I'm back to running and last month cycled 250 bike packing miles in France solo.
Building my heart rate back up to my normal 170 BPM while running. 150 BPM cycling for short periods only.
To note I didn't have a heart attack. I had exercise induced Angina. My Echo was very good, and strong with no damage. My Lad was 85% blocked with no other Artery problems .
Drugs wise.
Still on Aspirin for life, Clopidogral for a year.
I'm off the 1.25 mg Bisoprolol.
And reduced Atorvistatin to 40 mg. Awaiting my blood cholesterol results. Hopfully reduced from 6 to a lot lower. I've cut red meat out my diet, still eat cake!!! Vegan burgers, sausage's. Lots of vegetables.
So after a blow of being Stented. Normal life can be resumed.
Just wanted to pass this information on to anyone who is worried about pushing there heart again.
Really encouraging to read! I’m in a similar position - 2 stents in LAD in July after increasingly struggling to do any aerobic exercise. Back now to 3-4 5km runs a week, not fast but everything feels OK so far. Feel very lucky to be living at a time when I‘ve been able to benefit from the marvels of modern medical science!
I'm blown away by this and inspired, thank you for posting!
I'm 3 months past my heart attack and emergency stent, which was placed in a distal vessel (not even a main artery!) and some days I feel like I could run for miles but mostly I'm still struggling with exhaustion and angina (microvascular).
It is frustrating but reading posts like yours inspires me to keep pushing! Again, thank you and happy running
Hi bee_bear. I'm really happy you are inspired by my post.
I was hoping it would help someone out there in this big wide world.
I didn't have a heart attack like you. I've noticed from others who have had a HA, the recovery normally is longer as the heart has been damaged. I'm not sure how hard you are meant to push yourself after a HR. Please check with the specialist.
Have you had an Echocardiogram? That will check how the heart is. I was lucky as I had chest pain which after two Tachycardia attacks and hospital admissions, I had the Angiogram. I was lucky.
Hi Meatfreerunner, absolutely great stuff. When the medic experts do their stuff we owe it to them to do as much ti help ourselves and make their efforts worthwhile. You are doing it. Well done.
Hi and thank you for your positive post. I may need to have a stent fitted in my Lad in December and it’s good to hear how well you are since having yours. Best of luck going forward
Great to hear this 👊. I had Nstemi in July , angiogram, no stents and straight to quadruple bypass on 25th July. Smashed phase 3 NHS cardiac rehab, underwhelmed by it as it wasn’t tailored to anyone with any residual fitness. Now working with a coach on achieving 5 & 10km w we hike reintroducing weight training. Was great to get the Oly bar out this week, DeadLifts last night , EZ bar and dumbbell work after treadmill walk and 10 min run. Chuffed to be working at a good perceived rate if exertion (4-5 on Borg scale ) and getting my heart rate up into 140s, not rushing the progressive overload . Thrilled to have the oversight of someone who knows what they are doing 🙌👊💥
What a great post, congrats on your return to fitness it must feel great.
I’m in a similar boat. 3 stents fitted after angina before any MI.
The difference is incredible, almost immediate. I walked out the hospital and up a hill to the car, angina gone. I almost burst in to song it felt so great!
I await sign off from the cardiologist to start excercise in earnest again and hope that’s soon. I’m desperate to get back to it and agree we owe it to the professionals who treat us and the gift of another chance to treat the disease and not just the symptoms.
Having been a vegetarian, and occasional vegan, for a long time I’d like to if I may offer a little of my experience with dietary changes in this new world.
Everyone is difference of course and the science of nutrition is inconclusive at best but I’ve decided to eliminate as much processed food as I can. Unfortunately many vegetarian products are highly processed. Veg sausages, fake meat, soya milk etc all contain stabilisers and emulsifiers as they are essentially constructed food. The hypothesis (no hard proof) is these are not great for the gut and a good gut contributes to good cholesterol (very simply put).
There is, happily, a world of vegetarianism without these products and it’s worthy of consideration. Organic, if it’s possible in your budget, whole foods are a delight and I am somewhat regretful that I didn’t take this next step with my diet until I had a health problem.
I could bang on more but won’t bore you, congrats again on your recovery and may you enjoy many miles more.
I will never forget the euphoria I felt after having 3 stents and finding I could take a deep breath without coughing! And your warning is spot-on. I'm a pescatarian and pre-stents, I did use to enjoy my cheese. When I complained to a vegan friend about having to cut down on it, she recommended a well-known brand of vegan cheese. I read the label in the supermarket and it contained more saturated fat than a slab of Cheddar! Since then, I always read the labels of vegan equivalents of meat and dairy products, and it's amazing how many contain additives which mean they are not as healthy as they purport to be.
thank you for your encouraging comments, good to hear it in such a positive way. I am due to have a LAD angioplasty this coming week. Have been feeling down about the description used to describe this particular issue . We need hope and positivity, so thanks for all who have done so .
I am glad your recovery is so good. I think it is for a lot of people.
I however had a stent inserted in late July and have not been fit ever since. Before I was a self employed gardener who cycles to work. After the stent I would make a cup of tea and sit down for three hours. The hospital said take a week off work and then go back. After two weeks I started part time and after three or four started full time but after a couple of days started feeling really faint and my heart rate incresed quite a bit. I went to A&E who could find nothing. Stopped work after calling ambulances, going to A&E and calling 111 about five times in a week. Moved out of a stressful home for a few weeks. A cardica nurse ordered a halter (portable ecg) for a day, nothing found. Cardiac rehab got a drug changed, no difference.
I also got peripheral nueropathy from a statin after about three weeks of being on it. GP said keep on it as it could be caused by something else. Fortunately the cardiac rehab nurse mailed the consultant who said to stop it for three weeks and if things improve try another. I did that and got hot feelings in my feet again after one dose. The GP said no more statins for me but prescribed another drug which I took and after two doses I now have very hot feet again so I stopped taking that. Each time I get the peripheral nueropathy it takes weeks for my feet to recover.
I got over the feeling faint about two weeks ago and after cycling a couple of miles most days I started to go back to work. I pushed a mower for 40 minutes and felt like I had climbed scafell pike and back. A couple of days after that I started feeling faint again and my blood pressure went up drasticaly this time. I went back to A&E who found nothing. I phoned the GP who increased my blood pressure meds and arranged a meeting with their pharmacist as sometimes these symptoms can be caused by one of the drugs.
I went to cardiac rehab last Tuesday for the first time and had to stop as I was feelning faint after 30 minutes. The nurse measured my BP and it had fallen which confirms my theory that the faint feelings this time is caused by rapidly rising or falling BP. The nurse wrote to my GP asking for a 24 hour BP monitor but my GP no longer does them. Cardiology contacted me to inform me I will have one fitted on the 20th of December, quite a way off so I decided to monitor my BP at home hourly as well as recording drugs I am taking, what I am doing, exercise level and degree of faintness to show to the pharmacist on Monday and the cardiac rehab nurse on Tuesday.
The stent went really well and probably saved my life as my angina was bad and getting rapidly worse. The recovery is prolonged and frustrating. I have no income and my savings are going down rapidly.
I am hanging in, I am doing lots of cooking at home, mainly quince at the moment from a clients tree. I am a self employed gardener.
My main complaint is the lack of consistent care or advice. I may have been overdoing it but no one told me what to do or provided advice. I spoke to one person after another and they all said different things in terms of recovery times. I could plan nothing and was often given no explanation as to why the doctors were doing things or prescribing certain drugs. Fortunatly the cardica rehab nurse does explain things and as I am now at cardiac rehab for six weeks I expect more consistent care for the next month and a half.
Hi there I am so happy for you thats very positive for your recovery. I am into 4th week after my stent.I found out my LAD was 80% blocked during heart screening that leads to angiogram and stenting.
Hi good to hear a positive story I had a stent in my left lad 2 years ago after a routine heart check and angiogram discovered I had a 75% blockage since then I have suffered with ectopic heart beats and had the usual holter and a Ct angiogram to check that the stent was ok which turned out that was fine but I use to play sports years ago and go to the gym to do some cardio workouts but to be completely honest I’m scared to take up any exercise as I still get mild chest pain even though the cardiologist said that I don’t have angina he advised me to start exercising but wish I could get the fear that if I do then I will have a heart attack or my heart will stop so I feel my life is on hold but it was good to read your post and how well your doing kind regards Andy
I feel the same mate, after stent lots of eptopics and jumps for a few weeks they settled down and I felt loads better however started with pain again, no apparent trigger etc, cardiologists say unlikely cardiac however I am doing less, which is probably counterproductive, I am constantly scared something bad will happen but don’t want to go back to hospital as feel silly
I feel your anxiety mate I’ve been to AE about five times and each time they say it ain’t heart related I even went back to see the cardiologist and told him I even get a pain in my lower throat he said I don’t have angina and more likely to be muscle related it’s easy for them to tell you try not to worry but when u get the ectopic heart beats that make you feel weird its impossible to relax I feel like my life is a ticking time bomb waiting for something bad to happen and when I’m at work I constantly think what if my heart stops I might never see my wife and kids again and that is heartbreaking to think this way please don’t think that the hospital will think your being silly it’s your life and is a big price to pay if it turns out to be something serious it’s also impacts any plans my wife makes booking holidays for the next year and I feel I’m bursting her bubble as I can’t look forward to that far ahead I end up saying to her I don’t wanna talk about things that far off as I might not be hear not a great way to live do you find u don’t want to plan anything too buddy
Hi hidden, thank you for tracking your progress, it has been really helpful. I had a stent in LAD just 6 days ago and am so anxious; like I’m waiting for something bad to happen! My back has been aching since the ‘surgery’ and I am always tired. The increase in meds is causing brain fog. I have been lucky to have rarely been ill throughout my 65 years. Does there ever come a time when we can forget about it?
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Angiogram, Angioplasty / Stent
Bisoprolol 
Ectopic Heart Beats
Stent needed? 
