This isn't exactly a training tip, although it might save your life. I just turned 49 on Oct 8th, and two days later, I went to the Boulder Community Hospital because of chest pain and shortness of breath. It turned out that my left main coronary artery was 99% blocked and I was on the verge of a massive heart attack. Apparently this had been building for some time.

They performed an Angioplasty and inserted a stent, which, as they said, will give me a new lease of life - possibly thirty or more years if I take care of myself.

The reason that I'm telling you this is so that you take such symptoms seriously. I have been an athlete for most of my life. I have eaten well and exercised regularly - except for a relatively brief period, during a recovery from a back injury. I don't smoke, rarely drink, and avoid recreational drugs. The point is that my heart disease was hereditary, which, as I found out, isn't that uncommon.

Anyway, if you're over forty, have had chest pains and/or breathing difficulties, go in and have your heart scanned. It could literally save your life.

Interesting story

Cheers,

KC

Cardiac?

Good for you, glad to hear everything's ok. And thanks for the good advice.

I'm being perfectly serious here, how does one go about preventive checks?

My doctors have always laughed at me when I play what if. They see me, young, 5% body fat, mid 70's VO2max, well toned, and ignore me. So far, it's been justified ignoring.

Still, I'd like to someday have my heart checked and regular skin cancer checks without being labeled paranoid.

Or maybe I am just paranoid. What's a good age to start this preventative maintenance?

John I get a yearly stress test done as well as a EKG. I'm in good health as well but the men in my family have heart failure normally by 60. You just never know.

Pretty serious for sure. I was at berthoud last year, on the way back over the pass on the way home there was a lot of rescue people and ambulances. I thought it was an avalanche but later learned it was a BC skier that died of heart failure while hiking in his low to mid forty's. No previous sign's or symptoms leading upto the event, just out of the blue. Turns out I think it was indeed hereditary.

"Preventive" CT's are a terrible and amazingly expensive idea.

Glad you're ok.

Holy shit Ken.

Quite the run of buzzard's luck lately. Catching it before the massive attack is so fortunate. This site sure ain't the same without you buddy.

Ken, glad to hear you are recovering.

I know a climber who in his young 30's had his heart stop in Eldo, while heading up the "trail" towards the top of Hawk Eagle Ridge. He was a champion long distance runner at the time. He passed out in the middle of a slab and his knees locked and we went over backwards, landing in a pile-driver on body-sized chuncks of Talus with his pack on, breaking his neck and cutting his head up pretty badly.

He had ignored a few symptems... previously and on that morning.

Maybe 'preventative' CT's are not the way to go unlesds there is some known risk factor like family history or symptems, but I think the message here is clearly not to ignore symptems.

American Heart Association for good overview, then with previous info under your belt find reputable M.D. to discuss best way forward. Similar are preventative cancer screen tests, etc...good luck to all

After a recent mc accident, I had suffered some internal injuries, one of which was a grade four "laceration" of the spleen. Due to the internal bleeding episodes, I had three CTs in two weeks time. I remember my trauma surgeon saying that a typical human can handle maybe a half dozen of these scans (if that).

Preventative checks for cardiac problems are probably best started with a stress test, or treadmill test. Good luck Ken.

remembering what Zed said, fyi saw this today (Arvada Press, 12-18) and thought to bump this thread..

Lutheran Medical Center is offering CT scans for a Special Holiday price of $200 - "good for any appointments made for anytime in December 2008" - Note this is for a *calcium score only* -- more info can be located here

Give a gift to someone you care about -- it could help to save their life

edit: this article lists amounts of radiation exposure based upon procedure: radiologyinfo.org
imo benefits should be evaluated vs. risk ie Radiate Responsibly

hi Doug, since your copy of my quoted post I had since added, this was specifically for 'calcium scoring' and also added details (edit:link) concerning exposure levels to radiation

agreed -folks should research if they happen to be in a *high-risk* category ie smoker etc. and items you mentioned. Benefits should be evaluated vs risk factors

thanks much ~k

I am very glad that you got this taken care of. Maybe that CT is heavy on the radiation, but the alternative is a dead heart & body. Anyway, I am wishing you well and take care. Get a colonoscopy, too, if you are nearing my age (55) as it can find things before it is too late. Again, sending positive karma your way, amigo!

Thanks for the kind words, Trad. You can bet that I'll be paying close attention to getting regular checkups from now on.

I am a physician. I am not a cardiologist and I am a young physician.

The best thing you can do for your health is see a physician regularly so that he/she gets to know you, have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked annually. Your age, cholesterol, blood pressure, and smoking habits are the best predictors of having a heart attack at this time. There is some evidence that people who have NORMAL cholesterol may have increased natural inflammation in their arteries, and possible new markers to assess whether or not checking additional blood markers will be valuable for assessing risk of a heart attack. (specifically, high-sensitivity CRP blood test) However, there is very little guidelines on how to use this information, and much of it is still experimental.

A baseline EKG for your physician to have is usually helpful in case you have symptoms.

Zed, I am very glad that you went to the hospital. Sounds like you had a life-changing experience and I am happy you got the treatment you needed.

I would say to most people on this thread, though, that the title of this thread should be changed to "Going to the ER when you have chest pain can save your life." The fact that you sought medical care is what saved your life. A CT scan would never have been performed for you during a routine physical exam- because if we irradiated everyone, regularly, "just to see," to check their hearts on a cardiac CT, we would cause a lot more harm than good. In the absence of symptoms, a cardiac CT just isn't that useful. Contrary to public belief they do not predict risk of heart attacks in the absence of symptoms. They do not show "plaque buildup" in any manner that will predict heart attacks in symptomless patients. There is some research now about how valuable a calcium score is for predicting heart attacks. Right now, that answer is unclear. So if any of you go and want to spend some $$ on getting a calcium score, you're welcome to, but most physicians will not change their medical management on a calcium score. If you really want to have your heart looked at, you need an angiogram and a pretty good reason, unless you've got $$ just lying around to pay for it yourself.

The bottom line is, we all are dealt the genes we've got. Eat healthy, don't smoke, minimize your stress, and know what diseases your parents have. See your doctor for annual checkups. Beyond that, demanding CT scans are pretty much a waste of medical $$ and limited resources.

Be well,
JW

PS-- John Langston: don't hesitate to ask questions to your docs. If they laugh at you, fuck 'em, find one you like. It's a good idea to start seeing a doc at least every other year after the age of 25. You want someone who actually KNOWS you, and whose advice you trust. Regular skin checks for cancer are not inappropriate at all, especially spots that you think may have changed. That is standard for a physical exam. In terms of your heart, as I tried to say before, a lot of "heart tests" aren't all that useful in predicting heart attacks. Tim Russert had a normal cardiac stress test the week before he died. It wasn't incorrect, it's just not a perfect test. There isn't one. So the best thing you can do, is have your blood pressure checked, and your cholesterol checked, and if you have a history of family heart disease, find a cardiologist to see at a younger age.

John L-

You should make an appointment with a dermatologist to get a skin cancer check. It can take a long time to get an appointment with a dermatologist, depending on your insurance, etc.

A good dermatologist will look EVERYWHERE. Not just at your face and forearms. If they don't give you a thorough check, find a new dermatologist.
Do this yearly, or at least every other year. Skin cancer can kill you, so thats not paranoid at all.

JW
Good advice. I've been lucky enough to have been seeing my family
practioner since 1984. Now I'm just worried when he's going
to retire. I don't always like his advice, but he's pretty much on the money.
Just like your comments were.
Thanks

And Zed, it's good you're doing well.