From the Heart- Tips for Going to the Mountains With a CHD + Some Updates!
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Hi everyone! I am dedicating this post to being a from the heart post!
For me, summertime is synonymous with traveling to the mountains. After all, the weather is warm, the lake is cool, and the hiking trails are begging for visitors. So even though I have a CHD (read more about it here), I will not be hindered from going to the mountains!
To preface this post, I will say that just because you have a CHD does not automatically mean that you are cleared to go to the mountains. When in doubt, always check with your doctor.
When I was very little, I couldn't go to the mountains because my heart had not been "fixed" enough. After a few heart surgeries, I was cleared to go to the mountains! Below are my tips for going to the mountains with a CHD.
1. Don't Go to an Overly High Elevation
The higher the altitude, the thinner the air. A lot of people with CHD's have lower oxygenation levels than most people (for me, that is mid 90's rather than 99 or 100. Believe me- it makes a difference!). Therefore, their hearts and lungs are working harder than those of others, so going to the mountains is even a little more work. By all means, go to the mountains, just be mindful of the elevation.
2. Don't Go to the Middle of Nowhere
This is not to be pessimistic or anything, but it's important to know that should a cardiac emergency occur while you are in the mountains, there is a hospital nearby. This is not being paranoid; it's being cautious.
3. Don't Go Alone
That way should something happen, you have someone who can help you. Also, the more the merrier 😉!
4. Don't Stay Forever
Obviously I don't mean this literally; all I'm saying is that you should go the mountains for a time that your body can tolerate; I don't usually stay more than 4 days or so but that's just me.
5. Don't Push Yourself and Stay Hydrated
If you have a CHD, chances are you're body is working harder at the higher elevation already, so take it easy. I learned this the hard way. A little less than a year ago, I went to the mountains. My first day there, I went swimming in the lake and felt fine. A few hours later, a group of people and I were singing around the campfire and I started to feel a little short of breath. I checked my heart rate monitor and it said that my resting heart rate was about 140 beats per minute, about twice as fast as normal. I decided to wait a few minutes and then check it again. When I checked it again, my heart rate had not slowed down, so I notified a counselor there. Thankfully, there was a doctor at the camp and by God's grace my heart rate slowed down to normal after about 45 minutes of laying down and drinking lots of water. I do not share this story to scare you but to remind you that if you have a CHD, it's good to be vigilant about not pushing yourself while in the mountains and make sure that you drink extra water to help make pumping blood easier for your heart 💓!
So that's that. Now I have a question to ask you. For those of my readers who have a pacemaker, have you ever gotten to see it in an x-ray? I did the other day and it was really cool! It was actually pretty funny because the x-ray tech asked what it was because he was not expecting it. I should have told him that I swallowed it 😜! Boy, would that have given him a scare 😆! Anyways, seeing it made me appreciate even more how God has used very intelligent people to create life-saving medical devices like pacemakers. I wouldn't be able to live a happy and healthy life without it!
Lastly, remember when I told you about how I would get to meet a girl around my age with HLHS? Well, I am happy to announce that it's going to happen this summer 😃!! I've been texting with this young lady and we are both excited to meet each other! I will let you know about how are meeting goes!
Bye everybody!
4. Don't Stay Forever
Obviously I don't mean this literally; all I'm saying is that you should go the mountains for a time that your body can tolerate; I don't usually stay more than 4 days or so but that's just me.
5. Don't Push Yourself and Stay Hydrated
If you have a CHD, chances are you're body is working harder at the higher elevation already, so take it easy. I learned this the hard way. A little less than a year ago, I went to the mountains. My first day there, I went swimming in the lake and felt fine. A few hours later, a group of people and I were singing around the campfire and I started to feel a little short of breath. I checked my heart rate monitor and it said that my resting heart rate was about 140 beats per minute, about twice as fast as normal. I decided to wait a few minutes and then check it again. When I checked it again, my heart rate had not slowed down, so I notified a counselor there. Thankfully, there was a doctor at the camp and by God's grace my heart rate slowed down to normal after about 45 minutes of laying down and drinking lots of water. I do not share this story to scare you but to remind you that if you have a CHD, it's good to be vigilant about not pushing yourself while in the mountains and make sure that you drink extra water to help make pumping blood easier for your heart 💓!
So that's that. Now I have a question to ask you. For those of my readers who have a pacemaker, have you ever gotten to see it in an x-ray? I did the other day and it was really cool! It was actually pretty funny because the x-ray tech asked what it was because he was not expecting it. I should have told him that I swallowed it 😜! Boy, would that have given him a scare 😆! Anyways, seeing it made me appreciate even more how God has used very intelligent people to create life-saving medical devices like pacemakers. I wouldn't be able to live a happy and healthy life without it!
Lastly, remember when I told you about how I would get to meet a girl around my age with HLHS? Well, I am happy to announce that it's going to happen this summer 😃!! I've been texting with this young lady and we are both excited to meet each other! I will let you know about how are meeting goes!
Bye everybody!
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