My cardiologist’s advice – keep on doing all you can. Six little words spoken by a cardiologist at my appointment last week. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know but occasionally it is good to have it put so succinctly. Particularly when not everyone agrees with what you are doing.

In the last two weeks I’ve attended two hospital appointments. 

The first was with an endocrinologist. I knew that this was going to my final appointment as I was going to be discharged. I’d made a textbook recovery from being blindsided by an overactive thyroid over two years ago. 

It is now over 6 months since I stopped taking the medication (Carbimazole) and have remained symptom free. Long may it last but I know that there is a 30-40% chance of relapse. 

I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve spoken to a number of people that have experienced an overactive thyroid. All of them had a return of symptoms once the medication was reduced. Thus required a zapping of the thyroid with radioactive iodine which invariably results in an underactive thyroid requiring thyroxine. 

The second appointment was with a cardiologist. 

I have an annual appointment with a cardiologist to keep an eye on my aortic mechanical valve. 

I’d not received the results of an echocardiogram done back in February but I’d assumed that no news was good news. However, I was surprised to hear that my mechanical valve was working well as a previous echocardiogram had revealed mild to moderate regurgitation. I’m not sure what to make of this as I’m pretty certain that a mechanical valve can’t heal itself. And he made no mention of my other heart issues but I suspect that as they are most probably age related they get largely ignored.

But it does annoy me that when you have a procedure under the NHS you only receive the main highlights (verbally) not the written report. 

The cardiologist listened to my valve reporting a good, regular click. So all reassuring.

I had one question for him:

At my age and with my heart can I improve my VO2 max? This is a question I wanted an answer to following my failure to improve my VO2 max in the lead up to Hyrox last November. Was my training at fault, my heart too damaged or was my age against me? Or a combination of all three?

His response: ‘that’s a question for an athlete not a doctor.’ On reflection I think he meant ‘that’s a question for a sports scientist not a doctor’. I was a little taken aback by his reply but I had to admire his honesty. Most doctors, I’m sure, should have attempted to fudge a response.

But it led to an interesting discussion on how we deteriorate with age. This included references to those elite athletes that had remained at the top of their sport for longer than their competitors. For example, Paula Radcliffe who was still competing in marathons in her 40s.

He put it very succinctly. Our strength diminishes faster than our flexibility which diminishes faster than our endurance (VO2 max). 

This invoked some reflection. Whilst I focus my training on strength and endurance I do very little where my flexibility is concerned. There is some training of it when I do squats, overhead pressing, for example, but it’s a byproduct. I have attempted to incorporate it but I always get bored. I’ve even written about it’s importance. Just hearing that it is deteriorating and a rate faster than my endurance has spurred me into action. I have to get over being bored.

His final words to me were : ‘keep on doing all you can’. I replied ‘you know I do Hyrox? ‘
I’m not sure why I felt I should mention Hyrox. As it was the first time I’d met him did he just assume that I was a moderate exerciser even though I’d asked about improving my VO2 max? Would he be more measured in his advice if he knew? Would I even take his advice if he expressed caution?

His reply : ‘Yes I do know, keep on doing all you can’.

Six little words. But ones that have banished any doubt that what I’m doing is right for my heart, my body and my mind.