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Bcked Arteries Yes or No
I am a 51 yr old British national residing in Thailand, I have medication controlled high blood pressure and cholesterol and am asthmatic.
I find I get badly out of breath when I am cutting the grass or digging in the garden. When I was young I suffered from hay fever but this disappeared when I became an adult. Other exercising, bike riding, walking etc doesn't give any problems.
I eat a decent, reasonably healthy diet and drink alcohol in moderation, maybe too much at times.
My doctor says I am just unfit but I think there is something more. Is there any way, apart from angioplasty, that I can tell if I have blocked or partially blocked arteries?
Also, my doctor tells me the medication I take for high cholesterol not only keeps the level in check it breaks down and removes the plaque built up in my arteries but I can see no reference to this on the internet, is this true.
I thank you for your help.
I find I get badly out of breath when I am cutting the grass or digging in the garden. When I was young I suffered from hay fever but this disappeared when I became an adult. Other exercising, bike riding, walking etc doesn't give any problems.
I eat a decent, reasonably healthy diet and drink alcohol in moderation, maybe too much at times.
My doctor says I am just unfit but I think there is something more. Is there any way, apart from angioplasty, that I can tell if I have blocked or partially blocked arteries?
Also, my doctor tells me the medication I take for high cholesterol not only keeps the level in check it breaks down and removes the plaque built up in my arteries but I can see no reference to this on the internet, is this true.
I thank you for your help.
I've just been contacted by a medical centre in the US who tells me they do the sound wave tests for blocked arteries and its 100% accurate. Has anyone had this test done and what were the findings?
Hi
Thanks for the reply, as for your questions:
I am 5' 11", 165 lbs and have never been a smoker, although I guess I have frequented many an establishment where secondary smoking has been rife.
So would an angioplasty be the only way to tell if I have badly blocked arteries? I heard from a friend that now doctors can use a sound wave test or some sort to determine if they are blocked, apparently when listening to the blood in the arteries the higher the sound frequency of the blood running through the arteries the more the arteries are blocked, they have a set of % figures against various frequencies. Have you heard of this before?
Thanks for the reply, as for your questions:
I am 5' 11", 165 lbs and have never been a smoker, although I guess I have frequented many an establishment where secondary smoking has been rife.
So would an angioplasty be the only way to tell if I have badly blocked arteries? I heard from a friend that now doctors can use a sound wave test or some sort to determine if they are blocked, apparently when listening to the blood in the arteries the higher the sound frequency of the blood running through the arteries the more the arteries are blocked, they have a set of % figures against various frequencies. Have you heard of this before?
Hello Chris,
You didn't mention your height or weight which could well be factors. If you are overweight the strenuousness of intermittent physical activity like cutting the grass or digging in the garden could cause temporary shortness of breath or even dizziness. If either occur but pass quickly this is more or less normal for patients on beta blockers or other blood pressure medication. Cholesterol reducing agents (statins) do in fact moderate the serum cholesterol and to a degree moderate the HDL and LDL levels which have the effect of reducing arterial plaque. Most of the available information on Zocor, Lipitor, Crestor or other drugs in the "statin" class will bear this out in data from their clinical studies.
Most probably your asthma is the larger contributing factor as the bronchial inflammation and constriction that occurs in asthmatics would certainly make abrupt strenuous activity a challenge whereas paced activity is less problematic. You also did not mention if you are a smoker which I sincerly hope is not the case but if you are, see a Psychiatrist as well as a Cardiologist!
You didn't mention your height or weight which could well be factors. If you are overweight the strenuousness of intermittent physical activity like cutting the grass or digging in the garden could cause temporary shortness of breath or even dizziness. If either occur but pass quickly this is more or less normal for patients on beta blockers or other blood pressure medication. Cholesterol reducing agents (statins) do in fact moderate the serum cholesterol and to a degree moderate the HDL and LDL levels which have the effect of reducing arterial plaque. Most of the available information on Zocor, Lipitor, Crestor or other drugs in the "statin" class will bear this out in data from their clinical studies.
Most probably your asthma is the larger contributing factor as the bronchial inflammation and constriction that occurs in asthmatics would certainly make abrupt strenuous activity a challenge whereas paced activity is less problematic. You also did not mention if you are a smoker which I sincerly hope is not the case but if you are, see a Psychiatrist as well as a Cardiologist!
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