Took a "mild" MI at age 60 as a wake-up call, and made the appropriate changes to my lifestyle. Quit smoking, quit drinking alcohol, dramatically reduced my intake of animal products, and began cycling again after a 35 year hiatus. It took a few months, but I got to where the 11 mile climb up Mt. Diablo was a regular part of my 100 miles/week. Fast forward 2 1/2 years later... Resting pulse in the low 50's, only EKG change was a slight let axis deviation, echocardiogram showed a slightly greater than normal stroke volume, normal ventricular compliance, and a wee bit of Mital regurg. My lipid and metabolic panels and CBC were textbook normal. I was in the best shape I'd ever been since adolescence and felt great.
Right up to the moment I had a complete cardiac arrest while waiting for my riding partners to show up. No warning at all, no discomfort, no dizziness, no shortness of breath or any odd sensations at all. Just blackness. Don't even remember keeling over. Turned out I'd suffered a complete occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. I was told that the survival rate for that particular type of MI is about 3%. If it happens in the field, that drops to < 1%.
I was told that the only thing besides incredible luck that allowed me to survive was being in the superb condition I was at the time of the event. The cardiac surgeon that did my subsequent by-pass grafts said that he spent a good deal of time inspecting my myocardium before taking me off bypass, and he told me he could find no gross signs of necrosis or even injury. His advice at the time was to get a follow-up cardiac echo and stress test in 2 months, and if those were normal, to go right back to what I'd been doing. They were and I did, and now I'm 73 and feeling great. Now time is a cruel mistress, so no, I don't climb worth beans any more and I don't spend as much time in excess of 25 mph as I did 7 years ago.
My point is, you can get checked 6 way for Sunday, but all the medical science in the world won't tell you anything but your odds, where you fit into their statistical models. Thing is, it's all just a mathematical construct that has absolutely no bearing on one individual at one of time. Like the rest of life, it's a craps shoot. Do what you can to stack the odds in your favor and have as good a time as you can in the process.
Last edited by bmcer; 05-12-21 at 02:43 PM.