Re: Get Your Grump on Thursdays - Was (What's chapping my @ss today?)
Diagnosed with coronary disease unexpectedly. Been feeling fine but approaching 60 and want to keep racing cx and riding hard so I went for screening (calcium scoring). Had one friend drop dead at a race (at 74) and another with unexpected disease and there's a reasonable evidence base to screen me, especially with a positive family history (but they smoked, ate crap, and didn't exercise). Won't belabor the details, but a lot more disease than I expected for my age, lifestyle, and generally Mediterranean diet. I'm a doc with some overlapping expertise and quickly upped my knowledge base on the subject of heart disease in masters athletes. Also have a great cardiologist in my own shop who gets it and I will rely on for advice (hard to be objective treating yourself). Going for some more functional testing (stress echo) tomorrow. Very unlikely to need anything invasive, just meds and whatever minimal improvements in diet are possible. I don't have anything life or longevity threatening, but nonetheless I'm a bit angry and depressed. On a positive note, the combination of coronary disease and asthma probably explains why I've never been able to get out of the back third of the pack in any race! And I'm still doing the Sourlands Semi-Classic on Sunday, barring unexpected flunk on stress echo.
Lou D'Amelio
Bucks County PA
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