Re: A warning. Please read.
Neil":23l783xz said:
The History Man":23l783xz said:
Back in the 80s I was a hard drinking chain smoking fast food eating shift worker doing 16 hours days of relative inactivity. I was fit but thought I was invincible, as you do at that age. It was the lifestyle choices back then and the continued drinking and smoking until about ten years ago tht did for me. I have to have a couple more stents in the future as i have another couple of moderate obstructions.
The weirdest thing has been getting my head around the fact that I actually have had a number of 'Heart Attacks' as everybody kept telling me on the unit in order for me to take it seriously.
Reuben - are you back to normal and can ride etc? they told me I would be able to be as i was or better in a couple or three months but these drugs are slowing me down and wiping me out at present.
Not that I'm any expert in cardiac issues - but you've just had several heart attacks, surgery, and a plethora of drugs - you're bound to feel a bit run-down right now.
Give it a bit of time, but don't force the issue.
Damn Right!
These things take time and in my experience the medics are usually a tad optimistic with their timescales. The ones to put your money on are the physios!
I like to think I'm back to "normal", but it's been a long old slog. Last July I was out on my singlespeed and was about to pop into the pub at the bottom of the Devil's Punchbowl but thought I might see if I could still do the longest climb in SE England (240m of climbing) without stopping. I needed to stop a few times, but now I don't. It takes a bit longer than it did 15 years ago but I had gears then and wasn't on Beta Blockers
I have recently had some routine tests, treadmill ECG, Echo scan and other stuff, and the cardiologist has taken me off the Beta Blockers (Bisoprolol). My resting heart rate is now 50 ish instead of 36. :shock:
It takes time.
Like you I drank and smoked heavily for 25 years + and felt invincible, but because I'm skinny, active, and was on my feet all day thought I was healthy.
Six years ago I was working 12/15 hour days and doing my paperwork in the evening. I had plenty of work on and plenty more waiting. What I didn't do was find time to relax, and although food at home was healthy (missus a veggie), out and about, breakfast and lunch were usually from a cafe or van.
I felt tired all the time and was starting to do something about it; I joined this site to sell my old bike stuff and buy a new fangled disc braked RM Blizzard.
I would go for a run in the morning but after a couple of hundred yards start to feel dodgy, tight chest, pain in arm and throat etc. This continued for a week or so- "I'm fine; it's indigestion"- until the missus made an appointment for me at the docs.
The next day I was having tests and a few weeks later (felt like an eternity) was having the first two stents.
I kept getting chest pains though, worse than before, so had another couple, then later, another. Then I felt fine and started getting on my bike more, gently at first, spending a lot of time on here, buying stuff, as you do, and I thought I'd try a local race on me Ritchey.
During the race I felt very odd, despite not pushing it much.
A couple of weeks later I had another Angiogram, and was told I needed a bypass.
That took a while to recover from as I had a few complications, Pneumonia etc, but I can honestly say I now feel better than I've ever done.
You get time to think and I've made some pretty drastic life changes.
I still enjoy a glass of wine or two most evenings but eat a lot more healthily, work a lot less , and exercise more. Money is tighter sometimes, but we manage.
You'll probably get offered various rehab courses. Take them all! The gym sessions are a bit wanky but it helps to be checked out by fit physios every fortnight...
If you feel like a kip after lunch, have one! I still do, most days...
I wish you luck, and bear in mind the worst is over.
Nick