Stiff Heart - diastolic heart failure

@contentandwell

Given your family history you must feel very grateful for a good heart! Since your transplant you have been so diligent about a healthy lifestyle, so that might keep your heart in better shape. Good for you!

@sammysky When did you have your by pass? I had a triple by pass in 1996 up till now Ive been fine but just started feeling some discomfort but Now have a touchy stomach so don't know which it is I did view what Theresa sent ,informative.

So this year for me has been VERY challenging, lost 2 grandparents a week apart, my 64yo dad to Early Onset Alzheimers, Drama with Family about what was best for my dad, but I made the hard decisions that was best for him, a sister that did not help (parents divorced by the way), etc etc etc. Anxiety like I've NEVER experienced before that manifested in many bad ways and has continued to persist, however has gotten much better with time and Grief Counseling.

A little about me, I'm a 35 yo old healthy male, 2 young kids, system engineer for a living and Pretty Active Volunteer Fireman. I exercise 5 days a week, run 5Ks, can do 100+ flights of stairs on the Stair Machine, Like an Escalator and yesterday I actually rode my first Century Bike Ride (103 hilly miles).

Ok, so why am I here. I have a history of costochondritis, but that manifests in bad ways. I've had chest discomfort this past year but very much attributed it to the anxiety I was feeling, actually working out made it and the anxiety go away for a period of time.

Well I've been TRAINING really hard for this Century ride, I mean 5-8 hours of pretty intense cycling a week, heart rate over ~ 155-170, with no issues, lots of pushups, etc. Had some discomfort put palpating sternum I would feel it, so figured it was Costo.

I decided to get a checkup with cardiologist, since my family Hx kind of sucks. I got a CT Calcium Score, results is 0 (great!). I do a nuclear stress test, end up on treadmill for 13 minutes before HR hits 185, everything perfect, or at least nothing was said about the results. I get an echo, and she tells me my heart function is perfect, BUT showing mild stiffness which she normally starts seeing at 50ish + not 35, but its very mild and she's not worried about it. Do century ride, resume normal activities, lets do another echo in a year. She did say last echo did now show it.

Now, MY very very trusted Doctor said I have to tell you, but I'm not worried, and if you were my kid I would NOT worry, and told me not to worry...but guess what, I'm worrying about it. its my nature this year I guess, worry about everything.

I just did my century ride and killed it, 103 miles, 4200 feet of elevation, and I averaged almost 16.3 MPH....I was tired, but that's it. No chest pain, no syncope episodes ever, etc.

Should I be worried? Am I stressing over nothing? Can endurance training manifest in weird ways on an ECHO, doctor said it could but we would check in a year. What about doing echo after stress test? HR was still elevated and I was pretty hyped up!

I'm sure the stuff that is posted here I sound a bit like an idiot, but can't shake the feeling.

She gave me the thumbs up to do a 100 mile endurance bike ride, she would NOT have if something was up. I don't have clarification on "Mild Stiffness" other than those words. I did Google (shame on me), terrible idea! She did say discomfort was musculoskeletal. Actually writing this out to a forum, first time I've done it, AFTER seen the doctor and all the "make sure all is ok tests" make me feel like I'm being paranoid over 1 thing that an echo shows when everything else is perfect.

Welcome to Connect, @jwoj. I want to assure you that you are not being "paranoid"– naturally, you have a lot of questions (without answers) and you aren't sure about what lies ahead.
You may also notice that I moved your post to this existing discussion about heart stiffness, as I thought it would be beneficial for you to be introduced to the many members who have discussed much of what you are experiencing.
When you click VIEW & REPLY in your email notification, you will see the whole discussion and can join in, meet, and participate with other members.

Stiff heart or diastolic dysfunction means that your heart (ventricles) is having trouble relaxing between beats which limits the amount of blood the ventricles can collect for the next heartbeat, and the heart has to work harder. This can happen when the heart muscle is overworked and "bulks up" (just like arm muscles would if you lifted weights), or the heart muscle becomes less flexible – a normal physiologic change with age. https://www.healio.com/cardiology/learn-the-heart/cardiology-review/topic-reviews/diastolic-dysfunction

Here are two published studies about the role of echocardiography in the evaluation of athletes, which I hope will provide some answers:
– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516021/
– https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cce2.65

@jwoj, what concerns you most about the echo findings?

@kanaazpereira I didn't "see" the echo nor do I want too, I think just the fact that SOMETHING wasn't within normal numbers is whats bothering me. I have absolutely ramped up training since about July 30, so only 9-10 weeks, but I pushed hard in preparation for the race. I guess I was hoping to leave the doctors with a thumbs up, not a "hey I saw this, but its mild and don't worry about it, but I had to tell you...lets see again in a year." Exercising the "muscle" would certainly explain it, I just need to stick with that, stay off google, put faith in doctor and live my life.

@Contantandwell Hi just rereading post Yes I had a bypass surgery 3new arteries from my leg Im now 23 yrs into my re,-birth I told my son I have another birthday on Feb 18 coming up next year 24

@lioness we are so fortunate to live in a time when there have been so many medical advances, and to live in a country where the best medical care is available.
Your bypass surgery sounds amazing. Being given a reprieve really does totally change a person’s perspective.
JK

@Contantandwell yes it does I appreciate life more dont worry about anything I look at life with joy every day .

Anyone else been diagnosed with a stiff heart what does it mean how do you get it

Hello @harmonybentley and welcome to Mayo Connect,

I am glad that you mentioned this topic. Yes, stiff heart, is a rather unusual term. It can also be known as diastolic dysfunction. This is something that I have as well. There are different reasons for it. In my case, it is related to valvular disease (aortic valve). Here is link from Mayo's website about this, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-valve-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353727.

Here is some information from the American Heart Association about the term, stiff heart, https://www.heart.org/en/search?searchText=Stiff+heart

While stiff heart does sound like a very ominous disorder, it's not all that bad. It depends a lot on your ejection fraction (EF). You can find out what your EF is by looking at your echocardiogram report. While I've had diastolic dysfunction for well over 20 years, my EF is still high so I don't have any serious symptoms like edema (swelling) in the extremities. I do, however, get very tired after exercise.

There are great meds to help the heart function better when it is stiff and not pumping the way it should. ACE Inhibitors are very good, I take one a day. Also, beta blockers are good as they keep the heart rate from getting too high. I take one of those as well.

@harmonybentley, How long ago were you diagnosed with "stiff heart"? What type of heart-related symptoms do you have, i.e, shortness of breath, swelling of hands, feet, pain, fatigue when you exercise, etc.? Are you taking any meds now?