👋 May Social Check-in! ❤️

[Luke_BHF]

Welcome to the May Social Check-in!

This is the place where we connect and support one another. Whether you’re a heart health warrior or simply someone who cares about heart health, you’re in the right spot!

Feel free to introduce yourself, share your heart health journey, or ask questions. Our community is here to listen and offer encouragement. Remember, you’re not alone on this path. While heart health is our focus, we also value your well-rounded lives! Use this post to chat about hobbies, interests, or anything else that brings you joy.

Community Updates:

Community Guidelines: As you may have noticed, there was an update made to the community guidelines. I recommend taking a read of the update so you are aware of the rules, and I would love to hear your feedback!

Live & Ticking: Wearable devices can count calories, steps, and heart rate, and they are now a key part of how we look after our well-being. But are they a helpful tool to improve heart health? Join our Live & Ticking webinar on Wed 29 May to find out. Register at bhf.org.uk/liventicking.

Remember, kindness and compassion make our community thrive. Let’s keep the conversation going!

Wishing you a heart-healthy wonderful month!

Luke from the BHF 😊

[Magicmog12]

just felt i had to share my good news here; after seeing my cardiologist this last week he told me that my heart is now in better shape than before surgery and the enlarged left side has returned to normal;just as covid was starting to grip the nation I was admitted into hospital with a mild HA after an infection that gps and doctors couldnt figure out despite all kinds of tests being done. It was discovered that somehow 2 of my valves were damaged so arrangements were made for me to undergo surgery . This went well but as I recovered from this we went into lockdown and I became very ill with another infection. concerns were immediately raised that the valve and repaired valve could be damaged as a result but fortunately they wasnt- I spent the rest of 2020 in and out of my local hospital as I also developed AF; The nurses got to know me as such a regular I did think about going on their next works do😆but then a solution arrived as my cardiologist put me forward for an ablation. After that by new year of 2021 I had fully recovered and went back to work; last year as a thankyou to the team at Stoke UHNM I completed a skydive and raised £1400.

Really what Im saying to everyone is dont give up there are very hard times in our situations and I feel I witnessed the NHS in its darkest hour but the spirit of all the staff I came across was amazing even though there must have been days when they did nt feel like it. Its scary- but these people know what they are doing. I ended up in 3 different hospitals- Stoke for my surgery, Wythenshawe, Manchester for my ablation and all back up care from Macclesfield district general with everything co ordinated by Dr Stuart Russell and his team. So id like to take this oppertunity to everyone that was involved in my care, also Mr Swarmi at Stoke UHNM youre all amazing!!

[Alison_L]

Hi Luke. Perhaps you could tell us why Castleview has left the forum?

[Thanksnhs in reply to Alison_L]

I would also like to know what happened, it was so unexpected and I know the support sue got on the forum helped her cope with things. I really hope they are both all right. Char

[Lezzers in reply to Thanksnhs]

She has posted a couple of times this morning, hope this helps

healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

[Thanksnhs in reply to Lezzers]

Thank you, I am so glad they are both all right x

[Lezzers in reply to Alison_L]

Hopefully this will explain

healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

[Alison_L in reply to Lezzers]

Ah, thanks, Lezzers, good to see her back x

[Qualipop in reply to Lezzers]

Thank goodness. I was worried.

[Avagra]

Look forward to my daily browse of this group

[Hidden]

👋 Hi Luke, I don't know if this the appropriate forum but I'd be interested as representative of the BHF on your take on my situation. Following my diagnosis of an acute stenosis of the LAD and subsequent Bypass I was proscribe Atorvastatin 40mg. Now, rightly or wrongly I stopped taking it 4mths post op.

Not because of the side effects but because of what I read about Prof Rory Collins and his association with the Clinical Trail Unit (CTSU) at Oxford. The £260 million they received from the pharmaceutical industry the vast proportion of which was from the manufacturers of cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The failure of the institute he helped to set up to past on industry data that the CTSU holds from pharmaceutical companies to other researchers I found terrible worrying.

This in turn has probably put my future heart health at risk by my decision not to take a daily statin.

I hope you may be able to shed some light on my dilemma.

Best regards,

Denis

[Jack2019 in reply to Hidden]

I agree with your decision. I made the same one. Statins do lower LDL cholesterol, but there is no scientific proof that LDL causes heart disease. There is only associational opinion based on cherry picked statistics? gathered from questionnaires'' or reported information from hospitals or clinics, that high LDL is the culprit in heart disease. Why are the statistics on people who take statins, or people that have naturally low LDL, and still get heart disease, not part of the discussion? That is not part of the pitch so there is no informed consent. If the claim is scientific it can be repeated every time. Why are early trial results hidden? How many settled lawsuits are kept from the public? I f this drug had no side effects I guess it would be a choice of who you believe, but we know cholesterol is vital to every cell, and the amount present is dynamic and responsive to each individuals need at any given point in time.

[HUModerator Administrator in reply to Jack2019]

Hi Jack2019, we would always ask that members of the community avoid giving advice on medication or other lifestyle changes, for more detail on this please take a look at the BHF’s community guidelines: healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

[Chinkoflight]

The sun came out for the walk. The first time I have joined a group as part of the Isle of Wight walking festival. This was The Three Hills walk today with this lovely group of people taken on Headon Warren, West Wight. Just two weeks since my ICD lead revision procedure. 4 hrs/14km distance/314m of climb. #chinkoflight.

Isle of Wight

[Turnipgirl in reply to Chinkoflight]

I went to the Isle of Wight many years ago and went to the Needles which I feel they have spoilt as it is commercialised same as Lands End is but I enjoyed the zoo at Sandown and Osborne house!

A lesson I have learnt from when my father died is to take opportunities when they are there as you don't know when you won't be able to do them!

Point is nothing is guaranteed to anyone is it?

[Turnipgirl]

Been busy being out enjoying the nice weather and caught up with my friends yesterday in Gloucester and had a productive catch up and one of them said that when I had gone through hard times and I was upset over things that I was entitled to that and to be supposedly ungrateful for things!

We went to the cathedral there which reminds me of the one in Lincoln which also has cloisters and also for lunch and a walk round the docks.

Gloucester itself is a similar sort of town to Lincoln!

The museum part of Lincoln by the castle at the top of the hill never changes but the part by the River has totally changed over the years and by the market!

Many years ago when I was 19 I had a day out to Leicester and got ridiculed by family for it and I had thought because Leicester is an old roman town like Bath is it was going to be like Bath but no it isn't it is an industrial town famous for shoe making and textiles!

I got told that I was crackers when I was 21 by a family member for going out to those places!

I went to Norwich many years ago which is an old roman town which I enjoyed and it reminded me of Chester and Exeter in its layout!

York is like a capital city of the North as all roads in the North of England lead to it and its always busy no matter when you go there and I went there years ago to the dungeons when I was 30 and to the Jorvik centre when it first opened with my father where you go round the museum in a car!

Today it's nice and sunny here and I have popped out to the local shop earlier for bread and milk to put me on and had a walk out and later on going for Sunday lunch at the pub as its nice to have things to look forward to!

Once I got told that having interests like going out with friends and going to do swimming were silly and trivial and one friend said no they are not silly and trivial they are important for your sanity!

[Ruf56]

Hi All

4 weeks post emergency CABG and struggling. Trying to focus on getting positive and working towards a different future.

[RufusScamp in reply to Ruf56]

Be positive. You are still with us. Treatment today seems almost miraculous.