Transplantation and BP meds

Orange Fish

I have a cyclist who I'm coaching and he's a past transplant patient. He is on BP medication currently, and at times it plays havoc with his HR. He doesn't own a power meter, so we only have HR and perceived exertion to go by at the moment.

Has anyone had experience with this type of situation? I'm curious as to what you did and/or what I might be able to do for him to make sure his training is going to be effective for his upcoming races.
Thanks!

nerdag

I'm a med student (an almost doctor - a little over a year left), so I can tell you what I do know.

It depends on what the transplant was and whether his BP meds is too high, too low, or not stable, what you mean by it plays "havoc" with HR, what specific BP meds they are (different types have different side effect profiles).

I'm guessing here, but if he's having trouble with BP, then I suspect he's had kis kidneys replaced.

A LOT more information is needed before anybody who might actually be able to help can give you any useful information, and even then, I'd be cautious about taking on board advice from an open internet forum where there isn't a lot of expertise in dealing with what is a very complex medical issue.

I'd be talking to his nephrologist/cardiologist/immunologist (in that order, if he has one) for an expert opinion.

HTH,

nerdag

Orange Fish

That's exactly it. It was his kidney. The meds playing "havoc" with his HR were his words, and I just wasn't sure how else to describe it.

I completely understand that, but there has always been some good information from select members here, and over the years I've gotten to know who they are. So I just wanted to get an initial idea of whether or not I could find out anything at all about this issue...to get a more well-rounded idea about how this type of transplant might affect HR, cycling, etc. Anything at all. Thank you for your reply though, and I'll see about talking to his specialist.

Felt_Rider

From the point of interest of coaching/consulting, would you mind sharing a overview of any limitations or adjustments that will need to make for this client?

I am always curious on how to handle special needs and I have not encountered this situation in my years.

Orange Fish

I'd be happy to. I just talked to him today and asked about contacting his specialist, so I'll report back with any findings.

So far, all we've been able to come up with (just from conversing with my athlete, and not yet his doc) is that depending on when he takes his meds, he may or may not experience a large impact on his HR. The longer the time between when he took the meds and when he trains, the less of an impact on his HR? We need to find out more specifics first.