1. < Heart & Blood Health

Pulmonary hypertension caused by atrial septal defect

Posted by russellb6 @russellb6, Oct 25 10:10am

In 2004 at age 58 I had surgery to repair ASD. During the following two years I trained for and completed a triathlon; mile swim, 25-mile bike, 6-mile run. I continued to train until a bike accident in 2012. After, I hiked regularly but not vigorously enough to achieve a training affect. In 2019, in response to my complaint of moderate shortness of breath my cardiologist said I'd developed pulmonary hypertension. A pulmonologist concurred. Now, my shortness of breath has worsened. Will resuming running or serious biking be helpful or harmful?

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Mentor
Debra, Volunteer Mentor | @karukgirl | Oct 25 10:55am

Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect @russellb6! I'm glad you found this online support group. First, I'd like to commend you on your amazing dedication to staying active. That is admirable and certainly worthy. Second, I have posted two links below you may find interesting. Both are from the Mayo Clinic, but there are other resources out there too.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-hypertension/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350702
https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/pulmonary-hypertension-clinic/overview/ovc-20442556
I don't have pulmonary hypertension, but I do have shortness of breath from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and even after open heart surgery, I still get it...so I understand your concern and frustration. I too am an active person and being short of breath doing things you used to be able to do is not fun!
I would definitely ask your physician about your exercise limitations. Since we are all different your exercise tolerance would be unique to your circumstances and it would be difficult, dare I say even dangerous, to give an opinion as to whether you can resume running/biking and if it could be harmful.
Hopefully another member with your condition and health status will be able to share their story with you.
Have you tried running or biking to see how you reacted, or are you waiting to learn more before you do?

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missey | @missey | Oct 26 9:54am

That is definitely a question for your doctors. Best wishes.

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Myak | @janet23 | Oct 27 11:59am

@russellb6,
I was diagnosed at Mayo Rochester in 2022 with Group 2 Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) , atrial fibrillation, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation, and aortic aneurysm.

Mayo Cardiology ordered comprehensive cardiac testing: VO2 Max (I experienced AFib after the test), Echo, ECG, and Right heart catheterization (RHC) with exercise. Dr. Barry Borloug performed my RHC and diagnosed group 2 PH and HFpEF.

Here is a reference article about PH:
https://phassociation.org/types-pulmonary-hypertension-groups/
My heart issues are stable and I am not on daily heart medications. I have "pill in the pocket meds" I take for AFib episodes, which last happened 1 year ago.

I carefully monitor my heart and oxygen level with an Apple Watch, Lookee Tech ECG, Lookee Tech Sleep Pro Oximeter (this is a continuous oximeter) and Omron Connect Blood Pressure monitor. All the data goes to the apps on my phone and then to Apple Health for reporting and trends.

I have to limit my exercise now to walking/light jog on a flat surface to keep my heart rate under 120 during exercise. Higher heart rates drop my oxygen and cause arrhythmias. I am off oxygen at home now, I was on 2L in 2020 after Covid and the shots. I finally feel well after 5 years of eating a healthy diet, physical therapy, and finding the right exercise program that my heart could tolerate.

I highly recommend seeing Cardiology at a highly rated institution, like Mayo. I return each year for annual visits. I would not have survived Covid without their excellent care.

Best of luck to you.

Update: Lookee Tech Sleep Pro oximeter continuously records your oxygen level, uploads the data to the ViHealth app on your phone, alarms when your oxygen level drops below 90. I use my Apple Watch and Oximeter during my walk. I also check my ECG every mile with the 3 lead version on the Lookee Tech ECG
Screen shots attached.

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crazykbl | @crazykbl | Oct 27 4:20pm

I like that they did WO2 exercise test and did all the testing on you? Did it on me about 10 years ago or 12 years ago and they said I had pulmonary retention and some different stuff I came back to Colorado to UC help and the doctors seem to pay no attention to that they do a echo every couple of years and they don’t and they said the Mayo Clinic doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

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Myak | @janet23 | Oct 27 10:46pm

When you have pulmonary hypertension (PH) and heart failure, you feel short of breath at times. My oxygen level is normal at rest, but it drops with exercise or exertion.

I have attached screen shots of my indoor walk/jog today. I started light jogging my first mile and my oximeter vibrated on my thumb to alert me that my oxygen level dropped below 90%; I set 90% as my threshold in the ViHealth app to alert me. My heart rate spiked over 120 (AFib trigger point for me)
I started doing correct breathing and my oxygen still remained low. After one mile , I slowed down and my oxygen increased to over 90%. Leaning to breathe correctly with correct posture is important when exercising with heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. Several years ago, I needed to exercise with oxygen. Slowly, I improved over the years. I now walk/jog inside my home 4-5 miles most days with an average heart rate of 110 and oxygen level average of 93%. Some days are better than others. If I can't keep my oxygen level over 90% by slowing down, I stop. The heart muscle needs a good supply of oxygen .

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