Loss of memory and strength after hear... - Cholesterol Support

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Loss of memory and strength after heart attack

bobski1 profile image
15 Replies

I had a heart attack about 3 years ago but when I went back to work I found that I had lost a hell of a lot of strength and still have not regained it,also my memory when trying to diagnose a machine fault which I previously knew had gone and I had to go back to the beginning of the fault finding process and even that is still difficult.

I`m just wondering if anyone else has had the same struggle.,or is it just me.going senile

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bobski1
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15 Replies
Beek profile image
Beek

Do you take statins?

MikePollard profile image
MikePollard

Beat me to it. My first question too!

spacedoc.com/

bobski1 profile image
bobski1 in reply to MikePollard

Interesting link Mike, But I wonder why links like this all seem to be American ?

daisyd profile image
daisyd

Hi I feel like that my Heart attack was caused by a blood clot, I was 52, have a syndrome that causes sticky blood, Hughes syndrome it has really affected my memory too

I an now on warfarin for life I take statins but was muddled before that.

malcolmp profile image
malcolmp in reply to daisyd

Have you tried l-arginine product like pro-argi-9plus for your sticky blood condition.It does not have any side effects because it helps your body to heal itself by feeding your bodies natural ability to produce nitric oxide.

farmerfester profile image
farmerfester

Have similar problem go to do something I have done many times before and don't have a clue many a bit better after starting statins

hairyfairy profile image
hairyfairy

Iv`e tankfully not yet had a heart attack, but when my mother developed heart disease, she became even more absent minded than she was already. She also spent most of her time sleeping, which was a pain to live with.

cleocat profile image
cleocat

Hi Bobski1

My husband had a couple of heart attacks and bypass surgery three years ago too. He finds his memory has been affected and he doesn't have the strength he had pre surgery. Having said that, he is back in full time employment and still enjoys it. In my opinion, he works too hard but his Doc says he's fine.

bobski1 profile image
bobski1 in reply to cleocat

thats really interesting Cloe,maybe it was the anesthetics that started his memory loss or maybe the drugs ? But he and I have the same problem of working far too hard for our age even though it takes it`s toll and will get us in the end :> but I have decided with she who will be obeyed to retire next year ,I`m lucky that I bought some land and a house with my lads a few years ago abroad where the life is cheaper and the pace an awfull lot slower with the locals being very friendly For us both it`s ideal as long as I don`t push my luck which I am at the moment doing 13 hour days..

bobski1 profile image
bobski1

Thanks to all for your replies and yes bloody statins are on the menu although after talking to my doc a couple of days ago about the effects of them ( which he wouldn`t exactly admit to ) he said come off them as a trial as my cholesterol was about 2.5. and I have a slow heart beat naturally. anyway. The other side of the coin was I was admitted to hospital last year with what I thought was another heart attack as during the night I was waking up and falling out of bed and feeling my heart starting to try to beat with all the pain of it kicking awake. IT turned out that my pancreas,kidneys ,liver were all failing,on admittance all drugs were stopped and it took a few days to recover . seems I was on what I take to be the wrong dose and /or type of drugs one of which was beta blockers ( when I have a natural slow blood pressure ?) still who cares ,there are a lot of people worse off than me .

heartsave profile image
heartsave

You are not going senile. Drugs do terrible things, I think your cholestrol is too low and you really should add some good fats to your diet, if you do not already,- walnuts, hemp seeds. You need some fat, it's important.

I played games to help my memory, kids Nintendo DS or free games such as flee flow etc and card games.

You have to write stuff down, as it aids long term memory. Look up memory aids. I used a lot of post it notes.

bobski1 profile image
bobski1 in reply to heartsave

Thanks,heartsave for the advice, I was told when I first joined the airforce and did tech training to write everything down,good advice which I still do to this day I always carry a note book of some kind on me . I must admit I`m not too keen on any nuts but I`ll take your advice on board and give it a good go.

allyg profile image
allyg

Hi, Bobski1.

If your on statins, you more than likely will have problems with muscle pain, weakness, and problems with memory + dizziness. You probably will be given a blood thinner.

If on Statins I would recommend you take 200mg of Co-Q10. look it up on the net, your Gp wont mention it.

I had a TIA 2 years ago, cause , blocked artery in the neck,

Change your diet to low carb, high natural fat, don't eat anything that contains any kind of preservatives, also eat full fat products ie, dairy , milk yogurts etc, low fat products contain lots of hidden sugar, also cut out all sugars it is a killer.

I cycle and walk every week, also my chol is down to 4.1 from 5.4

I stopped statins after 9 months they caused so much pain.

Regards. Allg

bobski1 profile image
bobski1 in reply to allyg

Hi alg,My problem is I have a very high tolerance to pain and just don`t really notice it I think this is because I used to work in the food industry and got used to working in places that others find intolerable especially heat my mind just got used to blanking out pain from ovan burns and other things. This maybe the reason why to me slight pain can be crippling to others, not a good situation if you have a heart condition but at least I know that if I do feel real pain then something is badly wrong.

As for the CQ10, I wonder as the jury is still out on this ,although the body does produce this drug naturally and it produces it less as we get older the use of statins does in theory, and theory only, as it`s unproven maybe inhibit the production of natural CQ10. I`m not too sure on using unproven by a large scale trial and expensive drug that may just have a placebo effect.

EllyG profile image
EllyG

Hi, there are a number of explanations for this, you should see your GP who will, explore all the possibilities. One might be that your heart no longer works as efficiently as it once did, but dont worry as it could be as simple as having anaemia, you need to see your GP who will run some tests. If your GP agrees its ok for you, frequent exercise will make the heart muscle which is like an engine pump get stronger, do its job of pushing blood around the body better, carrying oxygen and nutrients to the awaiting cells. Its really important though you don’t just start exercising without seeing your doc, as this could be dangerous if your condition makes this unsuitable for you. As an older person, I found I was able to go back about 10 years in terms of the way I processed information by taking fish oils called 'EYE-Q' which I got from Boots. I went back to taking them having tried cheaper options, after realising my problem solving abilities and memory were sliding a bit and within a month I was almost back to 'normal'. Studies on whether fish oils work or not for cognitive function sometimes have conflicting results, but I know so many people as well as me who have tried them and have seen the results. It is possible that the 'placebo effect' plays a part, in that as we expect them to be a wonder pill, they work! Who knows, but they work for me. I feel that whatever state your brain is in, with whatever challenges it has in terms of functioning well, it just makes whatever you have work that bit better. Always ask the pharmacist or your doctor for advice before taking anything new especially of you are on medication, or already taking vitamin supplements. Also getting to bed at the right time, roughly between 10pm -7am (seasonally adjusted) is another factor in boosting cognitive function. Look up Circadian Rhythms, and learn about the human body clock and how beneficial it is to sleep at the right time. Take advantage of gentle sunlight on your skin to boost vitamin D without sunscreen. Put Vitamin D in BBC search see video on Vit D. (but don’t burn as that can cause cancer) Ask your doc if you should take Vitamin D supplements. Over 80% of the British population are deficient in Vit D as we don’t get enough sunlight. Also feed your brain vitamin C every day, and twice a day for good measure as we can’t store it, eat lean protein and avoid sludgy fatty foods like pasties, sausages etc, which are so bad for the brain and so unworthy of this amazing organ, the master control centre of your body and mind, like a computer hard drive, we need to look after it well, and put the right fuel in, to maximise its performance, in the same way we would put high grade fuel into a Lamborghini! Hope this helps! (:

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