Am i classed as having heart disease?

[WoodyGlade54]

I had a double heart bypass some eight years ago after i was found to have blocked arteries. Main left ventricle blocked 95%. I nearly met my maker but never had a heart attack and was told my heart was healthy. Am i classed as having heart disease? I still play football ,go to the gym and cycle as i need to lose weight.

Can anyone advise??

[sherwood123]

The good news you had 8 years ago, that there is nothing wrong with your heart is very reassuring, I had a double bypass , due to left bundle branch block, like you no heart attack, but it went on too long blocked( I did not know). Unfortunately I was told I had severe heart disease. So if you are feeling fine exercising etc, it sounds like you are lucky just to get away with a bypass! I know that’s enough to be concerned about.You could ask your Doctor for a heart scan to double check, if they will or even pay privately to be be fully reassured. Regards Stephen

[WoodyGlade54 in reply to sherwood123]

Thanks Stephen ,much appreciated - take care Paul

[Jay777]

Definitely yes, and don’t forget if you thinking of going on holiday you would need travel insurance for pre-existing health conditions.

[WoodyGlade54 in reply to Jay777]

thank you

[El-Tel1990]

Great to see you’re still kicking a ball. While your heart is fine and you’ve had your bypass remember it was your arteries that were clogged. So you would still be classed as having Coronary Artery Disease. So look after your heart now that you’ve been re-plumbed. Best of luck, btw , what age are you?El-Tel

[WoodyGlade54 in reply to El-Tel1990]

Thanks mate much appreciated

[Chappychap]

Yes, you have heart disease. And you'll have it for life.

A bypass "re-sets the clock" and is more about removing the symptoms of angina, but it can't do anything to cure the underlying heart disease.

What we all can do is take our prescribed medication and change our life styles. So kicking a football is absolutely a good thing!

[WoodyGlade54 in reply to Chappychap]

Thanks chappy

[Fish4Info]

Hi WoodyGlade54,

I'm with the rest of the folks above. I had a quad bypass, 14 years ago, when I was just shy of 48. Like you, I didn't have a heart attack.

The good news is that your heart muscle almost certainly wasn't irreparably damaged. It's probably more accurate to say you have coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is just a form of 'heart disease'. Basically you have to look after yourself for the rest of your life.

So, keep taking the meds and doing the exercise. It's good for you.

One thing, I would observe about exercise (which I don't do enough of) is to use the Borg Scale of perceived exertion (Google it) to help manage your exercise. Because of the drugs you take, you want be able to hit those figures quoted in gyms etc.

Best wishes,

David

[WoodyGlade54 in reply to Fish4Info]

Hi David

Thanks for the advice and I will look up the scale. I am naturally competitive at the age of 56 I still compete to a decent level against young men 26-30 on the five a side football pitch. My trouble is knowing when to slow down!! but I do need to be mindful going forward

kind regards

Paul

[Fish4Info in reply to WoodyGlade54]

Hi Paul,

I'd want to be mindful in those circumstances. Young guys can rush around and tolerate a lot. People like us have to listen to our bodies ... and exercise is really good ... but more steady than sudden bursts, I suspect.

It's a bit gloomy but a friend of mine had a sudden cardiac arrest when he was jogging in a Belgian forest. So, luckily, his friends included a cardiologist and a cardiac nurse (husband and wife). They performed artificial resuscitation on him for abut 15-20 minutes until an ambulance turned up with a defibrillator and they could restart his heart.

After a period of recuperation, he emigrated to South America. After 3 or 4 years he took up running again ... very, very gently. He kept trying to up his pace to get back to his old form. Unfortunately, after many months easing back into things, one day he went for a morning jog, he arrested again. This time there was no cardiologist ... and the poor fellow passed away.

Clearly there was something up with the way his heart was wired up (that's why people arrest) ... but the moral of the story is that while pushing yourself, it's worth listening to what your body is saying. It might be worth looking into cardiac rehab to help about how best to exercise. Maybe there are books or you tube clips that can help.

Best wishes,

David

[WoodyGlade54 in reply to Fish4Info]

Hi David

Really appreciate the nature of your advice and I totally get it. I am struggling with this at the moment but if I can overcome the by pass then this should be a doddle.

Take care and many thanks for the reply

Paul

[El-Tel1990 in reply to Fish4Info]

Hi David,Interesting to see you had your quad 14 years ago. I presume you had to use the SV from your leg as part of it. How are the grafts holding up? Any stents since then?

I’ve recently had a quad at 59 years old, I’d be delighted to get 14 years before interventions. Please let me know.

Regards

Terry

[Fish4Info in reply to El-Tel1990]

Hi Terry,

I was part of the ART trial (bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/our-r... and was actually operated on by Prof David Taggart who led the trial. As well as IMA grafts (see the article) I had the radial artery used from my left arm - rather than the saphenous vein from my leg. Intuitively it seems better to replace arteries with arterial grafts. I have had no grafts or stents since the original operation. Taggart told me the objective was to give my a 30 year [successful] outcome from the operation. So I'm nearly half way there.

I hope you have at least as good an outcome as I've had so far.

Best wishes,

David