So apparently I'm not immortal after all.
Haven't had a heart attack yet - I think.
Felt light-headed walking up hills. Cholesterol very high, Systolic BP 147, local doctor gave me an ECG and diagnosed ischemia. Felt really unwell a few days later and spent 3 days in hospital (BP 152, abnormal ECG and a small troponin leak rang alarm bells).
I have a deep resting heart rate under 50, which kept setting off the alarm every time I fell asleep - now I have a better understanding of sleep deprivation torture, the following night my body went into a panic every time I drifted off.
A couple of weeks later, I underwent a myocardial perfusion test, which is where you're injected with radioactive isotopes and they take pictures with a gamma camera after rest and after a stress test (treadmill). As well as ECGs etc.
This showed I had a "minor" occlusion.
I had a Holter monitor (portable ECG) fitted for 24 hours, and exercised fairly vigorously for about an hour (for me, that's just walking fast up long hills, which kept my heart rate up to 142). The analysis showed abnormal results during the period of maximum exertion.
This all took a few weeks. Although I already had a pretty reasonable diet, I made some changes and aimed to walk more than an hour a day (it's fairly hilly around here). My total and LDL cholesterol have dropped by 20%, and triglycerides by a third. So far, I've only lost 3.5kg (but probably put on a couple of kilos in leg muscle).
I went back to the hospital cardiology department and the ECG was okay.
Unfortunately, the consultant pointed out that the accumulative evidence - although inconclusive - suggested I probably have atherosclerosis, and they'd really like to do an angiogram. That's where they stick a bunch of guide wires and catheters into your groin and pass it up to your heart.
That could lead to:
1. A regular cocktail of drugs to try to "stabilize" the arterial plaque, or
2. A coronary bypass operation, or
3. Insertion of one or more stents (angioplasty), or
4. The discovery that there's nothing seriously wrong with me.
There are risks associated with just having angiography, let alone angioplasty. Stents require a lifelong commitment to blood thinners, anti-coagulants, etc, and they tend to lose effectiveness after a few years. The cardiologist told me that outcomes were much better for bypasses.
WTF? I haven't even got chest pain! I'd love to hear other people's stories.
How was the recovery and how long did you take off work?
