Cardiac health and paranoia…

[Wookie]

We could take a quiz:
https://www.johnhancockinsurance.com/life/life-expectancy-tool.aspx

Interesting. I expected that it would tell me that I would tip over next week or month, but no, it had my life expectancy long past where I want it to be. Then I saw it was an ad for investing my retirement fund, and they want to scare me into being worried that I'll outlive my retirement.

 

[tech_diver]

I took the quiz! It says I'll live to be 88!
However, I don't know how much credence to give it considering they didn't ask about pizza or half pound Angus cheeseburgers with extra bacon.

A couple of things I got from this thread...

First, I'm not the only diver thinking about this type of stuff.

Second, the real question (courtesy of Lorenzoid) "What would I do with the test results?"

I guess I imagined a scenario where the doc reads my test results with a horrified look and says, "GET to the hospital now!" or he indifferently says, "You're fine, have another cheeseburger." We all know that's not how things work.

The truth is there, I need to balance my health and quality of life then stop worrying about it. If I can get another 30 years with the same quality of life I've had so far, I definitely got my money's worth.

Thanks everybody!

 

[boulderjohn]

When I read many of the suggestions made to help you live longer, I can't help but wonder--do they actually make your life longer, or does it just seem longer?

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I think the only "heart problem" known to be an issue for divers is a PFO. Basically, there's a spot in the heart where a hole (that we are all born with) hasn't fully closed, allowing some blood to circulate abnormally. This has been related to DCS problems, and either a very good echo cardiogram or other procedure can tell if you have a significant problem with this. I've heard an ECG with dye, or bubbles, or a more invasive procedure might be necessary as a gold standard, and also a simple ECG might be good enough. Dunno.

Diving itself is rated as a non-strenuous activity compared to most. The only "heart" stresses would come from trying to fight a current, haul a buddy, i.e. generally getting in over your head, the same way that people try to fight rip currents and drown--for no need.

Red, I disagree with some of what you've said here. While PFO may be of concern to some divers, it isn't the only place where cardiac problems can intersect with diving. When the body is immersed, an intravascular fluid shift occurs that shunts blood to the torso and results in an increase in cardiac preload. Cold water enhances this effect. Exercise tolerance decreases during immersion as well. All of this places a strain on the heart that cannot be duplicated on the surface.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Wookie]

I guess I imagined a scenario where the doc reads my test results with a horrified look and says, "GET to the hospital now!" or he indifferently says, "You're fine, have another cheeseburger." We all know that's not how things work.
Thanks everybody!

Well, actually, the owner of the dive shop my wife works at was looked at by her GP and told to get to the hospital now. As mentioned by many others, she had an Angiogram and while on the table was stinted right then and there, as they did indeed find a widowmaker in her. Once the stint was installed, the rest of her coronary arteries opened right up. This was a month ago.

 

[SeaHorse81]

We could take a quiz:
https://www.johnhancockinsurance.com/life/life-expectancy-tool.aspx

It says I will live to be 100. I have no desire to live that long, but I do want to feel good and be healthy enough to keep doing what I want to for however long I'm here.

From Facebook:
Whole You Health

 

[nolatom]

I think Frank's right about the quiz. They want to sell you insurance to tide you through those last ten years to 96, when you were counting on cashing out (literally) at 86.

 

[tech_diver]

Yeah, I'm not sure what's up with that quiz.. It said I'll live to be 88 as a nonsmoker but apparently, I can start smoking and still live to be 82. That just doesn't sound right...

 

[joe10540]

You could ask your doctor to wear a halter monitor for a day or two that can monitor for intermittent arrhythmias that could be dangerous if they don't resolve. You can also do a stress test and a cardiac ultrasound. Otherwise you'd be looking at more invasive procedures. There is another way though that I didn't see mentioned here that can cause spontaneous blockages either in your heart or lungs or even your brain, blood clots. DVTs can be silent killers, they are relitivly easy to avoid with a few precautions but there are also risk factors that we all do that we should avoid. Sitting for more than 4 hours straight think about long flights or drives to vacation locations, easy enough to stop and stretch the legs every few hours.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Well, actually, the owner of the dive shop my wife works at was looked at by her GP and told to get to the hospital now. As mentioned by many others, she had an Angiogram and while on the table was stinted right then and there, as they did indeed find a widowmaker in her. Once the stint was installed, the rest of her coronary arteries opened right up. This was a month ago.

What does "looked at by her GP" mean? I'm guessing it meant she already had symptoms or at least SOMETHING out of the ordinary--maybe fatigue or even just a family history, but something. What we're talking about--I think--is whether there are any extra tests the average geezer who feels perfectly fine and passes his routine annual physical (cholesterol test, etc.) can take to help gauge his risk. From what my GP told me at my annual physical a couple of weeks ago, there just aren't any tests for someone like that to take that he's even remotely likely to see the results of and say "Get to the hospital now!" As I understood what he told me, the results of a stress test or even a scan are likely to be more like "we don't see anything at the high end of what's expected for a 50-something year old man, so just keep laying off the cheeseburgers and getting out and exercising and come back next year."

Maybe, if you're Chris Farley, fan of DA BEARS, they might find something .... Bill Swerski's Super Fans

"Yeah, well the doc says, I have a small piece of Polish Sausage lodged in the lining of my heart."