Enlarged Heart

[jcshack]

My last checkup with a doctor he said I had an enlarged heart. My heart was oversized before I had open heart surgery to plug a hole between the chambers that I had from the day I was born. The dr's said as soon as they plugged it it shrunk to the size it was supposed to be, this is when I was 19. About 3 months ago I had my heart checked out just to be safe and he said my heart appeared a little enlarged but not to worry and that he'd just keep an eye on it.

Anyone else have this "enlarged heart" and if you worry or do anything about it?

[LightWeightBaby]

AAS use can cause an enlarged heart

[Ammar]

I dont know about all of you, but if I had an "enlarged" heart I would avoid AAS. I dont know if this is what you want to hear or not but I am assuming it is cuz its in the Steroid Question area. Again, I am not being an ass in any way but if you are considering AAS, talk to your doctor about it first brother.

[Mr.Burns]

I dont know about all of you, but if I had an "enlarged" heart I would avoid AAS. I dont know if this is what you want to hear or not but I am assuming it is cuz its in the Steroid Question area. Again, I am not being an ass in any way but if you are considering AAS, talk to your doctor about it first brother.

I second that.

[Sorken]

have you used or are you using ASS ??

[956Vette]

AAS or not, exercise alone can thicken the heart's walls...

EXACTLY! Dont let the doc scare you. Make sure the nurse, or whoever took the xray correct also. I have had some idiot doctor tell me before that my heart was enlarged, and that i was 25lbs overweight! (he then asked me to lift my shirt, and saw my abs ...then he was quiet and buried his head in his charts) I was 6', 205lbs at around 8%bf at the time.

I have also had an idiot nurse take my bloodpressure with a small cuff...then thought i had high blood pressure! I didnt realize this at the time, and the doc even had me prescribed to meds for it! Looking back at all this really makes me mad. bottom line, take some docs opinions who are ignorant about health(shouldnt this be an oxymoron?) with a grain of salt.

[jcshack]

Most likely my enlarged heart was caused by the problem I had before that had the heart working overtime and the doc said I was lucky to be alive. Had my heart surgery at Johs Hopkins and the surgeon said he'd give my heart a 110% go because it looked great and a dr looked directly at it.

I have used AS before and just started another cycle.

[jbol]

EXACTLY! Dont let the doc scare you. Make sure the nurse, or whoever took the xray correct also. I have had some idiot doctor tell me before that my heart was enlarged, and that i was 25lbs overweight! (he then asked me to lift my shirt, and saw my abs ...then he was quiet and buried his head in his charts) I was 6', 205lbs at around 8%bf at the time.

I have also had an idiot nurse take my bloodpressure with a small cuff...then thought i had high blood pressure! I didnt realize this at the time, and the doc even had me prescribed to meds for it! Looking back at all this really makes me mad. bottom line, take some docs opinions who are ignorant about health(shouldnt this be an oxymoron?) with a grain of salt.

xray????????? you cant see a heart on a xray!......i would say no to aas.....you should not even consider

[956Vette]

xray????????? you cant see a heart on a xray!......i would say no to aas.....you should not even consider

have you ever looked at an xray of the chest?

[jbol]

have you ever looked at an xray of the chest?

yes i have and you cannot see the entire heart through an xray,you use an ekg for the heart.......you cannot possibly diagnose a heart through an xray.

[jcshack]

Saying no to aas from my situation is what you'd think is the obvious answer without having the education to really know. It's almost like saying don't run because it makes your heart beat faster. My heart is good just a "little" enlarged. If I was juicing 3 times a year, every year, then that would be stupid probably, but personally I think that's bad for anyone.

I got a buddy who had the surgery as an infant and he's done many more cycles than me, but he never goes to the doctor.

[sinista63]

yes i have and you cannot see the entire heart through an xray,you use an ekg for the heart.......you cannot possibly diagnose a heart through an xray.

yes you can... its pretty easy to pick up certain cardiomyopathies on xray.... but a solid diagnosis also requires an ekg and an echo.

[Rickson]

I do think in your case this is something I would discuss with my doctor. Normally I am hesitant to give that advice but your situation is a little different then most.

[johnsomebody]

I agree completely. From what I've read an enlarged heart happens naturally in people who are either overweight or involved in heavy regular cardio -in both cases it's adapting to increased stress.

But since you began with a congenital problem it seems to me only your doctor would know what your heart can or can't handle. (And by doctor, I'm thinking cardiologist.)

[956Vette]

I agree completely. From what I've read an enlarged heart happens naturally in people who are either overweight or involved in heavy regular cardio -in both cases it's adapting to increased stress.

But since you began with a congenital problem it seems to me only your doctor would know what your heart can or can't handle. (And by doctor, I'm thinking cardiologist.)

Youre doc should know whats best for you. I would urge you to go ahead and get two opinions though. I have had a terrible cardiologist in the past...didnt know an aorta from an ass crack.
Best of luck

[cb25]

I agree completely. From what I've read an enlarged heart happens naturally in people who are either overweight or involved in heavy regular cardio -in both cases it's adapting to increased stress.

But since you began with a congenital problem it seems to me only your doctor would know what your heart can or can't handle. (And by doctor, I'm thinking cardiologist.)

I've actually read a bunch of studies that compared weightlifters using AS with those not using AS, and also compared to non-athletes. The majority of articles showed no significant difference in the amount of heart enlargements between the weightlifting groups...however, the non-athletes had more normal sized hearts. They controlled for other lifestyle issues as well as body composition (in some of the studies)...basically the take home message was that weight training can lead to an enlarged heart, and in most cases, AS will not exacerbate this condition significantly.

jc...good decision on talking to your cardiologist...sounds like this guy knows his stuff and is pretty good. Good luck with everything.

[BigBoy21]

jbol I think is exactly right !!! Stay away from AAS in my opinion... I would want The forum DOC to read this. Iam pre-med (which really doesnt mean anything until med school), I dont know as much as the forum Doc, but I read about Cardiomyopathy and its a seroius issue. But like someone here said already any athlete could have a heart larger than normal because they put a lot of workload on it. How many ounces is it, do you know ??? Do you have shortness of breath ? Anyway, I wouoldnt take the chance, but it looks like you'v done 3 cycles after your surgery. atleast you stay away from HGH...

[jbol]

one more thing jcshack and sp1,although i really believe cardio is a good thing,if you are on aas, i would take it easy on the cardio.it is controversial whether cardio is good on aas or not,givin your conditions i would try to take it easy if on aas, also would take it easy on stimulants(clen,ephedrine,ect.).........JMO good luck bros