I had been doing pretty well in my training, but on a couple of runs my heart went a little faster than usual. To be on the safe side, I referred myself for an ECG. I took the result to my GP, who took a look, said it seemed fine, but then paused. He looked something up, drew himself a little diagram, and then looked at the results again. As someone with only junior level cardiology training, he couldn’t be quite sure what he was seeing, so he has referred me back to my cardiologist.
It’s only in 5% of cases that WPW can return. But it can, and does, return. So while I wait to find out whether or not I am one of the 5%, I have stopped running and instead would like to take the opportunity to raise awareness of this possibility.
Some heart conditions have to be lived with and carefully managed. Some can be resolved. Some are more difficult to resolve. And any undetected heart conditions can be fatal. The heart is such a vital, hardworking muscle that it is equally vital that we look after it, listen to it, and make sure it’s not affected by a heart condition, starting with the young. CRY works hard to make sure that heart conditions in young people are identified and managed early – and that’s vital in the most literal sense of the word: it saves lives.
