Waiting for next one ,!!!

[Hatflinger]

I had angioplasty and stent on the night i had my first HA 8 weeks ago and ive just found out that i also have another artery 75% blocked , so i feel back to square one, im 59 and have never had any cardio problems till 8 weeks ago i have not smoked for 35 years and have not been massively over weight i have been active and ive always eaten reasonably , so all this is very strange to me , i feel with the the latest information that my next H A is on its way, but i keep smiling. Thanks Tony

[Hidden]

Hello

I was 58 when I had 3 heart attacks within months of each other and with each one I felt like you back to square one before I had chance to even get of it then I was not suitable to have stents so had to have a triple Bypass but on a plus I was caught before anything happened and they were able to do something which has to be a positive

I am sorry though that 8 weeks ago you had a heart attack and I know after the stent you would have thought now for recovery to now find this out but they have picked up on it and they will put it right stay focused on that thought and then you can start getting back to the live you had

Having a heart attack I think most straight away think someone has not looked after themselves in a few cases it can be in some it can be hereditary and the others it is just one of those things no one knows why but it happens

You will get through this and you will get your life back and at the moment I imagine you will be on medication that will be helping to protect your heart till they do any treatment they think is needed

Let us know how you get on x

[Hatflinger in reply to Hidden]

I think it may be heredetry as my grandad came home from work sat down and died of a heart attack aged 62 and my grandmother on the other side of the family died of heart attack aged 62 so its on both sides but i just keep smiling on, and planning good days out, i look on the good side, ive not been given a month to live with a serious terminal condition laid in a bed suffering so there is always someone worse off, so im gonna stay smiling thanks. Tony

[Hidden in reply to Hatflinger]

Hello

It is hereditary in my family to and you are quite right in how you are thinking

You keep smiling and enjoy your days out x

[Hatflinger in reply to Hidden]

Thanks im going to you keep doing the same🙂🙂

[Hidden in reply to Hatflinger]

x

[Chappychap]

Hello Tony, couple of things maybe worth thinking about.

The test applied by a GP for hereditary heart problems is close relatives that died before the age of 60. As your relatives were older than that then the QRisk3 system, which your GP uses to measure your future risk of a heart attack or stroke, wouldn't rate you as having inherited heart problems, and therefore wouldn't elevate your personal risk score. That's excellent news! There are also other issues that suggest you shouldn't think your fate is written. For example life style issues tend to run in families just as much as genes, the cause of death on death certificates is notoriously unreliable ("heart attack" is often put down if an alternative explanation isn't readily obvious), and the vast majority of genetic factors that influence heart attack/stroke risk tend to operate by making an individual more or less susceptible to life style factors. For example, about 17% of the UK population carry the APO E3 gene that makes them very susceptible to alcohol and animal fats in their diet, but if they cut out all alcohol and animal fats then their risk is no greater than that of the general population.

You mention having an artery that's 75% blocked. But the degree of arterial blockage has only a very loose correlation with the risk of heart attacks. There are plenty of people on this forum with blockages of over 90% who have never had a heart attack, and there are also plenty of people with blockages too low to be accurately measured that have had multiple heart attacks. What matters more than degree of blockage is how stable your plaque is. Some people tend towards stable, calcified plaque that may grow big enough to cause crippling angina, but is unlikely to rupture and cause a heart attack. Other people tend towards unstable plaque that's much more liable to burst. Some good news, as well as lowering lipid levels, statins are very effective at stabilising plaque, doubly so if they're taken in conjunction with Ramipril or other ACE inhibitors.

You describe yourself as "not massively overweight", "active" and eating "reasonably". They're all pretty loose descriptions, so there's still every chance that life style factors were an important factor in your heart attack. Most people don't really appreciate what a healthy life style really means. For example, the NHS recommends 150 minutes per week of exercise. And that's reasonably serious exercise, which for many people will probably mean getting their heart rate over 100 beats per minute, keeping it there for 30 minutes, and repeating that five time per week. Add in the extensive warm up and cool down protocols that we should follow, and that probably implies 45-60 minutes at a gym five times per week. And that's the minimum recommended, the hard fact is that walking the dog or a bit of gardening aren't really going to get you to where you need to be.

This is actually all very positive news, because your future health will largely be shaped by the choices that you make. The encouraging fact is that you're not powerless, you're not being buffeted by the winds of fate. It's not always easy, but dig deep and you really can forge a better outcome for yourself.

Hopefully you'll soon be going on a cardio rehab course, where you'll find out a lot more about how you can earn yourself a healthier, more active future.

Good luck!

[Hatflinger in reply to Chappychap]

Thanks for your reply ,ive bought myself a mountain bike , an excersise bike and a stepper , all for £70 from local charity shops and im going to give it my best shot to get as fit as a i can nice and slowly so that i can invest my time in my family and not into just work and bed this has been the kick up the bottom i needed, Thanks Tony

[Redheart1943 in reply to Chappychap]

I really found your reply to this person very helpful. I went in for skd hip surgery and wound up with severe heartburn which turned into to stents being put in and I’m frightened as I’ve had some indigestion since then now that I’m home. Also full of anxiety and trying to read everything I can. I have an appt w/cardio to ensure I don’t have anymore stents that need to be put in and ask why I have this indigestion as I’m taking 40mg of Prilosec.

[Ocean26]

Hi, I too had a stent fitted about 6 months ago and also had another artery in the 75% + blockage range. I was told it might need stenting and sure enough after another bit of heart pain that did not go away I was fitted with a second stent 3 months ago. I am now really well and looking forward to a healthy life. So long as you are not getting any angina pains while exerting yourself then they probably will not do anything but keep positive. I would really try calling your county BHF centre as I have found them invaluable. Are you going to go to Cardio rehab? This also is a great help in getting you back to normal and meeting and working with people in the same situation. Good Luck. Michael

[Hatflinger in reply to Ocean26]

Yes ,ive turned my life round to start thinking of family now ,not work,thanks for your reply

[Hatflinger]

Cheers for your reply im optimistic i just keep plodding on and enjoy every day, i dont get down anymore 🙂

[Redheart1943]

Hi Hatflinger, but how did they not catch that 2nd clogged artery when they did the first one?