BGTV8

I am now officially getting old.

On April 25, I collapsed at the dinner table with a bunch of mates whilst attending a track-day event in Sth Australia 500kms from home. I was unconscious for < 60 seconds but transported to a local hospital and observed overnight on a ECG and blood pressure machine. The hospital sent my records to my cardiologist (have been have slight issues with the ECG I am required to have annually since turning 50 for my race licence) and arranged to see him the following Monday.

He looks at the ECG from the 25th and compared to last Dec and says "there is further minor deterioration" but when he compared to 5 years ago - he says the deterioration is significant and I need a pacemaker.

The real cause of the collapse was low blood pressure (105/80) and the root cause was a slow pulse (39bpm). I've always has a slow heart rate but this is "too slow".

When your brain senses low BP, it turns the lights out to make you horizontal so your heart is not working against gravity (clever thing the brain).

So the pacemaker was installed on 7th May.

Then I get a call about 5 weeks later saying "come in the the surgery" asap, which I did.

Because the pacemaker is networked and sends summary data to the manufacturer nightly and they produce a summary of exceptions and email the cardiologist the next morning - the analysis found a 2-hour episode at Atrial Fibrillation (can allow blood to "pool" in heart chambers which can clot resulting in a stroke) so the doc says "blood thinners" for life now.

So, race licence renewal is now in doubt and SWMBO has dictated only 2 race meetings per year and everything else needs to be sprints/track days.

Bottom line - anyone over 70 is likely to experience these sorts of symptoms ..... so us "old f4rts" need to look after ourselves. My formerly 110kg self is now under 100 and heading for 85. Hopefully that reduces cardiac related risks.

Next outing will be a track day on 18th August and race event in early Nov subject to discussion with SWMBO