16 yr old w/ heart problem told by doctor not to bench :(

[tonganstallion]

well im 16 yrs old got into bodybuilding last year and was hoping to compete next year, when i was 11 i was diagnosed withh rheumatic fever (a heart problem causing my aortic valve to leak) and i had open heart surgery to get the valve replaced, at the time i was told the valve would only last 5 years.. and so 5 years on and it has gone through a certain amount of damage and last month my cardiologist (the best in the north island) told me i had to stop pumping iron (mainly bench) as the pushing motion rushes blood into the hole through my aortic valve. as i left the hospital i was quite upset but didnt let it hold me back and i carried on with bench, i went back to the hospital yesterday for another check up with him and he said the hole has expanded another .4 cms its was 4.2 last time and now it is 4.6 which he said "it is leaking like a sieve" and so now i really have to stop benching because in the end its my life at risk and nobody elses, so hes taken the readings up to his team in auckland to see what the next step is, either operate and replace with another valve or wait it out for awhile to see if it calms down but im certain they will choose to operate. im aloud to do treadmill and cardio stuff like that but thats not what i want.. I WANNA PUMP SOME F**KING IRON!! i had this huge future planned out to be one of the best in new zealand and if not the world, i know i know big goals but thats what i live for, all this research on the function of the movements, contraction, protein, supplements and food nutrition, seems like it was a waste of time and i just dont want to throw that away, people die doing stuff they love dont they? and i sure as hell love this! but ill see how it goes maybe for now ill get my bf % down then further down the line pump some iron and spend the rest of my life bulking..

[severe]

Dude, paragraphs please. I had to skim it as it is a lot of text.

But, that is ratshit to hear. Young, wanting to be strong, but told it could kill you...

My wish you the best (and a long life)

[Grover]

Listen to the Doc, get the problem sorted and then pump iron.

Plenty of cardio and body weight stuff you can do to stay in shape.

[AZIDE]

.

[FellowshipOfTheRon]

Sad to hear man, open heart surgery is a very serious thing!

Don't give up hope entirely, there are many stories online about guys who suffered from rheumatic fever in their younger days and actually overcame their troubles with the use of weight lifting - some even went on to become bodybuilders.

I'm not saying to ignore your doc, just suggesting to seek advice from a couple other specialists about your case and see whether you have any options for getting back on track with your dreams.

[student]

aw. that sucks so bad. but def listen to the dr. its not worth putting life at risk for it. trust me.

[Pseudonym]

Damn. That puts things in perspective for the rest of us. :shock:

I'm not sure what more I can add here, but I'll just repeat what the others have said - listen to your doctors. If you haven't already done it, talk to them how much bodybuilding means to you. At the very least it means they'll have it in the back of their minds when making a decision about how to proceed from here, and that can't hurt.

The other thing I'd say is that at 16, you're still young. You've got time on your side, so don't do anything stupid because you're impatient now. Better to wait until you can train, AND live to enjoy it. Even if that takes 10 years, you'll still only be 26, and the medical scene will be totally different.

[BIGKIWI]

Hey ya bud I have lived with a heart prob for many years a little different to yours but wAS TOLD TO NEVER LIFT WEIGHTS AGAIN. oops caps hhaha I am not 100 % sure what the difference between hard cardio and doing bench is for your heart pumping blood. I would say def listen to ya dr but maybe get a second opinion. Bets luck you get through it bud !!!!