Intro and First post-op Century Ride

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JTTwo

VR.org Supporter
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2012
Messages
10
Location
Utah County, Utah, USA
Hello fellow valvers,

I'm an avid cyclist in my mid-forties who was diagnosed last April with a 7.5 cm Aortic root aneurysm, with moderate aortic valve leakage and left ventricular enlargement. Yes, I'm lucky to be here :biggrin2:. Prior to that time I had only had a few random episodes of what I assumed was atrial fibrillation. At my yearly physical last year, my PCP suggested that I take a statin, which I resisted, stubborn as I am. He recommended I get a CT scan to take a look at my coronary arteries to see if I needed a statin or not. We were surprised (and lucky) to have found the aneurysm which no doubt would have dissected by now without repair.

I had successful surgery in May 2012, receiving an extra large 29mm Medtronics Freestyle porcine valve and Dacron aortic graft above the root. I participated in cardiac rehab for 6 weeks starting 3 weeks after surgery. For me, being able to see how my heart would perform as we ramped up intensity and to higher heart rate limits was key. I continued exercising last year mostly on the bike and my cardiologist and surgeon let me do so without hard limits, as long as I used good judgement and didn't overdo it. That said, I still try to keep my HR below 160, even though my max is around 186 or thereabouts.

Fast forward to this year. I've continued to ride moderately compared to before (no more HIT training or high HR intervals), instead focusing on muscular endurance and tempo rides mixed in with a lot of endurance pace stuff. This past weekend I completed my first post-op century ride with an average speed of 17.5 mph (about 103.5 mi in 5:55:00). This is of course a bit slower than before, but that was by design since I just wasn't sure how I would do so I took it fairly easy compared to the past. I was thrilled to be able to complete the ride and this one may mean more to me than the others. One of the best parts about my focus on muscular endurance in training is that my cruising HR is really low - I can clip along about 20 mph on level ground at around 140 BPM. I'm happy to be able to take some of the pressure off my heart. I still worry sometimes about ruining my valve, but Saturdays ride was a great milestone for me. I hope and plan to do more in the future.

Thanks to so many of you on this site for sharing. This site gave me hope as I faced surgery last year that things would be alright and that I could still be a cyclist in the future. I'm overdue to give a little hope back.
 
No limitations from my cardiologist or surgeon, but self imposed limits for these reasons:

Looking into tissue valve durability, honestly there isn't very much specific data with regard to athletic training. There isn't any specific data or studies that I'm aware of with regard to the durability of tissue valves correlated to duration and intensity of athletic training. The primary mode of structural valve deterioration in both porcine and bovine pericardial tissue valves is leaflet and cusp tear, not calcification. Frankly I just feel a bit better about keeping my HR down a bit, for my porcine aortic valve, and my own mitral valve. I can still get above 160 occasionally, but I prefer not to. This may or may not help my valves in the long run, time will tell.

The second reason is a bit more relevant IMO, and it is because I have a confirmed connective tissue disorder due to a genetic mutation. Basically, I still have the potential for additional aneurysms and exercising at a 9 or 10 intensity level can cause your blood pressure to go really high, over 200 systolic. I would like to avoid more surgery and aneurysms if possible (but I get that there are no guarantees). 8-8.5 on the intensity scale is good enough for me for the time being. Maybe my opinion will change, but I feel like I can live with these and I feel a bit more secure with them than just drilling it during exercise. My impression is that not a whole lot is known by the medical community about valver athletes. If I err, I hope it is slightly on the side of caution. I don't feel like my 160 BPM limitation is costing me too much on the bike, and at the moment my gut tells me to do it.
 
Sounds like you're doing all the right things and what works for you. Good for you on the century ride. I could only wish for a time like that even before I had my valve replacement. I don't do much riding since I'm mostly a runner but I keep thinking I need to balance more with riding and swimming since the running is wearing me down.
 
WOW - WOW - WOW!!!!

You are very lucky to be alive! GLAD you found the aneurysm in time!!!

I also think you're VERY smart - doing what you're doing with your HR and intensity and I agree with you - why risk it??? I feel the same way about my own situation - well put!
 
Great job JT! What a great accomplishment. I fully understand about the connective tissue issue. My surgeon believes that I may have slight case of Marfan Syndrome. I'm not fully sold on that but I also try to keep my HR around 160. I do want to bump it up just a bit to 165 for short periods. 165 hr would put me right at 90% THR.
 
Way to go JTTwo. 18 mph for 6 hours is impressive.
Curious about your max HR. Is the 186 that you mentioned from before surgery? These days, my hardest efforts due to caution and exhaustion keep me 15 beats below my pre-surgery max.
 
Congratulations on your first century. I love to ride but can't do any where near your numbers and I consider myself in good shape. I just completed my first 1/4 century (25miles) yesterday and it took me two hours, which is enough for me. I can't imagine being in the saddle over 5 hours. Cycling is great aerobic exercise, just what your heart needs. I am sure we all will keep an eye on our heart health.
 
hello to everybody, i am new to this board and sorry for my english, i am an italian student living in germany :)
i searched Informations about Facet Syndrome and i found a Website called joimax (little too complicated for me) and your forum.
Can someone please help me to understand (please do not use too complicated vocabolary.... just for dummies please :) what at the end Facer Syndrome means? thanks.
 

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