Ok, here's the skinny.
I was diagnosed with HOCM when I was 14, after two years echos, stress tests, holters, and of course the ever-so-pleasant cardiac cath!
I was banned from all high school sports. This made me a VERY bitter young man. I still went to all the tryouts, each time the coach would pull me aside and ask me to leave.
In college though, I moved 1000 miles away, being 17, I chose NOT to tell anyone about HCM, and lo and behold I was a walk-on starting in left-field on the baseball team! FINALLY!
The sports credo runs deep in my family. My father had played for the Vikings, my brother Joe was asked out of a D II school to come tryout for the Arizona Cardinals...but he didn't have the confidence to go.
So, to be the one, who could but shouldn't play made me madder than ****. So, I played through college.
After college baseball, I quit lifting but kept eating and smoking and I ballooned up to 230 lbs. I was a house! I parted streets as I walked down them. Not proud of this. People thought I might trip and turn into some out of control bowling ball and knock 'em over like pins!
While I was teaching, I decided to quit smoking, but the only thing that could keep me from smoking was RUNNING.
So I ran, ran ran until I dropped all the way down to 165 lbs. Took me about three months! But I had quit smoking right!
Well, I was cleared by my cardiologist, at Barnes-Jewish, a hospital I trust very much, to not only run, but to light lifting, and continued participation in kenpo, (karate).
Last year I had an ICD put in. My life was turned upside down. It really has just been emotional rather than physical though. Thinking that I'm going to die, blah blah blah. I'm 26, everyone talks and makes reference to Len Byas, who was 27....oh no, am i going to die?
But isn't that case, over-glorified because he was such a high-profile person? The reality is, sudden-death is sudden-death. According to several studies, almost 80% of 'sudden-death' deaths, happened during NON_AROBIC activity. So why the scare factor.
And even if, my heart is to stop, isn't that why I got the ICD? An ICD that was only recommended as 'insurance policy' and not a necessity! Is a little jogging really putting myself at risk?
Well I hope someone responds, I will check this after my St. Patricks day race her in Philadelphia. Registration is in 15 minutes and I'm going to run 3 miles. Like I do. Everyday.
I was diagnosed with HOCM when I was 14, after two years echos, stress tests, holters, and of course the ever-so-pleasant cardiac cath!
I was banned from all high school sports. This made me a VERY bitter young man. I still went to all the tryouts, each time the coach would pull me aside and ask me to leave.
In college though, I moved 1000 miles away, being 17, I chose NOT to tell anyone about HCM, and lo and behold I was a walk-on starting in left-field on the baseball team! FINALLY!
The sports credo runs deep in my family. My father had played for the Vikings, my brother Joe was asked out of a D II school to come tryout for the Arizona Cardinals...but he didn't have the confidence to go.
So, to be the one, who could but shouldn't play made me madder than ****. So, I played through college.
After college baseball, I quit lifting but kept eating and smoking and I ballooned up to 230 lbs. I was a house! I parted streets as I walked down them. Not proud of this. People thought I might trip and turn into some out of control bowling ball and knock 'em over like pins!
While I was teaching, I decided to quit smoking, but the only thing that could keep me from smoking was RUNNING.
So I ran, ran ran until I dropped all the way down to 165 lbs. Took me about three months! But I had quit smoking right!
Well, I was cleared by my cardiologist, at Barnes-Jewish, a hospital I trust very much, to not only run, but to light lifting, and continued participation in kenpo, (karate).
Last year I had an ICD put in. My life was turned upside down. It really has just been emotional rather than physical though. Thinking that I'm going to die, blah blah blah. I'm 26, everyone talks and makes reference to Len Byas, who was 27....oh no, am i going to die?
But isn't that case, over-glorified because he was such a high-profile person? The reality is, sudden-death is sudden-death. According to several studies, almost 80% of 'sudden-death' deaths, happened during NON_AROBIC activity. So why the scare factor.
And even if, my heart is to stop, isn't that why I got the ICD? An ICD that was only recommended as 'insurance policy' and not a necessity! Is a little jogging really putting myself at risk?
Well I hope someone responds, I will check this after my St. Patricks day race her in Philadelphia. Registration is in 15 minutes and I'm going to run 3 miles. Like I do. Everyday.

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