Any survivors on here, cardiac arrest, heart attack, cancer....

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

You'll be back on the bike believe me. Easy say, not as easy do I know.
But if you take the view now, that you'll not be back on the bike. The chances are you'll never get back on it. Set yourself the target of getting back on the bike with the knowledge that you have only yourself to beat.
I've been told repeatedly over the years that I might as well get rid of the bike as I'll never be able to get back on it.

Secondary target for you, Prove them wrong.

my lot (severe asthma consultant and GP) tell me the exact opposite. No-one wants me to stop cycling because they know only my fitness level (not to be confused with health) is the only thing keeping me out of hospital permanently. They can't manage my asthma, bronchiectasis and tracheomalacia without my staying fit! I just wish they knew how hard it was to stay this fit!

 

[Sara_H]

Good Morning @Colin_P

How's things this morning?

 

[Colin_P]

Good Morning @Colin_P

How's things this morning?

Well, I'm alive which is a bonus.

Waiting for that zonked out feeling to start with the increased dose of the meds. I took the first one last night and have to say I had the best nights sleep in ages and ages.

 

[Sara_H]

Well, I'm alive which is a bonus.

Waiting for that zonked out feeling to start with the increased dose of the meds. I took the first one last night and have to say I had the best nights sleep in ages and ages.

HA HA! Ever since my NDE (near death experience!) my OH, when asked how I am, always replies "well, she's alive, which is a cheeky bonus!".

He also finds the song Girlfriend in a Coma by The Smiths quite amusing these days!

 

[hondated]

Well firstly I hope that you are progressing in your recovery Colin and all other of out forum colleagues as well.Its been very inspirational reading about the recovery from serious illnesses by our forum friends.
Particularly as in recent months I seemed to have struggled whenever I have been out on my bike. Even today I did 25 miles and I feel slaughtered so reading these posts have made me realise that given I have no known illness I should just man up like those that actually had to overcome a serious illness.
If I do have any sort of illness I think its thinking that what I did at 16 I can still do at 63.

 

[Colin_P]

Cheers for that.

Today I got back on the bike and did a moderately hilly 6 mile off road ride with the dog running along side. First time out after being hospitalised last weekend for yet another cardiac arrest. It felt good to be out in the air.

 

[Dangermouse]

I will be watching this thread with interest, for now I am off the bike but hopefully may be able to get the leg back over in the future.

 

[Colin_P]

Mouse,

Please let us know how you are doing.

Things have got better for me since my last post. The drugs are doing their job heart wise but make it a struggle out on the road. It is a strange feeling having your heart throttled back with its output probably halved. It beats slower and with less force which means there isn't enough oxygen going to the leg muscles to grind along at speed or do the hills. I can still manage the low 20mph's in the flat but only for short blasts, the maintainable average now is 13-15mph. Hills, I can still do them but have to spin up them slowly in granny gears.

All that said I've been out every day for almost a month now and have managed a few 20-30 mile rides. It feels good.

 

[ColinJ]

Things have got better for me since my last post. The drugs are doing their job heart wise but make it a struggle out on the road. It is a strange feeling having your heart throttled back with its output probably halved. It beats slower and with less force which means there isn't enough oxygen going to the let muscles to grind along at speed or do the hills. I can still manage the low 20mph's in the flat but only for short blasts, the maintainable average now is 13-15mph. Hills, I can still do them but have to spin up them slowly in granny gears.

All that said I've been out every day for almost a month now and have managed a few 20-30 rides. It feels good.

Well done for keeping on cycling though!

I can't push too hard or my heart rhythm starts to play up. I know the signs now and back off a few percent before anything more significant starts to happen. If I push on, I end up with a fluttery heart for hours afterwards and that isn't nice.

My lungs are a lot better than they were a few months ago, but I still run out of oxygen quicker than I should do. I only get up to about 450 metres altitude round here, but it feels more like 2,000 metres in terms of oxygen availability.

 

[Colin_P]

Colin,

Have you had the flutters checked out? If not you should. Could be relatively harmless A-fib but best best to get it looked into.

There must be something in the name as it would seem we are both nutters!

 

[ColinJ]

Colin,

Have you had the flutters checked out? If not you should. Could be relatively harmless A-fib but best best to get it looked into.

There must be something in the name as it would seem we are both nutters!

I had heart scans done when I was clotted and doctors picked up the signs of it then. It wasn't subtle at the time though so even a quick check stethoscope picked it up.

As the clots healed, the rhythm improved greatly. The doctors reckon that most of the problem was caused by the hugely clotted pulmonary artery pressing on the side of my heart.

I had another heart scan done fairly recently and they were pleased with progress. Admittedly, that was done when I was resting. If they scanned me under load then I think they would spot changes.

If it starts getting worse again I will bring forward my next appointment.

For now, I will just be careful not to overdo things. I can make (say) an 85-90% effort on a short, very steep climb, but I have to leave the top 10-15% alone.

 

[Colin_P]

Shameless plug here.

For those of you on Strava, I started a group a while ago called "UK Cardiac arrest and heart attack survivors".

It seems I'm Jonny no-mates on there, so please join up and then we can see how slow we all are amongst ourselves.

Also feel free to add / follow me on Strava as well. Effy and I already do and Effy is by far the faster of us slow-uns!

Link to the Cardiac survivor club;
http://app.strava.com/clubs/uk-cardiac-arrest-and-heart-attack-survivors

Be there or be square!

 

[postman]

I will be watching this thread with interest, for now I am off the bike but hopefully may be able to get the leg back over in the future.

That is a yes.

 

[postman]

Does Pericarditis count it feels like a heart attack Well it bloody frightened me.I went out like a lightt.When they gave me a pill to put under my tongue.When i came round,one Doctor had his fingers in my mouth trying to get the pill out.They shoved a needle in my arm.There were six people round the bed.I was whisked up to icu for 48 hours.Incredible.

 

[Colin_P]

Most certainly counts as it can be very serious.