Healthy Heart Habits

[anacyde]

It's the new year, and we all hear about resolutions. People often make them, and break them just as quickly.  The thing about doing something over and over though is that it can become a habit.  Just like we fall into bad habits, we can create good ones too.

So, what is on your to-do list for the new year?  I'd like to see what everyone would like to make into their new heart healthy habit.  Or, for those who already have one, inspire us!

Oatmeal?  Treadmill?  Joining a gym?  Let's hear it!

[Momto3]

Yeah, I suppose that's one of those things that's a lot easier said than done -- a work in progress for most of us : )

Some driver cut me off yesterday and I nearly slammed into the car -- I was SO angry and I was getting myself all worked up.  It didn't help one bit!!  He/she could probably have cared less and here I was getting all bent out of shape.  It can be so hard to stop those impulsive reactions...  I was just telling my dad the other day that I'm not too impatient yet (ha!)  Yesterday, I was driving and my parents were with me.  I found myself stressed over long traffic lights (like it made a difference) and irritated with crazy drivers (no difference again).  SO impatient!!  The ironic thing is, once I took them home and got back to my house, none of it mattered anyway.  Today, it's all irrelevant and I'll liklely hit the roads again : )  

Thanks for giving me more food for thought!  : )

[FLBrat]

I am not so successful.  Petty and or stupid acts happen so often.  I just try to remember, those actions should not rule my reaction.  This doesnt excuse the act, it just puts it where it belongs, back on the person behaving poorly.

[Momto3]

That's great!!   I think that's an excellent "heart healthy" plan!  How successful are you?  Some days have got to be easier than others....lol

[caregiver222]

My goal is to eat as many Twinkies as is humanely possible and do as little excerise as possible. My theory is that when you are born you have a certain number of heartbeats and when you use them up, that's it! :)

[FLBrat]

My resolution is to try to hold the one I have made for years.  To not let other people bother me.  That should help my stress levels, and therefore my heart.  Heart healthy in some way I suppose.

So, Anacyde, since you started this whole business, what is your heart healthy resolution?

[Momto3]

OMYGOSH!!  That's awesome!!  I know how tough that is!!  I'm from the generation that kinda knew they weren't great for you, but it didn't seem all that bad either.  Young people today have so much more information.  Not that we're not young : )

Thanks Jack!  Here's to 2008!

[Jack54]

What a Sweetie pie you ere :) Thank you, thank you :) Yes I have.......Ha ha ha

Cheers to u2 and wishes for your good health,

Jack

[Momto3]

Were you able to dump the smokes for good?  That is so hard for people who have smoked for a long time.  If you're still smoking, have you been able to cut down?  

I hope 2008 brings better health and a great relationship with your new cardio!!

Cheers!

[Jack54]

Thanks for the kind note :)

Well, they wanted to perform bypass of my Lad in March of 06. Instead I went to a different hospital, UAB and they performed Rotoblational Arthectomy and stented the beginning of my Lad. I already had one stent in midway of the Lad.

I have a congenitally small and insignificant, plus a 40-50% blockage at the beginning and diffuse disease throughout. I have a stent in my Lcx and one in my Obtuse marginal. Then 4 in my Lad now, so I am only speculating on bypassing anything other than my Lad, but it must be.

Chest pain and fatigue will make the decision. I just don't want to go for another cath until it is time. If I wait too late, well my wife will be rich, lol. It is all just so crazy to me. I read today about Canadian CAD patients back a few (many?) years ago that had to wait for, on average 6 months for CABG. They did a study on those compared with those that waited < 97 days. The outcome was bad for the 6 month folks. It works on your mind because you are constantly reminded by chest pain and fatigue. It can drive you nuts believe you me.

These people on the 6 month waiting list were of course operated on if they had an acute coronary event.

Hi cholesterol, many years of smoking, high stress job, family history x2.

I am 55 now :)

[mas2782]

BTW...I think Anacyde and Often are both right...resolutions are good no matter when you make them.

My resolution is to live my life and enjoy it and try to stop worrying about every new potential heart issue that comes up for me every couple months. God has numbered my days and as someone who claims that my greatest joy comes from enjoying Him forever I want my attitude toward my health to reflect that.

I do feel discouraged though...I had never even thought about CAD because I have no family history (except ONE great uncle) and I've always "lived healthy". The cholesterol report from November that said my HDL was still only 27 really depressed me...so I've lost 17-18 lbs. in the last month (down to 187), am doing the SB Heart Program, taking the Niacin, and still running about 12 miles a week...just hoping these resolutions will make some kind of difference.

[mas2782]

So sorry to hear about all of your problems. Why haven't they recommended you for bypass a long time ago since you have 3 vessel disease...that seems strange that they would just keep trying to stent the arteries. Are they giving you autonomy in making that decision.

Any reason given for the CAD at a relatively young age of 54?

You will be in my prayers.

[Jack54]

"What....I can't have a conversation on this board unless I agree completely with whatever is being said??"

That's what I say. Can't I make a comment when I think someone is going out of their way to be rude? This board is for support, and I gave it where I thought it was needed.

As far as what you are facing, I do not know. I am very sorry to hear of anymore problems for you. You have had more than any human should.

Yet I have my most important coronary artery, my Lad with the maximum number of stents that can be put in it, which is four, end to end, all connected and going closed in at least two different places. One is at the very beginning. Currently I am living on nitroglycerin to ease my chest pain and allow more blood to reach the muscle of my heart so that I can avoid a massive fatal heart attack. At some point in time, I will have my chest totally split open and these stents in my Lad will be bypassed. I have 3 vessel disease and various other blockages, so they may want to bypass my Rca and Lcx.

This will all happen if I am lucky. In September I went to the Cleveland Clinic and had an evaluation for minimally invasive coronary artery surgery. I came back home with no evaluation. I had quit smoking for a good while, but on the walk to the hospital I stopped and bought a pack of smokes just to have one. I gave the rest to someone hanging around smoking. Well smoking will kill you, because the cardiologist smelled the smoke and I got the strangest cath report mailed to me that I have ever seen. It is totally unbelievable.

I never received the evaluation, just a mention of the blockages in this series of stents, but the whole focus was on a new blockage in my Lcx. PLUS it shows that I have Diastolic Dysfunction and possibly Diastolic Heart Failure. My left atrium is either enlarged or borderline enlarged due to the measurable, for sure Diastolic Dysfunction.

DHF leads to Congestive Heart Failure due to high pulmonary venous pressure which leads to high pulmonary artery pressure.

My local cardiologist fired me while I was in the hospital here in Alabama (chest pains and many other symptoms) about 1.5 months ago, because I asked for an echocardiogram. We had it out because of his sarcastic remarks.

I just found a new cardiologist. He is a nice guy. He does not do caths but his buddies do. The last thing he said to me was "we will try to keep you out of the cath lab". He, at the time did not have any of my records. The cath lab will save my life (and it will be my 11th). The cath lab is the very least of my worries. I just hate for my chest to be opened like a cheap suitcase and wired back closed. Shux, after that and in a year or two I will be fine.

I have been lost in space for a few months. I know that the CABG bogeyman is coming, but I just don't know when. I am relying on my ability to judge my chest pain to the point of knowing when an artery is going closed. I have done well predicting when I needed a stent in the past.

Thanks for allowing me the chance to vent.

Often I do apologize to you and you will be in my prayers. I would not have chose to aggravate you had I known you were facing yet another life crisis.

G-D Bless You,

Jack

[often]

Well Jack,  not sure what I did THIS time to incur your sour remarks....Anacyde asked what our new heart healthy habit would be for the new year....or if we already had one...what was it.  So I say I don't believe in resolutions and explain what my heart healthy habit is, when I started and why I kept to it....

Anacyde explains some people like that starting point as an incentive..I further explain my feelings on them.  What....I can't have a conversation on this board unless I agree completely with whatever is being said??  

Suddenly I need to make a resolution to be more sociable?  I need to start being more pleasant?  I think your dislike of me is coloring the tone of my posts as you read them, bucko.  

As far as being pleasant in the face of adversity....you have no idea how I respond to adversity...for that matter, you don't have a clue as to the adversity I am presently facing in my life.

[Momto3]

Maybe we could figure out how to start a "support" page to keep one another moving....Kind of a place where we could "check in" with progress reports.  Maybe the journal would work for that...Anyone have an idea?

Jack,
I like your NYR : )

[Smiley2000]

I also believe in making NYR and I seldom keep to it... but this year will be different.  I want to start exercising again.  Used to do TAEBO and Aerobics before I started to show symptoms of MVP.  But I am unsure of what is safe.

[Jack54]

Geeze I sure hope that you will make that NYR for yourself seldom, that is (quote you) "be like a friend on another board...she works on things like being more sociable or trying to be more pleasant in the face of adversity".

You could use a whole bunch of that! Really you could start with just being more pleasant :)

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Anacyde I like to make NYRs and mine this year is to live awhile longer :)
Happy New Year,

Jack

[Momto3]

I don't generally make New Year's resolutions, but I do plan to resume walking on at least 5 days a week.  The holidays kept me pretty busy baking, shopping and all.  Now that life is settling down again, it's time to hit the streets!  I was doing really well over the summer and fall, but now that it is colder, it takes a little more motivation.  My dog loves to walk so I know I can count on him to go with me : )

[vienna13]

I like the way you're thinking.

[often]

I guess I believe that resolutions are easy to make and easier to break...why set yourself up for failure the first day of a new year...?  And c'mon...you know that most people don't stick with it.  If you do, more power to you...I suppose that if I were to do a NYR, it would be like a friend on another board...she works on things like being more sociable or trying to be more pleasant in the face of adversity...to me that makes more sense than going out and buying a treadmill that will become a really ugly clothes hanger.  And oatmeal is a regular part of my diet.....because I actually LIKE it.

[anacyde]

I agree that any time is a good time to make change, but for some people, a starting point on the calendar offers additional incentive.  I always like to try and begin the new year with something positive that I would like to turn into a habit.  It feels good to say, "I know I did something healthy for myself all year, despite life's challenges," too ;)

[often]

I have always thought it silly to wait for a particular day in the year to start changing your life.  When you realize change is needed, you make the change...be it Jan 1, March 15, July 8, whatever.  I made my heart healthy changes when I was diagnosed with CHF....and since I had a strong desire to continue to live, I stuck with them.  Proper diet, exercise and something not often touted, yet in my opinion, very important....attitude.  The cliches are cliches for a reason...they are true...stop and smell the roses (unless you are allergic), stay positive, don't sweat the small stuff and its all small stuff. I would rather spend my time living than worrying about dying.