Skiing After a Heart Attack

[freeski]

Anyone experience this? It came out of the blue. They're telling me it was caused by a virus, but I was over weight. I had felt weak for a while. but thought it was from other issues. I couldn't breath at night and that's the only reason I went to the ER. Heart is supposed to clear 55% of the blood in it when it pumps. Mine was clearing 10%. I'm hoping to be on the snow in December. In all seriousness, the first thing I thought of was living and the second was skiing.

[Bubba]

I know people who've skied after a heart attack so I would be optimistic for sure. Whatever you do right now, follow the advice of your cardiologist and do what you need to do. I would guess that as long as you haven't had severe heart muscle damage from the attack, you should be good to go at some point but, from personal experience with cardiac issues, I can tell you that you will be acutely aware of any odd feelings in your chest or on your left side in particular from now on. Listen to your body and don't over do it.

[Guy in Shorts]

Live - Breathe - Ski

Make the top of the important things to do list. Recover quickly as the days are getting shorter. Staying healthy as we age is a battle we all most fight.

[RustyK]

I'm still waiting for mine.

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[steamboat1]

Sorry to hear freeski. Like others already said listen to your cardiologist. If it's any consolation I know a couple of people who have continued to ski after having a heart attack.

[Mister Moose]

If you address the underlying cause of the heart attack, why not ski, walk, bike, or any form of exercise? The key is how much and how strenuous, not whether you do it or not, right?

[tyrolean_skier]

Sorry to hear about the heart problems. As others have said listen to what the cardiologist is telling you and maybe you can go back to skiing.

[Atomic1]

Stop watching the RedSox and you should be fine !

[Dr. NO]

Anyone experience this? It came out of the blue. They're telling me it was caused by a virus, but I was over weight. I had felt weak for a while. but thought it was from other issues. I couldn't breath at night and that's the only reason I went to the ER. Heart is supposed to clear 55% of the blood in it when it pumps. Mine was clearing 10%. I'm hoping to be on the snow in December. In all seriousness, the first thing I thought of was living and the second was skiing.

When I first started having knee problems my doctor sent me to a "sports" ortho doctor. He said I strained it and may have a torn meniscus. I asked if I could still go skiing the following winter. His response was "it hurts that bad and you want to ski? no way". Needless to say I found another doctor. 2 since and the last said no skiing for 6 months. Day after I started skiing he saw me and said it was good to go. Probably one of my best ski years ever because of all the PT I had done.

[SnoBrdr]

Anyone experience this? It came out of the blue. They're telling me it was caused by a virus, but I was over weight. I had felt weak for a while. but thought it was from other issues. I couldn't breath at night and that's the only reason I went to the ER. Heart is supposed to clear 55% of the blood in it when it pumps. Mine was clearing 10%. I'm hoping to be on the snow in December. In all seriousness, the first thing I thought of was living and the second was skiing.

I had a cardiac episode in 2001, had a stent put in and have never looked back.

My damage wasn't that bad, hope your's isn't as well.

A lot depends on your cardiologist and how cautious he/she is.

[f.a.s.t.]

Have a strong recovery..................New Hampshire needs you on the slopes?

[freeski]

Thanks for the well wishes and encouragement. The good news is I was only in the hospital for two days. I have a catheterization Tues and that will give the doctors more information. So far the heart does not appear to have any irreversible damage. I knew something was wrong. Last time I mowed my front lawn I had to stop 4 times to rest. I mean I had to stop or pass out.
This will be good for my skiing also. Last winter I could not ski a run over 1,000 vertical without stopping a few times. Hopefully this info might benefit a couple of you. When you see these kinds for changes have them checked out. I'm just glad I finally wised up and went to the ER. I was going to blow it off again if I could have breathed enough to get to sleep.

[madhatter]

Thanks for the well wishes and encouragement. The good news is I was only in the hospital for two days. I have a catheterization Tues and that will give the doctors more information. So far the heart does not appear to have any irreversible damage. I knew something was wrong. Last time I mowed my front lawn I had to stop 4 times to rest. I mean I had to stop or pass out.
This will be good for my skiing also. Last winter I could not ski a run over 1,000 vertical without stopping a few times. Hopefully this info might benefit a couple of you. When you see these kinds for changes have them checked out. I'm just glad I finally wised up and went to the ER. I was going to blow it off again if I could have breathed enough to get to sleep.

best wishes freeski I'm sure you'll come thru, like MM said once you address the cause and underlying issues you s/b able to resume whatever activity you were doing before w/in reason...Of course as you well know you should consult your cardiologist about your intentions and be clear your intentions are to ski and resume normal activity...

[Dr. NO]

I blame my reduction in skiing time and ability on Booze. That is my story and I'm sticking to it. (What? I'm over 60? No f'n way! )

[Powderputz]

In January of 1996, "out of the blue" I had mine...and it was a humdinger.

All depends on where in your heart you had the damage. Heart Attack is medically known as "myocardial infarction" which really means death of heart muscle due to lack of blood (oxygen) supply. This dead tissue will NEVER recover. It simply sits there and does not do what normal healthy heart muscle does do..."contract".

Your cardiologist can tell you all that you need to know. Understand that your heart pumps a certain amount of blood OUT every second. This is called the "ejection fraction" and the true measure of whatever damage is determined by just how much blood your heart pumps out.

If your ejection fraction is under 30%, you are probably on a whole assortment of medication for a variety of reasons. If your ejection fraction is 40% or higher, you're relatively okay, but will still need continued supervision by you and your cardiologist. You will probably be on at least four or five medications...to lower your blood pressure, reduce fibrin clot possibilities, adjust cholesterol balance (increase HDL cholesterol while lowering LDL/VLDL cholesterol), slow your heart rate down a bit, improve its pumping strength and reduce likelihood of clot formation. All told, probably at least four, five or six separate medications for the remainder of your life.

If your heart is so severely damaged that you are on coumadin for long term (anti clotting medication) then ANY significant physical blow to the body and especially the head can have horrendous consequences. I really suggest you learn from your physician what the prognosis is for you in the years ahead. There are a number of major consequences to watch out for in the years ahead...but you should consider living a healthy lifestyle (proper exercise from knowledgeable experts), avoiding stress and eating right are all necessary to ensure leading a better life. Smoking, excessive drinking, drugs, lack of sleep, no exercise and poor diet are all a formula for absolute certain disaster. Discuss with your physician EVERY SINGLE MEDICATION you will take. Keep a list on you, in your wallet, etc., and even advise your dentist, as even certain dental treatments can pose risk to your heart. Some medication might alter/reduce your libido...that's a bummer but think of the alternative.

Allow yourself appropriate rest and recovery, do what is best to reduce future complications, and if all is well, chances are you can lead a very normal life for decades. Just don't allow yourself to fall victim to anything that could lead to any further complications.

It's been 19.5 years for me, and I lead quite the normal life....except I'm on $13,000 of medication annually. Luckily, I have the right insurance for this. Outside of this, I ski, run, jog, hike, swim as if nothing happened, however, I am not exactly as "perfect" as I could be...but at best, I'm 90% of what I could perhaps be. I could stand to lose 20 pounds, and for this, I am foolish.

Most important is to NOT do anything radical. You'll get your stride back in about six or seven months...and avoid anyone who insists on you doing "this" or "that" (some kind of radical diet, or anything that seems rather rash). Keep an even keel, and you should do just fine!