Heard back from my cardiologist today...he's not at all concerned with my PVC's (or whatever they are), and has no problem with me racing with them. He said I could get another Holter monitor (24-hour EKG monitor) done if I want to find out what the arrhythmia actually is--it could be PVC's or PAC's--but I said I really don't care what it is, as long as it's OK to skate with it. I didn't bother asking if there was anything that could be done about the arrhythmia; I know that the only medication typically prescribed for PVC's is beta blockers. I was on beta blockers for my old arrhythmia--the one my cardiologist fixed in 2005--for 2 days. The beta blockers lasted until I tried to go mountain biking. On the beta blockers, my resting heart rate was 36. My max heart rate was about 140. Not terribly conducive to maximal-level exertion. I asked my Dr. to switch me to another drug, which I was on for a year but which didn't completely control the arrhythmia, and then eventually had the ablation procedure to fix the arrhythmia. Anyway, PVC's aren't usually medicated, because they're pretty much harmless. I wasn't looking for a solution to the arrhythmia, just for confirmation that it wasn't dangerous to race with it. And I got the confirmation.
So that's one good thing.
Good news! Very important that the thing keeps beating....
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was kind of what I was thinking :-) I'm happy to know I don't need to worry about it, just be irritated by it!
ReplyDeleteKaari:
ReplyDeleteI think I know who this is! And you know me. I was skating in circles, really HARD on Monday. First time really in 3 years.
Did a nice light weight workout Tuesday, and today...despite feeling the BEST I HAVE IN 3 YEARs in many ways, the PVCs have been driving me NUTS all day!
Reading your comments, I realized that you have a fairly "constant" struggle. THANKS for the encouragement to sort of "ignore".
Hope to see you soon at your "alternate" venue.
Glad you found me! I'll need a few more hints as to who you are, though...I'm feeling a bit brain-dead at the moment! As for the PVC's, they do suck, don't they? Make sure, if you plan to "ignore," though, that you have a Dr.s' blessing. I've had pretty much every cardiac test known to man (including wearing a Holter monitor and event monitor while skating and even racing), so my cardiologist is pretty sure that I won't suddenly drop over in the middle of a lap. Good to have the medical "seal of approval!"
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