Heart issues

[dom]

Over the last couple of years, I occasionally get a strange sensation. It usually happens if I pick up the pace a bit to get the green man at traffic lights or maybe after going up a couple of flights of stairs. Bizzarly enough though never on the bike even though that can be more strenous than those other activities.  It feels like a wave rising from the pit of my stomach up my body. It feels like if it were to reach my head I would black out. After it happens I feel a little weak but then I'm able to carry on.  Last October I did actually black out. I spent 3 or 4 days in hospital having assessments and they picked up something when my heart was put on a stress test.

As a result I'm here at the Bon Secours in Dublin where the cardiologist has just carried out an angiogram and picked up significant narrowing on a couple of arteries into the heart.  One is 90% blocked. Quite surprised as I've never measured high for cholesterol.

Two stents to be inserted and wire cleaning? on another couple of arteries.

No cycling until after the procedure is carried out. He doesn't want me having a heart attack in the middle of nowhere. Quite sensible really!

A little shocked tbh but pleased its been discovered before something serious happened.

[Slim]

Wow Dom, very glad to hear that has been picked up! On the bright side, it must be good to know it's been checked out so thoroughly.

[Nick]

Gosh quite a shock I imagine. As Slim said it's good news it's been picked up. I know a couple of people that unfortunately had a heart attack and never had a second chance. Also I know people similar to yourself who are back out exercising after their scare. It just shows you never really know, my cholesterol was ok last time I checked, I cycle weekly but I know I eat too many crisps, have a sweet tooth and a like for alcohol, strangely I'm always the same weight.

Hope the operation andrecovery goes well Dom.

[David L]

Sorry to hear that dom, hope they get you sorted

[captainkurtz]

Great that it's been spotted before anything serious.  It's your heart, so you're bound to be concerned, but it's a fairly routine procedure these days and more common than you'd imagine.  2 of my Brother in laws had mini heart attacks last year within a week or so if each other and they both had stents put in.  Completely fine now.  All the best to you, Dom.

[Nickslikk2112]

Hope all goes well Dom, glad it's been picked up!

[pxr5]

All the best Dom, hopefully you'll feel better after the tubes are cleared.

[dom]

Thanks everyone! Reading those messages really warms the heart!

[Ali]

Really glad they've picked this up and acted so quickly Dom

All the best to you sir

[Rufus_the_dawg]

Good luck Dom. Thank the heavens you had it checked out.

Three weeks One of my squash team players played his team game which he won. He could not settle after. He complained about a weight on his chest. We phoned the ambulance which did not come (The local ambulance site has been closed down). I ended up taking him to A&E at Shrewsbury. He was blue lighted to stoke the local heart specialist hospital. That morning he had a stent fitted. He had had a heart attack.

He came around my house on Friday for a coffee looking very well and he can do light walking. He is waiting for an ecogram or something.

On the back of this I've had my cholesterol levels checked and it slightly high, so I'm cutting out certain foods, mainly cheese.

This is how I got CV19, the guy who bought me home from the hospital tested positive for CV19 the next day.

[Matt2112]

Wow, dom, so glad this was diagnosed and treated before anything really serious happened.

As Hass says, heart treatments in particular nowadays are pretty remarkable. I'm a beneficiary of having an occluder fitted last year into my atrial septum via a keyhole procedure and high intensity exercise wasn't just deemed acceptable by my cardiologist but positively encouraged.

Of course, everyone's case is personal to them so I do hope you're back fully active soon.

[dom]

Was it encouraged before the procedure Matt?

[Matt2112]

Was it encouraged before the procedure Matt?

Generally, anything that keeps me fitter has never been off bounds (as long as I'm not overdoing it, of course).  My heart fortunately has always functioned normally, but it basically had a minor "structural" issue, being a gap (a "patent foramen ovale") that everyone is born with, but usually closes naturally with growth.

However, for about 25% of the population, which included me, it doesn't quite close up and, almost certainly in my case, just over six years ago it allowed a short-lived blood clot to pass through and travel up to my brain, causing a mild stroke.   

Very long story short, I was put on mild meds while my case made it onto and up a waiting list until I had the occluder fitted early last year - nowadays a very safe and routine procedure.

[Rufus_the_dawg]

Are there certain foods you should not eat now? Can you go back to exercise?

[dom]

Are there certain foods you should not eat now? Can you go back to exercise?

I've not been advised so I am cutting back on fried, fatty foods and chocolate, pastries etc. Generally trying to be sensible. Very boring!