A couple of weeks ago I had an appointment with a doctor to have a checkup after losing so much weight. The results of the checkup were good, except for one thing – my heart. The doctor was concerned because my heart rate is very slow. I knew it was slow before I went to the doctor, because I have been testing my blood pressure regularly, and I always get a low pulse reading. I just attributed it to the fact that I’ve lost 90 pounds and started running. I figured that the running had strengthened my heart, and that losing the weight meant that my now-stronger heart has less work to do. My doctor had a different take on it. She said that while runners do have a lower heart rate, she has never seen one as low as mine.
According to my doctor and the American Heart Association, the average resting heart rate of an adult is 60-100 beats per minute (bpm), while an athlete’s resting heart rate is around 50-60 bpm.
My heart rate: 38-42 bpm.
My doctor was concerned enough to refer me to a cardiologist, and I had that appointment today.
When I got to the cardiologist’s office, the nurse told me that she was going to do an EKG. I told her that my heart rate today was about 42. She gave me a look of disbelief and hooked me up to the EKG machine. After a minute or so of the machine doing its thing, the nurse said, “Oh!” Sure enough, my heart rate was 42. The nurse asked me how I managed to walk into the office today without fainting. I told her I felt fine. She went to get the doctor.
The doctor came in and said that my heart rate was really low (thanks…), and then proceded to run down a laundry list of possible symptoms related to a low pulse. I didn’t have any of the symptoms he was looking for, so next he ordered a stress test. The nurse hooked me up to another machine and told me to lay on a bed while she did a few preliminary EKG’s to make sure the machine was reading correctly. Since I was resting on the bed, my heart rate fell to 38 bpm. She told me that the purpose of the stress test was to see if my heart rate elevates normally to 85% of my max heart rate, and then returns normally. I got on the treadmill and started at a whopping 1.7 mph, with a 6% incline. The nurse said that it takes about 9 minutes for most people to complete the test. I told the nurse that I run about 20 miles per week, and I run on the Petersburg National Battlefield, which is a very hilly trail/road. 15 minutes later I was at around 5mph with an incline of 17% when my heart rate got high enough to hit the 85%. When we stopped the test, they had me sit back on the bed, and within a minute or two my heart rate was back around 42 bpm.
The doctor told me that my stress test went fine, that my heart rate elevated and lowered normally, but he wanted me to come back in an hour and have an ultrasound done on my heart.
When I went in for the ultrasound, my wife came with me. She got to go in with me during the procedure, and we both thought it was really cool to get to see my heart. After the ultrasound, the doctor came in to talk to us about the results, and he said that my heart is fine. It is working normally, and I am well conditioned. He said that I’ve been checked for any condition that might be causing my heart to beat so slowly, and I test normal for everything. According to the doctor, I happen to have a slow pulse, but I’m perfectly healthy and should keep doing what I’m doing. He said to come back in one year to follow up and make sure that everything still looks good.
Bottom line: my heart is a lean, mean, pumping machine, and I am in great health. Huzzah.
{ 14 comments }
