Hi. This is my first time here and i have a couple of question's more for my husband and sister. My husband was having heart flutter's and getting breathless. Our Dr. sent him to our hospital and they found that 2 of the smaller arteries going to his heart were clogged so they put him on medication to thin the blood. He still gets a rushing feeling in his chest and as his Father died, aged 68 , my husband worries that the clogged arteries, are going to lead to a heart attack . Our hospital has misdiagnosed me badly and my parent's so we don't have a lot of faith in them! He goes for a walk every day and is very active. Is there anything else that he can do or take which would help him?
My sister is a young 70 but has gone through hell with Meningitis from a tick bite which led to a heart murmer and she has now had a heart attack. Not a major one but she is scared at times . Our Father had multiple heart attacks before he died. She is now on medication but is there any ' alternative ' medication she can take which would help her? She wouldn't stop the thinner's which she has been given but she has always believed in more natural option's which would work alongside the thinner's .
Thank you for listening!
Very best wishes to all of you.
Danni
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Danni54
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Hello
Sorry to hear about your Husband and Sister
I presume they did not think your Husband needed any stents or they would have been done
Of course the medications are really important to continue , healthy diet , exercise but from what you say I think I would want a second opinion and I would enquire if he could be seen or referred to a different Hospital which if you ask you should be able to
Your Sister will feel afraid she may have another heart attack this is quite normal when we have one but hopefully in time she will regain her confidence
There is nothing better than the medications we get given to protect us and I am not sure about natural remedies along side taking them but others may but again staying as fit as she can eating healthy alongside her medications should all help protect her heart
Stay well and remember you can always ask for a second opinion if you are not happy x
Hi. Thank you so much for the advice. My husband is 67 and apart from a ' proper ' job he is also a drummer in a rock band and that i do worry about but he will never stop drumming and I would never try to stop him! The Consultant decided that because the arteries were small one's they wouldn't bother putting in stent's. Unfortunately, we only have the choice of 1 hospital where we live with the next major hospital being 2½ hour's away. Our hospital misdiagnosed my lung cancer for 15 month's which has left me with multiple health problems which is 1 reason why we don't trust them! I will pass on your advice because he doesn't like the Statin's but he has started to take them with the Aspirin. He took them for a few day's but they made him feel peculiar but my sister told him off so he is persevering!
My sister is scared. She had a stent put in but has shaky times and has never been a very confident person. She is, also, not very good at exercising but has always had a healthy diet . She has gone through far too much in the past few year's having also had Pancreatic Cancer. She is in remission at the moment and her medic's seem to be very good. We phone and email and moan to each other but she lives at one end of the country and I live at the other so we can't visit as I am not well enough to travel either. I will try to get her to join this forum as I have been with the lung cancer Forum and a couple of other's and have received so much help and support.
Thank you again. I really hope that you keep well and wish you all the best.
I know over 2 hours to another Hospital is a way to go but I think we only have one life and if you have any doubts that journey would be worth it
Some years ago I was told to take statins I ignored the advice and ended up with 3 heart attacks and a triple Bypass
I often wondered had I taken that advice would it have made a difference I will never know but if I could do it again I would certainly take them if I was told to
I am so sorry to hear about your lung cancer I hope you are doing well now
You as a family seem to have had more than your fair share of health issues you all need a break now I think and I am so sorry your Sister is suffering and been through what she has and yes get her to join so many Communities on here she will always have support and someone to talk to
Let us know how you all get on and I wish you all the very best x
Hi again. You are so sweet. Thank you so much. Unfortunately our hospital had my lung tumour on an Xray for 15 month's but they ignored it and my health got worse and worse but they classed me as having anxiety and depression until i had pneumonia and was ambulanced to hospital. Next day my lovely Thoracic Consultant came round and asked why I hadn't had anything done about the tumour! I said I didn't know that I had one ! He showed me the original Xray and even I could see the tumour!
Just explaining why we don't trust our hospital....or part of why! My poor husband has had a lot of stress, poor boy! We are there for each other which is as it should be shouldn't it?! My problem was pre Covid so....!
The good news is that the oncology department is separate from the cardiology department, hopefully they don’t make the same mistake.
Did your GP send you to the hospital for long CoVid?
Yes, statins unfairly have a bad reputation. I wish I had asked for them as I could have avoided a stent and now really expensive insurance.
I did feel a bit funny the first week, and then for a few days every time I ramped up my statin dose, it passes.
Statins also stabilise and shrink (very slightly) plaques in the coronary arteries, so if they can’t stent, it is the next best option.
I tried to modify my cholesterol with diet and exercise, and while my total cholesterol/HDL would drop, it made no difference with my LDL. Only statins worked, and decades of avoiding cheese and butter didn’t do anything.
hi there, I was asked to take statins years ago for high cholesterol but declined...however 2 years ago I was diagnosed with a narrowing in the LAD which had to be treated with a balloon and a drug to keep it open, alls well at the moment but I was told that I may need a bypass in years to come! I often wonder if I had taken the statins years ago then would this have been prevented? I now take the statins regularly and Asprin..yes I have wondered if they give me more aches and pains but also at my age we must expect some aches and pains and it is all too easy to blame statins. I now accept it and just get on with life as I know statins do a lot of good when you have a heart condition. Good luck 😊
Hi. My sister stopped taking the Statin's but was getting worried at some slight pain's in her chest and left arm and that was when she had a stent fitted. When my husband stopped taking his she gave him a bit of a lecture about it so he has gone back on them . He is 67, walks a lot and doesn't drink or smoke at all though he did up until he was about 36. He doesn't eat as well as he should but that's my fault since I became ill. Before I had cancer + he did eat well but having had a Lobectomy , Osteoporosis, a massive hernia and Diverticulitis ++ I find it quite difficult to cook because of the pain. We sound like a pair of old wreck's ! However, we are both stubborn and I will not give our hospital the satisfaction of popping my clog's despite their mistakes! Sorry! That sounds bitter and twisted whereas I'm just angry!! I have, however, just made out a shopping list with all good thing's!
Thank you so much for your help and advice. Wishing you all the best.
Danni x🐿🦄💜🎨🖼
If you suffer from most forms of heart disease you can usually help yourself by adopting a few life style changes which typically are
- an appropriate diet ; the BHF carries many suggestions on its website
- regular exercise (or as much as you can manage)
- stop smoking
- lose weight if you are obese or at the higher end of the BMI overweight category
Most people, like me, choose to take the medication they have been prescribed, albeit reluctantly, so I suggest your relatives do the same. Personally I would not endorse 'natural ' remedies.
Finally if you and your relatives have little faith in your local hospital I suggest you talk to your GP who can explain what your options are.
Hi. Thank you for your advice. I will pass it on to both of them. I will also have a look at the BHF site . Neither of them smoke and they are both quite slim and i know that my sister eats healthily, my husband, not so much since I became very ill so that is my fault because some day's I am in bed all day. I feel very guilty about that and do try hard to cook for him but apart from having had a Lobectomy for the cancer , I have fractured vertebrae +++ so I am not always able to cook . Do genetic's play a big part in heart problems ? My husband walks every day as we are lucky and live in the country.
I have written more above so won't be a pest and repeat myself! Thank you again. All the best,
I clearly do not know your personal circumstances in relation to those closest to you. However objectively all I can say is that in a family where there are multiple serious varied health issues, provided everyone is truly working up to and perhaps beyond their capability to support the well being of that family, no-one should feel guilty if their efforts appear less than those who are actually better placed to contribute.
And yes I am sure that genetics do play a part in determining heart disease outcomes.
Hi. Thank you so much for your advice. I will pass on your comments. I so appreciate getting advice from those of you who have been through this. I cared for my parent's and my Father had multiple heart attacks so I saw what he went through .
Please take care. When I need more help and advice I will be back ! The lung cancer and Osteoporosis forum's have been wonderful and I have had so much support from this site.
Many people 'amble' on their walk. It was for that reason I started to use hiking poles which enable a faster pace to be maintained. Of my 10000 steps a day I would want around 3/4000 of them to be at a good pace which takes around 25/30 minutes. Do check out first that a faster pace and swinging your arms is appropriate for the condition
I agree with all the other replies, but here's my experience, you can read my story in the spring Heart Matters magazine online.
My problems started many years ago when I started turning white in the face after exerting myself, walking upstairs, gardning, running etc.
The end esult was a cardiac arrest that followed several heart attacks, during 2020 and Covid so the GP support was non existant.
I had stents fitted and am in recovery.
Iver the last 2 years I've discovered I have furred up arteries all round my body, and that the best way to help that i to exercise to the point of muscle pain/cramp, which triggers the brain to relese a special hormone that widens the arteries relieving the reduced blood flow, pausig to let the pain subside it will then be safe to continue what you're doing.
This has to go alongside a healthy, balanced diet that keeps saturated fat, salt and sugar to the daily allowance limit. This lead to me now being ack to the weight I was in my 20's, and a healthy body mass.
I wish you and your family well or the future, please take positive action as that will reduce the stress and make life more enjoyable.
I am sorry that you had lost trust in your local hospital because you went there for well intioned advice and you were let down. With regard to matter of clogged arteries, it is important to know why it happened. Is there a strong family history of raised cholesterol and unhealthy fats called lipoproteins ? Regards.
If your husband is really having problems with his statins, ask the GP to change them; there are several others. Atorvastatin didn't suit me at all but simvastatin is fine. as for your sister, if she wants to take alternative remedies as well as her medication PLEASE make sure she runs them past her GP before she starts. A lot of seemingly natural things can react badly with her medication or affect how her medication works. Good luck.
Hi. Thank you so much for your reply and advice. I know a little about interaction between medication and ' alternative ' remedies because of my own situation. People keep recommending certain remedies but I always check that they will not give me a bad reaction having had very bad reaction's with conventional medication because Dr.s did not check interactions ! I don't really know why people think that because something is made from plant's etc that they are harmless. I will pass on all the advice and information that everybody has given me and will try to get them to join. I have found the help and support for my own problems invaluable and the lung cancer and Osteoporosis forum's are just amazing and i have been so touched as I am with this forum. Thank you to everybody here and I hope that you all recover well and have long and happy lives .
I don't think the suggestion was that plants are harmful and with regard to Doctors not checking interactions to medication I suggest both of these comments quite unhelpful for clearly "some" plant based medication is not only worthy but is essential to modern medicine - with just one example, morphine, to show you there are hundreds of plant based medication in use on a daily basis.
Everyone that enters the hospital system have to go fill out a questionnaire where one is "Do you have any allergies" so the responsibility is the patients to inform the hospital of allergies.
My sincere advice to your relatives is to get medical advice. You can always ask for a second opinion - at any stage of treatment. That id not making a fuss, it is your right to question your own treatment. However, where a specialist advises a range of medical treatments, I would accept them outright. I would never stop taking that medication without discussing it with the doctor, specialist first.
I'm sure that alternative medication has it's place but for goodness sake get second opinions first and try to be realistic - after all, how many homeopathic cardiac surgeons are there?
Thank you for your advice and I am going to pass on all the advice and support that I have received here . I think that , sometimes, written word's (!) can be misunderstood. I have been in hospital many times as has my sister and my husband has had 2 hip replacement's and a benign lump removed so we do know about telling the medic's about any allergies . However, I had Anaphylactic Shock from Penicillin about 16 year's ago and always tell them about that though I have been pretty horrified to discover that neither our Surgery or hospital have that written in my record's . I also had a bad reaction to Oxycodone when I had my Lobectomy 4 year's ago . 3 other antibiotics don't agree with me.
My sister is in Cornwall and has had excellent treatment there. I have asked , previously, for a 2nd opinion but my husband won't. None of us would take anything without checking with the Dr. first but I wrote here asking for any advice or input from all of you who have been through Cardiac problems because I am so concerned about 2 people that I love and wanted to clarify thing's for them and for myself because I want to understand more. I have been so touched by the response and I am also so grateful to everybody.
When I spoke about plant based medication, you are, of course, quite right in that plant's are used in ' conventional ' medication ! I take Morphine every day. I meant Homeopathy or Herbal etc. because my sister has always tried to go down that route but would not use them since she had Meningitis. The tick bite also left her with a heart murmer so she is too scared to use anything without checking with her Consultant's . I apologise if some of my question's or comments have been confusing . My Father had multiple heart attacks 19 year's ago and my husband's Father died at age 68. However, although I cared for both my parent's , heart medication etc. has progressed since then and the understanding of cardiac causes, so I wanted to get input from those of you who have been through, what must be a frightening experience as i know that my husband and sister have both had a fright and I hate seeing them go through this.
I hope that this clarifies thing's and again, I would like to thank all of you for your advice and support which I am in the process of passing on to my sister and I will be telling my Ostrich husband all that has been written.
Responding purely to your "Clogged Artery" heading, for my own health I have recently been researching which foods may contribute to the development of blood clots and Deep Vein Thrombosis. I have decided to avoid sugary drinks, milkshakes, sweets, red meat, crisps, biscuits, white bread, sausage rolls and fried chicken. Plus artificial sweeteners , energy drinks and Ibuprofen. I am also going to limit cheese and prawns which apparently have a high salt content, and coffee which can make the blood sticky. I have been taking Clopidogrel a prescribed blood thinner for nearly two years with no problems.
Just reading an interesting new book on foods. 'The great plant based con.' Lots of detailed information and basically your list seems good, but that there is little evidence of harm in eating cheese or red meat but obviously people vary in how they process foods. The biggest problems are if you are vegan and to a much lesser extent-vegetarian, which I am. Worth reading. Definitely keep off highly processed food
It was the salt content in cheese that I was referring to. There is 1.77g of salt per 100g in my block of cheddar cheese in comparison to 1.2g of salt per 100g in my ready salted crisps. I was really surprised.
I had a heart attack at the end of may hadn't been feeling well and im a very active person no smoking and the odd wine when family occasion not overweight and watch what I eat. But it still happen. Had blocked arterie. stent fitted off one of my pills and hopefully another in November. Walk every day and have started back cycling and going back to the hills tomorrow first since attack. I feel lucky that im getting back to doing the things I've done all my adult life. Im 66 in December😊 go back to doctor and get him to look at your husband problem again. Getting the arteries unblocked definitely helps get you back to a good place. Push it. Good luck 🤞👍😊
Hi. That is really good to read. My husband seems to hold the medical profession in awe but i don't have that problem after what they have put me through! I hasten to add that I am polite but stand my ground! I will show all the responses from here. Thank you so much.
You are welcome! Yes many of our generation still hold the medical profession in awe, and yes being polite and respectful are excellent qualities. However sometimes it is also important to be assertive and to repeat ourselves if we don't feel we are being heard. It is becoming less of a problem for me now that many of the doctors and nurses are the same age as some of my grandchildren. I often find myself starting sentences with the words "At my time of life I think ...!
Maybe it’s time to see a cardiologist. Actually determine how his arteries are doing. Do an echocardiogram and treadmill stress test and determine his heart calcium score. Just saying.
Hallo Danni, Frank here. Welcome to the Club. Six heart attacks, a cardiac arrest and aortic aneurysm and I`m still `alive n kicking` at 72. My first attack was in `85 at a training session and the bloke next to me was a doctor; LUCKEE.
At Wythenshawe (M/c) we were told (2011) to walk or `best-of-all` swim; no contact sports.
Re; natural?? Swimming`s as natural as you`ll get and it keeps the weight off the body. Just come back from a pool session with the other `old crocs` Haha and I feel SUPERB.
Funnily enough I used to do `session drumming`; bloody loved it, but I discovered that raising my arms above shoulder-level (cymbals) aggravated my top-half and I`d fall asleep; there`s rythmn for you!
I am also in the unfortunate position of having a daughter and son-in-law, both doctors who REFUSE to specialise in cardiology.....can you BELIEVE that? Shocking!
Keep to the thinners (eg Apixaban), watch your diet and swim. If you enrol at a pool tell the Lifeguards and they`ll keep an eye. Like I said, I`ve been doing it for 11 years now. Adapt and improvise with the condition and you`ll do fine.
I do miss the Support Group we had in Manchester; 300 of us used to meet, chew the cud and we had a Question Time set-up where 2 cardiologists would answer our questions. Quite funny at times.
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