But whether it was an underlying undiagnosed condition or something completely new, whether it's just an odd blip or something that will actually need intervention - by exercising (and avoiding an excess of pork scratchings!) you WILL have contributed to making it as non-serious and manageable as it can possibly be through those excellent lifestyle choices that you made. Of course it is scary and frustrating right now, especially as you wait for tests and information. But please don't let that make you doubt those positive choices you made in the past, and do remember that knowledge is power. Good luck with the investigations, and here's wishing you many, many more miles of (heart-health-promoting) smiles in the future.
Chest Pain - visit to docs
- Thread starter kingrollo
- Start date
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Oh - and no, it isn't fair. I have a good mate who was actually at the point of having bought the PJs for their hospital admission for stent surgery , had been admitted and was doing the pre-op assessments when the consultant decided against a procedure. They had masses of coronary clogging up, despite being a vegetarian for the best part of 40 years, never having smoked and being a life-long exercise addict. As they said - sometimes you can't fight genetics. However the reason that the consultant decided against surgical intervention was the spectacularly good heart health they had, aside from the obvious, and the fact that their active and healthy lifestyle meant that their heart had effectively carried out what the doc termed 'nature's own bypass'. Their condition is managed with a bit of extra supervision and some meds. Still not fair, but a much better outcome than they would have had were it not for all that exercise and pork-scratching avoidance 
Normal BP variation is far wider than most people think, and a one-off BP check at the doc's doesn't really tell you very much - if it was consistently high over a longer period, that's when they'll start to think about checking further.
As part of a voluntary study of people taking BP medication (I take a very low dose beta-blocker), I do a BP survey every three months. To get a meaningful result, they ask for 3 BP readings a minute apart in the morning and the same in the evening, repeated for 7 days.
On my last set of readings my average BP was: morning 124/83, evening 116/73.
But that hides a wide range, with variations over the week from 94/58 to 141/90.
OP
OP
kingrollo
Guru
Yes thats what I do - but even this morning at one min intervals my sys low was 117 - but the first reading was 133
[QUOTE 5308035, member: 10119"]However the reason that the consultant decided against surgical intervention was the spectacularly good heart health they had, aside from the obvious, and the fact that their active and healthy lifestyle meant that their heart had effectively carried out what the doc termed 'nature's own bypass'.[/QUOTE]
By that, the doc presumably means your friend's heart had developed good coronary collaterals (the mass of smaller heart-oxygenating arteries that can grow and enlarge with exercise). I had a heart attack from a severe blockage 12 years ago which resulted in a quadruple bypass, and the doc put my survival down to good collaterals - and I put those down to a lifetime of cycling.
By that, the doc presumably means your friend's heart had developed good coronary collaterals (the mass of smaller heart-oxygenating arteries that can grow and enlarge with exercise). I had a heart attack from a severe blockage 12 years ago which resulted in a quadruple bypass, and the doc put my survival down to good collaterals - and I put those down to a lifetime of cycling.
Yep, I often find my first reading is quite a bit higher than the following ones - I guess the minute or two of relaxation between readings makes a difference, even if it's only psychological.
On the subject of heart murmurs, a friend of mine had one spotted by the doc a couple of years ago, and the doc was concerned about his BP too - his systolic was a bit above normal, but his diastolic was sometimes down in the 40s. A measured panic ensued, and he was sent for all sorts of examinations, all the while feeling just fine.
Now, a couple of years on, the diagnosis seems to just be "you're weird". They've found nothing medically wrong with him - no sign of arteriosclerosis, all blood tests come back normal, ECG and various scans show nothing abnormal. He's on a beta blocker (not entirely sure why) and has been told to just carry on as normal and get checked every six months.
I suspect millions of people around the world are living perfectly healthy lives with all sorts of heart murmurs and arrhythmias.
Tosh. Not wimp-y in the slightest - just human, with perfectly normal human reactions to a tricky situation, so there's absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You're allowed to be human, y'know
FishFright
More wheels than sense
Trade them in for flatter ride's until your results come back ?
Yes, it was something like that. It moved them from the 'this op must be done NOW!' category to the 'hmm... the benefits of this op aren't at all clear and you're probably better off without it, all in all' box.
OP
OP
kingrollo
Guru
Had the ECG tonight - Bizarrely the record it on a machine, then phone a cardiologist at the hospital and play the noise down the phone to them - listening it sounded pretty awful to me - but the cardiologist said I didn't need an urgent referral - so far so so good.
The GP gets the detailed report next week so will book to see her then....
The GP gets the detailed report next week so will book to see her then....
Slick
Guru
That's good. Maybe things aren't quite as life changing as you feared.
Mrs M
Guru
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Me too, only ever mentioned once when I was in for an op over 20 years ago.
I asked what this meant, he said “it’s just as whooshing sound” (not quite what I’d asked).
Never been referred to since and would not have known if never mentioned in the first place.
Just keep cycling and don’t stress about it
xx
