Can I still cycle?

[DegsyWilton]

I was recently diagnosed with severe right aorta heart disease (moderate on the left). I've been put on various meds (statin, aspirin, anti-anginal). When my doctor explained what was happening I asked about exercise as I cycle quite a bit. He told me that I could continue but shouldn't cycle up hills. This sounds like he's telling me not to do any exercise that gets my heart rate up. Does that sound correct? I'm mid-fifties, not overweight and have a generally active lifestyle. I should add that the consultation was by phone as I couldn't go in so he couldn't see me. I've always assumed that exercise was good. Have I got this wrong?

[ChoochSiesta]

Six months ago I was in your position. I was on all those meds too and needed a triple bypass. I could still cycle without any symptoms so I did so right up to the op. The bypass was in February. Listen to your body and don't overdo it.

[RufusScamp]

I agree with Chooch. Test yourself gently, and see what you can do. Not cycling uphill would be a no-no for me as I live on a hill top! Try short rides, and be prepared to wheel the bike back if your body tells you to stop.Have you been offered cardio rehab classes? They provide monitored exercise sessions for some conditions.

[Thingyyy]

I find the lack of guidance on the subject of exercise really frustrating. I have been told 'don't do HIIT' and that's it.

I'm pretty fit and this has been tough to accept.

I wear a fitbit, so I reduced my max heart rate to 70% of the standard (found this guidance on a PH website) and I just keep an eye on my HR whilst exercising. If it gets up to the top level I just stop for a minute or so until it comes back down.

[JulianM]

Reading your post, I'm a little puzzled about your diagnosis. It sounds more like a problem with your right coronary artery, rather than your aorta.

We only have one aorta: mine is over-sized and I count myself lucky to have been diagnosed - nearly 4 years ago, now - by sports cardiologists who did give me very clear guidance about exercise which was based on tests that included measuring my blood pressure during exercise (on a static bike).

The guidance I received was to keep my heart rate below 80% of my maximum; the underlying reason being to try and keep my systolic blood pressure (which is very hard to measure directly during exercise) below 200 at all times. For the same reason, I have to avoid any heavy lifting (i.e. any kind that would require breath control, straining, or near-static contraction of large muscle groups). I've also had to withdraw from all sports competitions and maximal effort training, but was strongly advised to continue with regular exercise. I've never had high blood pressure, but am now on a low dose of an ARB blocker (irbesartan) as a protective measure; so far, this has caused me no problems whatever.

I haven't stopped exercising - including riding my bike, including on hills - but I do know that if my heart rate goes over a certain limit (I wear a chest strap and have a display on my watch), or if I get to be near-static, pulling on the handlebars on a very steep climb, then it's time to get off the bike and walk.

You might find that someone in your cardiac team could give you specific advice: there may be a trainer who delivers cardiac rehab who could help you. The bottom line is that yes, exercise is still valuable and, if anything, more so when you have heart issues. There was a very good recent 'Alive and Ticking' session on this subject, freely available on the BHF website, with Prof Sanjay Sharma and BHF Ambassador and Olympic athlete Roger Black, which is well worth a look.

[DegsyWilton in reply to JulianM]

Thanks JulianM. You are correct, it is my right coronary artery - I'm new to all of this. Thank you for your helpful comments, and to others who have taken the time to reply - lots of food for thought. This is already more useful than the advice I received from my GP which was quite vague.