Enlarged heart and cycling.

[xphias]

I recently was sick, this led to a series of tests. This eventually led to my doctors finding out i have some thickness in my left ventricle wall. They said it wasn't impairing cardiact function at all but suggested that i just avoid intense cardio activities (like full on sprinting for a while, etc) However they said nothinga about medications i take (such as amphetamines for Adult ADHD) so my question remains. If my heart function isn't impaired and the thickness isn't too large (15mm instead of the usual 11mm) should i stop all steroids indefinitely?

Personally i was just wondering if running low doses of test were fine (while taking fish oils and other things for heart health still) as i can't see that being any more taxing than the other things i take. Also, my doctor thinks this may be congenital (my brother is being checked so i guess we'll see, he's my twin) If thats the case then that means it wasn't even caused by steroids and that i've been running/cycling/lifting intensly for years without adverse affects.

I just want other peoples opinions on this matter before i make any decisions about stopping indefinitely or just continuing with smaller doses (with blood work, etc.)

 

[stevesmi]

steroids should be taken by HEALTHY ADULT MEN.

if you have heart issues and you are on drugs as you say than you definately don't fit as being healthy. its actually one of our rules on EF that we aren't gonna encourage you to juice if it could kill you.

from a moral perspective its wrong if you have a family to risk dying and leaving your wife as a widow and kids without a dad just so you can hit 400 on the bench press or build a little more muscle. but that is a whole nother arguement for a different day and different forum I only say this cause I know someone who left a 1 year old baby and a struggling gf alone because he mixed drugs, alcohol and yes steroids. it was a combination which led him to not waking up. and the dude was given a job and a house by his family but still selfishly threw all that away.

having said all that compounds such as stims and clen are definately dangerous and should not be touched .. it can make someone with a healthy heart have issues, much less someone in your shoes. AAS will cause RBC to go up which can thicken blood and strain the heart. will it kill you? maybe which is why if you do juice in small amounts you should run bloodwork atleast every month and if you start seeing organ strain you need to stop

 

[xphias]

Well i am 27, i have amazing blood pressure, good cholesterol, etc.

I wouldn't say i'm unhealthy at all, taking prescription medication for ADHD doesn't make me unhealthy in the least.

And in regards to this, again. My cardiologist said there was no impact in heart function and just that the walls appear to be thicker (which i have read can be found in many athletes, both using and not using)

So again, where is your assumption that i'm unhealthy?

Truth be told, I'm more inclined to believe that i have a thicker heart wall due to weight lifting, which is something found in many weight lifters and i'm sure if other weight lifters got an ECG they would find the same results. I just happened to be tested while in the hospital for pneumonia (which has gone away and i've completely recovered from)

 

[BigMikeC]

I actually have the same problem. It was discovered when I was sick with mono. When I saw the cardiologist he laughed and asked why I was there. That my heart rate was extremely athletic. I was explained that the heart is still a muscle. As you train and put your body through more physical stress your muscles grow to adapt to the stressors. So image a guy with a 500lbs squat for reps. If he went in there and had a "normal persons" heart it would basically pop under from the spike in blood pressure trying to pump with that much weight on your shoulders. My understanding is that your body has to adapt to the work load and this means that your heart will have to adapt as well. Now my case can be different than yours and in NO way is this professional medical advice so you DO need to talk to your doctor and see what's best for you. I'm also not advising you to take supplements or not. Just informing you with my understanding of the matter.

 

[xphias]

I actually have the same problem. It was discovered when I was sick with mono. When I saw the cardiologist he laughed and asked why I was there. That my heart rate was extremely athletic. I was explained that the heart is still a muscle. As you train and put your body through more physical stress your muscles grow to adapt to the stressors. So image a guy with a 500lbs squat for reps. If he went in there and had a "normal persons" heart it would basically pop under from the spike in blood pressure trying to pump with that much weight on your shoulders. My understanding is that your body has to adapt to the work load and this means that your heart will have to adapt as well. Now my case can be different than yours and in NO way is this professional medical advice so you DO need to talk to your doctor and see what's best for you.

essentially my doctor said that my heart is healthy and strong. The ONLY thing that is different than normal is that it's thicker. Which leads me to believe its a form of athletes heart.

 

[stevesmi]

^^^ as i wrote above get bloodwork done and see how your body is handing steroids. that would be the first step.

and then ask the doctor is taking hormones and boosting your RBC and other lipids is okay in your situation.

your cholesterol is healthy but steroids most definately affect your LDL and HDL as well. even in totally healthy people

 

[Stryker1992]

I recently was sick, this led to a series of tests. This eventually led to my doctors finding out i have some thickness in my left ventricle wall. They said it wasn't impairing cardiact function at all but suggested that i just avoid intense cardio activities (like full on sprinting for a while, etc) However they said nothinga about medications i take (such as amphetamines for Adult ADHD) so my question remains. If my heart function isn't impaired and the thickness isn't too large (15mm instead of the usual 11mm) should i stop all steroids indefinitely?

Personally i was just wondering if running low doses of test were fine (while taking fish oils and other things for heart health still) as i can't see that being any more taxing than the other things i take. Also, my doctor thinks this may be congenital (my brother is being checked so i guess we'll see, he's my twin) If thats the case then that means it wasn't even caused by steroids and that i've been running/cycling/lifting intensly for years without adverse affects.

I just want other peoples opinions on this matter before i make any decisions about stopping indefinitely or just continuing with smaller doses (with blood work, etc.)

Are you a cardio athlete? the left ventricle is the area responsible for delivering blood to the rest of the body. If you are an endurance athelete it is a muscle and just like any other muscle it increases in size and thickness. This increases efficenecy during cardiac output which is defined as heart rate x stroke volume. I trained as a triathlete for many years and not only is my left ventricle so enlarged it is rediculous I have a left bundle branch block which is a sign of pathology in mortals but a training adaptation in endurance athletes to make the electrical system more effective.

Now if you are not an endurance athlete that is a different story...

 

[ALIN]

When it comes to having any type of heart condition I would use caution in EVERYTHING that you do.

 

[rippedtohell]

Sounds like you have left ventricle hypertrophy. Completely normal in athletes.