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Old Thread: https://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/index.php?threads/1-year-heart-update.127409/page-25
Some of you have followed along. In 2014 at 23 years old I got an echo done, showed somewhat reduced ejection fraction (50%) and dilation (61mm). I was on my 2nd year of blasting and cruising at that point. So after 3 years of blasting and cruising I dropped down to just TRT (125mg) summer of 2015 and when I retested in the fall of 2015 it was worse (40% EF, 63mm dilation). I'm not very big. I was around 200lb at the time. I don't lift unusually heavy weights. I do not have thickening of my heart walls at all. late 2016 I started Valstartan (angiotensin receptor blocker). TRT was dropped to 80mg. New echo in 2017 showed ejection fraction up to 56% and dilation around 60mm. OK at least in the right direction. 2018 showed EF again around 55% and dilation at 61mm.
Bumped TRT back up to 120mg in spring of 2019. Fall of 2019 showed EF at 50% and dilation at 61mm. This is slightly worse but I figured within the margin of error. I almost didn't get an echo this year as I figured maybe I was just being too much of a hypochondriac and I should let it go. Well I got one, and EF is now down to 46% and dilation is the highest it's ever been at 63.1mm.
Results:
There are some very intelligent doctors on this forum, I'm hoping to get some input here. I was very unimpressed with my new doctor. My last one was highly qualified and worked with professional athletes but left the hospital. This woman did not have a background with athletes and certainly not anyone who used AAS in the past. She said she recommends no one (even completely healthy individuals) lift heavy weights, at which point I knew we were not going to have a productive visit.
I just got these results, and after thinking maybe this was behind me and I had a normal EF and dilation for someone into fitness I think it's now pretty clear this is pathologic and not just physiologic. I'd love to hear some informed feedback and suggestions.
What I take:
-80mg Valsartan
-120mg TRT
-1mg Arimidex
-300mg Ubiquinol
-6g Citrulline
-3g fish oil
-1500mg BCM-95 Curcumin
I am going to drop TRT back down to 70-80mg with ED dosing. But to be honest I'm not seeing literature to support that TRT could be causing this, at all really. Would be great if I have my answer, and it does seem worse since bumping my TRT up to 120mg, but this just seems very unlikely to me to be the cause. My levels are just upper level of normal, with free test slightly above normal.
I am also wondering if a beta blocker would be useful at this point given their greater ability to reverse cardiac remodeling, but my HR and BP are already so low (100/64 and 45bpm at the office).
I am going to get a stress echo and VO2 max test done as well. My one in 2017 showed a normal response to exercise but my resting echo is showing a 10% lower EF than in 2017.
Any input is appreciated. I realize I am not going to die tomorrow with these results, but at 29 years old this is not trending well and I'm feeling pretty sick at the moment seeing this compared to 1-2 years ago.
Some of you have followed along. In 2014 at 23 years old I got an echo done, showed somewhat reduced ejection fraction (50%) and dilation (61mm). I was on my 2nd year of blasting and cruising at that point. So after 3 years of blasting and cruising I dropped down to just TRT (125mg) summer of 2015 and when I retested in the fall of 2015 it was worse (40% EF, 63mm dilation). I'm not very big. I was around 200lb at the time. I don't lift unusually heavy weights. I do not have thickening of my heart walls at all. late 2016 I started Valstartan (angiotensin receptor blocker). TRT was dropped to 80mg. New echo in 2017 showed ejection fraction up to 56% and dilation around 60mm. OK at least in the right direction. 2018 showed EF again around 55% and dilation at 61mm.
Bumped TRT back up to 120mg in spring of 2019. Fall of 2019 showed EF at 50% and dilation at 61mm. This is slightly worse but I figured within the margin of error. I almost didn't get an echo this year as I figured maybe I was just being too much of a hypochondriac and I should let it go. Well I got one, and EF is now down to 46% and dilation is the highest it's ever been at 63.1mm.
Results:
- The left ventricle is mildly dilated. Normal left ventricular wall thickness. There are no segmental wall motion abnormalities. Mildly decreased left ventricular ejection fraction. The left ventricular ejection fraction is 46% by 3D echocardiography.
- The estimated LV filling pressure is normal.
- The right ventricle is mildly dilated. There is normal function of the right ventricle.
- The left atrium is moderately dilated.
- The right atrium is mildly dilated.
- There is mild mitral valve leaflet thickening. There is flattening of the mitral leaflets without frank prolapse. There is mild mitral regurgitation.
- The aortic valve is trileaflet. There is trivial thickening of the aortic valve. There is trivial calcification of the aortic valve. There is normal excursion of the aortic valve. There is no aortic stenosis. There is trace aortic regurgitation.
- The tricuspid valve is normal. There is trace tricuspid regurgitation. The pulmonary artery systolic pressure is normal. PASP 25 mmHg.
- The inferior vena cava is dilated (diameter >21 mm) and decreases >50% in size with inspiration, suggesting an elevated right atrial pressure of 8 mmHg (range 5-10 mmHg).
There are some very intelligent doctors on this forum, I'm hoping to get some input here. I was very unimpressed with my new doctor. My last one was highly qualified and worked with professional athletes but left the hospital. This woman did not have a background with athletes and certainly not anyone who used AAS in the past. She said she recommends no one (even completely healthy individuals) lift heavy weights, at which point I knew we were not going to have a productive visit.
I just got these results, and after thinking maybe this was behind me and I had a normal EF and dilation for someone into fitness I think it's now pretty clear this is pathologic and not just physiologic. I'd love to hear some informed feedback and suggestions.
What I take:
-80mg Valsartan
-120mg TRT
-1mg Arimidex
-300mg Ubiquinol
-6g Citrulline
-3g fish oil
-1500mg BCM-95 Curcumin
I am going to drop TRT back down to 70-80mg with ED dosing. But to be honest I'm not seeing literature to support that TRT could be causing this, at all really. Would be great if I have my answer, and it does seem worse since bumping my TRT up to 120mg, but this just seems very unlikely to me to be the cause. My levels are just upper level of normal, with free test slightly above normal.
I am also wondering if a beta blocker would be useful at this point given their greater ability to reverse cardiac remodeling, but my HR and BP are already so low (100/64 and 45bpm at the office).
I am going to get a stress echo and VO2 max test done as well. My one in 2017 showed a normal response to exercise but my resting echo is showing a 10% lower EF than in 2017.
Any input is appreciated. I realize I am not going to die tomorrow with these results, but at 29 years old this is not trending well and I'm feeling pretty sick at the moment seeing this compared to 1-2 years ago.