Sailing with heart condition

[Gwylan]

Been th

All, hi.
I've just been diagnosed with Angina and am starting on medication. Bad timing at the start of the sailing season, can't see my boat getting wet this summer! So, to stay positive, I'm wondering if any others are on the forum who have got back into sailing after stabilising angina or any heart condition. Cheers DB

Been there done it, survived and moved on
Take the pills, carry the little aerosol and move on.
P.M. me for more

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

I've got cardiomyopathy (the lower left muscle is more or less inactive), stents and a clever pacemaker that re-synchronises what had become a fairly irregular beat. Ejection factor was down at 10% prior to the pacemaker going in last year - no idea what it is now but not hugely better.

Anyway, I've been sailing throughout, racing, singlehanding and even main grinder by accident. Just know what your limit is and take your time.

 

[jimi]

I was diagnosed with unstable angina several years ago after a cardiac infraction and was given a box full of medication. They made me feel ill so I made some major lifestyle changes (diet, exercise and stopped alcohol) stopped the medication and I’ve had no symptoms recently. I carry a gtn aerosol but have only used it a couple of times in the last year despite putting in max effort on tt cycle races.

 

[Boathook]

I had a stent fitted over 7 years ago so on assorted tablets .... I also carry the angina spray just in case. Hasn't stopped me boating, walking or cycling off road. Consultant said to avoid 'spinning' as my heart now takes quite a few seconds to increase pumping rate .......

 

[mjcoon]

I was diagnosed with unstable angina several years ago after a cardiac infraction and was given a box full of medication. They made me feel ill so I made some major lifestyle changes (diet, exercise and stopped alcohol) stopped the medication and I’ve had no symptoms recently. I carry a gtn aerosol but have only used it a couple of times in the last year despite putting in max effort on tt cycle races.

I like the idea of a "cardiac infraction"! (A prohibited percentage, perhaps...)

 

[dom]

I was diagnosed with unstable angina several years ago after a cardiac infarction and was given a box full of medication. They made me feel ill so I made some major lifestyle changes (diet, exercise and stopped alcohol) stopped the medication and I’ve had no symptoms recently. I carry a gtn aerosol but have only used it a couple of times in the last year despite putting in max effort on tt cycle races.

Time trial races? OMG! I had a go at these to keep fit for squash during the lockdown and they are seriously hard VO2 max efforts that explore max heart range, lactic acid toleration, glycogen uptake, etc., basically like human drag racing with massive strains! And when the adrenaline falls off, you feel it! ?

I know nothing about medical matters, and purely as a question, do angina and such events go together? I wonder if you had another scan/tests whether they would show that problem has cleared/moderated?

Incidentally a friend of mine, a bit of a bon viveur, was diagnosed with pre-Type-2 Diabetes. Swapped to healthy lifestyle and it’s gone. Totally!

 

[dom]

I like the idea of a "cardiac infraction"! (A prohibited percentage, perhaps...)

Try writing anything using an iPhone/iPad On this forum. The fekkin “things think they no Howe too” (see!) spell best! ?

Try to edit a word and it forgets the beginning and then tries to rephrase the edited portion into a complete new word.
? ?

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

Try writing anything using an iPhone/iPad On this forum. The fekkin “things think they no Howe too” (see!) spell best! ?

Try to edit a word and it forgets the beginning and then tries to rephrase the edited portion into a complete new word.
? ?

As far as heart disease is concerned, predictive text is a lot more dangerous than sailing.

 

[mjcoon]

Try writing anything using an iPhone/iPad On this forum. The fekkin “things think they no Howe too” (see!) spell best! ?

Try to edit a word and it forgets the beginning and then tries to rephrase the edited portion into a complete new word.
? ?

There, and my "received wisdom" on Apple products is that they are wonderful and nowhere near as frustrating as Microsoft or Android! (So I haven't gone near them...)

 

[colind3782]

My only comment would be to take care with the GTN spray. Each spray of 400 mcg dilates the blood vessels as designed but, as a consequence, can drop the blood pressure slightly. It can be tempting to just keep squirting for effect and reducing the BP incrementally with each dose until you end up fainting! Use the medication as directed.

 

[jimi]

Time trial races? OMG! I had a go at these to keep fit for squash during the lockdown and they are seriously hard VO2 max efforts that explore max heart range, lactic acid toleration, glycogen uptake, etc., basically like human drag racing with massive strains! And when the adrenaline falls off, you feel it! ?

I know nothing about medical matters, and purely as a question, do angina and such events go together? I wonder if you had another scan/tests whether they would show that problem has cleared/moderated?

Incidentally a friend of mine, a bit of a bon viveur, was diagnosed with pre-Type-2 Diabetes. Swapped to healthy lifestyle and it’s gone. Totally!

I’m getting a scan in a couple of weeks but last one was ok apart from one bit not getting oxygen. Yeah TT is tough! Max I’ve done so far is 25 miles which I paced at 88% of max hr except for last 2 miles when I threw the bucket at it and dry heaved over the finish line.

 

[jimi]

My only comment would be to take care with the GTN spray. Each spray of 400 mcg dilates the blood vessels as designed but, as a consequence, can drop the blood pressure slightly. It can be tempting to just keep squirting for effect and reducing the BP incrementally with each dose until you end up fainting! Use the medication as directed.

And it gives you a stinking headache. I was on iv with it in hospital for a couple of days and had a stinking sore head. Doctor explained it was the dilated blood vessels in the head

 

[Scillypete]

Quite some years ago, 1999 I think, I was helping a guy get his boat to the canaries, we were halfway across Biscay in a freshening SW’ly when he woke me up, just after I’d got in. “I’ve got pains in my chest and feeling really dizzy” he says, a rush of adrenaline hit my veins and I quickly plotted our position and due to the weather conditions decided to turn for Brest. The only chart we had was C18 so nothing detailed enough for smaller harbours. I sent him to bed and got the boat running off the wind with just a triple reefed main up we were charging along. Every couple of hours I would bang loudly on the hull and shout down to find out how he was feeling and check that he was still alive, I was petrified that I would be arriving in France with a stiff aboard not speaking the language and only pesetas for currency. Long story short we got in after doing 140nm in 20 hours, I was exhausted, he was alive and had perked up greatly. He had a check over at the hospital next day which confirmed what ‘he’ already knew that it was an angina attack but he had neglected to tell me he had any such condition and that sailing to windward in a near gale in Biscay obviously heightened his anxiety and brought it on, to be fair he was a novice sailor then. I also discovered after we got in that there was an epirb aboard that had I known was there I would have used to try and get medical help sooner, he kept that well hid and never mentioned it.

 

[dom]

I’m getting a scan in a couple of weeks but last one was ok apart from one bit not getting oxygen. Yeah TT is tough! Max I’ve done so far is 25 miles which I paced at 88% of max hr except for last 2 miles when I threw the bucket at it and dry heaved over the finish line.

Oh wow, top effort My MHR is 184/ RHR 51 and I'm in my 50s. So 88% is 162bpm for 25 miles ....that's hard ....suspect you'll get some good news in your next scan.

I know the feelings too well: the first third you feel dead. The next third is however great, everything is flowing, you're over functional threshold power and its push push push. Then that last bit, the pain, the lactic acid, the fuzzy thinking. It's a brutal sport

Quick tip from a National coach; as you know you can't replace glycogen in that framework and over 25 miles it's unnecessary. So stick to isotonic zero calorie hydration if you're a cramper like me. The latest research apparently shows that quite a bit of this fatigue is mental as your brain senses glycogen running down too quickly so it slows you -- dramatically so when you hit the wall. But research has shown that even if you gargle a carby drink and don't swallow it, it fools your brain into permitting rapid glycogen depletion a while longer.

Apols to OP for thread drift: only on this forum could a sensible question on angina spin-off into predictive text and cycle TT racing

 

[claymore]

Once you get used to angina pain you get to know what will bring it on and so its not difficult to manage.
I had a single artery bypass graft 2 years ago which has stopped the angina.
As others have said - take the pills, avoid the cold and watch out for the things that trigger attacks. Diet and weight are vital and regular blood tests ( 6 months) plus blood pressure checks.
Left upper arm, shoulder, back and chin/neck were my hotspots but only when really exerting myself.
They would have stented but it was on a bend so a bypass was considered a better more long term option.
Good luck.

 

[tillergirl]

Whoops. Just found the GTN spray. Use before May, 2014!

 

[Stemar]

And it gives you a stinking headache. I was on iv with it in hospital for a couple of days and had a stinking sore head. Doctor explained it was the dilated blood vessels in the head

My mother had angina for years - 10 or more, IIRC, but found the chest pain that went away when she stopped whatever had set it off less unpleasant than the GTN headache. If they decide it's time to operate, don't put it off, though. Mum did, because she'd a trip to Australia booked. She died of a heart attack a couple of weeks before her flight out.

 

[Boathook]

My only comment would be to take care with the GTN spray. Each spray of 400 mcg dilates the blood vessels as designed but, as a consequence, can drop the blood pressure slightly. It can be tempting to just keep squirting for effect and reducing the BP incrementally with each dose until you end up fainting! Use the medication as directed.

I was told to sit down before using the spray due to possibly feeling 'light headed' after use.

 

[DB_56___/)___]

And it gives you a stinking headache. I was on iv with it in hospital for a couple of days and had a stinking sore head. Doctor explained it was the dilated blood vessels in the head

useful to know, thanks

 

[DB_56___/)___]

What does the quack say? Surely you've not just been handed a script without some kind of pep talk? GTN is what used to be given for this kind of thing.

its been tricky getting a word with the vet due to lock down etc so GP is a phone call appointment and the hospital discharged me with a 'speak to your GP'. The outcome was once the meds have stabilised you can resume normal activities with a GTN spray in case I get an episode, still waiting for meds to settle....