Thank you for your response. Read the article, very interesting. I am still learning on statins, CVD and blood glucose issues. My elder brother had stent for the second time this year, fist one six years ago and also a TAVI procedure. Recovering from TAVI procedure.
I hope my life style change can help me to avoid medication for (CVD and blood glucose issues), only time will tell.
It always alarms me when people submit articles from the Daily mail. They go for the sensational every time and in health that means controversial theories from often controversial doctors expressed by poor journalists. It does however say that the operation is life saving later on in the article. If they are life saving then surely they are life extending. I have had 3 stents after an MI and my life, or even quality of life was saved possibly on a shorter term basis if I do not make lifestyle changes. One of the problems with the article is that it does not outline the differences between stable/unstable Angina, MI and other conditional that stents are used for.
It is clear that having stents can only help short term but to make changes longer term it needs complete life style changes. I am sure there is not a cardiologist that does not mention this. When i had my 4 stents put in during my heart attack i had a constant stream of people visit my bed to advise on diet, exercise and anti smoking alcohol advice and medication etc. It was clear to me that my future was in my hands. Its is more likely that people want to believe only what they want to hear so don't listen clearly to what is told them.
Thanks for your comments. At the end of the day it is in our hands. Life style change now or we wait for an event to take place and then listen and look for advice?
Specialists know what procedure to go for and offer advice, we listen and decide what is on offer!
May be in future, I should keep what I read to myself!
Hi, I agree that a stent improves blood flow and therefore lessens pain enough for a lifestyle change. Last year my husband had a stent fitted. We then both went on the dr dean Ornish diet and followed this pretty well until about a week ago when I found out several things that I didn't pick up before. First, that you MUST take B12 vitamins whilst on this diet because no matter what you may read, B12 only comes from meat. Second, the statin discussion also has a MUST take that no doctor ever mentioned to us, and that is the issue of cQ10, not to mention that statins also block vit D. Statins are off now. Then I started reading about how science has now found that sugar and carbs are the major health risk and that high cholesterol is not! Anyway, long story short, I have read masses on the subject and have been persuaded to start the process of removing sugar and carbohydrates from grains from our diet and adding some fats, which apparently are vital for brain health. It's all a bit tricky but can be worked out in the end, it's just a pity that the specialist here in France is not happy with patients making up their own minds as to what to do about their own health! Any comments would be helpful.
If it's published in the Daily Mail I would read with extreme prejudice! Stenting does relieve the symptoms of angina, as I well know. The heart muscle will receive an enhanced blood supply through more efficient coronary arterial flow and this can only be of benefit. With regards to reducing the risk of heart attack, genetics & lifestyle are probably more relevant factors in reducing this risk, and plenty of statins too!
I think the misunderstanding is in the reading of the statement. It doesn't say that stenting does not prevent heart attacks which may have occurred had stenting not taken place, but that it does not reduce heart attack RISK, which is what is calculated from a persons lifestyle choices, blood pressure and family history etc. In other words it is a sticking plaster for the main areas of damage but the risk of developing further areas of damage is not reduced.
Medication and medical procedures are developed humans to improve the quality of life. Some medication or some medical procedures may work for few humans but not for all humans. There was a question once, do cardiologist do more than one stent during the procedure?, the answer was it is all to do with costs! People who had one stent end up having second or third in few years time.
There was another question stent or by-pass?
May be life style change and food intake control is the best way forward?
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Hello, I am 56 years old, non smoker, normal BMI (5ft 1, 8st 7lb). My latest test show total cholesterol is 6.7, LDL 3.9, HDL 2.4.
I joined to get real feedback about stents, and all it entails so I can support for my fiance & me keep calm and hopeful.
