Cardiologist visit - is heavy weightlifting bad for your heart

[Texan69]

Finally got checked out for those symptoms i was having. got another ECG, ultrasound of heart and another test done (can’t remember name) but it involved my feet in a platform, blood pressure cuff and an oximeter.

doc said I have thicker heart walls but not severe, Also had premature ventricular contractions and premature arterial contractions throughout my 24 hours with the heart monitor on (not super frequent but happened a decent amount).

all in all he said he is not to worried as my heart was functioning well on the ultrasound but wants
me back for a stress test soon (I was a squeeze in so he didn’t have the time)..
he believes that years of tobacco use and excessive caffeine use could be the cause for the PVC’s and PAC’s becoming worse and causing me the symptoms so obviously gotta cut those out now.
I did come clean about my AAS use and he just wants me to keep my test in range obviously. But was more worried about the caffeine and tobacco than the AAS since I really just use test nowadays.
a bit of a relief but still need to get my priorities right!

yall who dip and pound the caffeine you been warned lol!!!

as far as the thickened heart walls he said could be the AAS or even just from heavy lifting for years.... so wtf is heavy weightlifting bad for your heart lol

 

[tinymk]

Glad you got in and got some answers. Although a bit vague. Man I pound the caffeine better start watching my intake Hope you start feeling better

 

[Jin]

Endurance athletes get heart wall thickening too.

Glad for your good news!

 

[ERandICU-RN]

PVCs and PACs are pretty common. As long as they aren’t frequent like you said and you’re not having tons of symptoms with them. Stress tests make pacs and pvcs happen more often. As I’m sure you know, The heart is a muscle too, so as long as you’re doing strenuous exercise a lot, your heart is going to get bigger too. What did he say your EJaculate fraction was?

 

[Voyagersixone]

Glad you got checked out and were honest with your doc. Keep us updated on any further developments please - warnings are super damned important. Thanks again man.

 

[ERandICU-RN]

Pahaha, Jin, I caught it. Nice edit xD

 

[Texan69]

PVCs and PACs are pretty common. As long as they aren’t frequent like you said and you’re not having tons of symptoms with them. Stress tests make pacs and pvcs happen more often. As I’m sure you know, The heart is a muscle too, so as long as you’re doing strenuous exercise a lot, your heart is going to get bigger too. What did he say your EJaculate fraction was?

he didn’t say anything about my ejaculate fraction. As far as the PVC’s and PAC’s the heart monitor I wore had a button I pressed when I felt shitty to flag that time and all the times I Pressed it was during a PVC which I’m sure you would have guessed, I’m assuming you are an RN lol

 

[Texan69]

Glad you got in and got some answers. Although a bit vague. Man I pound the caffeine better start watching my intake Hope you start feeling better

Ya very vague, he said it’s concern because the PVC and PAC’s are causing symptoms but if they weren’t causing any symptoms he wouldn’t be alarmed. So I’m like your concerned but I just go home without a real answer hoping it really is the caffeine and copenhagen
while it’s gonna suck gotta make a change, it’ll save me money too.

 

[Boogieman]

Texan, glad your doing ok, I also drink a fair amount of caffeine, no tobacco use. But as of lately I have dialed the caffeine back a bit.

 

[wonka]

Hope all is well I also stopped the caffeine usage due to heart arrhythmias although hard its very do-able. As for the thickened heart walls I read somewhere that anyone who has participated is any form of sport/physical exercise for a chunk of their life is to have larger than most heart walls.

 

[CJ]

Well I have this coffee already going, so many tomorrow.

In all seriousness, I hope it's nothing bad and you can continue on with your life with no worries. Best of luck!

 

[andy]

heart walls get thicker as u train for longer period of time, but I don't consider it a bad thing

I'm glad to hear your doctor didn't jump out his pants once u came clean on using AAS, back in my country everyone's still living in caves.LOL
and props for being honest! best policy!

 

[Rot-Iron66]

When you do the stress, do the one w/ the ultrasound. (Stress Echo) having the visual is comforting.

I had a coronary calcium test done (5 minute MRI) my score was 500, which is a possibility for "advanced atherosclerosis).
Not an exact science, but it is telling. Had all the heart tests done, my heart is extremely healthy/strong, but if arteries are blocked and blood cant get to it, well, there you go.

All my chambers and blood-flow ended up good. My calcium did not rupture and turn into plaque. (Yet). My artery walls are a little stiff from calcium, but working on it.
(Tons of heart supps, healthier eating, lots of cardio). Never smoked or ate unhealthy, but family history is horrible. (Dad was one of 12 kids, 9 died before age 50).

Get checked everyone, if older and family history...

 

[ComeBacKid85]

Glad you got some answers Tex. That chart is awesome Rot thank you. You can beat the dip buddy. Try nicotine lozenges. They worked for me. Been clean ever since joining the UG. The directions are almost like dip. Hold in cheek. Suck and swoosh it to get meds then tuck back in cheek. Then give those up for tic tacs. Fresh breath and better breathing. Best of luck brother. Looking great in your last photos too man!!! :32 (1):

 

[Gadawg]

Good to hear man. And while your AAS use may be a non factor, you have done some pretty high dose and long cruises in the past if I remember correctly. May be your body telling you to switch priorities. I barely dabbled in blasting at all but at 37 years old Im still making gains on trt. Hit a new PR this week on incline actually and Ive been lifting since like 8 years old. You wont miss the extra is what Im getting at

 

[DieYoungStrong]

TRT only for you unless you're an idiot. Don't mess with your heart. AAS make heart issues worse. These are facts. You're not a pro and don't make a living off your body. You can look better then 90% of the pop with just trt.

 

[tinymk]

Had a complete workup a few years ago and he told me overall I was healthy as a horse. Heart was a bit big but he said for my size it was proportional. Walls were a little thicker but not concerned otherwise a young healthy heart.
I have been heavy lifting since the early 90’s and from my experience the heavy lifting is not damaging my heart

 

[DieYoungStrong]

Had a complete workup a few years ago and he told me overall I was healthy as a horse. Heart was a bit big but he said for my size it was proportional. Walls were a little thicker but not concerned otherwise a young healthy heart.
I have been heavy lifting since the early 90’s and from my experience the heavy lifting is not damaging my heart

Like Jin said - you'd see the same thing in hard core endurance athletes. I don't think heavy lifting or hard core endurance training are bad for the heart.

 

[Rhino99]

Alright, besides hypothyroidism, anal sex and chicks with dildos this is another area of relative expertise for me, unfortunatly.

So as couple guys said, the heart is a muscle and will thicken and get larger especially in athletes. I myself have LVH (left ventricular hypotrophy).
15 years ago this would have been a death sentence and your days are numbered, my aunt also died of this.

My lvh is contributed to years of high blood pressure, so watch your BP guys. Mine is only mild and holding there for couple years now.

I get labwork minimum every 3 months to keep an eye on everything in general and I go to cardiologist regular for all of that stuff. I also have CAD and have 2 stents. Had a pretty clean stress test last year and actually have an echocardiogram next week.

Keep an eye on things Tex, especially BP and caffeine and manage accordingly.

BTW, every cardiologist I speak with and ask if I can keep working out and exercising is 100% yes, don't stop.

 

[Texan69]

Thanks for all the replies guys