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Heart Disease/Issues?

24

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  • Greenie
    Greenie Posts: 9,172
    edited July 2023
    I work for the British Heart Foundation, I appreciate that this thread is mostly about Heart Attacks/disease whereby you can get a bit of warning as detailed in various posts above, however the other side is Cardiac arrest and you don’t get any warning, think Christian Erickson in the Euros. Cardiac Arrest is the electricity that keeps the heart running, a bit like the battery in your car, and it can just stop. 
    Anyway the BHF have just put £35 million into a new program of research where you can get scanned for potential cardiac arrest, if the scan reveals you have the gene they can correct it so you should never have a cardiac arrest, also you can’t pass on the bad gene to you unborn children once corrected.
     I’m lucky enough to work with one of the Doctors involved in this ground breaking research called Cureheart, it’s a joint initiative with the USA. It’s a couple of years away but it’s as exciting as finding a cure for all cancers. Until it is rolled out, do yourself and your family and friends a favour and learn CPR though our Revivr online program, it can also be presented at your place of work. It takes 15 minutes.
    https://www.bhf.org.uk/revivr?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_P6dBhD1ARIsAAGI7HDL_ivFuofUJgFcs6utTEDjYLC4NEyAwep6OwdDki87De90Ma8YSA4aAioTEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

  • Redmidland
    Redmidland Posts: 44,700
    @sillav nitram I, having ignored being breathless for 4 months beforehand, suffered from Heart Failure in Dec 2014 (aged 59). My journey at that time is well documented on this site, which I'm sure you can still find. When I got to hospital my heart rate  was 155bpm! It now averages 68 and 80, and my heart now functions nearly twice as good as it did on the day I was admitted. I was in hospital 3 weeks while they sorted me out (all without any surgical procedure!)
    I'm now 68 and suffer from permanent atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat). it is controlled by medication and it seems to have been fine for the last 8 years. I had 2 cardioversions to try and jump start my heart back into rhythm, they only worked for a short period of time until I went back into a-fib again.
    I've not had a 'stent' or a pacemaker, but, as I said take tablets everyday for the rest of my life.
    What they can do nowadays, even compared to just 8 years ago, is quite remarkable, I'm sure you'll be fine.

    NB - as you may have seen I'm back in hospital tomorrow due to bowel cancer diagnosis....and yes I'm scared of having a general anaesthetic because of my heart condition.....I've been assured not to worry....but I am, so it will be normal to worry. I hope you get sorted as soon as possible.
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,968
    Good on you, Greenie. I've found the BHF information really helpful all the way through and recommend the website to anyone looking for comprehensive and readable information on heart conditions.
  • Gary Poole
    Gary Poole Posts: 1,874
    Greenie said:
    I work for the British Heart Foundation, I appreciate that this thread is mostly about Heart Attacks/disease whereby you can get a bit of warning as detailed in various posts above, however the other side is Cardiac arrest and you don’t get any warning, think Christian Erickson in the Euros. Cardiac Arrest is the electricity that keeps the heart running, a bit like the battery in your car, and it can just stop. 
    Anyway the BHF have just put £35 million into a new program of research where you can get scanned for potential cardiac arrest, if the scan reveals you have the gene they can correct it so you should never have a cardiac arrest, also you can’t pass on the bad gene to you unborn children once corrected.
     I’m lucky enough to work with one of the Doctors involved in this ground breaking research called Cureheart, it’s a joint initiative with the USA. It’s a couple of years away but it’s as exciting as finding a cure for all cancers. Until it is rolled out, do yourself and your family and friends a favour and learn CPR though our Revivr online program, it can also be presented at your place of work. It takes 15 minutes.
    https://www.bhf.org.uk/revivr?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_P6dBhD1ARIsAAGI7HDL_ivFuofUJgFcs6utTEDjYLC4NEyAwep6OwdDki87De90Ma8YSA4aAioTEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

    Great post and a very interesting study. The bit highlighted in bold is so important. If it wasn’t for CPR my eldest daughter wouldn’t be here. If everyone who had a cardiac arrest was given immediate CPR, instead of a survival rate of 10% we would have a survival rate of 50%. To put that into perspective the number of people who could be saved each year in Uk who aren’t would fill The Valley.

    Also the British Heart Foundation website is a great resource and has lots of information about different cardiac conditions, well worth a look if you want further accurate information about what is affecting you or your loved ones
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,968
    Gary Poole said:
    Greenie said:
    I work for the British Heart Foundation, I appreciate that this thread is mostly about Heart Attacks/disease whereby you can get a bit of warning as detailed in various posts above, however the other side is Cardiac arrest and you don’t get any warning, think Christian Erickson in the Euros. Cardiac Arrest is the electricity that keeps the heart running, a bit like the battery in your car, and it can just stop. 
    Anyway the BHF have just put £35 million into a new program of research where you can get scanned for potential cardiac arrest, if the scan reveals you have the gene they can correct it so you should never have a cardiac arrest, also you can’t pass on the bad gene to you unborn children once corrected.
     I’m lucky enough to work with one of the Doctors involved in this ground breaking research called Cureheart, it’s a joint initiative with the USA. It’s a couple of years away but it’s as exciting as finding a cure for all cancers. Until it is rolled out, do yourself and your family and friends a favour and learn CPR though our Revivr online program, it can also be presented at your place of work. It takes 15 minutes.
    https://www.bhf.org.uk/revivr?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_P6dBhD1ARIsAAGI7HDL_ivFuofUJgFcs6utTEDjYLC4NEyAwep6OwdDki87De90Ma8YSA4aAioTEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

    Great post and a very interesting study. The bit highlighted in bold is so important. If it wasn’t for CPR my eldest daughter wouldn’t be here. If everyone who had a cardiac arrest was given immediate CPR, instead of a survival rate of 10% we would have a survival rate of 50%. To put that into perspective the number of people who could be saved each year in Uk who aren’t would fill The Valley.

    Also the British Heart Foundation website is a great resource and has lots of information about different cardiac conditions, well worth a look if you want further accurate information about what is affecting you or your loved ones
    That explains our poor crowds then

  • ElfsborgAddick
    ElfsborgAddick Posts: 29,039
    The treatment I received at King's in Denmark Hill was first class.  I cannot speak highly enough of them.
  • Blackheathen
    Blackheathen Posts: 6,655
    IdleHans said:
    Algarveaddick said:
    ElfsborgAddick said:
    IdleHans said:
    sillav nitram said:
    Just wondering if anyone on here is or has experienced any issues around their heart?

    There's a history of heart disease in my family, my grandad and my father.

    About 2 years ago I had a stent fitted because I'd been experiencing pain in and around my heart. I can't remember how effective or not it has been, because I'm also now on the usual medication and maybe that has masked it, dunno?

    The pain has come back, sometimes its constant and at the moment intermittent, its not specifically painful, I'm just aware of it being present.

    I've had further tests that have all come back normal and I'm now being sent for a scan, no idea when that'll be as the waiting list is long but I'm assuming that if I have pain something must be causing it?

    Interested to hear any lifers experiences that could be helpful or the opposite worrying;)

    BTW I'm 68, keep it to yourself though.
    Did you have just one stent fitted? I'm no doctor but is it possible a second artery to the heart is starting to become clogged? Mind you I'd expect that to show up easily on a scan or an ECG.

    I think once you've had treatment for heart problems you're likely always to have to take medication, whether it's low dose aspirin, blood thinners, statins etc, but I doubt they've given you painkillers so they won't be masking anything.
    I agree with @cafcfan, don't wait and push them for a diagnosis soonest.






    I'm on the three you mention, they are for life and fortunately I have no problems taking tablets, some people do.
    I am able to lead a completely normal life ten years on from my heart attack thanks to the pills. A statin, a blood thinner, an anti-coagulent and a beta blocker. 

    As Elfsborg says, keep taking the tablets... 
    The worst thing now is if I cut myself, even a small scratch, I bleed like a bugger for ages. Shave very carefully and keep plenty of plasters around the house.

    Are you on blood thinners IH?  I used to take half an aspirin a day but stopped after I got a nose “bleed” - it was a torrent actually all over the bathroom - and we called an ambulance and I spent a boring few hours in Taupo hospital.  The only light relief was being attached to the most antiquated piece of machinery imaginable which didn’t work.  On the screen which should have read my details was the word “Dead”.

    On an unrelated topic, four years ago I was experiencing difficulty on the hills and was checked out by a specialist who - after looking at ecg and other results - told me I needed an aortic valve replacement.  It had an expected life of around 3 months.  After the operation the surgeon said more like 10 days. It didn’t take long to recover and I don’t feel to bad for 80+ years.

    on the subject of length of chest scars I haven’t measured mine but I can bow to public demand and post a selfie if required. 😄

    All the best sillavnitram.  I hope everything works out for you.
  • killerandflash
    killerandflash Posts: 69,846
    A friend of mine had an angiogram today. A pretty traumatic experience, and he's been kept in hospital overnight for observations.
  • Wheresmeticket
    Wheresmeticket Posts: 17,304
    Update on my partner. She had a heart attack in hospital and went to the top of the list. She had triple bypass last Friday and we are expecting discharge home on Friday if physio goes OK. She has hardly eaten anything since the op and even talking about food makes her throw up...anyone with experience had similar?
  • ElfsborgAddick
    ElfsborgAddick Posts: 29,039
    edited July 2023
    Wheresmeticket? said:
    Update on my partner. She had a heart attack in hospital and went to the top of the list. She had triple bypass last Friday and we are expecting discharge home on Friday if physio goes OK. She has hardly eaten anything since the op and even talking about food makes her throw up...anyone with experience had similar?
    Hello mate, I can only repeat my pm's to you.

    Aside from this, please pass on my best wishes to your good lady.
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  • Covered End
    Covered End Posts: 52,007
    Wheresmeticket? said:
    Update on my partner. She had a heart attack in hospital and went to the top of the list. She had triple bypass last Friday and we are expecting discharge home on Friday if physio goes OK. She has hardly eaten anything since the op and even talking about food makes her throw up...anyone with experience had similar?
    I've not had much appetite since my recent prostatectemy. Surgeon said this was normal.
  • Wheresmeticket
    Wheresmeticket Posts: 17,304
    ElfsborgAddick said:
    Wheresmeticket? said:
    Update on my partner. She had a heart attack in hospital and went to the top of the list. She had triple bypass last Friday and we are expecting discharge home on Friday if physio goes OK. She has hardly eaten anything since the op and even talking about food makes her throw up...anyone with experience had similar?
    Hello mate, I can only repeat my pm's to you.

    Aside from this, please pass on my best wishes to your good lady.
    ...and they were very much appreciated!
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,968
    Wheresmeticket? said:
    Update on my partner. She had a heart attack in hospital and went to the top of the list. She had triple bypass last Friday and we are expecting discharge home on Friday if physio goes OK. She has hardly eaten anything since the op and even talking about food makes her throw up...anyone with experience had similar?
    It took a while for my appetite to return but you don't burn many calories in hospital. But it's very soon for her and it will take time for things to get back to normal. I suspect she might be more concerned by discomfort from her healing bones once she gets home. She will need to be patient for the next few months as she slowly recovers, but it will happen. Best of luck!
    My taste buds were screwed up after the operation and flavours all seemed very flat apart from sour or bitter things. Apparently this is reasonably common. I think what eventually fixed that was iron tablets. On the plus side, I lost about 9lbs in the week I was in hospital and it's mostly stayed off.
  • ElfsborgAddick
    ElfsborgAddick Posts: 29,039
    Wheresmeticket? said:
    ElfsborgAddick said:
    Wheresmeticket? said:
    Update on my partner. She had a heart attack in hospital and went to the top of the list. She had triple bypass last Friday and we are expecting discharge home on Friday if physio goes OK. She has hardly eaten anything since the op and even talking about food makes her throw up...anyone with experience had similar?
    Hello mate, I can only repeat my pm's to you.

    Aside from this, please pass on my best wishes to your good lady.
    ...and they were very much appreciated!
    Which I hope will have the same results.

    Take care.
  • ElfsborgAddick
    ElfsborgAddick Posts: 29,039
    Covered End said:
    Wheresmeticket? said:
    Update on my partner. She had a heart attack in hospital and went to the top of the list. She had triple bypass last Friday and we are expecting discharge home on Friday if physio goes OK. She has hardly eaten anything since the op and even talking about food makes her throw up...anyone with experience had similar?
    I've not had much appetite since my recent prostatectemy. Surgeon said this was normal.
    Get down to The Salisbury chippy on Crown Lane Spur mate, that'll do the job.
  • hoof_it_up_to_benty
    hoof_it_up_to_benty Posts: 22,449
    Both Trevor Francis and Chris Bart-Williams lost to heart issues.

    I do wonder if more checkups might catch stuff.
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,968
    hoof_it_up_to_benty said:
    Both Trevor Francis and Chris Bart-Williams lost to heart issues.

    I do wonder if more checkups might catch stuff.
    Once you get to a certain age I'd say it's worth checking your blood pressure regularly - reliable home machines start at about £20. Also get your cholesterol levels checked - I find it amazing that surgeries don't offer this as a matter of course to those in middle age, but you can buy a blood test yourself fairly cheaply.
    Mind you, I went to see my GP at the end of August '22 with a concern about tightness in my chest after exertion and he said probably long COVID, go home and come back if it gets any worse. Five weeks later I had a cardiac event. Thanks doc!

  • Super_Eddie_Youds
    Super_Eddie_Youds Posts: 1,977
    IdleHans said:
    hoof_it_up_to_benty said:
    Both Trevor Francis and Chris Bart-Williams lost to heart issues.

    I do wonder if more checkups might catch stuff.
    Once you get to a certain age I'd say it's worth checking your blood pressure regularly - reliable home machines start at about £20. Also get your cholesterol levels checked - I find it amazing that surgeries don't offer this as a matter of course to those in middle age, but you can buy a blood test yourself fairly cheaply.
    Mind you, I went to see my GP at the end of August '22 with a concern about tightness in my chest after exertion and he said probably long COVID, go home and come back if it gets any worse. Five weeks later I had a cardiac event. Thanks doc!

    All credit to my GP, despite the issues with appointments and numbers, a week after I turned 40 I got a text to go in for an MOT. 

    They caught high blood pressure and now I’m on pills that have brought it right down. 

    I exercise regularly and barely eat meat anymore, low cholesterol etc but still averaged 150/95 on a 24 hr check. 

    Talking to the pharmacist there, they are casting the net wider for high blood pressure as it’s a bit of a silent killer. As per the post above, get checked, it doesn’t take much. 
  • EveshamAddick
    EveshamAddick Posts: 7,015
    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/

    The NHS Health Check is a check-up for adults in England aged 40 to 74. It can help spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia
  • TEL
    TEL Posts: 10,100
    My cardiologist said cut salt out of your diet and your blood pressure will reduce...  I did and it worked. Just saying. 
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  • Wheresmeticket
    Wheresmeticket Posts: 17,304
    Mary was discharged yesterday after a really scary 4 weeks in hospital, recovering well and ordering me around the house, so back to normal!  Thanks for the moral support - it meant a lot, especially those of you whom pm'd me.
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,968
    good news, @Wheresmeticket? . Recovery will take time, but I encourage her to be very patient in not putting any strain at all on her breastbone for several weeks as it heals. I picked up my laptop at an awkward angle way too soon and it hurt like a devil for ages. You'll be scurrying about for her for a good while.
    Be sympathetic if she coughs or sneezes - thats a bugger too. I found pulling a dressing gown cord tightly round my chest for the duration of the cough or sneeze helped a lot, but the recommendation is to hug yourself to minimise strain. Best of luck to both of you!
  • Valley Ant
    Valley Ant Posts: 467
    Best wishes to you both
  • ElfsborgAddick
    ElfsborgAddick Posts: 29,039
    IdleHans said:
    good news, @Wheresmeticket? . Recovery will take time, but I encourage her to be very patient in not putting any strain at all on her breastbone for several weeks as it heals. I picked up my laptop at an awkward angle way too soon and it hurt like a devil for ages. You'll be scurrying about for her for a good while.
    Be sympathetic if she coughs or sneezes - thats a bugger too. I found pulling a dressing gown cord tightly round my chest for the duration of the cough or sneeze helped a lot, but the recommendation is to hug yourself to minimise strain. Best of luck to both of you!
    Coughing and sneezing, oh gosh I remember that, I was told to hug a pillow or a cushion to suppress the pain.
    For the first few weeks I was limited to boiling a kettle BUT holding it as close to you as possible, ie not stretching.
  • JohnBoyUK
    JohnBoyUK Posts: 9,018
    TEL said:
    My cardiologist said cut salt out of your diet and your blood pressure will reduce...  I did and it worked. Just saying. 
    but how do you cut salt?
    Everything but everything has salt in it.

    What foods do you avoid?
    I tend to avoid Bacon by having a Bacon sandwich once in a blue moon now.
  • Stuart_the_Red
    Stuart_the_Red Posts: 1,851
    EveshamAddick said:
    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/

    The NHS Health Check is a check-up for adults in England aged 40 to 74. It can help spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia
    When I turned 40 my wife nagged me to do a general MOT on the old bod.

    Although I felt fine, if a little thirsty during the nights, my blood sugar came back at 388 with normal being in the region 100-115!

    My first lot of tablets got this down to around 200, but wouldn’t go any lower. So after a change of tablets this was down to normal.

    My doc at the time told me I would probably be on tablets for 10-15 years after which I might have to go on Insulin. Luckily, medical advances have meant that the medications have been improving and I am still off Insulin 21 years after having been diagnosed.

    There’s a lot of silence killers out there, be safe and get checked regularly!
  • charltonkeston
    charltonkeston Posts: 7,365
    JohnBoyUK said:
    TEL said:
    My cardiologist said cut salt out of your diet and your blood pressure will reduce...  I did and it worked. Just saying. 
    but how do you cut salt?
    Everything but everything has salt in it.

    What foods do you avoid?
    I tend to avoid Bacon by having a Bacon sandwich once in a blue moon now.
    On Frank Boughs  LBC daytime show back in the 90's he had a doctor on from St Thomas's. He said do not put any salt in your cooking whatsoever, cut out red meat, eat fruit, pulses and  fish. Frank replied, "surely a bit of salt on the table cant harm you?" The doctor replied he considered it "the killer on the table."
    I told my dad about this, naturally he thought I was talking my normal nonsense. My dad a few weeks later ended up seeing the very same doctor. He repeated what I had said and he gave my dad a book that he had written on blood pressure and other stuff. Food can taste bland, apparently, while you adjust to not using any salt but it might be worth giving it a go.
  • jonseventyfive
    jonseventyfive Posts: 3,353
    If on warfarin, always check as too much of a certain veggies or fruit can send INR levels sky high.
  • cafcnick1992
    cafcnick1992 Posts: 7,413
    Showmetheway2gohome said:
    Drinking beetroot juice will reduce you blood pressure really good for you but don’t taste good and your poo turns red 
    I spent a day really worrying about my health after doing a poop that came out all red, only to remember my missus cooked me a beetroot salad.
  • Blackheathen
    Blackheathen Posts: 6,655
    TEL said:
    My cardiologist said cut salt out of your diet and your blood pressure will reduce...  I did and it worked. Just saying. 
    Good advice Tel.  My wife is on a no salt regime and I have a small sprinkle on eggs, nothing else.  We have investigated the ready to eat meals which several companies offer, but all are laden with salt disappointingly.

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