cycling with Bav

[Licramite]

- Bicuspid Aortic Valve- apparently about 10% of males have them.
- I have one and it's knackered - stenosised -
but if your careful it limits your preformance - but need not be a show stopper.

trouble is - you have be careful -

last weekend I tried a new hill - and it beat me - total wipeout - about a quarter way up I could not breath , (this is heart failure - thats not as bad as it sounds but its not good) normally I get a bit dizzy but not this time - down like a felled elk.

I recovered and carried on (on foot up the hill) it really knocked the wind out of me.

the classic sympton is after exercise you get dizzy , another is after exercise you have a cough, thats a build up fluid in the lungs as the heart fails to cope.

Daft thing is, is the fitter you are the more likely your liable to be tripped up by it. - as your more likely to push yourself beyond your safe limits. - thats how I was affected by it when I was younger.

Fortunately I did another ride this week and I was ok.

 

[ColinJ]

Yikes - I'm glad that you are okay.

I'd never heard of BAV so I looked it up - article here.

Bicuspid aortic valves are the most common cardiac valvular anomaly, occurring in 1- 2% of the general population. It is twice as common in males as in females.

Bicuspid aortic valve is an inheritable condition, with a demonstrated association with Notch 1. Both familial clustering and isolated valve defects have been documented. The incidence of bicuspid aortic valve can be as high as 10% in families affected with the valve problem.

It struck me that it couldn't be correct that 10% of all males have that condition, yet I'd never heard of it ... The smaller overall figure still equates to a large number of people; especially worrying if the condition runs in your family!

 

[Licramite]

yea especially if your the only one that runs in your family, - my brothers could have it and never know -

cardiolagist didn't expand on the 10% figure. -

of course lots of people could have one and not even know, you only know what the they type of spark plug's in your car when you have to replace it.

only 1-2% , makes me feel kind of special (yep especially f-ked)

the hardest part is knowing what you can do that won't make it worse, doctors just say - do what can - which in my case is tends to be - go until you fall over - then stop.