My father had a heart attack week before last.Day after tomw he is undergoing Angiogram to know what is the condition of his heart.He wants to go on with medicine after that.He is willing to do regular exercise,proper dieting and also keep a healthy mind.He doesn't want to do an angioplast or a surgery.\nAny of you have any experiences ? Any possible suggestions ?\nHe used to have some mental tensions for some time.But now he is free from all that.\nAny advices ?
210234
An angioplasty or surgery opens up the coronary arteries, which is something the medications cannot do. Medication, diet and exercise helps to avoid further clogging of the artery but does not open the current clogging.
90109
He has had his open heart surgery and coming home. Make him feel warm and comfortable..make the place feel calm and peaceful. Make up a lovely dinner for him (light and according to what the doc's told he could have) and play some light soothing music..talk to him about things thats been happening so that he'd feel he didnt miss out on anything. Dont talk about the surgery or anything related to medicines, hospitals or doctors. He was sick and since he's had the surgery, dont let him feel like a 'patient'..talk positive.\n\nProbably u three could sit and play a game or something or watch some old home videos taken in the past..If you really want to 'buy' him something, buy him a card with beautiful wordings saying that you all are happy he's back homem again ..probably a huge one with ur granddaughters words on it too..\n\nHe'll get well soon..ur in my prayers..
615984
High blood pressure runs in my family, and mine has been considered borderline high all of my life and can spike with stress.  I did not want to use "traditional" prescription medicine as I watched my parents and other relatives battle it out with too  much medication, too many diuretics and on and on.  I have done a lot of research into natural health remedies, and have found that adding fresh ginger into my diet, has really helped lower my blood pressure and has also actually improved my cholesterol; by lowering the overall level and has actually raised my "good" cholesterol.  As I am getting older, I have vowed to take better care of myself; for myself and everything else will fall into place.  The big health changes I have made over the past year have been, more consistent exercise(I know everyone hates to hear that, but it does work...walking everyday for one half hour), cutting down on processed foods, eating fresh ginger, (I even put slices into herbal tea), grate onto vegetables or salad, and put fried slices into rice dishes (Fried in a small amount of Smart Balance or Olive Oil).  I have also eliminated heartburn by taking apple cider vinegar tablets.  If I am going to be eating spicy foods, I will also take a tablespoonful of Organic, unpasteurized, unfiltered Apple Cider vinegar. I buy Spectrum Naturals in my local supermarket, and it can also be purchased in health food stores.  All of these factors have improved my overall health,  my blood pressure is only slightly elevated, but consistantly improving,  I sleep better through the night (no heartburn or acid reflux) and I was diagnosed with stress related heartburn when I was a teenager.  Unless your blood pressure is severely high (check with your doctor before making any of these changes...)  these suggestions are all worth a try.  I know some other people who have had to be on medication initially, and have then researched more alternative help, once their pressure lowers.  Best of luck to you.
250005
I am a little confused by your description. IF your heart attack was caused by a clot, then I would think it should have been considered. If you had a cardiac cath (dye test) that showed no obstruction, but you did have a confirmed heart attack (as opposed to chest pain or angina- which can happen without muscle damage), I would wonder why. \n\nIf your cardiologist is good and you trust him/her, ask about it. Ask why you had the heart attack if you had no obstruction, and address your concern about the meds- Plavix and aspirin are very common meds which are used to help prevent further problems. Also, were you screened for cholesterol and fractions? These are very important for management. You may need to be considered for treatment, but the cardiologist can help you understand.
417786
As someone who, like your friend, developed heart failure in middle age (I was 49 at the time), I can tell you that his life expectancy is directly related to how well he takes care of himself.  And that, of course, is bad news for your friend.\n\nAs you realize, he is doing everything wrong.  The shortness of breath would be relieved if he lost weight, gave up the cigarettes and dropped the sodium.  I don't know what medications he was prescribed, but probably at least one of them would help him shed the fluid that may be getting into his lungs and making it harder for him to breathe.  \n\nIt's no wonder he is always fatigued.  How would anyone feel if they have reduced heart function and reduced lung capacity?\n\nAs to his other meds, there are wonderful drugs now that can lighten the load on his heart and make it easier for the heart--the part that's still funtioning--to do its job.  If he doesn't take them, he is overstressing the working portion of his heart as it tries to do the job of the entire organ.  It can't, at least not without help.\n\nThe nausea is a very worrisome symptom.  That one suggests angina, which sometimes comes out that way.  His poor heart, overworked as it is, may be sending out distress signals which are perceived as nausea.  \n\nDepending on how much alcohol his is consuming, daily drinking may or may not be a problem.  One or two drinks a day (NO MORE, and NO doubles) actually seems to benefit the heart.  But some people think that if one is okay, four must be great.  It's not.  The beneficial aspects of alcohol completely reverse if you have more than about 2 drinks (just one for a woman).\n\nOverall, this man needs to go back to his doctor and lay all his cards on the table.  Could he be depressed and "giving up"?  That is very common with heart patients.  He needs to tell his doctor *everything* he is doing and not doing, and why.\n\nI believe that patients have rights, and so does your friend.  But he also has children, which means he has a responsibility to be around for them until they are well established on their own.  If he lets himself die while they are still young, they will never fully forgive him.  What's worse, he will have missed out on seeing them grow up, which one of the best parts of life.\n\nGood luck!!
472837
My Dr. and I just discusses this last week. Not all people who go through that are going through it due to being lazy. I have limited things i can do as of exercise as i was a passenger in a car accident that almost broke my neck. My feet are bad and i can't walk much or use a tread mill.\n\nDr. talked about this due to trying to help me lower my blood pressure, diabetes, high cholestrol, ect.\n\n I will review all the info here and all the sites you listed and talk to my Dr. again. Thank you Ziggy for your information.
632748
Playing russian roulette.  Yes it can be quite dangerous.  Wishing it to go away is silly because without knowing what is going on and fixing the problem even exercise my be problematic.\n\nIf this true happened, call 911.\n\nPain has nothing to do with how mild a heart attack is.  How do you figure out the severity of a heart attack?\n\nPeople get heart attacks because the pipe/pipes (coronary arteries) that supply blood  to you heart muscle is clogged up. When the heart muscle cannot get enough blood (oxygen and nutrients), that muscle dies off.  Without knowing where the blockage is occurring and how much of a blockage, you cannot really assess the potential damage.  It is quite possible to have one mild heart attack and then another.  The key is time.  The faster you can open up your arteries the less amount of heart muscle damage.  \n\nIn addition, damages heart muscles are arrythmogenic.  It is not uncommon for patients with heart attacks to also damage the electrical system in there heart.  They can develope fatal arrythmias.\n\nNext, heart problems can occur on a spectrum.  Patients can have stable angina unstable angina and heart attack.  How can we be sure that your chest pain is not unstable angina?  The chest pain can be a warning sign for a major heart attack.\n\nLastly, without proper medicines after you heart attack, the dead area in your heart undergoes changes ie remodeling.  This remodeling is the normal healing process but it changes the mechanics of your heart.  It can worsen the functioning of your heart.
349081
Chest pains are NEVER something to fool around with. Do you have any idea how many people end up dying from heart attacks because they thing it is indigestion, just like you think, and they delay going to get medical help! Also, did you know that the symptoms of heart attacks in women are much more subtle than those in men? If you are waiting to fall over, it probably won't happen until it is too late. People of ANY age can have heart attacks. If you are overweight, your chances are higher than the general population. People also have mini-strokes and heart attacks that don't kill them, called silent heart attacks, but part of the heart muscle is permanently killed. Is it worth fooling around with the whole rest of your life. You would not take out your own tonsils or let one of us take out your tonsils, but with something as serious as your very life, you are asking rank amateurs. Please go get checked out. Better to be safe than dead.
663460
Yes, Cardiology. Cannot comment without full examination as I would leave myself open to legal action.  You need to see your own doctor immediatly who dependant on your answer to his questions will arrange for you to see a specific specialist.  Sorry I cant help you further.
404616
The last time I got a severe chest pain was when I couldn't sustain it anymore. And it was immediately after getting flu and taking a course in antibiotics. Antibiotics really play havoc in my system. On top of that, I has just relocated to another city, another country and was still discovering palatable food. Ended up eating Spicy Thai green curry and later in the late evening had some lousy coffee with sweet snacks loaded with oil. \nAll this must have caused the super pain which I tried to withstand for 2 hours but I finally told myself only one thing: the antacids are not working, the garlic pearls aren't working, the \nonly thing for you to do, (which I've never done before) is get dressed, jump into a cab and leave for the emergency section of a private hospital.\nI was administered a whole bottle of 'something' liquid through my veins. In 5 minutes the pain was gone. \nI brought home pills and a chalky suspension solution and an attitude of 'money well spent'. You can imagine the amount I paid.
332118
What are you talking about?  I love asking advice for what to do in the event of a heart attack from anyone I can, especially strangers.  They've never let me down.
172999
You probably have PVCs/PACs, I've had them for a few years and I hate those @@#$@ so much. They feel like an extra beat, flip flop, or fast double beat right? I think its recommended that you be evaluated by a cardiologist to make sure you dont have any heart defects. The vast majority of cases though either just happen for no apparent reason, anxiety/stress related, potassium/calcium/magnesium imbalance in your blood, or a thyroid problem like they were saying. My doc theyre probably anxiety related too and I didn't think I'm anxious either. A lot of people say beta blockers work for them as well and my doc put me on one but it didn't do anything for me. Never tried an antidepressant/anxiety drug but some people say those have helped them, so go for it if you want. Mine seem to be triggered when I'm under stress, drink, dont get enough sleep, or drink too much caffeine. Exercise seems to reduce them for me, but everyone's triggers are different. You can check out the heart forum at medhelp.org a lot of people have them and have all kinds of weird tips and tricks you can try. I think the best thing to do if they really bother you is keep track of what triggers them and then avoid those triggers if practical.
310269
Just remember that your grief is for your father and to keep your anger towards your sisters for another place and time.  I lost my father last year, he too had heart surgery and never came out of it.  One of my friends suggested that I write him a letter to help me with my grief.  I was angry at the medical world for letting this happen, I just couldn't get past my anger for a long time.  Tell your Dad in your letter how much you loved him and how you're feeling.  Take your grief, your anger and channel it into something positive for your Dad's sake.  I also planted my Dad's favorite tree in my back yard to remind me of him.  So sorry for your loss.
179128
I believe that if you are haemodynamically stable & your endurance of physical exertion is good /climbing staircases, walking/ you can try (once in a while)using  sexual performing drugs but better look towards more physioligical methods like better partner understanding, creation of  ambient conditions, try to be more balanced and at peace rather be volatile, try to be more positive than result oriented. If you have certain fears which date back to your experiences of the heart attack/ or immediately after it you can ask you physician or a psychologist for advice.
449435
There is a lot more to this story than you understand, wrote, or were told.  The condition you describe is called cardiac tamponode and it is not a complication that I have ever heard of from angioplasty...ever.  Additionally, I have never heard of doing a pericardialcentisis and re-injecting the fluid (which almost certainly is not pure blood) directly back into the patient's blood stream.  It usually is sent to the lab for evaluation to help determine where the fluid is coming from.  That part of the evaluation is key to treating the condition.  With the use of steriods it sounds like the doctor is treating pericarditis - an inflammatory condition of the bag that surrounds your heart insulating it from the chest wall.  Pericarditis can be an uncomfortable condition that usually responds to steriods or anti-inflammatories or both.  \n\nI agree that it may be time to seek additional help.  If you doctor is truely baffled I would think he would welcome additional input.  Consider going to a university center for a full evaluation - even if it means traveling.  You only get one heart.  Good luck.
578455
I'm not a surgeon but have a lot of personal experience with angioplasty.  Arrhythmia can be detected on an ECG as it is an abnormal beat.  If it develops there are numerous options to control from pace makers to medication.  Just depends on the type.  Aortic diseases refer to blockage in the aorta.  This is the major artery in the body as all blood flows through it and it supplies all organs except the lungs with oxygenated blood.  Like any artery it can become diseased and block off.  This artery is checked when the doctor performs the angiogram.  (If the doctor accessed the heart by going through the groin then he entered the aorta to get to the heart) This artery can be cleared as any other and if the blockage is serious enough they can bypass it using an artificial artery.\n\nRelaxing will be a key to feeling better.  Any heart procedure can be scary and it takes awhile to get a good mental control over the episode.  Just don't dwell on it.  It may not be a bad idea to consult a mental health clinic.  Just like any organ the brain is subject to some strange reactions.  Mental health clinics are a good source of professionals trained to deal with things such as anxiety and depression which can occur after a heart procedure.\n\nGood luck and i hope your father is soon better.
290513
Ok, hang in there, I hope you'll get the angiogram done as soon as possible. I also work in England- in a hospital that does angiograms, not an NHS hospital.. Consider a private insurance (BUPA is good)..