Back in the Water

[paulgould]

Yesterday I went back to the Gurnard Pines swimming pool where I had my cardiac arrest 9 months ago.
Firstly I wanted to get in the water again to overcome any apprehension I had, and secondly wanted to see the one lifeguard who I hadn't had the opportunity to personally thank for rescuing me that day.
I managed to achieve both goals - I had a lovely swim, wasn't at all nervous and felt like I had never been out of the water - I did 40 relaxed lengths (1000m).
I also got to see the lifeguard, Sarah, and it6 was great to be able to finally thank her in person.

I am contemplating a swimming membership at my local pool as I enjoyed the swim so much - unfortunately Gurnard Pines is no longer my local pool as I have moved.

Paul G

[Draggon]

Great to hear that, Paul! I'm glad you had a good time in the water and were able to thank your benefactor.

[webberg]

Wait - cardiac arrest?

[paulgould]

Wait - cardiac arrest?

Yes, had a cardiac arrest while swimming on Friday 13 March - the lifeguards were magnificent - gave me CPR for 20 minutes until the paramedics got my heart restarted, and they saved my life.
Had a pacemaker/defibrillator implanted in my chest and have made a full recovery and am getting back to full strength.

Paul G

[webberg]

That is sobering Paul.

I've always thought of you as a very fit and strong man with power and times on the rower that are way beyond my reach and therefore something that I can aspire to but probably never reach.

I've always tried to get and stay fit and have spent more hours than I care to count on CV machines, bikes, running, swimming (I used to go with a mate and we'd do a mile a day). Partly this is rehab/strength/tone for various knee and back problems but I had always reckoned on a side effect being a healthy heart.

Given your determination and focus I'm sure you'll come back stronger than ever and I wish you well - very well - in the future.

[paulgould]

Thanks Ron and Graham for the kind words.
Unfortunately my heart condition is not curable(atrial fibrillation) but can be effectively managed by medication, and the ICD which I had implanted.
One of the medications I am on is Beta Blockers which reduce your heart rate so I don't do anything anaerobic. My condition, and the medication to manage it, informs the way I train and I concentrate on strength - I do believe that I am fairly strong(for my age anyway) and that helped me overcome this last incident.I am also making an effort to keep my weight down so that I place less strain on my heart.
I seem to be a bit like a cat in that I appear to have nine lives, but I have used up 4 already so have to be a bit more careful

Paul G

[Wolfmiester]

Great news Paul, I imagine thanking the lifeguard was special.

Afib is incurable? Could I be confusing another type of Fibrillation?
I had a procedure a few yrs back for Afib (ablation) which luckily fixed my problem (statistically its roughly 50/50 success rate).
Medication was another option, but I opted for surgery.
Just interested, maybe we are all different (and it certainly looks like your management method is working just fine!) and as I say there are probably variations of Afib too.

[paulgould]

Hi Steve

I imagine there are different types of AF - I was never considered suitable for ablation and have been on medication since 2011 when I had a DVT and scarring was found on my heart.At this point the doctors concluded that a previous bout of myocarditis(2003) was in fact mis-diagnosed and had in fact been an MI(probably caused by AF) and that I had had 8 years of a chronically under-performing heart(perfectly illustrated by my rubbish erg scores in that period ).
Fortunately, since my CA, some of my medication has changed. I now have an oral anti-coagulant instead of Warfarin, a new diuretic and increased Beta-blockers, which all seem to be working well, so while I won't be re-writing the erg record books I am keeping healthy and able to use the machine without any trepidation.

Paul G

[Wolfmiester]

Thanks for the info Paul, genuinely interesting. All those long training sessions and ultra marathon rows were achieved despite all that then
The body is an amazing thing, not to mention modern medicine.
I had SVT, which was my first ablation, which is when they discovered the AF.
Funny old world

[paulgould]

Yes I know of ablation for SVT , as my daughters partner has the condition - didn’t know it was a treatment for AF too . I’m starting to do a lot of reading about cardiology - it is good to be as informed as possible.
Regarding the long distance stuff - I’ve always been drawn to that even though I am more physically suited to power and sprinting events- as you said , funny old world

Paul G

[webberg]

It is incredible how our understanding of the body and its complex mechanisms has advanced and treatments come out of that.

My Dad (coming up 90) has AF and is on a cocktail of blood thinners and the like. They did a "reset" which worked for a while but may need to do again tho. They will not do a pacemaker as his age makes the procedure more risky.

I started trying to be an athlete in my very early teens. I was a decent sprinter and long jumper but my heart was in football. Anyway the hours of interval training and the like left me with a very low resting heart rate - even now it's perhaps 42 to 45.

In theory therefore I should be able to hold a low heart rate for long distances and be decent at the endurance stuff. I'm not.

I think therefore Paul, to achieve what you have with a heart condition is a testament to your mental strength and determination. May it continue long into the future.

[paulgould]

It is incredible how our understanding of the body and its complex mechanisms has advanced and treatments come out of that.

My Dad (coming up 90) has AF and is on a cocktail of blood thinners and the like. They did a "reset" which worked for a while but may need to do again tho. They will not do a pacemaker as his age makes the procedure more risky.

I started trying to be an athlete in my very early teens. I was a decent sprinter and long jumper but my heart was in football. Anyway the hours of interval training and the like left me with a very low resting heart rate - even now it's perhaps 42 to 45.

In theory therefore I should be able to hold a low heart rate for long distances and be decent at the endurance stuff. I'm not.

I think therefore Paul, to achieve what you have with a heart condition is a testament to your mental strength and determination. May it continue long into the future.

Kind of you to say so , Graham, but in my case it was "ignorance is bliss".
TBH, between 2006 (when I joined FS) and 2011 I was unaware that I had any prevailing health condition, other than the obvious mental aberration that led me to spend 24 hours in a god-forsaken golf club in the company of Plummy and Spikeola .

Paul G

[webberg]

Equally I seem to recall an afternoon at Twickenham watching England get hammered by SA and even enjoying a few beverages afterwards?

[paulgould]

Equally I seem to recall an afternoon at Twickenham watching England get hammered by SA and even enjoying a few beverages afterwards?

Yes - remember it well - my first opportunity to meet some FS'ers in the flesh - you, Wolfie and Thomas, AND SA 42 - Eng 6 - almost as good as last year's final!!

Paul G

[stumpy]

Small world isn't it had a weeks holiday at Gurnard summer of 2019 also a few visits to Gurnard dingy week over the years