Cardiologist visit tomorrow

[Hammsolo]

Prayers up. I don’t know much about cardiology, but I know a great deal about stress and anxiety. I encourage you to consider this book and meditation. It has changed my life. It isn’t a religious practice. I would be willing to share more. I use two great apps; Calm and Ten Percent Happier. Oh, and get outside.

 

[hank4elk]

Prayers up. I don’t know much about cardiology, but I know a great deal about stress and anxiety. I encourage you to consider this book and meditation. It has changed my life. It isn’t a religious practice. I would be willing to share more. I use two great apps; Calm and Ten Percent Happier. Oh, and get outside.

My stress free zone. Sorry. It's taken.

 

[Sytes]

Calm and Ten Percent Happier. Oh, and get outside.

I'm curious enough to look these up. Though before downloading... can you explain more about the "apps"?

Get outside. IMO/E serenity is found breathing in the fresh pine tree scent where silence is near perfect deafening level. Lay back on the ground and view the blue sky mixed with occasional puffy cumulus clouds. Peace.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

No doubt. I love broad brushes tho. People who live off Mountain Dew and cigarettes live happy lives to 100, and dudes who run marathons drop dead of heart attacks.

Like you said some people are just more susceptible. In the reverse some people are super resistant.

IMO excessive processed carbs and especially sugar are the greatest threat to public health in this country, despite many claims that it’s so many other types of foods.

I like this article, I dunno what to call it, like a sort of a peer reviewed opinion piece, arguing that sugar should be a controlled substance. not saturated fat they point out, but sugar, based on the available data as to what is the single biggest driver of preventable chronic disease

The toxic truth about sugar - Nature

Added sweeteners pose dangers to health that justify controlling them like alcohol, argue Robert H. Lustig, Laura A. Schmidt and Claire D. Brindis.

www.nature.com

A friend had heart surgery in Boise.
While there I was chatting with the surgeon and he said all other patients
beside my friend in the cardiology floor were smokers.
Smoking, along with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes,
tops the list as a primary risk factor for heart disease.
Smoking is the single most preventable cause of early death in the U.S

 

[TOGIE]

A friend had heart surgery in Boise.
While there I was chatting with the surgeon and he said all other patients
beside my friend in the cardiology floor were smokers.
Smoking, along with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes,
tops the list as a primary risk factor for heart disease.
Smoking is the single most preventable cause of early death in the U.S

and i would argue that sugar and excessive consumption of carbs are probably the single biggest drivers of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.

the authors of my linked article are basically saying that given the way our society consumes simple carbohydrates and what those simple carbohydrates or known to do to the body, they're basically no different than alcohol and smoking in regards to their health consequences for society.

 

[Hammsolo]

Ten Percent is very instructional. You basically choose a class, start with the basics. Then it has a short video teaching some info and then a guided meditation. They start very short and really focus on breathing and relaxation.

Calm is less instructional and has more “fluff.” It is good, but I don’t think is as good of a place to start. You have to explore more.

This little video gives a glimpse.
Big Think: Ten Percent Happier

 

[Bluffgruff]

@TOGIE
Big picture on alcohol is that light and moderate consumption appears to decrease all cause mortality compared with no alcohol, and heart disease appears to be where the benefit is.

No doctor recommends that his or her patients start drinking alcohol for this modest benefit, but light-moderate alcohol consumption is not even in the same time zone as tobacco abuse.

Heavy alcohol use... well, I used to say I'd be out of a job as an MD if there were no alcoholics, but then COVID happened, and kept happening, and happened again.

Relationship of Alcohol Consumption to All-Cause, Cardiovascular, and Cancer-Related Mortality in U.S. Adults:

www.jacc.org

 

[Cheesehead]

@TOGIE
Big picture on alcohol is that light and moderate consumption appears to decrease all cause mortality compared with no alcohol, and heart disease appears to be where the benefit is.

No doctor recommends that his or her patients start drinking alcohol for this modest benefit, but light-moderate alcohol consumption is not even in the same time zone as tobacco abuse.

Heavy alcohol use... well, I used to say I'd be out of a job as an MD if there were no alcoholics, but then COVID happened, and kept happening, and happened again.

View attachment 209100

Relationship of Alcohol Consumption to All-Cause, Cardiovascular, and Cancer-Related Mortality in U.S. Adults:

www.jacc.org

Really helpful, thanks

 

[MTLabrador]

@TOGIE
Big picture on alcohol is that light and moderate consumption appears to decrease all cause mortality compared with no alcohol, and heart disease appears to be where the benefit is.

No doctor recommends that his or her patients start drinking alcohol for this modest benefit, but light-moderate alcohol consumption is not even in the same time zone as tobacco abuse.

Heavy alcohol use... well, I used to say I'd be out of a job as an MD if there were no alcoholics, but then COVID happened, and kept happening, and happened again.

View attachment 209100

Relationship of Alcohol Consumption to All-Cause, Cardiovascular, and Cancer-Related Mortality in U.S. Adults:

www.jacc.org

I like this graph. I like it a lot.

 

[TOGIE]

@TOGIE
Big picture on alcohol is that light and moderate consumption appears to decrease all cause mortality compared with no alcohol, and heart disease appears to be where the benefit is.

No doctor recommends that his or her patients start drinking alcohol for this modest benefit, but light-moderate alcohol consumption is not even in the same time zone as tobacco abuse.

Heavy alcohol use... well, I used to say I'd be out of a job as an MD if there were no alcoholics, but then COVID happened, and kept happening, and happened again.

View attachment 209100

Relationship of Alcohol Consumption to All-Cause, Cardiovascular, and Cancer-Related Mortality in U.S. Adults:

www.jacc.org

My theory on that, as I am aware of that relationship, is simply one thing: a certain type of person is able to moderate; moderate well and consistently. Considering the relationship is associative and not necessarily causal, I suspect the type of person that moderates their drinking has generally better control over the other aspects of their life - things like exercise, and sleeping, and eating.

The type of person that moderates is likely a generally more disciplined person. That discipline likely doesn’t stop with alcohol. They’re probably generally happier people too, regardless of the alcohol.

 

[Bluffgruff]

My theory on that, as I am aware of that relationship, is simply one thing: a certain type of person is able to moderate; moderate well and consistently. Considering the relationship is associative and not necessarily causal, I suspect the type of person that moderates their drinking has generally better control over the other aspects of their life - things like exercise, and sleeping, and eating.

The type of person that moderates is likely a generally more disciplined person. That discipline likely doesn’t stop with alcohol. They’re probably generally happier people too, regardless of the alcohol.

Not saying you're necessarily wrong about any of this, but the study was large enough to account for both light-moderate drinkers who also had good habits, good genes, and had their sh*t together and moderate drinkers who were fat smokers with everyone in their family dying of a heart attack by age 35. 300000 people and tons of thoughtful analysis. If you drink a drink every week, or even 1-2/day, you don't have to quit because of heart disease.

Drinking 14 300-calorie beers/week might make you fat and slow, but my point was that alcohol in moderation doesn't belong in the same conversation as tobacco (and I'll even throw in with you on sugar) in regards to health risks.

 

[Farmerj]

Not saying you're necessarily wrong about any of this, but the study was large enough to account for both light-moderate drinkers who also had good habits, good genes, and had their sh*t together and moderate drinkers who were fat smokers with everyone in their family dying of a heart attack by age 35. 300000 people and tons of thoughtful analysis. If you drink a drink every week, or even 1-2/day, you don't have to quit because of heart disease.

Drinking 14 300-calorie beers/week might make you fat and slow, but my point was that alcohol in moderation doesn't belong in the same conversation as tobacco (and I'll even throw in with you on sugar) in regards to health risks.

It all comes back to the same theme for anything..

Moderation.

Anything in over consumption amounts is never good for you.

Hell, looks at the food service industry. Go out for a meal. 3-4 oz portion is all you should be getting. What is sold to us? A 12 or 16 oz steak with all the sides for 4-person serving. Pick your flavor…

This was supposed to be a “double portion”…

Like hell, there were 5 meals I finally had out of it with the left overs. Probably could have had 6 had I been reasonable at the time. But we had a ball both meeting up 1000 miles from our homes. Joys of being a trucker I guess.

 

[Sytes]

“HAPPINESS? A GOOD CIGAR, A GOOD MEAL, A GOOD CIGAR AND A GOOD WOMAN – OR A BAD WOMAN; IT DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH HAPPINESS YOU CAN HANDLE.” - GEORGE BURNS
Born Jan 1896. Passed March 1996

RIP Burns.




Apropos the topic, on a parallel track.

 

[Addicting]

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.

I just wanted to take a min and publicly thank you for starting this thread. It got me thinking of something that had been nagging at the back of my brain. I finally went to the Dr about it today and got sent to the ER. My heart was out of tune on every 8-10th beat. It’s been that way for a week or so that I’ve noticed. It wasn’t overly noticeable but enough that reading this and the mild symptoms gave me some concern. So now I have a appointment with the Cardiologist and get to wear a heart monitor for a while. Glad to get ahead of this even though it’s probably minor from what the ER said.

Thanks again
Addicting

 

[OntarioHunter]

I just wanted to take a min and publicly thank you for starting this thread. It got me thinking of something that had been nagging at the back of my brain. I finally went to the Dr about it today and got sent to the ER. My heart was out of tune on every 8-10th beat. It’s been that way for a week or so that I’ve noticed. It wasn’t overly noticeable but enough that reading this and the mild symptoms gave me some concern. So now I have a appointment with the Cardiologist and get to wear a heart monitor for a while. Glad to get ahead of this even though it’s probably minor from what the ER said.

Thanks again
Addicting

Hang in there. Keep us posted.

 

[RealMuddyboots]

I thought I would share my experience with heart concerns. September 2005, I was in Arkansas for a week and didn't feel very well. Nothing special but not right. Came home on 30th and went out bow hunting on opening day Sat. the 1st. Carried a climbing tree stand in 3/4 mile into the swamp we hunt, killed a doe about 9AM. My son just happened to radio me shortly thereafter and I told him she is down in sight. He told me to stay in tree, nice buck headed to me. Buck came in and stopped 43 yards, but never gave clean broadside shot that I really wanted. Had decent enough quartering away but I decided I had doe down and thought, hey still have all season to hunt! He walked away unaware I was there. My son came over to help and saw me struggled a bit in dressing her out. I was really out of breath while field dressing. So my son pulled her out for me. Sunday came around and I still didn't feel right. I went to my family Doc on Monday and ran some basic tests but not bloodwork and all was well. Monday evening I was in pole barn and didn't feel right again. I had this god awful feeling something was terribly wrong and someone was behind me with a baseball bat ready to smash my skull in. It was such a strong feeling, I told my wife to stop dinner prep and we went to ER since I felt there was definitely wrong. We walk in and it was Monday afternoon crisis time at the ER. It was overflowing and I almost walked away. I spoke to nurse at desk and she asked me a lot of questions and said we will call you shortly. Yeah right, waiting room overflowing and we had to go into hallway to sit on bench. We just were sitting down and I heard them calling my name, we looked at each other and said wth! I must have tripped some red flags at registration since they took me right back into an exam room. Of course, the rest of the waiting room was totally up in arms when they saw me just walk in and get immediately taken in. I could hear the usual WT*. Doc asked similar questions and then ran some bloodwork tests. I waited a bit and they called me back in, Doc was doing paperwork and I thought I was going to hear: lose 25 lbs, exercise and change your diet.” Instead the Doc told me they would have a room ready for me in 20 minutes in cardio vascular unit. Could have knocked me down with a feather! Seems I had heart attack in preceding week. No chest or arm pains at all. BP runs 115/75 with 55 at rest pulse so go figure. Even EKG outputs were good. So I asked Doc, wouldn’t I know if I had a heart attack? He stated: ever hear about people dying in their sleep?

Everything turned out great. Angiogram with 5 stents and back in business in 4 weeks after religious PT effort on my part. I climbed same tree 4 weeks after stents and was there to see my son arrow a terrific 8 pt'er. Life makes you think what is important in these times. Why am I telling you this story? I am here today due my own will to find out why I didn't feel right. I followed that little voice everyone has that can tell you to stop. I was fortunate to listen to it and am blessed to have 2 granddaughters that I may have never known if I took that old Macho BS position and “toughed it out”. I am on now 71 and never had any further heart or cardio vascular issues and feel like I am in pretty good shape at 6'5" and 255. So close to losing it all if I didn't listen to that little voice we all have that tells you when something isn't quite right. In reflection of that day I killed the doe and passed up the shot at the buck, I would not be here today if I killed that buck. I would have had to drag that buck or doe out and I know I wouldn’t have made it. I often wonder about that decision, why was it so easy to pass the shot? Was there another reason that I don’t know? I am thankful.

I told this story to my eye doc shortly after that incident and he was a large family Thanksgiving dinner when he had that feeling of someone trying to bash his head in. He stood up and told his family he was headed to ER, they laughed at him and told him to sit down, he did not do so. Told his wife she can go or stay. She went but rode his butt entire way. Went through identical screening I did, they placed him in cardio care immediately. They did same angiogram and he was told he was very lucky man. His impending heart attack would have killed him due to the issues he had. He shook my hand so hard at my next appointment it was sore for a day!

The Heart Association calls this feeling a “sense of Impending doom” and it is a major factor in preventing heart attacks if you take action immediately. Don't assume all is OK if a Doc sends you home. If you don't feel right keep after it until you close it out. Don't be macho over this stuff. Do something about it. I recently lost a good friend who didn't listen to that little voice. You can't lose even if you are wrong. Take care guys and listen to that little voice. It may save your life. Safe hunting and long life.
All the best,
RealMuddyboots

 

[MtnOak]

I battled fatigue for 2 years, a different fatigue , like I had just woke up all day long and got really tired fast if I worked hard, my doctor of 30 years ran every test known to man and last of all a treadmill stress test which I passed with flying colors, doctor told me I was a 20 year old in a 43 year old body, that I wasn’t handling aging very well and was the healthiest patient he had and ever known…….

2 months later I’m laying in a hospital bed getting a stent in my LAD (WIDOW MAKER) mad at the world, I didn’t have a heart attack but I had been trying to have one for 2 weeks.

forget all the tests….you need one test, an angiogram will tell if you have any blockages, all the others in my case was worthless, I got lucky but the medical field nearly killed me just because I look healthy and passed the common tests.

a little over a month later I’m in the Rockies elk hunting and running over mountains like an wild man, no way I could have done that without the stent, my cardiologist says I would have been dead in another 24-48 hours had I not made it to him when I did.

A yearly check up, cholesterol and BP meds from now on but it beats the alternative…..

 

[Addicting]

I battled fatigue for 2 years, a different fatigue , like I had just woke up all day long and got really tired fast if I worked hard, my doctor of 30 years ran every test known to man and last of all a treadmill stress test which I passed with flying colors, doctor told me I was a 20 year old in a 43 year old body, that I wasn’t handling aging very well and was the healthiest patient he had and ever known…….

2 months later I’m laying in a hospital bed getting a stent in my LAD (WIDOW MAKER) mad at the world, I didn’t have a heart attack but I had been trying to have one for 2 weeks.

forget all the tests….you need one test, an angiogram will tell if you have any blockages, all the others in my case was worthless, I got lucky but the medical field nearly killed me just because I look healthy and passed the common tests.

a little over a month later I’m in the Rockies elk hunting and running over mountains like an wild man, no way I could have done that without the stent, my cardiologist says I would have been dead in another 24-48 hours had I not made it to him when I did.

A yearly check up, cholesterol and BP meds from now on but it beats the alternative…..

I worry about this as it seems very similar. Right now I’m wearing a heart monitor for the next week and the Cardiologist won’t see me until they have the results. So the soonest I can see one is 2 weeks.

 

[MtnOak]

I worry about this as it seems very similar. Right now I’m wearing a heart monitor for the next week and the Cardiologist won’t see me until they have the results. So the soonest I can see one is 2 weeks.

Go to an ER and tell them your having chest pains, describe it as a burn that radiates from your back through your chest and it feels like your struggling to get a good breath….I bet they get on the ball then…….

 

[Addicting]

Go to an ER and tell them your having chest pains, describe it as a burn that radiates from your back through your chest and it feels like your struggling to get a good breath….I bet they get on the ball then…….

I’ve been and told them the symptoms I was having. That’s how I ended up on the heart monitor. I haven’t had pain, just tired and can feel my pulse skipping beats up thru my neck.