Heart Attack rehab.

[AllanB]

10 months ago I had a heart attack, had two stenting procedures and now take the usual cocktail of drugs, 4 in all. I have had ups and downs since, still have a few <deleted>ty days and am very envious of people in the UK who go to rehab classes.

 

I am in Khonkaen and wondered if anyone had found any help in terms of aftercare, since I have had just 2 off 3 minute sessions with my cardiologist here and the rest has come from Youtube. The anxiety has lessened over the months, as I have learned about my condition and my wife has been a true diamond. I dropped from 83kg to 66 and am now around 68kg, a bit gaunt for a 6ft tall 68 year old, but walk around 2km a day and do a bit of light weight training.

 

I would like to hear from anyone who has heart issues, exchange info etc.

[canthai55]

Sorry for your trouble.

Hope a complete recovery happens soon

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, AllanB said:

I would like to hear from anyone who has heart issues, exchange info etc.

I had my heart attack at age 47, two months short of my 48th birthday, that was 12 and a half years ago, long of the short, it was my fault, i.e. I over exerted myself, never try to have sex 4 times in the one day...lol, true story, married to my Thai wife just over a year back then, now 13 years on, we still go it like rabbits ????

 

I stopped smoking in 2000 so had 7 years off the smokes and used to go to the gym, weights and cardio, since I stopped, thought I ate healthy, but not so with all the sugar/salt in the processed foods, but we have all been poisoned for years with foods, add to that the many years of smoking and presto.

 

Never had an issue since I had the heart attack, I take my meds, no need for Viagra and the like ????

 

My heart attack was from a clot, narrow artery, so I have to keep the blood thin (aspirin) coated much milder on the stomach, and have to keep my cholesterol down, I check my blood every 6 months.

 

Last year I decided to drop some weight as the Cardiologist appeared to be fed up telling me every two years when I would see him, to drop to about 80kg-82kg for my age, so I went at it for about 8 months and dropped from 90.5kg to 75.6kg some 15kg. I purchased a good quality cardio machine and purchased a light weight training set, turning 60 this year and not only do I feel good, but get the compliments along the way, some asking if I am ok...lol.

 

The scales this morning were showing me at 78.8kg, still down some 12kg, yes got lazy since the end of last year although I do try to get back into it, just lazy, although I eat clean and drink moderately.

 

Two yearly check ups with the Cardiologist, and I do my blood test checks at a private blood clinic as I don't want to wait at a public hospital for hours on end, and this way I don't have to see the "doctor" for a simple blood test, and this way I know what's going on myself.

 

LDL Cholesterol check in October was down to about 1.2mmol, range (1.7-3.5) but under 2.0mmol if at risk is best. 

 

HDL 1.7mmol, range (0.8-1.5) slightly up but of no concern

 

Triglycerides 0.6mmol, range (0.5-1.7) at the lower end, but all good.

 

Just keep doing what you're doing, eat clean, exercise but don't kill yourself, if a smoker, hope you have stopped, take your meds on time and just enjoy what time we have left here, but do get your blood test done every 3 months for the first year then taper down to twice a year, albeit it depending on what your cardiologist advises.

 

Welcome to the club, at least your still here, could always be worse oi.

Edited February 4, 2020 by 4MyEgo

[Toolong]

Don't smoke and also avoid secondary smoke. (Some are foolishly not careful re the latter.)

Drink alcohol moderately. (Wine is ok...if you can stand the stuff. Beer rather than the hard stuff.)

Don't drink coke or any silly sugary <deleted> like that. Zero fat milk. Tea and coffee in moderation is not at all as bad as some seem to think. But without sugar and NEVER 3-in-1 coffee.

Careful about bread, even all the so-called healthier stuff like wholewheat etc. Most bread is made with butter or shortening...bad. Takes resolve but cut it out completely and go with rice for carbs. Pastries...forget it.....you wanna live right?

Green-leaf vegetables, as much as you like. Vegetables generally....go for it. Fruit likewise, though do your homework. Some are not so suitable.

Ditch the salt as much as you can. Skip the salted peanuts. 

Say bye to red meat. Go with fish. Steamed if possible. Chicken's good but not fried (too often!). 

Desserts/candies? Are you kidding?

 

Exercise as much as your good sense tells you. Aerobic/cardiovascular stuff rather than weight training. Careful with weight training. It doesn't get your lungs and heart working in heart-friendly ways like a gentle jog or aerobic session or stair-walking.

 

Live long.

 

[AllanB]

Many thanks for your helpful replies, wasn't sure that sex was anything but heart healthy, but I don't overdo it nowadays, don't need viagra...yet. Still get twinges of heart/chest pain, but have learned to live with them, as most of it is acid reflux related.

 

As for "why me", stress and lack of exercise. Stress, I inheritted my mum's temperment, which I am working on with a few Buddhist techniques and lack of exercise due to osteoarthritis in my knee. After I lost all that weight that helped on the exercise front and I began walking 2-4km every day, but jumping down off my pickup recently, screwed that up for the time being. So doing the BHF 10 minute workout twice a day to compensate.

 

Since I met my Thai wife 10 years ago, my eating habits had been good, but previous years of eating processed <deleted> have taken it's toll, I guess. Gave up smoking when I was 14 and never been much of a drinker. After my HA switched to a Dr Esselstyn's whole plant based diet, but the weight fell off me and I got really depressed. Now I have a great vegan breakfast and eat oily fish, a little meat and loads of fruit and veg, especially greens. Spinach and balsamic vinegar creates nitric oxide for the heart and then antioxidents are the main key.

 

I have spent a lot of time researching different diets and their are a thousand different opinions out there. But no one has looked at the French diet in any depth, which contradicts much of what the experts say. Now if you look at Europe the French have by far the loweest rate of CVD and worldwide they are one of the lowest too. The BHF (British Heart Foundation) recommend the "Meditereanean" diet, but if you look at those countries, Italy, Spain and Greece, they don't have low CVD rates. While France is on the Med the french don't really eat that diet.

 

I tried discussing this on the BHF forum and got banned, that and wishing to discuss Dr Esselstyn's theory. So there are some politics there.

 

We now spend half the year in central Portugal, where the food is very good, the raw materials I mean, although we have had some superb fish meals the few times we have eaten out.

 

I am an inherently lazy person and really have to work on that, if I am going get anything like another couple of decades. Used to do lots of sports when I was young and skinny, now I am skinny again I need to get up of my <deleted>. What is this expensive cardio machine somone mentioned, a treadmill?