Is swiming safe for low ef heart

[nspower]

I have low ef (25-30%) from a MI in 2007. I have an ICD implanted which has never fired till date.I can do my regular walks 30-40 minutes and no major problem of SOB or angina. I take my regular medications. My pulse rate and bp are normal 65-70 and 110/70.

Before MI I was very fond of swimming but due to low ef doctors asked me not to swim and I did not try thereafter.

Now after almost six years when things appear to stabilize, I am wondering whether I can try swimming, very slowely low intensity?

Has anyone on the forum done this and any suggestions in this regard.

Thanks in advance.

[ed34]

You're welcome, and of course, when swimming, even gently, you use many more muscles than you do when walking. I applaud you :)

[skydnsr]

Glad it's working out.  It does sound like a five-foot deep pool with a lifeguard is about as safe as swimming can ever get.  Take it slow and easy, and enjoy.  I certainly don't believe a person should have to give up every pleasure in life, just because of a medical condition.  You're going to have to use your own good sense about where the limits are.  I hope your doctor and loved ones aren't too upset with you.  If you do it for a while without incident, and you are really enjoying it, then maybe your significant others can be okay with it.  I hope it all works out, anyway.  Good luck.

[nspower]

Many thanks for sharing your thoughts. I went for swimming for 3 days and found that it was not that bad.
First day was difficult because of anxiety and body movements different from my daily exercise and pulse went higher than my self set limits. No other problem or sob.
But next day and dayafter, it got better and that initial fear has gone. With life guard keeping an eye on me and pool not deep (only 5 feet) I think the risk part is also taken care of to a certain extent.

Once again thanks for your advice.

[ed34]

Common sense applies to all things in life. Even walking, you could have a cardiac issue and fall under a passing bus. Risks are with us all the time in life but just applying some simple and obvious measures can reduce those. Gentle swimming is no way more strenuous than walking, you are not supporting your body weight and I assumed we wasn't discussing olympic training here. Two obvious measures which come to mind are A) stay in shallow areas of the pool, don't just jump into the deep end. B) take a friend, or ask the on duty life guard at the pool to keep an eye on you. Gentle swimming to me is no more energetic than moving around on a bed to get comfortable. Increasing beta blockers will not make your heart improve for exercise, once the dosage is at the right level then further dosages will make it harder for your body to cope. When in a pool, floating on your back and gently moving your arms and legs, I really cannot see how this is more energy demanding than walking?

[skydnsr]

Okay, so the risk is that exercise can elevate your heart rate enough to precipitate a crisis such as an arrhythmia, MI, or ICD firing.  And if you were to have a crisis while you were in the water, it would be a more complicated situation, with an even higher risk of fatality due to the drowning issue, than if you were exercising on dry land.  That definitely is a dilemma.  Maybe you are going to have to limit your water recreation to floating on an inflatable and socializing, and get your exercise another way.  The problem is that if you were to run an experiment, so to speak, and it went the wrong way, it could be disastrous.  A bad outcome in that scenario could be as bad as it gets.  I just don't know that you can take the risk.  If you were to keel over on the sidewalk or on a treadmill, that's one thing.  In a pool, that's something else.  You could sink to the bottom before anyone could get to you.  And I don't know that anybody else's experience with this problem is going to apply to your situation.  Somebody else with a similar medical condition might have worked out a way to swim laps and be just fine, but that wouldn't mean that what they did would make it safe for you.  I don't know, nspower.  Anything you tried with an increased dose of beta blocker, or whatever, would still be taking a chance.

[Occupant]

I have found that swimming is a much more streneous exercise then just walking by that I mean you do both as fast as you are able - beta blockers don't have much to do with this. Yes, they keep your heart rate down and you run out of breath much faster than if you don't take them, but my heart rate was always higher in the pool.

[nspower]

Many thanks for your responses.
The reason I am asking this question and probably why doctors are not ready to permit this is it may lead to sudden increade in pulse leading to a unsafe situation in the pool or even firing of ICD.
Due to low EF, any sudden overexerting may increase the pulse. Right now I take moderate dose of betablocker which keeps my resting pulse between 60-70. But when I walk, it go up to 100 or even higher upto 120 - 130 when I walk for more than 30 minutes and that is maximum I allow. I have a good feel of it and I stop when I experience high pulse.
But I am not sure how pulse will react to swimming in the pool.
I wanted to know if a higher dose of betablocker before entering the pool may help and has someone tried this.
Or any other feedback?

[skydnsr]

I can only think of two precautions.  One, maybe you should check with the doctor and make sure that when he or she asked you not to swim it was because of what was going on then and not because of something that's still going on now.  Or maybe that's already clear to you.  The other thing I can think of is that you don't want to get out in the middle of a large lake or body of water where you might drown if you were to suddenly have heart symptoms.  If you're talking about swimming in a pool, that would be safer.  If you are thinking about swimming laps for exercise, you might want to use a paddle board at first, to reduce the workload until you get back into swimming shape.  I hope it works out for you to be able to swim.  As ed34 mentioned, it is great exercise, and if you enjoy it, then it can add a lot of enjoyment to your quality of life.  Good luck.

[ed34]

In cardiac rehab they told me that swimming is the best form of exercise with heart conditions. It gives a more gentle task to the muscles because your body is supported by the water and your heart doesn't have to work as hard. Your arms and legs still get plenty of exercise. I think it's brilliant you have come up with the idea.