Help please

[Lunabaloo]

My life has potentially changed today. Finding out my cholesterol of the scale. Blood pressure to the high side. Really need help and support please in my life style changes to hopefully get me back on track. I'm far from ready to checkout of this world so need to accept changes. So anyone who has walked or walking my journey be grateful if you would get In touch please....many thanks 😊

[RF260]

You are probably right, your life has changed and hopefully for the better as you are young enough to do something about it. I was told in my 30's to lose some weight or I would pay for it later on , sure enough heart attack 9 months ago. I've lost 2 stone since the HA (17 to just under 15), This has been done purely through eating smaller portions and cutting down on things we know aren't the best. I don't really exercise, walk about 5000 steps a day. Cholesterol has much improved through diet and a low dose of statin, been on BP meds for 20 years which have kept it steady. Don't cut stuff out but just cut down and my cholesterol halved in a few months, don't have seconds, avoid puddings, I used to eat 12 packets of chocolate digestives a month, now just have plain biscuits, I love pringles but have cut them out etc etc. it sounds grim but you can adapt, good luck, keep the faith..

[Lunabaloo in reply to RF260]

Hi thanks so much for your reply. Really appreciate it. Im 47 and this has opened my eyes immensely. Can't ignore the facts . I'm trying to process it and get mentally ready for the changes I must make. Definitely scared me especially thinking of my family.

I'm going to research menu ideas and get myself into a routine.

Wish you all the luck, thanks for getting in touch!!

[ArthurPrecarious in reply to Lunabaloo]

I would recommend Slimming World. I lost three and a half stone over a few months. It just educates you about how to better manage your diet without getting too grim. There’ll be a branch near you. Sure, there’s a cost but it’s worth it. Good luck - you can do it!

[Knavesmire27]

Hi there, I know this is so daunting for you. I truly do. I had to make some difficult decisions over the last couple of years due to issues with my heart and there were days where it would seem impossible. Because this isn't about a quick sprint to the finish, it is about changing your lifestyle for the long term. That's the hardest thing to come to terms with. The only advice I can give you is to just take it one day at a time. I started small, cutting out some snacks, changing from full fat crisps with my lunchtime sandwich to more healthier alternatives like lentil Crisps . I then started to walk, now those first few weeks and months were far from easy. I couldn't even get to the end of my street (which isn't long) without sitting down! But with time I could do half a mile (still with a little sit down) then a mile and up until having a mitral valve replacement in November I was walking at least 3 miles a day with no stops 😊. Now if someone had told me I would actually enjoy walking I would have laughed in their face! The same with my diet. I eat 3 good meals a day and still allow myself some treats but I no longer crave those extra snacks like I used to. To date I have lost approx 5 stone 5lbs. I am getting my walking back and up to about 2 and a half miles a day since my surgery and yes, it does make me feel good to know I am getting there. I wish you every bit of luck. Every journey has to start somewhere and the fact that you want to start yours is amazing. Good luck and take care.

[Lunabaloo in reply to Knavesmire27]

I am truly grateful for you replying and a insight Into your journey. It's helpful for me. I'm going to reflect on these messages along the way. Just getting my head around it at the moment. Thanks so much for your support. Takecare sounds like your doing great and come along way ! 😀

[roy29]

Vitamin Niacin up to 3000 mg a day, to reduce cholesterol, SAFELY, complementing or instead of statins. But you have to build it up slowly from 100 mg to 3000 mg a day. Same thing with Vitamin E. Good luck.

[stevetheadi]

Some very good advice here. I have nothing to add to the suggestions regarding diet etc but I would urge you not to panic.

You're not going to die suddenly because of your blood pressure (BP is just a number unless you have a headache etc) or high cholesterol.

Make the changes to your lifestyle and take the medication that your GP will prescribe for you.

Get some exercise in the fresh air. Have an occasional biscuit

Enjoy life.

[Murderfan58]

Life changes all the time . But never give up.living it to the full.. You know what your health problems and you can fix them . You need to change things in your life . Healthy eating ,cut down or out drinking if you do and if you smoke stop. 47 isn't old you have decades ahead of you . There is no easy fix and it takes work to change any bad habits . But you can do it . You just need to want to . Plan what you eat ,exercise and your way of thinking . This is a whole lifetime change a marathon not a sprint .

BHF have health eating plans and recipes and plenty of tips on exercise.

I exercise at home daily and go to a sit fit class once a week. Plus cook from scratch but enough soup for 6 lunches and enough dinner for 6 . All kept in the fridge to reheat .

My husband died at 47 from cancer . Which seems unfair as he was the fit healthy one and I was born disabled with hold in the side of my heart. But because of him I live my life to the full. I am 66 recently had a heart attack. All I had was a headache and pain left side of my neck the cardiac enzyme blood test showed heart muscle damage . Much to my surprise and consultant when I had angiography didn't need any stents . Seeing him this.afternoon for check up.and help with water retention and breathlessness.

This isn't a death sentence but your wake up call . Mine was in 2017 when 2 tablets I had been taking for decades gave me jaundice seriously ill for 5 months and found out I should have died with my bilirubin levels. Only 3 things I wanted out of life lost weight ,move house and get fit. Lost 7st ,moved 100+ miles to north west and fitter than I was at 40.

Now the rest is up to you . But you will always get support from this group.

[KathleenV]

Hello

It will hopefully make you feel better to remember you have the power to improve your health. Enjoy your new healthier life and let us know how you get on.

Kathleen

[elliebath]

There are very supportive groups here on Health Unlocked, to help you improve your weight and general health. Going "on a diet" is not the answer as it is only a quick fix, it is not sustainable , so we need to learn a new way of life: better food choices, normal portion size etc. a bit more activity.

So, don't rush out and join a "slimming club" until you've looked at the free online help available right here. Lovely people helping each other. It helped me and hundreds of others. Here's the link.

healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

[sandandkev]

You are not the only one- I was on no medication or had health issues apart from aches til 18months ago- suddenly got AF blood pressure high- now on loads pills but nearly back to normal,I had a hole in heart didn't know about! Cholesterol now controlled - hate all the pills but hey that's life sometimes

[Burleighblue]

Hi LunabalooI would echo most of the above.

Having had slightly high BP for a while, I had a heart attack abroad in the summer which was a total surprise. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. So you have the early warning, and you are aware of the risks. It's a real chance to alter the course of your life for the better. You can avoid heart damage and stents. Small changes will make a difference and help you enjoy life more as well. I'm getting better, but obviously wish my heart didn't need repairing. Good luck. Let us know how you get on. 😊

[Lunabaloo in reply to Burleighblue]

Good morning. I'm taking on board all your comments and changes starting today!. My Warnings can't be ignored. Thanks for taking the time to respond to me appreciated. Good luck and glad your feeling better. I will definitely let all know how I'm getting on. Joining this group is helping and getting my mind-set in the correct place. Thanks again 😀

[Caballocubano]

Probably most of us here. Please don't panic. Make sure you get the right support fron your GP re meds and look up all rge British Heart Foundation info on line as it's links are brilliant and cover every aspect of physical and mental support... including a help line to speak to someone. Great magazine too.Yes a review of diet, exercise etc important but we're all still here ! Read some of the stories here you'll be astounded!

Good luck ... just a new chapter if your life which can become amazing.

Not the end ...the beginning!

[BobbyB1962]

You've had lots of good advice, all I would add is to be careful where you go for your "research", Dr Google can be dangerous! The BHF website on the other hand is full of great advice on cholesterol and heart healthy eating plus exercising safely etc.Good luck.

[Spanielrunner]

if you’re not on them already get yourself on statins as they’ll get your cholesterol back to within normal levels. Switching to decaf will help your blood pressure as will medication and life style changes such as limiting salt and all those naughty foods that are bad for you.

[DWizza]

You don’t have to make anything complicated to make changes. I’m sure you already know what you need to do make those changes , it is common knowledge that high fat , ultra processed foods and over consumption can leads to a huge amount of health issues including high blood pressure , high cholesterol , cardiac issues etc .

The first place to research should be the British Heart Foundation website , the information and recommenced actions to take are already there. You just need the resolve to follow the guidelines . I would also advocate taking advice from your medical team and consider any medication they suggest to help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol . I’m loving my rebirth post nstemi heart attack and quadruple bypass , blocked arteries that was unaware of . Wishing you all the best on your journey.

[mozart27]

I agree with the others who have told you not to panic. I am also male and was about your age when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol following a routine medical. Initially, I tried to control both with lifestyle changes but found this difficult. I had quite a stressful lifestyle, drank socially and had a number of meals out each week but my BMI was fine and I have never smoked. I then went on to medication but both blood pressure and cholesterol have been difficult to control over the years. But I am 75 this year, quite healthy and over the last quarter of a century or so following the diagnosis I have not had a stroke nor a heart attack. It is not inevitable that you will have one and please don't get over anxious about it - it's not good for you.

[cometwatcher1927]

would echo the above comments sincerely

Try and cut out snacking and eat lesser portion sizes - really helps - mentally , every day do one tiny obscure job however big or small - in a week you have achieved alot - month - really helps staying positive

Learn to be at peace with yourself - appreciate simple things in life

Well done for using this forum I’ve found it excellent and you can relate to people with same issues

Gives you confidence

[Lowerfield_no_more]

My experience is similar to mozart27 above. I was diagnosed with high BP and very high cholesterol over 25 years ago and have been taking medication ever since. The very high cholesterol is probably genetic. So look up life style measures to reduce your heart health risk outlined on the BHF webpages including diet, body weigh management, exercise, smoking and alcohol, and incorporate them into your life as you are able. And with the medication you will no doubt have been prescribed you will then have matters under control, as far as possible, and your heart health risk will be much the same as those who don't have high BP or cholesterol and in many cases better.

[Oatybiscuits]

I am on here due to my husbands heart journey but a year ago I had a rare type of stroke- on admission to A&E they ran loads of tests and dignosed my cholesterol as 7.8 - they and I were totally horrified

I was 52 , healthy and ate a healthy diet - my cholesterol didn’t cause my stroke but I was immediately put on statins - they asked for a comprehensive diet check and concluded my cholesterol wasn’t diet but body misfiring

Initially I was more upset about the cholesterol result than my stroke ( my stroke was caused by a spontaneous dissection of my carotid artery )

Within 3 mths of taking statins my cholesterol was down to 4.5 healthy but I will have to stay on them for life

My blood pressure is healthy

It is indeed a shock when you think you are healthy- I don’t drink, smoke or eat an unhealthy diet but sometimes our bodies misfire

[Whiteghost]

Had my annual check up on Monday. My colesterol, blood pressure, weight, all gone in the wrong direction. Doctor adjusted statins and Ramipril doses. I was disappointed but firstly it was only a few weeks ago it was Christmas, we eat more, do less exercise. But now I'm back in control of my life style, and that's my point your in charge, we're allowed to occasionally spoil ourselves, then it's back to our normal. Nothing you can't control.🤗

[Bingo88]

Hello Lunabaloo. Yes sadly we can have a sudden shock to the system with our health to get us to take action. If your talking about changing eating habits then if you click on the 9 dots in the bottom left hand corner you will find a list of other support groups here and there's one called Healthy Eating to give you tips on good foods to eat. Best of luck. Brian

[Anothernewbie]

You are probably thinking - where do I go from here, what can I do? Without realising, you have already started by thinking about your options. Someone has recommended Slimming World. I completely agree. They are much more flexible than WW, and look on dieting as a new approach to food, not a diet restriction. You can do it online if you wish, I did and lost 2 stone in 6 months after being diagnosed with A.Fib in my 80's. Losing weight, if you are overweight, should bring your BP down, but cholesterol is much harder. A talk with your GP should help with both.

Good luck, let us know what you decide to do.

[Sashvuk]

mate I suggest you to look after yourself before is to late ⏰, I haven’t been looking after myself and I ended having stroke and HA because we believe that we are untouchable, so please look after yourself with proper treatment from gp and your diet…. Wishing you all the best

[Chillydipper]

I battle with my cholesterol too as does my husband. My hubby is much better at keeping his cholesterol down than I am and it's not so much what he has cut out of his diet but much more what he has added in. Oats actively help to reduce cholesterol levels as do increasing amounts of nuts, seeds and pulses in your diet. Luckily he loves oats and makes his own version of muesli every morning by mixing rolled oats with a selection of chopped nuts (brazils, hazlenuts, peanuts, almonds and chashews), pumpkin and sunflower seeds. It can be mixed in bulk or chopped daily. He successfully reduced his cholesterol levels and blood pressure back to normal in just 3 months. He also added in regular exercise and is very disciplined in doing this.

Unfortunately I am neither disciplined nor a nut lover. However, I did manage to get my levels down from what they were by trying oat milk rather than full fat dairy and I can manage porridge although not daily. We have both replaced some meat based meals with chickpeas and lentil dishes several times a week. Small changes really can make a difference and it's more about adding in good fats rather than cutting out everything else. We still like cheese and crisps but they are a treat rather than a staple now. Walking is good and easy exercise if you can't face joining a gym and doing extreme exercise. Good Luck, it is changeable!