Reminder to take care of your heart

I’ve been on AAS for about 7 years now, I’m 28. I did a lot of blast and cruise younger but lately have been content with just cruising on about 300 a week total.

looking into a condition I have called SVT which I had since I was a little kid I’ve found that I already have some mild left ventricle hypertrophy. Nothing serious now but could absolutely become serious if I decided to continue abusing tren or running high doses again.

do your cardio and drink your fucking water and keep your diet clean. Don’t blast ridiculous doses for long periods. There’s been kind of a Scary amount of members of this forum who have died since I got here. Take care of your heart.

My brother in law just had a heart attack at 50. He isn't a lifter or user of gear.

But just shows you that it can happen.

Friend of mine lost his dad at 42 from a heart attack.

Stop with the fucking bacon and egg sandwhiches.

Does cardio help LVH when you are blasting? I always wondered if it might make it worse . . . I do cardio, but I am still asking.

The irony of what guys focus on with health when using AAS is astounding.

There is such a focus on the liver, it is all about the liver. The liver is the one organ you have that regenerates itself. You can hammer your liver and come back completely normal and healthy with your liver.

Yet no one talks about or gives one thought about their cardiovascular system or kidney health, both affected by AAS and nether of those can be repaired by themselves.

Great post by OP, hopefully it will help others reconsider priorities when using AAS.

malfeasance said:

Does cardio help LVH when you are blasting? I always wondered if it might make it worse . . . I do cardio, but I am still asking.

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I believe exercise reduces wall thickness minimally. Id have to double check.

I guess it couldn't hurt unless, BP did not improve with the added cardio and would only compound the issue.

Montego1 said:

I believe exercise reduces wall thickness minimally. Id have to double check.

I guess it couldn't hurt unless, BP did not improve with the added cardio and would only compound the issue.

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Weight lifting will increase thickness while cardio will thin them out. Marathoners have extremely thin heart muscles. But yes if bp doesn’t improve I’m not sure how much cardio would help.

These folks were out of shape or overweight with lvh.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12076231/

And this is why i made the conscious decision of paying for a yearly echocardiogram.

Last one was clear, fingers crossed hopefully the next one in 8 months time will be.

The cardiovascular system seems to be the highest risk in AAS users. Sure the liver and kidneys are no joke but the cardiovascular system seems to be what proves fatal for most. So the $400 a year for an echo really is nothing.

With all the peptides I'm going to be running this year i will also be paying for a full body MRI next year.

Yes, I'm a hypochondriac

PinzProp said:

And this is why i made the conscious decision of paying for a yearly echocardiogram.

Last one was clear, fingers crossed hopefully the next one in 8 months time will be.

The cardiovascular system seems to be the highest risk in AAS users. Sure the liver and kidneys are no joke but the cardiovascular system seems to be what proves fatal for most. So the $400 a year for an echo really is nothing.

With all the peptides I'm going to be running this year i will also be paying for a full body MRI next year.

Yes, I'm a hypochondriac

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Interesting. How do you go about doing this? Did you just look on the internet, or ask your doctor, Hey, can I get an echocardiogram, or what?

malfeasance said:

Interesting. How do you go about doing this? Did you just look on the internet, or ask your doctor, Hey, can I get an echocardiogram, or what?

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I book directly through a private hospital in the U.K. works out the equivalent of about $400 for an echocardiogram. $1500 for a full body mri.

But honestly I feel the echocardiogram is one of the most important tests for AAS users.

Doubt your doctor would do them yearly. They always need a good reason before they will refer for testing. And a good reason is never a preventative measure. Think your doc would have to suspect endocarditis or another serious cardiovascular condition before they would refer.

Easier just to do it yourself! $400 is worth it for me if it means I can catch something before it becomes serious.

PinzProp said:

I book directly through a private hospital in the U.K. works out the equivalent of about $400 for an echocardiogram. $1500 for a full body mri.

But honestly I feel the echocardiogram is one of the most important tests for AAS users.

Doubt your doctor would do them yearly. They always need a good reason before they will refer for testing. And a good reason is never a preventative measure. Think your doc would have to suspect endocarditis or another serious cardiovascular condition before they would refer.

Easier just to do it yourself! $400 is worth it for me if it means I can catch something before it becomes serious.

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In the us just find a walk in emergency clinic and complain of chest pain high bp headache and left arm pain...... you will get the whole works covered by insurance if you have it.

I get an echo done once a year.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned getting a nuclear stress test. It can help to diagnose a heart condition by giving vital information including the size of the heart chambers, how well the heart is pumping blood, if there is any heart damage, and if there is any blockage or narrowing of the coronary arteries that provide blood to the heart. I've had 3 done about 3 years apart.

jerseydevil said:

I get an echo done once a year.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned getting a nuclear stress test. It can help to diagnose a heart condition by giving vital information including the size of the heart chambers, how well the heart is pumping blood, if there is any heart damage, and if there is any blockage or narrowing of the coronary arteries that provide blood to the heart. I've had 3 done about 3 years apart.

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Do you do this through insurance D?

I have never had a heart scan, haven't thought about it really dumb on my part, either.

I would think typically Dr 's won't send you to have it done unless there's a need not to mention insurance paying for it.

Still being young, I wouldn't think a Dr would just ok it without reason.

What cha think?

Montego1 said:

Do you do this through insurance D?

I have never had a heart scan, haven't thought about it really dumb on my part, either.

I would think typically Dr 's won't send you to have it done unless there's a need not to mention insurance paying for it.

Still being young, I wouldn't think a Dr would just ok it without reason.

What cha think?

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That was my exact issue.

Couple years ago i started experiencing chest pain on and off. Shortness of breathe and my heart rate would randomly hit 140-160 at random intervals in the day.

Gone to the doctors and was told its next to impossible that i have heart issues at such a young age. But if i experience it again to go to the ER.

2 days later i was in the ER with the same thing. At the ER the doctor basically told me it was impossible that i was having a heart attack in my twenties. But she would order an ECG anyway.

Then they sent me home and said if it happens again return.

3 days later i was back in the ER with the same problem. They ordered extra bloods, another ECG then sent me home... Again told, if this happens come straight back.

A week later i was in again for the third time with the same complaints. This time they wrote to my doctor and suggested she send me for an echocardiogram to rule out conditions which wouldn't show on an ECG such as endocarditis.

Seen my doc, she finally ordered a damn echocardiogram.

All came back clear. She done a follow up and diagnosed me with a partial RBBB and said i was experiencing bouts of tachycardia because of a combination of smoking, asthma medication and possibly due to a strange reaction to Metronidazole. Put me on verapamil and called it a day.

Quit smoking shortly after and all this just faded away. Not had an issue for a long time now and the RBBB wasn't detected on ECG's after i quit the smoking, fingers crossed! but i always pay for yearly echocardiograms privately....

The moral of all this story. Told multiple times by docs that you can't have a heart attack in your 20s. Turned away multiple times, and i had to really fight to get a damn echo through my GP.

Hopefully you don't have the same issue. If you do, shop around online. Plus its far quicker too book directly. Even after being told i may have endocarditis i still had to wait 4 weeks for the echo through my GP!

Montego1 said:

Do you do this through insurance D?

I have never had a heart scan, haven't thought about it really dumb on my part, either.

I would think typically Dr 's won't send you to have it done unless there's a need not to mention insurance paying for it.

Still being young, I wouldn't think a Dr would just ok it without reason.

What cha think?

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When you get to mid 40's to 50 a good doc will do a nuclear stress test, or a regular stress test every few years. Definitely thru insurance. The nuclear test is about $3000. They usually only do an echo if they hear a heart murmur, or suspect a problem.

jerseydevil said:

When you get to mid 40's to 50 a good doc will do a nuclear stress test, or a regular stress test every few years. Definitely thru insurance. The nuclear test is about $3000. They usually only do an echo if they hear a heart murmur, or suspect a problem.

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Yeah I've had an echo done because of my arrhythmia and they want to keep doing one every 2nd-3rd year. I'm due for one this year actually. I your for sure I'd have enlargement but they said it's 100% healthy looking the last time.

I did actually a-fib this year in the gym, went too hard on a set of bicep curls (of everything that could've caused it). Thought I had a heart attack. Pain I've never felt in my chest, couldn't breathe, pain through to my back, jaw, left shoulder and arm, lost balance and fell on a bench, couldn't hardly talk. Every symptom you've ever read about on a heart attack. Went straight to the ER where they did an EKG and checked for cardiac enzymes. My EKG showed my normal slight PVC but everything came back great, they said I'm in perfect cardiac health other than that little arrhythmia. They think I a-fibbed from going too hard and told me to take longer breaks between sets lol. Scariest thing I think I've ever been through, I thought I was done for.

The heart and kidneys are the most important ones guys. Like skip said, the liver will be fine. Take care of your heart though.

Have you guys ever heard of ViaScan? its a total body scan, it checks heart plaque but other vital organs for cancer as well, here's a link. What do you guys think? worth it or not? They advertise for $695
https://www.ksat.com/health/viascan-for-the-heart

GarlicChicken said:

The heart and kidneys are the most important ones guys. Like skip said, the liver will be fine. Take care of your heart though.

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Granted... but to ignore elevated liver values is a big mistake. I agree elevated liver values are due to oral use, and in most cases will subside after ceasing the orals. But it's clear AAS use can create liver cysts, possibly cancerous. I will agree the risk is low, but don't be stupid people.

A liver/upper GI scan can be done to check for tumors or growths.

jerseydevil said:

Granted... but to ignore elevated liver values is a big mistake. I agree elevated liver values are due to oral use, and in most cases will subside after ceasing the orals. But it's clear AAS use can create liver cysts, possibly cancerous. I will agree the risk is low, but don't be stupid people.

A liver/upper GI scan can be done to check for tumors or growths.

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Oh I totally agree. I guess I understated that pretty bad lol. I know a guy that did that to himself, ran anadrol at 100-200mg for over 2 years straight, and added other orals on top of that at times, of course on top of tons of injectables. He looked great, but he's on a handful (actual handful daily) of different meds to keep his liver working and lipids, etc. Crazy unreasonable use.

Can someone please school me on something here? They used to use the term "EKG" and now I see you guys are using the term "ECG". So are they the same thing? And doesn't "ECG" stand for echocardiogram?

Tall Deck said:

Can someone please school me on something here? They used to use the term "EKG" and now I see you guys are using the term "ECG". So are they the same thing? And doesn't "ECG" stand for echocardiogram?

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https://myheart.net/articles/echocardiogram-vs-ekg-explained-by-a-cardiologist

Tall Deck said:

Can someone please school me on something here? They used to use the term "EKG" and now I see you guys are using the term "ECG". So are they the same thing? And doesn't "ECG" stand for echocardiogram?

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No an ECG is an electrocardiogram. Basically a recording of the heart in a sort of graph format. An echocardiogram is an actual video recording of the heart. Think of an ECG like listening to the radio. And think of an echocardiogram like watching the TV.

Both are critical preventative tests in AAS using individuals.

PinzProp said:

No an ECG is an electrocardiogram. Basically a recording of the heart in a sort of graph format. An echocardiogram is an actual video recording of the heart. Think of an ECG like listening to the radio. And think of an echocardiogram like watching the TV.

Both are critical preventative tests in AAS using individuals.

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jerseydevil said:

https://myheart.net/articles/echocardiogram-vs-ekg-explained-by-a-cardiologist

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Thanks guys

For those wondering about getting a echocardiogram. I got one by going to the ER when I was really sick with what felt like the flu (they were worried about a blood clot) they did a chest X-ray and from the X-ray my heart looked slightly enlarged. This got her to order the echo which revealed my mild LVH, but apparently pretty normal for an athletes heart size.

i do 40 mins of cardio every day. Don’t think it would be wise for me to every do less than that as long as I’m using AAS

OK what do you guys think about these cardio tests. I can get five tests done for $129 out my pocket.....

https://www.lifelinescreening.com/screening-services?sourcecd=WGBL001

Other providers have that calcium screening for the heart, too. Watch "The Widowmaker" on Netflix.

Tall Deck said:

OK what do you guys think about these cardio tests. I can get five tests done for $129 out my pocket.....

https://www.lifelinescreening.com/screening-services?sourcecd=WGBL001

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Ive done those thru lifescan, they are good for the cost, usually a line of people then u sit and fill all the paper work out and pay, then they have other options u can add while ur there

I will get another one soon as well as a full body scan head to toe, i want to look at everything

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Augustine5I said:

My brother in law just had a heart attack at 50. He isn't a lifter or user of gear.

But just shows you that it can happen.

Friend of mine lost his dad at 42 from a heart attack.

Stop with the fucking bacon and egg sandwhiches.

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Not trying to be a dick but there isn’t anything wrong with eating bacon or eggs. I’m not trying to be funny but that’s bro science

Canebrake said:

Not trying to be a dick but there isn’t anything wrong with eating bacon or eggs. I’m not trying to be funny but that’s bro science

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Yep. Those nitrates in bacon are to “die” for....


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Canebrake said:

Not trying to be a dick but there isn’t anything wrong with eating bacon or eggs. I’m not trying to be funny but that’s bro science

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Not trying to be funny but have you ever pulled a full liver enzyme test after eating eggs or bacon? Of course the markers are going to change if you're not fasted but you would be surprised on how much they really change especially consuming meat or eggs... And I'm not joking..