Lifestyle after stent.

[wischo]

Hi, I had a stent (LAD) 3 years ago no heart attack as symptoms were just tiredness. I am now 71yrs old and walk 5 miles daily. I am on diazapam 10 mg daily for over 40 yrs and that helps with any anxiety. I find it very difficult to stick with strict diets so basically eat what I did prior to the stents. I also have a few beers at weekends although I try to limit my salt and fat intake. I know this is against best advice but at 71 I want to enjoy whats left of my life. Are there any more like me out there who feel the same.

[Chappychap]

Good luck to you Wischo.

Personally I've gone the opposite route. Regular exercise, weight loss, healthy diet, and I've quit taking the nicotine tablets that I became addicted to when I quite smoking. None of those things were comfortable. But my decision was that they were justified in the hope of gaining me a few extra, healthy years. I really don't want a stroke or Type 2 Diabetes, both of which were in prospect if I followed my old life style.

But we're all free to make our own choices, providing of course that our actions don't harm others. So I wish you every success with your strategy, and I hope your weekend beers bring you much pleasure!

Good luck!

[wischo]

I too exercise daily, stick to my meds, avoid salt and too many fats and have a BMI of 26 which for me is fine. Otherwise not much has changed in my life. At 71 I of course want to get a few more healthy years but not at the cost of being miserable. My heart problems were genetic and my father suffered from heart failure but lived to be 83, so I am not sure if I stuck to the no sugar, fats, salt etc diet it would make much difference to my lifespan. My wifes family are predisposed to cancer and three of her sisters have had it and one has died all reasonably young. Genetics almost certainly dictate your demise I fully believe.

[Tullymore]

I’m 75 and had have PAD had a triple Bypass four years ago. Was never ill til I was 71. Never ate junk as my mother had the same problem and her advice was never eat anything that’s hard to wash off your plate. My big mistake was smoking and my biggest regret. Been stopped for 9 years. I now never miss or think about cigarettes. I don’t think I would be around if I hadn’t stopped. I now feel more like 50 than 75. Enjoy your life and your pint but try and give up the fags.

[wischo in reply to Tullymore]

Hi Tullymore much the same here and like yourself not much junk food on my menu in the past or even the present. I gave up smoking over 20 years ago and still regret ever having smoked, lived what would class as a physically active life, physical job, hunting and fishing as hobbies etc. I too feel younger than my years like yourself. Delighted you are feeling good and those bypass ops are the gold standard. Great advice by your mother and thank you for the reply. Slainte.

[Qualipop]

Eating a heart healthy diet most certainly does not mean going on a strict diet. Even small changes are a huge help. Change the fatty things to half fat, like milk and cheese, increase vegetables for example if making bolognese, cut the meat in half and replace wih vegetable. You won't notice he difference and cut out takeaways. Swap red meat for chicken and turkey. NO diet and very easy to do. That's all I did after my heart attack and without even trying, I Lost 2 stone. MY aim was not to diet or lose weight, just to eat more healthily.Saying you a re 71 and want to enjoy what you have left doesn't make sense. Stay as you are and have maybe 6 or 7 years or make small changes and have 20 to enjoy?

[wischo in reply to Qualipop]

Hi Qualipop, I already made those changes and even prefer chicken to red meats, I rarely eat cheese and dont do takeaways at all. I will try the bolognese as you suggest but a lot of my diet is vegetable based anyway. I have lost over a stone since my stent and walk 5 miles daily using my smart watch as a guide. My real point is that some of the posts here advocate a very basic diet eg no meat, cheese, sugar, salt and mostly greens and veg and definetly no alcohol. I would find this boring to say the least as I do enjoy a social drink or two occasionaly and also like the odd cake with a cup of tea. I will eat a steak once a week and maybe a shepherds pie another day. A stone does not sound a lot but my BMI prior to the stent was onle 27.5 so is now 26. My cardiologist never advised me to diet or lose weight and actually told me that I carried a lot of muscle from exercise and weights I am doing which accounts for the 26BMI. I agree diet is importand as is lifestyle but think moderation rather than exclusion should work. Maybe I am fooling myself but I feel good, have great energy, on holidays and still walking 5 miles in 23 degrees C. My real problem is lifelong anxiety, not crippling but really annoying at times especially after the stent. Appreciate your thoughts and look after yourself.

[Qualipop in reply to wischo]

That's what i did. It was impossible to change my diet completely as my husband just couldn't tolerate it. He was brought up on pie and chips, lots of beef and p otatoes and puddings. He still has no idea when I use quorn in bolognese instead of beef but it's just sensible changes without going mad. I too have an occasional piece of cake, part of a bar of chocolate a ra r e bag of crisps. As you say, moderation. I didn't need to lose weight either; it just happened with the changes I made.

[wischo in reply to Qualipop]

Yes I think you have to allow yourself to live and enjoy life a little plus my wife does most of the cooking so it would be difficult as there are just two of us in the house. It took 68 years for my artery to narrow so moderation is the key. Take care of yourself.

[Zindolo]

I'm tried that strict low-sodium, no vodka diet for a couple of months until I decided that I would rather just DIE than live that way! So now I eat pretty much whatever I want and drink Svedka 2 or 3 times a week. (I had a calcified bicuspid aortic valve replaced one year ago.) I feel about the same as I did when I was "following the rules". The thing is, there really aren't that many things in life I enjoy doing so I'm simply not willing to give up the few that I do. I don't have family and not even many friends, so what's the point of being alive if I can't eat/drink what I want? I do swim laps about 3 to 5 days a week and ride my bicycle. I hate walking tho so I don't do too much of that. I'm "only" 58 tho...

[wischo in reply to Zindolo]

Firstly at 58 you do have a lot to live for so lets rule that out for starters. I do not go for this strict diet either as I believe heart disease is genetic so no point in torturing myself by reading every food label. I also have a few beers 2 or 3 times a week although not enough to give me a hangover. I also eat a good general diet and some stuff they say not to eat but hey those are the things that taste best. An aortic valve replacement is not such a big deal nowadays. Did you ever think of a hobby or joining a cycling club or something else you enjoy. You will make friends which is a good thing, and as for eating I really just watch salt, and fats and oils, other than that I am with you all the way provided your weight is reasonable. Once your cardiologist is happy with you then you should be fine. Best of luck for the future.

[Bigrig]

Hi wischo, Everybody is different & has different medical needs so no 1 solution fits all, I had a triple bypass 2.5 years ago aged 51 & have since changed my lifestyle - I have lost 3.5 stone, reduced my BMI to 24.5 & my Cholesterol to 3.1 by a calorie controlled diet & increased excercise mainly walking but I didn't give up anything, just had less of everything, I like Real Ale, Cheese & cakes etc & still have them in smaller quantities as treats etc using the mantras everything in moderation & a little bit of what you fancy etc. All this with full approval from my Doctors & Hosp. I am back working as HGV driver & have maintained my weight over the last 18 months

As long as you keep to recommended limits I think you'll be fine

[wischo in reply to Bigrig]

Hi Bigrig true one size does not fit all and I believe what you are doing is correct. My belief is that eating walnuts and green salads for the rest of your life will not make anybody live longer so am glad to see you are doing what your GP approves and also normalises your life. The triple bypass is a really successful procedure and should see you into old age. I wish you a healthy life from now on as I am confident will be the case. Yes a little treat in moderation can hardly do you any harm.

[Barre01]

I understand and share your views having led an active lifestyle myself and wish to enjoy the years I have left. My suggestion is by all means enjoy what you like, but try and go for smaller portions and try and savour them. Habits of a lifetime aren’t easy to change, but change is possible and you can feel good about making them.

5+ years and going well after my troubles.

[wischo in reply to Barre01]

Good advice and I wish you many more years of excellent health. Merry Christmas.