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Gene Simmons — the spunky Salt Lake City retiree, not the KISS frontman — couldn't figure out why his stamina was failing him. A few years ago, the 73-year-old swimmer, mountain biker and weightlifter gradually began to feel like his favorite activities were getting tougher and tougher. Hikes that were once easy strolls became grueling. But that's just what happens when we age, right?
Not necessarily, says John Ryan, M.D., a cardiologist with University of Utah Health Care.
"Oftentimes, people think 'I'm just getting older, and that's why I'm not able to do the things I want to do anymore," Ryan said. "In fact, loss of stamina may be a sign of heart problems that can be treated, and people can get back to normal."
Accepting that his mountain biking days had come to an end wasn't an option for Simmons.
"I'm only 73 — I'm still a baby," he said.
Simmons sought treatment, and, sure enough, he was diagnosed with heart failure. No one wants to hear that a vital organ is failing, but the diagnosis was a fresh start because it meant that Simmons could be treated with medications that could potentially restore much of the vigor he feared was gone forever.
"If he had been dismissive of it and threw his hands up and said 'This is my life at 70,' then he would have continued to decline, and, functionally, he would be able to do less and less to the point where he would be at risk of sudden death or hospitalization," Ryan said. "Thankfully, with treatment, his heart function improved and his functional capacity got back to normal, and he's really thriving now. It's one of those really nice instances where he had a significant disease process, which he got checked out because it didn't feel right to him, and we were able to turn him around."
Simmons is humble about his comeback: "I can only curl 50 pounds in each arm now," he said.
He said his heart failure changed his perspective.
"I just don't hurry like I used to," Simmons said. "I just take it easy and enjoy life."
In addition to medication, Ryan prescribed a dose of cycling, hiking and swimming.
"I encouraged him to get back exercising because one of the concerns that folks have when they have heart failure is that they don't want to exercise or they're scared to exercise because they think it puts too much of a strain on their heart, but it's important for many people to get back into their exercise routine."
Fatigue is one of the vaguer symptoms that hints of heart troubles. Other reasons that you'll want to pay a visit to your cardiologist include:
- Chest pain
- Leg and abdominal swelling
- Difficulty sleeping at night
- Difficulty breathing at night
- Irregular or unusual sounds (murmurs)
- Extra or skipped beats
- Family history of heart problems
- High blood pressure
- Starting a new exercise program after a period of inactivity
- High total cholesterol
- Coughing or wheezing
- History of or are currently smoking
"Chest pain is always concerning, especially if it's exertional in nature," said Ryan. "This means pain that you feel when you're walking up a hill or carrying groceries that goes away if you take a break from your walk or set down the groceries."
Some people describe it as a stabbing pain. Others feel it as tightness or pressure. Such pain is consistent with angina, which is a concern for coronary artery disease.
Ryan said there are a lot of ways to determine the health of the heart. In an exercise stress test, you'll walk or jog on a treadmill or stationary bike while a physician monitors your breathing, blood pressure and heart rhythm. Stress tests are instrumental in diagnosing coronary artery disease and arrhythmias. If your doctor believes that you may have an electrical problem with your heart, he's likely to suggest an electrocardiogram or EKG, which gives a visual representation of your heart's electrical activity in lines that spike and dip. Another option your doctor may want to utilize is wearing a heart monitor that keeps constant tabs on your heart for a few days, a month or can even be implanted under the skin for years.
Ryan hopes more people will take advantage of the available technology and treatments, and, like Simmons, get back to doing what they love most.
Are you concerned you may have a heart issue? Contact the University of Utah Health Care Cardiovascular Center at 801-585-7676.
