Second Degree AV Block (Wenckenbach type)
I had a little scary last night of the year. When I went to bed the night before New Years Eve, I felt, that the rhythm of my heart wasn’t normal. It made bum-bum- -bum-bum-bum -bum-bum- It paused every two or three beats for a beat. The heartbeat was slow and some of the beats didn’t finish.
So, I took a cap and went to the hospital. They layed me down, gave me an infusion, checked everything, blood, Heart monitors. They feared that I might have a heart attack soon.
Then they said that there is indeed a delay in the heart rhythm, possibly caused by a heart attack, a heart deformation, the shingles or because I am a runner. They talked about implanting a pace-makers, putting in bypasses and stuff and keeping me under constant control for the next 24 hours.
So, I was laying in the hospital, heart monitor on, thinking about possbile consequenzes. They came to take blood samples again. Then they announced that I will have to undergo more tests. The heart rhythm was okay again.
Then a rhythm specialist came and said that he is sure that it is not a heart attack, that there is no deformation of my heart and the blood doesn’t show any signs of an infection. So he is sure that it is caused by me being a runner and having a fit and sportive heart, something called Second Degree AV Block (Wenckenbach type). Which is common up to 10% to 30% of long distance runners
He says the reaction is absolutely normal and harmless. So after a Cardiac Stress Test, which I passed extraordinary, and the clean results of blood work they let me go. And I can tell you that I am very releaved.
So, it’s a new year. And I can restart with my training. I will write at least every week, publishing my training protocol and telling you how I improve.
