Results of echocardiogram........

[galaxy]

Dimensions: left atrieum 3.7, aortic root 3.6, posterior wall thickness 1.4, left ventricular end diastolic dimension 5.1

LEFT ATRIUM: Normal in size

AORTIC VALVE: trileaflet. There were no abnormalities

MITRAL VALVE: leaflets appeared to be thin. There was trace to 1+ central mitral regurgitation present.

***LEFT VENTRICLE: Concentrically hypertrophied, with preserved systolic function. No sistinct wall motion abnormalities. There was an ectopic chord toward the apex, an incidental finding.

RIGHT HEART: Chambers were grossly normal in size. There was no significant pulmonic or tricuspid insufficiency demonstrated. There was no significant pericardial effusion.

CONCLUSIONS:
1. Minor mitral regurgitation.
2. Concentric left venticular hypertrophy with preserved systolic function.

I left office visit with prescription for blood pressure meds and cholesterol meds.WooHoo......not

Doc said my heart is enlarged and not in a good way. Says my results along with cholesterol are typical of 60 yr old man with diabetes and high BP. Cholesterol was 234 with good cholesterol totalling a whopping 15! I also have some traces of build up in my arteries already. Doc said meds would take care of this. BTW Im 29 yrs old. Anyone who can make sense of this, it would be greatly appreciated. Right now my thinking is that Im going to clean up my diet drastically and no more saturated fats!

Of course the responses Ive gotten so far are, just keep BP in check to stop lifting all together. I dont know what the hell to think?

 

[adamwhitely]

Do not stop lifting! Docs don't understand.

Now, I'm not saying strain the fuck out of yourself. And you should listen to the doc.

What I mean is, docs don't understand the benefits of weight training. It will make your blood pressure better!

Adam
West Coast

 

[Fullybuilt]

How many cycle's have you done in the past?

 

[galaxy]

Started in '94 light, got a heavy into it 5yrs ago. Been of for over a year, probably havent dropped below 1g.

 

[galaxy]

bump

 

[rauljimenez]

10 years on the juice. One thing I can tell you is that Weight lifting will hypertrophy the heart muscle , so that is normal. Are you doing cardio, it will greatly clean blood vessels and put you in better shape specially your overall cardiovascular system. I recommend you try to clean up your diet a bit till your Blood Pressure and cholesterol go steady.

 

[Drake]

what was your BP?

 

[md2b]

Agree with Drake, what was your blood pressure?

Your ejection fraction (systolic function) was fine, so that's a good sign, especially with the mitral regurg. From my limited knowledge and a similar love for the gym, I wouldn't say to stop lifting, but perhaps limit your heavier movements? If your BP is already elevated, coupling it with something that raises it more, even transiently, may not be the best idea.

Just proceed with caution and sense. Good luck, bro.

md2b

 

[galaxy]

145/90, but thats when nurse takes it. 10minutes later the Doc will take it and its 140/85. I had a nurse take it 3 times and got 140/90 and when the dr took it he got 125/75?WTF

 

[md2b]

Galaxy:

Your blood pressure can vary pretty drastically depending on what you're doing. Smoking a cigarette will elevate your reading for 30 minutes. Also, using the same arm for the reading within a few minutes could effect the measurement.

For a little more info on mitral regurg and all that good stuff, check out medline.gov . Great website, breaks down all the technical jargon well.

Also, niacin is dirt cheap, available at any supplement store, and works wonders on cholesterol.

 

[galaxy]

I know Im an uneducated schlump, but from everything I have read so far, my measurement seem within normal range? I dont know wtf my Doc is talking about. I understand his concern with the lipids and bp, but I think he may be jumping the gun.

 

[md2b]

Hey, bro, these are the current standards. You're not quite within normal range. Cholesterol is moderately high and probably stage I hypertension.

Chlesterol Values: Optimal less than 200; Moderately high 200-239; High greater than 240

Blood Pressure: Normal a systolic less than 120 and a diastolic less than 80 Prehypertension systolic 120-139 or a diastolic of 80-99 Stage I hypertension systolic 140-159 or diastolic 90-99 Stage II hypertension systolic 160 or above or diastolic greater than 100

You said that you've been on for over 1 year, so that could help to explain the cholesterol. AAS tend to flip-flop your lipid profile from how you would like it, they lower your HDL and elevate your LDL. HDL of 15 is pretty low. Current usage could also explain some of the elevation in BP, if you were retaining fluid.

Your doc's perspective is "This man is only 29, the earlier we can treat these, the better off his cardiovascular system will be in the long-run." As the enlarged ventricle goes, that doesn't surprise me. You're a big guy, your heart has to be larger than average to make sure that blood gets everywhere it need to. My last EKG showed that I have an enlarged heart too...

 

[JETHRO TULL]

GALAXY...THATS MY EXACT BLOOD PRESSURE..

MY LAST CHECK WAS CHLORESTEROL 214....MY GOOD CHLORESTEROL WAS LOW AND THE BAD STUFF WAS HIGH.

I'D LIKE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT YOUR CASE.

 

[galaxy]

Sorry, my cholesterol is definately bad. I was talking more about my heart dimesnsions. That is what has me concerned. I know I can control my cholesterol and just this heart thing that has me whacked.

 

[mike ross]

your heart is fine as of right now. the main thing is to concentrate on your BP and to clean up the saturated fat in your diet. try to up your fiber intake to at least 15g per day and take some niacin at night as well. What were your triglycerides?

another note on the heart, any regurgitation is not really a good sign. a normal human heart has no regurgitation. the thinness of the flaps is what is causing this. that is something to keep an eye on it the future. as far as left ventricle hypertrophy, well that is caused by steroid usage and by excercise itself. An enlarged heart is not necessarily a bad thing. Most athletes have an enlarged heart with bradycardia as a bi-product. the main thing you need to be concerned with is the regurgitation. Your BP is pretty good, more cardio and your meds will do wonders do bring it down probably 15 points. another good this is your have preserved systolic function, which means, your heart is larger but still pumps efficiently and maintains correct BP. you dont have pooling of the blood in your ventricle causing the hypertrophy. thats great news. keep us informed.

hope this helps

 

[xcelbeyond]

I agree - eliminate most saturated fats. I believe the real killers are the "fake" fats - hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats! Avoid those at all costs.

xcel

 

[galaxy]

How about continued use of gear? I want to compete in November. I am concerned about my health, but obviously I still want to know if I can use.

 

[mike ross]

you can but you have to weigh the cost to benefit ratio. the gear will always keep your BP elevated and that might cause you to take more meds than you have to. depending on your genetics and such, your valve may get worse. you are asking answers to questions that dont have a cut and dry answer. weigh the options and decide for yourself. if you are going to try and make pro status and its your life...then probably do it. if you are just a recreational bodybuilder and you arent overly serious, then reconsider. my BP and HR were way out of control last summer. i looked my best ever but the health side was something to be concerned with. Its not good for a mid 20's guy to have BP of 150/100 and HR of 80. the year before this at the same time my BP was 110/70 and HR of 42. Thats good physical condition at any age. You see the drastic difference. For me the risk outweighed the gain and i have since stopped. I am doing a little HRT right now to get back to normal and then thats it. My career is another thing to consider too. Just sit down, and think logically. Dont pull that i have to be the biggest SOB on the block routine because no matter what there is always going to be someone bigger. weigh the cost to benefit ratio

 

[Fullybuilt]

Why are you on HRT. Did you permantely shut down your HPTA, if so how?

 

[mike ross]

not permanently but my test levels were half that of a typical person my age....so i said the hell with it and am going to do the HRT for a little while and see what happens