Posted 1 year ago

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Be Still(er) My Heart

During one of my runs last week, my max heart rate was 206. Throughout the past year of becoming a runner, my heart rate has been high but it’s usually peaked around 202. I’ve been thinking for awhile about talking to my doctor about it, and seeing that 206 blink rapidly on my Polar watch did it for me. I also realized that, despite how far I’ve come with running and the bit of weight I’ve lost and the healthier diet I eat, neither my average heart rate nor my resting heart rate has decreased since last year.

As I sat in the waiting room, I started to think that maybe I was silly for seeing the doctor. You know, I have been running fairly long distances so maybe it’s just normal. Maybe there’s nothing to worry about. Maybe he’ll just listen to my heart and say, “You’re fine!” and I’ll have paid my $20 co-pay for that.

I met with my doctor’s PA first, and I explained to her what’s been happening. I haven’t been experiencing much pain, though I do have some faint discomfort in my chest when lying down that I’ve been attributing to my anxiety levels. She listened very closely to my heart for awhile, and she had me squat down and stand up while she listened. She let me know that my “resting” heart rate had been 108 when I got to the doctor’s office, which is high, particularly for someone who exercises on a consistent basis and eats well.

The PA chatted with my doctor about what we had discussed, and he decided to do an EKG to look at my heart’s electrical activity. I was surprised when the PA let me know I’d be having this done, and I felt thankful both that I have the privilege of access to healthcare and that I made the decision to talk to my doctor. The EKG looked normal, according to my doctor, and he then came in to talk with me some more about what’s been happening. He asked about my caffeine intake (relatively low), menstrual flow (check in about anemia), and family history of heart problems (my grandmother had difficulties following 50+ years of smoking).

There’s some fairly benign things that could be linked to my rapid heart rate, including an electrolyte imbalance and thyroid problems. I had both of these things checked through routine bloodwork earlier this year, and they were normal, but we’re going to have them checked again. I had a CBC drawn (lying down, thankfully, because I faint very easily when my blood is drawn), and the medical assistant took my orthostatic vitals. The latter of these also looked normal, and if my bloodwork comes back normal, my doctor is going to refer me to a cardiologist to have an echocardiogram done.

And, until we know what’s going on, no running for me. I asked my doctor if he thought swimming would be okay, and he said he’d like me to keep my heart rate below 150 as much as possible. I think my max heart rate when swimming has been about 180, and I know it’s above that when biking. Honestly, it’s sort of hard for me to think of exercise that doesn’t cause my heart rate to peak at at least 180. I think light yoga may be okay as well as walking, and I’m going to check my heart rate while I lift tomorrow. I’m feeling sort of down about the prospect of not getting any intense exercise for the foreseeable future, both because it keeps me sane and because I’ve gotten into a fairly good, consistent routine over the last several weeks.

But! I am very thankful that I have the opportunity to get this figured out and that I trust my doctor to help me do so.

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  1. therevickigoesagain said: My heartrate goes really high when I run or bike too like between 185-195 swimming is much lower only around 150, but my resting is 80-I hope all is ok with you :)
  2. 6n6challenge said: I like your attitude. You’ll be in my thoughts!
  3. spoonfulofvigor posted this

 

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