Will I get better and be able to backpack and jog again?

[hikinglady]

Hello, I am a 38 yr old mother of one, just recently put on a beta blocker (Lopressor) when my bp was staying at 145/97 and/or 150/100 for several days.  In the past my bp always was under 115/70 and I jog or hike miles daily and backpack atleast one long trail a week.  During last backpack (18 mi in and 18 out in two days w/35 lb packs) It was really hot (I blew through my 2 liters of water by 15 miles already!) and I had sudden weakness in my legs, strange sensation of no more pain on my blistered feet and could not catch my breath and felt like I had to defecate. (lovely, I know) my heart was pounding and it would not recover even after 15 minutes of cool down when I took the pack off.  I drank a v8 and more water, ate some sugar then forced the pack back on and did the last 3 miles which was flat thank goodness.  Got to camp felt great ate chili went to sleep.  Woke up had coffee breakfast packed up and we started our 18 miles back out..first hill I got to, thundering heart rate and it wasn't even a climb! Then weakness, short of breath and urge to go potty again! :( Lord! I had to really slow down going up every 1000 feet we had to climb then I submerged myself in the river at first chance.  Drank a ton, figured I was just dehydrated and had lost electrolytes.  Felt a bit better, we made it out and got home.  Then next two days at work lots of shortness of breath and dizzy spells with weakness and urge to potty.  Finally went to have blood sugar checked at walk in pharmacy after 3 days of loading up on vitamins and gatorade and water.  My blood sugar was perfect but when he checked my bp it was 145/97.  He said go to doctor right away.  I never had problems before only sometimes a feeling like someone was squeezing my neck by my carotid arteries, a ringing in ears once in a while and some mild flippity flops or sped up heart rate once in a blue moon but just when sitting typing on computer or watching a movie and once when climbing at 3750 ft elevation, so I never thought much about it. I have no insurance or much money.  I walked into a private doctors office as an emergency complaining of high bp and showed then what the pharmacists had measured.  They checked and confirmed the HBP and then they did a EKG, ran 3 sheets of paper and picked up one irregular PVC thingy.  (I was a walk into their clinic so this was a quick look at me they were doing) they also took blood asked for a complete work up and the doctor put me on lopressor as a safe guard he said until I can get on Basic Health Insurance and get an echo cardiogram.  He listened at many different points with his stethescope, then he asked me to jog in place for 30 seconds and he listened again.  He said he hears a murmer at that point and a lot of "turbulance" as he describes it my heart also did a BIG flippity flop when I stopped jogging and he heard it as well.  He says he cannot be positive without further tests but he believes I could have an enlarged left side due to what he coins as a "hyper heart" or one that beats too hard and too fast.  He says the Lopressor will govern the heart and slow it down.  He says I can walk or do beach hikes or ride my mountain bike on the road but no backpacking hikes up to Mount Olympus or anything and no jogging. I find this very depressing. I love to jog and do extreme backpacking and I don't understand why this would happen to me now when I am so active.  My mother, my grandmother and people further back in my family have told me they had/have enlarged hearts and were put on medication years ago. Now, after that last 36 mile hike, I can't even jog to the mailbox without feeling like I am not getting enough air, and it takes me so long to recover after I exert myself in anyway that I find it very frustrating.  Since I have been on the Lopressor I don't actually get weak anymore and I don't get the urge to go potty with the shortness of breath (which he said was possibly lack of O2 to the intestines and they want to purge he says when they are cut short of O2) I also don't have anymore ringing in my ears or the feeling that someone is pushing on my neck by my outer carotid arteries.  I would like to know will my heart heal itself somewhat?  How much time off from jogging or backpacking and climbing to I have to take?  Will I ever be able to do these things again? Sorry for such a long background and questions but I have no one else to ask and no insurance and not much money.  The doctor had me come in for a free follow up after a few days on the Lopressor and he listened again with the stethescope and then he had me jog in place again...he said once again that he could hear the murmer and turbulence only when he had me raise my heart rate. He said for me to take it easy, take the medicine and let him know what I find out about insurance so he can set me up for the x-rays and echo cardiogram at the hospital. I forgot to ask him when I'd be able to jog or backpack again because this all came on so suddenly that is why I am posting this question, in hopes that you can tell me something about whether or not people who are put on beta blockers for high bp can regain their active lifestyles without feeling like they can't breathe!  Please help...many thanks!

[hikinglady]

What is LAD? I am also wondering if I damaged or over stressed my heart slightly but perhaps it will heal some with time? Any in put is appreciated.

[ed34]

the problem is that beta blockers act like a brake for the heart and stop it from working
too hard, preventing damage. If I dont take my beta blockers and allow my heart to start
working at normal rates, I really know about it. However, if a procedure in the near future
is successful in opening my LAD, then I can come off beta blockers and let my heart
race as much as it wants.