When I first flipped my lifestyle by joining the gym in December 2015, I began with the treadmill. I was pretty aggressive, working my way quickly up to a speed of 4.2 MPH on an incline of 15 degrees. It was challenging at first, but I got used to it. More recently, I've noticed that I can't do that any more. I usually start at 3.5 mph and 5 degrees, dropping to 3.0 mph after about 15 minutes -- when I begin to work up a good sweat. I still go on for 55 minutes.
When I noticed that my stamina had gone down, I attributed it to the fact that I'm just older now. I was 66 when I started, but I'm 73 now. But is there more to the story?
In 2018 I saw a cardiologist about a heart murmur. I had an echocardiogram to see what was going on. The radiologist report found my heart was sound overall, but noted, "Mild mitral regurgitation is present." It all looked good enough, and I had no reason to go back and see the cardiologist again.
Fast forward to January 2023. You will recall that I was hospitalized with sepsis, and they ran a lot of tests on me. I still had that heart murmur, and they did another echocardiogram. This one found more pronounced mitral valve regurgitation with prolapse, and they advised me to see a cardiologist when I was released.
So I saw a new cardiologist yesterday who discussed the mitral valve situation with me - a topic about which I knew very little. He said there was no rush, but I will need to have that valve repaired or replaced (not sure which he said) sooner or later. The problem is that the valve is leaking some blood from the left ventricle back into the left atrium. This reduces the efficiency of the heart. Loss of stamina is a symptom.
The doctor said that he had had the same condition. He had his mitral valve replaced at a hospital in Spokane in 2015. It was done by a robot, and I've watched a couple of YouTube videos about how the robot operates. They don't break the sternum to get access to the heart anymore, they just send probes in by different methods. A common result is to have a few dime-sized scars in the trunk where the probes went in. They may repair the valve, or they may replace it. Apparently it's not a permanent fix, and it must be repeated at 10-year intervals.
Sustained aerobic exercise remains the strongest feature of The Dementia Toolkit. I continue to be really happy with my memory and cognition as compared to 2015. Hopefully we'll be able to address this, and my stamina will return.
No comments:
Post a Comment