Just thought i would share my story to see if there is anyone else out there who is my age and suffering?
Im a 34yr old woman, i was diagnosed with FH from the age of 18yr but being a bit of a rebel and living abroad for some time i did not look after my medication correctly.
I have been on statins regularly for the last 6yr now.
I have always been very active and have an ok diet, but early last year i felt exercising was getting alot more difficult so went to the doctors to explain i was having problems breathing with excertion.
My mum has had angina since the age of 30 and had a bypass at 42, so i explained this and asked for a stress test, after being refused and given an inhaler eventually they agreed.
It didnt go well and i was referred for an angiogram, which showed that i have 3 damaged and blocked arteries. They have tried to stent but decided that it is too high risk so i now have to go for a heart bypass.
As you can imagine im not looking forward to this and cant help but feel that i am too young, for such surgery`
Any experiences anyone has i would be grateful?
Jo
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jokerr22
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I am much older (62), I had a triple bypass three months ago and just wanted to say the operation, although not a walk in the park, was nowhere near as bad as I had anticipated. I feel much better ( though I had few obvious symptoms before) and it seems the bypasses can last almost indefinitely. If you have the op and do the rehab programme I think you will have a new lease of life. Good luck.
A bypass operation has given a friend of mine a new lease of life! Don't worry too much and listen to your Surgeon and trust him. These operations are a "walk in the park" for him but for you will give you many more years of healthy living. With the family history of FH that you have you have been lucky to be in a position to get the help that you need.
All the best to you and let us know how you get on.
Hi joker 22 I cannot tell you what decision to make as you are only young Iam 73 and turned down a triple heart bypass nearly a year ago now because I thought the risk was to great for me that is I have stayed on the medication and added to that a herbal medication called strauuss heart drops this seems to work for me but I suppose its not for everybody. As for you you are young and trip-le heart by pass maybe best for you but I asked the consultant if I had the op how long would I live and he said he did not know and when I asked him if I did not have the op how soon would I die he still did not know so to me it was a no boner but tha is me and I do not think I am has bad as you I do not have an ihaler and never have had so the choice as to be yours but i know how you feel because i was in the same situation once I made the decision i have to live with it
I had a heart attack at 56years of age, diagnosed with FH, and had a double Heart by Pass, I recovered very well, it was not as bad as I feared, I came home on the 6th,day, and attended my brothers Wedding for a couple of hours the next day. This was all in 1998,I feel it was the best thing to happen,and I have regular checks on my heart, and there has been very little change since then. Wish you all the best. Pandr
I am 66 now and had a triple bypass at the age of 44. It was a cure. After the operation wounds had healed exercise was easy. Swimming was so much easier. Although I have an unrelated cancer now the operation has given me 22 years of very good life, without any heart related symptoms. Since then I have taken a very high dose of statins (Lipitor and now Crestor) without any manifest side effects.
Try to choose a good hospital and surgeon and go ahead.
I would like to thank everyone for the positive comments, I am still waiting for the appointment it has been 4months now they don't seem to be in a hurry so I am trying not to let it take over my mind.
Part of me just wants to get it over with so I can get back to being an active healthy person, I have not been doing any exercise since my diagnoses and really missing it.
Ill keep updating my blog and let you know how it all goes.
I am also in the same boat waiting for the bypass, the waiting list is now six months time.
Had the angiogram in Dec, 2012. same symptoms as yours also showing three blocked, on the left side arteries and referred to heart bypass at Papaworth. Most of my close friends recommends get it done as soon as possible.
I have been taken aspirin, plus other medication the doctor has prescribed.
During my consultation I was told by the surgeon, three hours operation I will not know anything and job will be done. I am now 67.
Looking forward to better circulation and hopefully all the other main organs to function properly. My diabetes should also improve. Better life.
NB. I started taking Allicin Max Capsules which is helping me. These are Vegetarian Capsules ( Garlic base ) got it from Boots.
Thank you for your comments as it happens I received the call on Monday to let me know im going in next Wednesday (my 35th birthday) for the bypass. I have not received any further information yet.
Im like you I just want to get it over with now as I found out in October that this was what I needed so feel like everything has been on hold.
I had triple bypass surgery 2.5 years ago at age 52. I was also told that stenting was too risky and I needed the bypass.
After the surgery, the bypass was unsuccessful. The bypass that used the 'vein graft' clogged immediately, while the two that used the mammory arterteries were attached at too acute an angle and the blood wasn't flowing well.
The result? The stenting that was 'too risky' was done successfully two months after my surgery, and now blood is flowing easily in all arteries.
For the record, veins are not as good as arteries for bypass surgery because they cannot handle the pressure as much as arteries and tend to clog up quicker.
I have since, radically changed my lifestyle, I exercise daily for 60 minutes (15,000 steps). 3 days a week I go to a gym to perform high-intensity interval training (alternating sprints) on a treadmill, and I play ice hockey once per week.
My diet is plant-based but I supplement with lean chicken breast one or two meals per week, and have fish for 2 meals per week. I also have egg white omelettes 3-4 days per week for additional protein. I have red meat twice per year, Christmas and Easter. I don't eat any cold-cuts or processed meats or foods. I eat fresh foods only.
I eat lots of spinach and arugula salads and have all natural, unsalted, unsweetened nut-butter (I prefer almond butter) on whole grain toast for breakfast with a drizzling of honey and cinnamon. I have converted to goat milk for my 100% all bran cereal, and for my morning tea, and have 0% plain Greek yogurt after exercise with a little bit of Greek honey.
For the record, organic goat milk is the closest thing in composition to human mother's milk. It is much better for you than industrial cow milk. Sheep milk is also much healthier. You can also have these forms of dairy, whole fat, without skimming due to the smaller fat globules (short and medium-chain fatty acids) that comprise them. They also have much less lactose than cow's milk so they are easier to digest. The only exception I make for cows milk is Greek yogurt due to its high protein content.
I have effectively eliminated all sugars and simple carbohydrates from my diet.
The result is I have lost 40 lbs (over 8-10 months, very gradually), I now weigh 155 lbs (70.3 KG) and am 5'10" (178 cm) in height.
I also play golf twice a week and walk the course instead of taking a cart.
I now feel great, am full of energy and best of all, I have come off of all medications, including the statins. My cardiologist is unhappy about me not taking statins but with my diet and lifestyle and the research I have done, I am convinced that I don't need them. I was taking a handful of pills after my surgery and they have terrible side-effects - specifically anxiety and a feeling of pressure in the chest.
However, I monitor my bloodwork very closely every 3 months (every 6 weeks for the year during which I began weaning from all medications). I have learned about many additional tests (read my posts from the link further down in this post, to learn about these tests) that I take at my own expense that gives me a more complete picture of my cardiovascular health so I'm not in the dark and don't feel scared about not using statins.
If I could do it all over again, I would NOT have had the bypass surgery. However, it requires a COMPLETE AND UNCOMPROMISING DIETARY AND LIFESTYLE CHANGE on a PERMANENT BASIS. If you are not prepared to do that, then you'll have to do the surgery.
Even after such surgery, you still need to make a radical dietary and lifestyle change, otherwise in 10-15 years your arteries will clog up again.
There is some evidence that a plant-based diet can actually REVERSE plaque accumulation when coupled with exercise.
If you commit to this radical lifestyle change for the next 60-90 days then have another angiogram, your doctors will be able to see if there's been an improvement worthy of avoiding the surgery.
I note that my exercise regimen began very gradually and it took me a year to build up the high intensity exercise that I do today. Initially it all began with a 5 minute walk on a daily basis that I gradually built upon as I felt better and learned more.
To learn more about my experience, read all of my posts:
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