When is exercising dangerous? Is it good or not?

[Cynthia]

Hello,

I'm still so confused. I like to have exercises where I see results.....like I run farther or faster, or I increase weights or reps....etc.

But now, with a leaking BAV, how do I know to what extent to take my exercise? The doctor just says to exercise..."it's the best thing you can do beside eliminating caffeine, decongestants and stress," I was told.

Of course, when my heart is beating all out of whack and racing, I am so scared that I sit and wait. But, during times when I feel good, can I still push it?

I see many have stopped running, stopped biking, etc. How did you know to stop?

I apologize for how naive I must be on this,
Cynthia

 

[tobagotwo]

The first thing you must do is understand the current condition of your heart. You need to get the results of all of your echoes and other medical records. You have a right to copies of them, pursuant to a federal law called HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996). Your doctor and cardiologist will provide them. There may be a small copying fee.

The best gauges of your heart's ability to withstand exercise are in your echo results. No one can guess just based on the fact that you have a leaking BAV. That's not nearly enough information. There are leaks and there are leaks.

Best wishes,

 

[mntbiker]

I see many have stopped running, stopped biking, etc. How did you know to stop?

I didn't stop riding my bike because of the valve, I stopped riding because of the aneurysm. My aneurysm has been growing at about a rate of 1mm per month for the last year, it is now at the point that I am going to get fixed but not until July. This is at the outer edge of the timeframe the surgeon provided for when to get done. He told me if I wanted to wait till then fine but I would have to keep the HR and BP down. Every case is different and the more information you have for your specific case the easier it is to make a decision on activities. Until the surgeon told me this I had no intention of stopping my activities. Talk to your cardio, most of them will tell you if and how much exercise you can do.

 

[Eric]

Cynthia,
For what it's worth, I have a moderately severe BAV and the docs told me that I can continue swimming, playing volleyball and lifting light weights.

Hello,

I'm still so confused. I like to have exercises where I see results.....like I run farther or faster, or I increase weights or reps....etc.

But now, with a leaking BAV, how do I know to what extent to take my exercise? The doctor just says to exercise..."it's the best thing you can do beside eliminating caffeine, decongestants and stress," I was told.

Of course, when my heart is beating all out of whack and racing, I am so scared that I sit and wait. But, during times when I feel good, can I still push it?

I see many have stopped running, stopped biking, etc. How did you know to stop?

I apologize for how naive I must be on this,
Cynthia