Heart Healthy????

[WeShallSee]

Two things- not sure how it works with your condition/device, but consider a heart rate monitor. Easy way to tell if you're over doing it. Until I started wearing one I was a bit surprised by what affected me and what didn't. Consider reading Ray Jardine's Trail Life, while not directly related to you he advocates using your heart rate to dictate your pace. Eventually you can move past the device if you like, I think Ray's ability to self-monitor your heart rate is an advanced skill, but the technique is sound. (on a side note, going with the lightest possible load should be a concern as well.) Secondly, consider an alternate hike like WeShallSee is planning. Starting at harpers and going south will allow you easier terrain to build up your trail legs and ease your way in much more safely than starting in GA. http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...ght=weshallsee

Welcome to the adventure. I agree this route may be safer for you to get started and see how the heart handles it. I look forward to seeing you on the trail.

[Lone Wolf]

I will try to make my point quickly as to not waste these members valuable time.I have been gathering as much information as I can for a thru hike of the AT and I came across this "Nutrition for Thru-hikers:An Interview with Sports Dietitian,Tavis Piattoly" and he had this to say"I find it very similar to other endurance or even ultra-endurance sports. When you're going on a 10-12 hour hike, you not only need a strong cardiovascular system, but you also need to be well fueled to get through a long day of activity."
Now here is my point I have a pacemaker/defibrillator after a heart attack in 2005.I exercise and watch my diet.I take the obligatory drugs for blood pressure and cholesterol.My Doctor said if i just watch myself and don't over do it, he has no problem.You guys know the trail. I do not see a problem and my doctor does not. You Know the question I have so I would like some feedback.

4 years ago i had the "big one" and a quadruple by-pass. all in the same day. one month later i was out running. 6 months later i ran a 16 mile trail race. i've been backpacking since then too. just take it easy. you'll do fine

[SawnieRobertson]

All of the above, and I would make two suggestions: make your pacemaker your friend, even giving it a trailname (which should make some delightful journaling) and REALLY hike your own hike. Jacksonville does not provide the kind of terrain that you can train for climbs very well, but you are pretty close to Arkansas, which does. Because of your concerns, you will probably hit the trail in 100% better shape than most others in your age range.

[OzJacko]

No experience with heart issues but for my own health reasons I try to not allow my blood pressure to rise.
Some of the climbs are very strenuous especially at the start when unfit.
I stop as long as I feel I need to on uphills.
Do some short hikes with a full pack and let your body tell you how it feels.
Remember we only have one life but we do have a responsibility to ourselves to live it.

[Theosus]

You might try getting a stress test on your heart... Tell your doctor you plan to hike a long distance with sub par nutrition. He might even suggest something like this: Hike a four day stretch with what you would be eating on the trail, then have a stress test done and see what the results are.
There seems like there would be a big difference between results from eating your normal, day-to-day stuff and having tests done, compared to four days of strenuous activity eating out of a freezer bag.

[WILLIAM HAYES]

I hike with a friend who has a pacemaker he never has had a problem I have also ran into several hikers on the trail who have had bypasses just keep on trucking and dont worry about it

[kidchill]

I can go over a few things with you in terms of hiking; considering you're post-bypass, but I don't know if you want your personal medical information bounced around this forum. I do anesthesia for a living, so I pretty much balance cardiovascular disease and surgical stress on a daily basis. If you have some specific questions, and can give me a little more info about your medical history, I may be able to give you some things to think about. I can't offer direct medical advice, but I can tell you what I would do if it were me out there. If you're interested, just send me a PM and we can go from there.

[dink]

I work for a group of cardiologists and the EP specialist says as long as your doc gives you the OK, to go for it. Electrical issues with the heart (thus a need for a pacer/ICD) should not stop anybody from hiking although it will prevent you from getting or keeping a truckers license. He also advises to keep an eye on your electrolytes, don't get dehydrated, and don't rush yourself!

[adlearned]

Hello PeaPicker. I had my first ICD implanted in 2000. I'm now on my second. I used to jog about 5 miles/day prior to my initial "incident", the result of undiagnosed arrhythmia/tachycardia. I had three heart attacks in five days and had an ejection fraction of 10% and was essentially doomed. I refused to die. I started running again not overly long after the installation of my first pacer/defibrilator, perhaps 9-10 months. My doctors were aghast. I was then shortly running up to two miles when I started to get "kicked" by my ICD. In time my ICD technician explained to me, since my doctors couldn't, that my ICD was "misinterpreting" my athleticism for tachycardia and as a result, attempted to pace me back into sinus rhythm. To make a long story short, I gave up running in favor of coaching Little League baseball. My 10% EF is now a robust and nearly normal 45%. I have taken up this hobby called backpacking again, which I used to do when I was a teen/twenty-something. I am 60 now. I am able to carry a forty-pound pack with relative comfort up strenuous climbs. My shoulder-straps have not been an issue at all. I told my doctor I would, before I started, and he just smiled. My lesson that I would impart to you is start slow and HYOH. Start small. Take breaks. Drink LOTS of water. Take friend who can keep an eye on you. Use hiking poles. They help ALOT. My philosophy from the beginning has been I AM GOING TO LIVE MY LIFE ON MY OWN TERMS. You will be extremely tired after a couple of days so take a zero day. Then get back up and keep going. LIVE!

[Demeter]

....check out the book 300 Zeros Lessons of the Heart on the Appalachian Trail by Dennis Blanchard.

Yes! I thought this book was great. He is quite the inspiration for those determined to maintain their lifestyle with a cardiac (or any) condition.

BTW, I have always opined that the majority of hikers are doing the work of an athlete, but with a cruddy diet. What marathoner would eat ramen noodles and snickers bars for meals