Health conscious 57yr old

[Jiqbal75]

I've been looking after my health for a long time, went to the gym 2 or 3 times s week. Had a heart attack 2 weeks ago, family history of angina and stress got to me.

[080311]

Hello Jiqbal75

Welcome to the forum, sorry you have had a HA it comes as a huge shock when we go through a heart event.

If you have any questions just post and someone will be along to help. We are here to give you support an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on if you need too.

Members have a range of heart issues, so there will be someone who can always help with advice.

Best wishes Pauline

[Orangepeel60]

Hello, I was exactly the same at 60. 100 mile a week cyclist, gym and healthy eating. Like you I was a stress head.

I asked the cardiologist why me with no red lights for heart problems.

His reply. “Why not you”

Take your time to get back to who you were before.

I am back on the bike and in the gym. Have added meditation into my fitness program and it seems to help.

All the best.

[Jiqbal75 in reply to Orangepeel60]

Thanks for your message. I thought I was relatively fit, ate a lot of fruit but did have a weakness for Indian sweets. Anyway, the angioplasty seems to have done the trick. Don't feel a thing, already walking 45min a day at a brisk pace. Feel ready to return to the gym but will seek medical advice first.

Take care.

Regards.

[Smileyian]

Hi Jiqbal, welcome yo the forum and the very best with your recovery. Would it be correct to say that South Asians are a little more prone to various heart events.

[Jiqbal75 in reply to Smileyian]

Hi there mate,

Yes we have a genetic disposition to heart issues, it's the equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes a day I was told by a nurse.

[Yasyass]

Hi hope you are feeling better I think anyone anytime any race have heart attacks i used to think unhealthy people were prone to them but I too looked after myself but had one 4 yr ago which scares us the most because of us trying to stay healthy before but stil had a ha that’s wh I said to my cardio I didn’t have symptons and was doin a health routine his reply u were unlucky

[MountainGoat52]

We like to think that keeping fit and leading a healthy lifestyle protects us from having a HA, but many of us have found that not to be true. In my particular case, the combination of an hereditary condition and stress caused a blood clot.

Being fit before a HA should help you recover quicker, but your body will tell you how far you can go. I was a regular hill walker before my HA and was back on the hills after 3 months. Take it slowly and I am sure that you will gradually be able to resume your gym sessions in due course. Above all, I would encourage you to keep positive. The mental side of recovering from a heart event is just as important as the physical side. My best wishes for a full recovery.

[Stobban]

Yea, Take doctors advice in reference what not to do, loose weight by dieting, eating beneficial food for you heart. And, take up walking two miles per day, casually. Good Luck.

[Chappychap]

Most people who have a heart attack or contract angina/atherosclerosis know why. They smoke, or they're overweight, or they're very sedentary, or they eat takeaways several times a week, etc, etc.

And for that group the answer is clear, mend your ways or it's going to happen again.

But there's another group, who on the surface are living exemplary life styles, yet are still hit with a "heart event". For them the answers aren't so clear. But here's the thing, just because the answers aren't clear doesn't mean they don't exist.

It's astonishing just how diverse are the explanations for heart disease, including such esoteric and easily ignored things as gum disease or sleep apnea!

I wasn't an obvious candidate for heart disease: overweight yes, but fairly active, respectable blood pressure, non smoker, decent diet, and no family history of heart trouble. But I was fortunate in having a GP who really went the extra mile and dug deep into my records and uncovered a very slow drift along a road that leads to type 2 diabetes, a condition that's very closely linked to heart disease. In particular he identified that I was slowly becoming insulin resistant and was approaching the danger zone. In my case it meant a more careful look at my diet and stepping up the exercise levels, but these things really worked, with my blood tests showing a massive and sustained reduction in my glucose responses.

It's frustrating to ask "why me" and be answered with "why not you?". That's not helpful and it overstates the role of blind chance, when there are explanations and in many cases there are life style changes that can effectively address those explanations.

A good place to start is with a book by a Dr Bale called "Beat The Heart Attack Gene", it gives a useful explanation for the actual mechanics of heart disease, but even more importantly it goes into some of the less obvious explanations. It's not going to turn you into your own cardiologist, but it may furnish you with the knowledge to have a more informed dialogue with your health care providers.

The bottom line is that unless you can make effective life changes then you're relying purely on the medication, and personally I'd want better odds than that.

Good luck!