I had a triple bypass in March because of CAD. This November was my first experience of being out in cold weather - temperatures below 5C.
I had some angina-like pains but the posts on this site helped me tremendously in minimising the strain on my heart caused by the transition to cold temperatures. Many thanks to all of you for your posts and particularly for posting the link to the BHF page on this topic:
Because of your posts, I've adopted a number of tactics to avoid chest pains when I go from warm temperatures to cold temperatures: breathing through my scarf/snood, avoiding excessive exertion and wearing layers of clothing.
I'm wondering if my physical response to cold weather will improve in a year or two from now or will I have to continue adopting cold weather tactics for life. Hence, a question for those of you who had CABG or stenting before June 2022 (and your problems are mainly due to CAD):
have you found that your body responds better to cold weather now than it did in the first year after surgery or is your situation much the same or even worse?
I know it can be difficult to recall events from a few years back but, comparing like for like situations - a similar degree of cold plus similar activity and type of clothing - would you say your heart is less troubled by the cold now versus the first year after surgery? or is it more troubled or has there been no noticeable change?
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Your question is a good one! But the conclusions might be less direct.
The change I noticed (with my angina symptoms when in the cold), was that it reduced over time,,,,,,but during that time I changed a few things. Getting better at pacing myself, particularly walking speed on slopes, talking when walking, taking a spray really promptly, at the first angina twinge, and, I think, the most effective of all….losing two and a half stone.
Hope this is clear. I have only had one very mild episode, during a walk in the cold, this year. I suspect I was a bit Gung-Ho and talked to my friend too intensely!
Good luck. I hope you can work out how to improve the symptoms. It was a bit trial and error..
Thanks a lot for replying. Glad to hear that your angina symptoms have improved over time. You have made me realise how difficult it is to answer my question. It is very difficult to say whether improvements in how our bodies respond to the cold is due to our circulation improving following treatment or the adaptations we make to avoid the things that give us pain when we encounter much higher or lower temperature regimes.
Congratulations re losing the excess weight. I've not lost quite as much as you but feel so much healthier generally now I'm no longer overweight.
Hi, I had a stemi RAD heart attack 27.12.2018. A lovely blue frosty morning , so I had gone for a walk up the hill. Prime HA weather, I was later told.
5c is also my red flag. The cold makes me breathless. I walk with my scarf over my mouth until I settle into walking. 2c I don’t cycle and don’t walk very far and carry my spray - because the rest of the year I now tend to forget it . It’s just the way of life now and I won’t complain.
Thanks for letting me know about how you're dealing with the cold. Hope that at least now you can enjoy walking out on lovely blue frosty mornings with a scarf over your mouth and your spray as a safety net. So, would you say it's all the adaptations that let you cope in the cold or have you also noticed any improvements in how you physically react to the cold? Or is it not possible to say whether it's one or the other?
Hi, sorry for the delay in responding. Unfortunately I’d say that I have adapted to preparing for the cold. Once I get moving it’s not bad. I do a lot of exercise in and outside.
Since I was swapped from beta blockers 4 years to alpha blockers ( built up intolerance I was told) , I seldom get cold hands, feet and nose. And in summer I no longer get breathless climbing medium hills. That was a welcome bonus.
Going from a warm house into the outside cold will affect you. Whether it is windy or humid(fog, rain etc) will also impact on you. I think you will cope with some circumstances better than others and the temperatures you feel comfortable in will also change according to weather conditions.
As you warm up after first venturing into the outside world it is likely the need for a face covering will reduce but might still be necessary if there is a frost.
Your heart will have to pump harder when going up a slope so probably best to avoid those on cold mornings. Weight will also be a big factor as again the heart has to pump much faster.
So being overweight, going out into the cold and walking up a hill are definite factors to avoid.
To answer your original question i had a quad bypass in May 22 and feel better able to cope than I did the first winter but that might be because I know my limitations.
Thanks for all your comments and information. Very glad to hear that you are finding it easier to cope with the cold now.
Both your reply and Kristin1812's (see above) made me realise that it's difficult to attribute reasons for the improvement. However, it's heartening to see that things can get better.
Thanks for letting me know. I'm trying to get an idea of what percentage of people fall into the categories of things are 'getting better', 'no change', 'getting worse'. So I guess you are in the 'no change' category rather than 'getting worse'?
I hope you don't mind but I've 2 other questions:
1. Do you get pains in your heart/chest when you go out into the cold and have they stayed much the same since 2018 or got better/worse?
2. Are you on meds to reduce your blood pressure? I ask this because I had the same issue as you. I had very cold hands and feet throughout late spring and summer. The problem only stopped when my blood pressure meds were gradually reduced down to about 20% of the amount prescribed initially.
That happened at the end of Sept. Now my hands stay warm if I wear gloves when I go out. Before, my hands and feet were icy even under a thick duvet.
I have had a lifetime history of lower than average blood pressure and heart rate. Plus my GP and cardiology team monitored my BP and HR and saw everything remained within their target range when the BP meds were cut. Obviously, if you're taking them to reduce high blood pressure, you don't have the option of cutting them out. Better to have cold hands and feet than be cold all over on a slab in a mortuary.
NO I don't get any chest pains and I have recently been put on ramperil for my blood pressure but I have suffered with cold hands and feet since my op The best thing for my feet is getting on my exercise bike but my hands I just have to cwtch them best I can I work out on my punch bag 3 times a week and within 5 minutes my hands are cold again Good luck
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