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Cardiologist visit tomorrow

Bullshot

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I am seeing a cardiologist tomorrow with the goal of getting some baseline info from him on where I stand, heart healthwise, at 46 years old. I’ve been having more subtle, probably age and stress related things lately than in years past, and frankly I’d just like to know if I’m certified healthy enough to sprint up the mountain recklessly, shovel snow, etc with no diagnosable reason to fear a widow-maker, realizing there are no guarantees in life. My BP has been trending up slowly over the years, I sometimes hear a bit too much whooshing in the ears, I don’t deal with summer heat as well as I think I should, and I have had an occasional rapid beat. Diet/exercise/stress relief could help all, but if anyone has a word on whether there are specific questions I should ask or specific baseline tests that are appropriate at my age, I’d appreciate any advise to use in my conversation tomorrow.
 
What do you mean by whooshing in the ears? Also, what risk factors do you have - smoking , obesity, diabetes, strong family history of early coronary artery disease? I’d probably ask him if there’s any validity to do doing an treadmill stress test with an echocardiogram . See if there’s any ECG changes when you’re huffing and puffing and how strong your heart is ejection fraction wise and if there’s any regional wall motion abnormalities (ie one part of the heart is getting insufficient flow and can’t contract like normal). You may still be a tad young for that test but I’d at least inquire.
 
Do your feet feel cold? Prickly tingly feeling most of the time? Sharp spiking pain between the shoulder blades? Do your joints ache severely? Winded easily at a normal task? Friends and family notice lack of color?

I had a heart attack at age 47 in 2015. Two stents as a result. 2021, my 4th angiogram resulted in a 3rd stent being placed.
 
the ”whooshing” is blood pulsing…. so essentially feeling and hearing my circulation pounding hard in my neck/head, sometimes even spontaneously happens at rest in bed.

a few months ago I had a brief, wildly racing heartbeat while sitting and watching TV - told my wife to be prepared for anything, it stopped after a couple minutes. I feel like there is just more very subtle pressure in left half of chest, too, but I also sleep on that side and it may be related to muscular or skeletal pains.

Have few or no major risk factors. I have an active job, am not obese, no major illness history other than bouts with Lyme. Recovered from Covid in Dec, generally mild case. I survived a Sept elk hunt at 11K. 😀. I just have borderline high BP and I’m willing to bet high cholesterol (family history). but something just lately feels “off” in a non-reassuring direction, certainly more noticeable in the past year or so. Before that I felt fairly bulletproof as far as this stuff goes. It’s affecting my confidence to exercise strenuously, and as a result I am doing less than I should, and I’ve been trying to keep the intensity of everything fairly low.

As you have likely guessed, I don’t visit doctors much….
 
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As for the whooshing, I’d ask about a heart murmur or a carotid bruit (narrowing of the artery leading to turbulent flow).
 
Do your feet feel cold? Prickly tingly feeling most of the time? Sharp spiking pain between the shoulder blades? Do your joints ache severely? Winded easily at a normal task? Friends and family notice lack of color?

I had a heart attack at age 47 in 2015. Two stents as a result. 2021, my 4th angiogram resulted in a 3rd stent being placed.
As per your list of red flags, mostly no but I have some chronic joint pain issues and I have been subject to getting excessively winded on relatively small task (like dragging some lighter cut brush) but I’ve also done some crazy days in the yard moving boulders and digging without issues. It’s a bit random, but makes me concerned about my next elk packout! Would you feel like signs of a serious problem would be fairly obvious, or is that more of a hindsight proposition. I am not usually alarmist with my health, realist, yes, middle age is what it is.

I’m sorry to hear you went through that ordeal at this age but very glad you got through that and hopefully now have a handle on it.
 
Would you feel like signs of a serious problem would be fairly obvious, or is that more of a hindsight proposition. I am not usually alarmist with my health, realist, yes, middle age is what it is.
Lot of that is hindsight…

But that hindsight resulted in an email after hours on a Thursday to my cardiology team with a phone call from them the very next day scheduling an angiogram on the following Tuesday. That was last April 2021.

So many of those symptoms were also present in 2015 as well. I just didn’t realize what I was ignoring
 
@Bullshot I’d def be looking into a Lyme specialist, especially with the heart issue. My wife’s been dealing the repercussions of Lyme for nearly 15 years now, it can be the gift that keeps on giving and most GPs don’t have a clue about long term treatment let alone proper testing. Good luck!!
 
I fought HBP from 23-33, that wooshing sound could be HBP, could also be other things. medications did nothing for me, ultimately I ended up in a-fib at 33 years old on the upper Madison thinking I was dying. That day I set out to educate myself about cardio health and change my life. I wouldn’t give medical advise but I will tell you at 41 years old I keep up with fit 20 year old kids on the mountain and my BP hasn’t been high in years. No more heart palpitations, no more headaches in the back of my head, no blurred vision, no a-fib since that day. Almost medication free, went from 3 drugs a day to 1 and I could probably stop that one if I wanted. Here’s what I did.

Reduce stress-meditation, quiet time, read books, leave work at work, etc. Reduce inflammation-naturally (green tea/turmeric etc), Change to whole food diet, supplements- fish oil, garlic, make sure other cardio essential nutrients are part of your diet, potassium, magnesium, etc.. I don’t take those other than in a multi v but I also drink coconut water and eat pumpkin seeds. Exercise.. in that order. Obviously ask you doc before you try any of it, for drug interactions or specific concerns to your health.
 
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I have been looking at my health as I don't know if I could hunt elk now. I get winded going up 2 flights stairs. I have come across dr berg on YouTube.
is video on yearly tests. The metabolic panel and vitamin d test. Would be good starts. Look at cbc and cac if have calcium build up. I am just starting healthy keto and IF but the pain in fingers has gone down considerably from diet change and taking a few of supplements he recommendeds.
 
I'm 50. BP, etc is excellent. I'm a wreck otherwise. Nerves shot throughout. Muscle spasms, etc (earlier atv accident).
Least I don't see heart problems as a future issue. I think in general, with age humans slowly degrade. Mortality.

One aspect while stepping my way back, the mind is incredibly powerful!

Age suited fitness regiment, diet, and reduced stress seem to be key to health.

Wish you the best!
 
My BP went up slightly at 40 after years of hard work. My joints were sore & going.
Stress was the killer.
Took until 60 and an easier life to give me a HA. Stress accumulation. A lifetime.

6 years later,no meds. Clean bill of health. No stress. Diet has helped the worn joints and not pounding them daily.
 
Absolutely no one wants to hear this, eliminating/strongly reducing alcohol helped tremendously with joint pain. I'm now an outcast in Wisconsin.
I use alchohol to help with my joint pain/stress. Seriously though it does help cutting out alchohol.
 
Absolutely no one wants to hear this, eliminating/strongly reducing alcohol helped tremendously with joint pain. I'm now an outcast in Wisconsin.
In all honesty I struggled with HBP most of my life. Playing sports in HS snd college my BP was still high. I’m 32 so I figured I better get it in check before I had a heart attack at 40. 3 years ago I got a checkup I was 163/102. Doc gave me some pills. I’m not a fan of taking pills, so I changed my diet and cut drinking down to a minimum. My BP is still on the high end of normal but it made a huge difference.

It’s also pretty amazing how fast your body gets rid of the craving for greasy/junk/ fatty foods after eating better stuff. I get made fun of when I go out to eat, but that just gets added to the list of everything else.
 
Absolutely no one wants to hear this, eliminating/strongly reducing alcohol helped tremendously with joint pain. I'm now an outcast in Wisconsin.
Funny cuz my cardiologist told me to continue to drink and smoke my cigars…
 
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