Trying to make sense of it all. I'm 52. I'm a runner, every distance from parkrun up to 100km ultra marathons. I also regularly rock climb.. Don't smoke, only drink at weekends and have a balanced diet. Last Monday I had a HA and 2 stents fitted on Wednesday morning. Feel like my life has changed, never been on medication before but now on 7 tablets a day.
This was all because of cholesterol - I had a routine health check blood test in 2014 and just found out that my cholesterol level was 7 but my GP didn't follow it up. So for the last 8 years I have been clogging up without knowing. Cholesterol was 8 on Monday.
Feel angry, sad and lost.
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Ultramarathon
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Sounds tough. Unfortunately, I had a similar experience of finding out I needed a bypass without any major warning signs.
Turns out my cholesterol had been as high as yours without knowing etc.
This is largely genetics. Turns out my liver loves produces a certain protein at a much higher rate.
Although life will probably change a lot right now, you will find ways to return to some normality. It will just take a frustratingly long term.
Hi Ultramarathon
You must be devastated and find it hard to comprehend. With your ultra fitness and lifestyle that’s the very last thing that you would expect to happen to you. I’m so sorry.
I had open heart surgery in January 2021 for a replacement aortic valve. I was jogging when I had to admit to myself that something was wrong. I was fit otherwise and 66 years old then. Never taken any meds either. If I’d had a stethoscope check my severe aortic stenosis could have been found much earlier. I could have had it for up to 10 years and the possibility of a stroke or a heart attack over that time was very high.
I’m only mentioning mine to let you know that most of us here were in complete shock as to what was happening to them. Out if the blue they are on here talking to the Hearties ❤️. It’s a good start. Well done for finding us.
You sound angry and shocked and with good cause. The plan now will be to find a way forward to control your high cholesterol with drugs as lifestyle was obviously not a problem. My advice would be to try and keep the relationship going with your GP and keep calm.
Yes, I was very angry with mine too as the diagnosis was chaotic and should have been simple. I blamed my GP too. I managed to see another GP within the same practice and things got calmer in my head. Thinking back I didn’t do myself any favours. I was angry. BTW I’m very well now!
You said you feel sad and lost and that’s understandable. You will find that this forum is a good place to find solace and people who know exactly what you’re going through. You are young and fit and that will help your journey. Others who have had a HA will be contacting you I’m sure and telling their story. It’s a wretched time for you just now. Things will get better and you will be in control again.
We Hearties ❤️ have your back! Please let us know how you get on. We really would like to know. Take care.
A warm welcome to the forum, a place that you and many others didn't think that they would ever be telling their story to.
And what a story, I can tell that you are in your early stage of discovery, as your hurt and anger shines through your words.
This is totally natural as you process the information you have been given and the hint at your own mortality.
You are not alone and the more you are dragged into the health system you will be astounded at how many people are ill around you.
Now that doesn't help much does it? and I and many others understand that feeling, but you have a massive advantage over many in that your fitness will help with your recovery.
Soon you will be able to embrace your new life and if you deal with your illness as you have with the dedication to your fitness you will find that you will soon be passed this anger stage of your treatment.
Take care and hopefully soon you will be able to help others { if you want to } help regain their lives back as we do.
I for one will be very interested to hear the rest of your journey and I wish you well on it.
Sounds very similar. Swum 3 times a week, at least, usually minimum of a mile but often 2-3km. Felt rough after last one and found I'd suffered a NSTEMI and am now on 7 meds a day and finding it all a bit raw with also, at the moment, feeling uncwrtain about the future. Hopefully it will get better. Take care.
You'd be surprised how common your story is, there are plenty on this forum with very similar stories.
My GP talks about everyone having their own personal "route into heart disease". Half the battle is knowing what was your personal route, and even though there can be more than one explanation, and some of the causes can be very obscure indeed, it sounds as if you're off to a great start having clearly identified a lipid problem.
There's more good news, lipid issues seem to be very treatable with medication. What's more as well as statins there are new drugs being developed all the time, for example there's a new lipid drug called Inclisaran which has some amazing results. There's a BHF video about statins that also discusses Inclisiran, well worth watching.
I'm not medically qualified, but from what I understand some people have "routes into heart disease", like pre-diabetes or insulin resistance, where life style changes can make a massive difference. Other people have "routes into heart disease", like high blood pressure, where medication and life style changes can contribute equally. But at the other extreme some people have "routes into heart disease" like lipid problems, which are less amenable to life style solutions and rely that bit more on medication solutions.
You may find that if your lipid problems are more intractable then there's a genetic explanation. Indeed "familial hypercholesterolemia" is the one route into heart disease where the NHS will sanction genetic testing as part of their evaluation. And, as I said earlier, there's a growing battery of extremely effective medication to control this problem.
Finally, as has been mentioned earlier, try and get on a Cardio Rehab course. They're run by the hospitals that treat us, not by our GP's, so contact the hospital. Cardio Rehab was a turning point for me and for many others, you'll meet many others in a similar situation, you'll be given masses of great advice, and you'll have the opportunity to ask as many questions as you like!
Thank you all for your amazing support, kind words and advice. I felt so lost this morning and even though my wife is being incredibly supportive I just needed to reach out to others who have been there. I am truly grateful to each one of you who have taken time out of your own life to respond to someone in need. I no longer feel alone, thank you x
I’ve just seen this post. I haven’t had a heart attack but when I had my health check at 40 my GP told me my cholesterol was fine. I also had been complaining of palpitations I was given one ecg and again told I was fine. Seven years later I’ve been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease.
At 47 I’m also a fit runner and surfer balanced diet only drank at weekends and not to excess. I also never took pills I’m now on five a day all of which are making me feel worse. I can totally relate to feeling angry my cholesterol was 6 and I have a family history and now a moderately blocked LAD. I have the same feelings as you I feel I could of avoided this.
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Breathless and struggling. 
Struggling with nausea.
Struggling mentally. 
struggling to understand why!
Anyone struggle with Bisoprolol?
