It is dumping rain; a miserably cold rain exacerbated by the early-afternoon darkness of November. The windshield-wipers couldn’t keep up. In a warm car, I was rushing home to get on the trainer before dinner. Through the haze there is a blinkie up ahead. “No way,” I thought, “someone is riding home in this crap…Are they serious?”
A decision awaits.
Drive by? Or ask?
Bloggers ask.
I cracked the window just enough to ask, “pretty rough out…hey?”
From behind the rain-soaked wrappings a cold and familiar face proudly proclaims, “Hey doc, what’s up? You race CX, so I know you ride in this stuff too…I am seeing you next week.”
Wow, I thought. “Good for you, be careful.”
Days later, in the office, he tells me that I changed his life. Looking down at the chart to see whether he had an ablation, which he had not, I looked up at him. Before I could ask how, he offered…
“Months ago you told me…no one who rides a bike should be as fat as you are…You were right.”
A thinner more confident young man was before me.
“How’s your AF?” I asked, as this was the reason for the office visit.
“It is gone.”
“But we stopped your medicine; it should be worse,”
“I am different now.”
DrGupta says
November 18, 2010 at 7:01 amThat's an incredibly heart-warming story.
Prevention is truly better than cure, and lifestyle measures impact on the disease much earlier in the process than drugs/ surgery.
I don't take on patients for AF ablation if they have a BMI>40. What's the point?
Affib Rider says
November 18, 2010 at 12:21 pmI am a firm believer that even though that many studies point to extreme exercise as a cause for AF. My personal experience tells me that vigorous exercise and being fit can also counteract, or at least inhibit it as well. During my bout with AF, before my ablation, my AF would go from being somewhat problematic to completely dormant for as long as a year or more.
This correlated with my fitness fluctuations during the on and off season along with years I really made an effort to maintain a higher fitness level throughout the winter months. I also know that July and August could be problematic months for me as well if I was not diligent about hydration and electrolyte replacement.
That being said I also believe that it is a temporary fix to a permanent problem as after a while no matter how fit I became the AF just became worse.
Meneldur says
November 26, 2010 at 2:48 amWhat an emotive history.
Thanks for sharing.