the exercise but just don't strain.

 

[ptoddy]

Thanks for your replies

Mike- I feel the same way,running makes me feel great and it is hard not to push myself but i won't.Running has been a big part of my life and it is hard to just stop.

Magic-Thanks for replying again,you are spot on with what you say AGAIN ,but I may have a few years to go before surgery if it does not grow,and I will have to do something to get back to some sort of normality (also Ant and Dec were in OZ for Xmas doing I'm a celebrity get me out of here,did you not see them.Private joke)

KS-Thanks for the advice it is nice to know someone else has been given similar advice.

I have been to the gym today,I ran for 20 minutes nice and steady and I am still here typing on my computer,my heart never went above 115 and it felt great to get a bit of a sweat on.I am going to do a few runs every week,I will not push myself and see how it goes.

Thanks again

Paul

 

[Magic8Ball]

A few years, wow, that is going to knaw away at you over that period of time now that you actually know about it....i was at 5.6 but only had 3 months before finding out and having surgery and that was at my request, i could have probably been in within a month.

Is that your choice, cardio recco, or just NHS waiting times? or do they have a certain criteria you have to meet such as 5.5 or a growth of more than .3 in a year etc?

5 weeks after surgery and i feel great, i couldn't imagine what it would be like if i had had to wait a year or more for the surgery....no lifting, no straining, watch heart rate, watch blood pressure, have echo, confirm with CT repeat until .....

Anyway, like i said earlier, you don't need to be 'fit' to recover from heart surgery just generally healthy which you sound like you more than qualify for...take it easy, do what you must but don't push it and things should be ok...

Give that cardio a grilling at your next meeting too, its not something anyone aspires to (heart surgery) but as you put things off longer and the anursym gets larger you will get shortness of breath and other 'minor' issues which will affect your heart behind the scenes, you (like me) will feel like you have no symptoms but its just your body/mind adjusting and making excuses.

Well, enjoy a few bevvies over New Year while you can but dont jump around drunk too much...gotta watch that blood pressure..

 

[ptoddy]

My cardio says it all depends on the next scan to see if it is stable.I think also the nhs has a criteria that it has to be 5cm for a bicuspid aortic valve if you do not have any symptoms ,mine is 4.89 1mm off!!!.

I wiil just have to wait till the next scan in April and take it from there.

I don,t know if anyone else has been told this but my cardio told me in her experience the ascending aorta could have been this size (4.89cm) for years and with BAV it can remain stable indefinitely.

Paul

 

[Turkey Hunter]

I think you just have to do what your body is telling you to do and to keep up the exercise but just don't strain.

I think this is probably a very good analogy of how to limit yourself.
You know your body better than anyone else.
Just don't over do it.

Ben

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Have you read Ross's story?

His aneurism BURST at Less Than 5.0

BTW, how was your aneurism measured? Echocardiograms are notorious for having a fairly wide margin of error.

The BEST way to resolve your concerns is to have your surgery ASAP and get on with life afterwards.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[PJmomrunner]

I don,t know if anyone else has been told this but my cardio told me in her experience the ascending aorta could have been this size (4.89cm) for years and with BAV it can remain stable indefinitely.

I HAVE been told this and while, on it's surface it seems as if it should give one comfort, it quite plainly defies logic. Many studies have demonstrated that BAV aortas are bigger than TAV aortas, but they also expand faster and dissect sooner, hence the 5cm BAV vs. 5.5cm TAV operative guidelines. To say that "with BAV it can remain stable indefinitely" is of little comfort when, even if that's true, it's more likely with BAV than with TAV that it won't remain stable.

On your exercise question: I have been told by three cardiologists and one surgeon that it is okay to run at a moderate pace (I even got a precise 12 miles a week from one). One surgeon told me not to run. The other said I could run as long as my average resting systolic BP was 105 to 110 (it is). I trust both surgeons, but I am really under the care of the one who says no. He also said to keep my heartrate in the low 100's. It has been my choice to give up running (Since my diagnosis at age 42--although I waver on this and often think I will cave-in and do exactly as you are doing! I don't enjoy walking like I do running and, consequently, I do very little. As you say, it's got to be better for my heart to stay fit).

I do echo Al's query as to how your aneurysm is being measured. For me there was quite a discrepancy between transesophageal echo and CT measurements and the chest echo didn't show the largest part of my aorta at all.

 

[KAJ]

Paul,

My cardiologist did not start to restrict my activities until my valve started to get worse. When I told him I was riding my bike at least 2 to 3 times a week for about 20 - 30 minutes, he did not say anything. He only told me not lift anything heavier than about 20 pounds because of the aneurysm.

It is my understanding that the better your overall health before surgery, the the better you are in the long run.

Before my surgery, a person who operates a heart/lung machine told me that I would reduce my chances of complications the better shape I was in at the time of surgery, but that was not a guarantee. I was certainly not the speciman of health but other than my heart and aneurysm, I really did not have any major health issues. I ended up having some complications. I cannot help but wonder if I was just in a little better shape if the complications would have happened. It is really a guess but it will always be in the back of my mind. There were too many issues that could have factored into it.

Karl

 

[ptoddy]

Thanks for all your replies. I have read Ross' story and I do realise they can burst below 5cm. As I said before it makes me feel much better mentally to run and I am going to take it nice and steady just to try to keep up the fitness I already have.

PJMomrunner- thanks for your comments, they are very interesting. My cardio specifically mentioned that she has known dilated aortas with BAVs stay stable for several years. She said it can be a characteristic of BAVs, I know mine is large. It was diagnosed and measured by CT scan with contrast. How long has your dilated aorta remained the same? I notice from previous postings that you were originally diagnosed as having 4.8cm aorta corrected to 4.5, if you don't mind my asking how did this come about?

Thanks again everyone
Paul