Heart Rate

[Delt123]

Met with my new primary today. Really cool dude. He was open about my self TRT and didn't judge me for anything. He knew a decent amount about it as well (much more than any PCP I've met). We did an EKG in office which looked good and my HR was around 92bpm. He ordered the following:

Thyroid labs
lipid panel
Sleep study
stress test
stool test (for h pylori which I had many years ago)

Also took me off the PPI and switched me to an H2 blocker.

He thinks the HR is partially anxiety related so going to get some CBT as well.

I'll keep everyone posted.

Sounds good. Glad he doesn't forget about anxiety, which is pretty normal when you're waiting for the results

 

[XstarchildX]

Sounds good. Glad he doesn't forget about anxiety, which is pretty normal when you're waiting for the results

Haha this is all too true!

 

[XstarchildX]

Got my labs back for lipids. Looks decent considering this was less than a week off deca and my last pin was 250mg of test.

Anyone have any thoughts? HDL has always been relatively low for me.

 

[Pheedno]

Got my labs back for lipids. Looks decent considering this was less than a week off deca and my last pin was 250mg of test.

Anyone have any thoughts? HDL has always been relatively low for me.

This is just personal experience but I raised my HDL quite a bit from adding an avocado a day to my diet.

 

[XstarchildX]

This is just personal experience but I raised my HDL quite a bit from adding an avocado a day to my diet.

Interesting. I love avocado, especially on eggs with salsa! I'll pick some up today. Thanks

 

[nothuman]

Got my labs back for lipids. Looks decent considering this was less than a week off deca and my last pin was 250mg of test.

Anyone have any thoughts? HDL has always been relatively low for me.

You LDL is better than mine on TRT. Damn genetics.

 

[XstarchildX]

You LDL is better than mine on TRT. Damn genetics.

Crazy how much genetics can play a role in all of this, isn't it? I know guys that are lean, never touched gear in their life, don't smoke, etc and their lipids are garbage. My goal now is to get that HDL up. It's getting there though!

 

[XstarchildX]

Quick update:

Did the exercise stress test today and the guy administering the test said everything looks good. He really had to push me to get the HR high enough, but I'll admit that I felt pretty winded lol. I do cardio now but don't push myself super hard (I probably should). Of course the doctor will have to review the results, but nothing jumped out at him. My resting HR was in the mid to upper 80's going into it, and I have to take into account a little bit of nerves as well. So, apparently my heart is pumping blood and oxygen efficiently.

 

[nothuman]

Crazy how much genetics can play a role in all of this, isn't it? I know guys that are lean, never touched gear in their life, don't smoke, etc and their lipids are garbage. My goal now is to get that HDL up. It's getting there though!

Try to get an NMR lipoprofile to get your HDL-P tested since that is the HDL number that matters.

I know my LDL-P and it's a little high (same as my mother) so I don't really concern myself with LDL-C.

Genetics do play a big role for sure. Believe me, I've tried to get my LDL-P down too.

 

[old timer]

Anyone have any thoughts? HDL has always been relatively low for me.

If the Total/HDL ratio is to be believed, you're at slightly less risk than average due to low trigs and low LDL offsetting your low HDL. But how's your diet? I'd suggest mostly whole foods with very little sugary foods or white bread.

And I'm an advocate of walking too. I found this on the internet: Going for a brisk walk for half an hour, five days per week, can boost your HDL by roughly 5 percent in approximately two months, MayoClinic.com explains. 5% will raise your HDL from 30 to a whopping 33, but I've found the increase for me to be bigger than this but YMMV.

I may have suggested this in the past but I'm a fan of eating sunflower seeds (still in the shell) as a snack. It takes about 30 minutes of "snacking" before you consume ~150 calories. An internet search revealed: One of the major health benefits of sunflower seeds may be in protecting your cardiovascular health. They contain a number of important compounds that can help protect your heart from damage and prevent heart disease. They can also help lower risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including cholesterol and triglycerides.

I also like apples and I typically eat a 2-3 every day, and here's a find from another internet search: In human studies, consuming up to two to three medium-sized apples resulted in a decrease in total cholesterol levels between 5% and 13%. LDL cholesterol levels were lowered by at least 7% in some studies, and HDL levels were increased by up to 12%. Studies found that the ingredients in apples most likely contributing to the improved cholesterol levels were pectin and polyphenols.

 

[XstarchildX]

If the Total/HDL ratio is to be believed, you're at slightly less risk than average due to low trigs and low LDL offsetting your low HDL. But how's your diet? I'd suggest mostly whole foods with very little sugary foods or white bread.

And I'm an advocate of walking too. I found this on the internet: Going for a brisk walk for half an hour, five days per week, can boost your HDL by roughly 5 percent in approximately two months, MayoClinic.com explains. 5% will raise your HDL from 30 to a whopping 33, but I've found the increase for me to be bigger than this but YMMV.

I may have suggested this in the past but I'm a fan of eating sunflower seeds (still in the shell) as a snack. It takes about 30 minutes of "snacking" before you consume ~150 calories. An internet search revealed: One of the major health benefits of sunflower seeds may be in protecting your cardiovascular health. They contain a number of important compounds that can help protect your heart from damage and prevent heart disease. They can also help lower risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including cholesterol and triglycerides.

I also like apples and I typically eat a 2-3 every day, and here's a find from another internet search: In human studies, consuming up to two to three medium-sized apples resulted in a decrease in total cholesterol levels between 5% and 13%. LDL cholesterol levels were lowered by at least 7% in some studies, and HDL levels were increased by up to 12%. Studies found that the ingredients in apples most likely contributing to the improved cholesterol levels were pectin and polyphenols.

I appreciate your thoughts and input!

Overall diet is good. The majority of my intake is from whole food sources and quality whey isolate. I eat plenty of veggies and fruits (2-3 apples a day crew, checking in), and make sure I get enough EPA/DHA from both fish oil and krill oil. I've always been into nutrition, so I'm certainly staying on point in that regard.

I'm going to ride out this lower dose of test for quite some time, at least until we get this figured out and check to see if it has any affect on my HDL. Yesterday was a wake up call as far as cardio intensity goes, too. I get plenty of walking in (typically between 15,000-17,000 steps daily) but could benefit from bouts of higher intensity cardio.

Thanks again for chiming in!

 

[maldorf]

This is just personal experience but I raised my HDL quite a bit from adding an avocado a day to my diet.

Im shopping today and going to pick up some. I like the taste so it wont be a problem for me. Healthy food for sure.

 

[old timer]

The majority of my intake is from whole food sources and quality whey isolate. I eat plenty of veggies and fruits (2-3 apples a day crew, checking in), and make sure I get enough EPA/DHA from both fish oil and krill oil . . . I get plenty of walking in (typically between 15,000-17,000 steps daily)

This and your total/HDL ratio makes me think you're healthier than the average person (in spite of an HDL that's out of range). And if the increased intensity cardio has a positive effect on your lipids, I'm sure you'll report back

Not sure what kind of higher intensity cardio that you like, but I live near some of the steepest hills in this area and I like riding my bike (temps 38F and above are okay as long I dress appropriately). And while I haven't done these in a while, I used to like running intervals: sprint nearly all-out for one minute and walk for one minute. Repeat for a total of 10 ON and 10 OFF. That's only 20 minutes but I was always able to get my heartrate up to 90% of my max (220-AGE). I like pushing the prowler too.

 

[maldorf]

This and your total/HDL ratio makes me think you're healthier than the average person (in spite of an HDL that's out of range). And if the increased intensity cardio has a positive effect on your lipids, I'm sure you'll report back

Not sure what kind of higher intensity cardio that you like, but I live near some of the steepest hills in this area and I like riding my bike (temps 38F and above are okay as long I dress appropriately). And while I haven't done these in a while, I used to like running intervals: sprint nearly all-out for one minute and walk for one minute. Repeat for a total of 10 ON and 10 OFF. That's only 20 minutes but I was always able to get my heartrate up to 90% of my max (220-AGE). I like pushing the prowler too.

That is some excellent cardio. I used to bike a lot when I was in high school and was really fit from that. Builds a lot of leg strength going up steep hills if you don't use your gears and muscle it up. I remember going out biking with a friend of mine that used to ride probably 2x the distance I did every week and he thought he would smash me on the road. I kept up with him fine and I had a junky heavy bike while he had an expensive lightweight bike. We got to a big long steep hill and I just tore right up it in a lower gear. He had to go in a high gear to make it up and I must have waited 2 minutes or so for him to catch up to me at the top. He was shocked, said "you just muscled it up there didn't you!?"

That was back when I had just started weight lifting too, and doing squats.

 

[XstarchildX]

This and your total/HDL ratio makes me think you're healthier than the average person (in spite of an HDL that's out of range). And if the increased intensity cardio has a positive effect on your lipids, I'm sure you'll report back

Not sure what kind of higher intensity cardio that you like, but I live near some of the steepest hills in this area and I like riding my bike (temps 38F and above are okay as long I dress appropriately). And while I haven't done these in a while, I used to like running intervals: sprint nearly all-out for one minute and walk for one minute. Repeat for a total of 10 ON and 10 OFF. That's only 20 minutes but I was always able to get my heartrate up to 90% of my max (220-AGE). I like pushing the prowler too.

Overall, I consider myself pretty health conscious. That's part of why this increased RHR really bothers me. I'm hoping it's only the anxiety and stress, and if so, it will eventually level out with time and patience.

It's been in the teens here the past few days, so outside cardio is a no go for me. I love bike riding, but haven't done it in years. We have an amazing off road trail here that has some pretty steep grades. I'll be hitting it this spring .

That is some excellent cardio. I used to bike a lot when I was in high school and was really fit from that. Builds a lot of leg strength going up steep hills if you don't use your gears and muscle it up. I remember going out biking with a friend of mine that used to ride probably 2x the distance I did every week and he thought he would smash me on the road. I kept up with him fine and I had a junky heavy bike while he had an expensive lightweight bike. We got to a big long steep hill and I just tore right up it in a lower gear. He had to go in a high gear to make it up and I must have waited 2 minutes or so for him to catch up to me at the top. He was shocked, said "you just muscled it up there didn't you!?"

That was back when I had just started weight lifting too, and doing squats.

Lol that's awesome. It's not always the equipment that makes the champion, it's the drive!

 

[maldorf]

Lol that's awesome. It's not always the equipment that makes the champion, it's the drive!

Exactly. Looking back now years later I think one of the reasons I was so fit early on when cycling was because of that crappy old mountain bike I bought from Sears. It was real heavy and had I think 6 gears, maybe 10. Since it was so heavy and didn't have as many gears I had to power it more with my leg muscles and that is what built them up so well. I was also squatting too and that was something he didn't do. I wish I could go back to those days again, being so healthy.

 

[old timer]

We have an amazing off road trail here that has some pretty steep grades. I'll be hitting it this spring .

Biking hills: the original HIIT

I managed a 35 minute ride just before dark tonight. As I neared the top of this killer hill, a car passed me and the passenger said "You can do it! I believe in you." Now he very well might have been making fun of me but I'd like to think that he was an active person himself and just wanted to encourage another enthusiast

 

[XstarchildX]

So I got the test results back for my stress Echocardiogram using the BRUCE protocol. Pretty cool that they get posted on my online chart without having to see the doc. It was concluded that:

Left ventricular hypertrophy. Negative for ischemia. Post-stress images obtained within 90 seconds of peak stress.
Transthoracic stress echocardiography. Image quality was adequate. Images
were captured at baseline and peak exercise.

Is the LVH due to being an athlete? From what I understand, basically anyone that exercises intensely for a prolonged period of time will have some form of LVH. Anyone want to chime in?

I didn't realize a stress test was a form of echo as well lol.

 

[nothuman]

So I got the test results back for my stress Echocardiogram using the BRUCE protocol. Pretty cool that they get posted on my online chart without having to see the doc. It was concluded that:

Left ventricular hypertrophy. Negative for ischemia. Post-stress images obtained within 90 seconds of peak stress.
Transthoracic stress echocardiography. Image quality was adequate. Images
were captured at baseline and peak exercise.

Is the LVH due to being an athlete? From what I understand, basically anyone that exercises intensely for a prolonged period of time will have some form of LVH. Anyone want to chime in?

I didn't realize a stress test was a form of echo as well lol.

Probably. Did it give you the measurement of the IVSd (septum)? If that is normal, then you probably just have athlete's heart which is of no concern. If you want to post the whole echo, I can probably give some thoughts if I feel comfortable enough about giving them.

Edit: just realized you did the stress test. I am only familiar with regular echocardiograms. I'm not sure what the differences are in the results.

 

[XstarchildX]

Probably. Did it give you the measurement of the IVSd (septum)? If that is normal, then you probably just have athlete's heart which is of no concern. If you want to post the whole echo, I can probably give some thoughts if I feel comfortable enough about giving them.

Edit: just realized you did the stress test. I am only familiar with regular echocardiograms. I'm not sure what the differences are in the results.

I appreciate your feedback. Basically what I wrote above is all the info they really provided. I'm hoping everything is good (fingers crossed).