Heart Ache...

bikemonk

No I 'm not in love!

The other day, on a medium intensity ride I felt a kind of ache on my chest, in the center above my heart, like it would cramp. I eased up of course, looked down on my hrm and saw that the readings were stuck. I was not around 85% of max hrt rate. It felt like my heart was beating in a crazy way. The strange thing is that this weekend on a very hard ride with my club I didn't feel anything like that. Is it something to worry about or just a case of having eaten too much before the ride?

Thanks in advance and keep on riding...

PS. come to think about it, what is the thing I feel about my bikes...

steve

Getting it checked out by a doctor would be a good start!

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Steve

CyclingForums.com

Harobed

bikemonk, my ex-boyfriend used to experience this problem. He hasn't had a heart attack and he did see the doctor, but I don't think his doctor was the right type of doctor. Try to find one that treats athletes. I've heard about young, healthy men in their prime falling over from a heart attack. It seems to strike tall, slender men...which my ex is as well. I think it has something to do with lack of potassium, but that's just an educated guess.

Sidi

Stress can cause alot of strange things in the body including
"knife stabbing" feelings in, and around, the heart according to my doctor.
That is what i felt and he gave me a complete checkup and found nothing so he asked me a few thigns and he reduced it to stress.
So ask yourself:"Am i under alot of stress these days?"

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patch70

Harobed, what you are describing sounds like 'Marfan's Syndrome'. People with this do tend to be tall and lanky and have an increased risk of some heart valve defects - nothing to do with potassium.

To bikemonk, as steve said go to a doctor to get it checked out. You may have an intermittently abnormal heart rhythm. Some of these are harmless, some can be a risk. You should get an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) initially and probably an echocardiogram (which is an ultrasound study of your heart to look at the valves and beat effectiveness). You may also need a 'holter monitor' which is an ECG/EKG which stays on for a long period to try to record one of these abnormal rhythms if that is what you have.

That said, not all chest pains are due to heart-related problems but you don't want to miss one that is!

Harobed

I probably shouldn't have linked the two (his being tall and lack of potassium), but his problem was not Marfan's Syndrome. His diet was not appropriate for someone who cycled/swimmed at the intensity level that he did. I still believe his problem was potassium. Low potassium levels (or high) can affect heart rhythms. Low potassium can be caused by excessive sweating or too little potassium in the diet (or various other things).

JoeRider

When it comes to the heart, don't mess around and see the doc. I was given a perscription for Clariton D a few years ago and the D portion gave me arithmias during high intensity workouts. Could also be overtraining, but I'd still see the doc. At least give him a call as see what he thinks.

JR