|
Post by vegasjames on Apr 20, 2017 16:46:07 GMT -5
20%? That means 80% blockage...? Take it easy, dude, till you find out what's going. Next stop...cath lab. I found I had 70% blockage...LBBB...left bundle branch block two or three years ago. I'd had it for a few years, apparently. My "tell" was that I'd work a hive or two of honey bees and be completely wiped out...I'd walk up the hill to the house and once inside collapse on the floor with my bee jacket still on. Lay there a while, cool down, the "pressure feeling" would subside and I'd go back and work a couple more hives. As it turns out there appears to be two things that are big triggers for angina...rushing/hurrying and walking uphill. When working honey bees you are hurrying to get through the hive (the longer you keep the hive open the more PO'd all those ladies get!!!)...trying to hurry through the hives would get me started down the slippery slope...then I would walk UPHILL to the house. Prior to finding out about my blockage I couldn't figure out how my 80+ year old beekeeping mentor could work bees all day and never get tired...now I know. The cardilogist can determine more exactly what's going on with the heart cath. Did your doctor say anything about left or right side? The human body is an amazing creation. As the artery gets blocked it begins to perform it's own "bypass" by creating a maze of small vessels through the fatty built up bulge of the artery. These bypasses work pretty good as long as you don't try to push too much blood through them...they can't handle a full flow like an unobstructed artery can. That's why some people have angina when they become physically active and the body calls for a larger volume of blood to be pumped...the larger volume can't squeeze through those small vessels. When they're at ease the smaller vessels are sufficient. Some people, though, can have angina without exerting themselves. Since my cath the doctor wanted to have a stent put in. I'm thinking he told me that they don't do anything intrusive until you hit 80% blockage...makes me wonder if that's an insurance thing. I asked if I could get by with a diet and meds and he agreed to it. I take my meds faithfully...the diet,...well, one out of two ain't bad. I'm no medical person so hopefully I didn't get to far out in left field...hopefully vegasjames can straighten me out if I erred to badly. Get to the cardiologist and see what he says. Best wishes, Ed No, did not really error other than we do not now of this is a conduction blockage or a blood vessel blockage. The main portion of the heart operating at 20% with no mention of previous MI sounds like a conduction blockage like your LBBB. This is very different than narrowing of the arteries from atherosclerosis. And other than magnesium atherosclerosis is treated differently. Lecithin granules can help clean the plaque out of the arteries and things like orthosilicic acid and trimethylglycine (TMG) can help prevent formation in many cases. And it can help if the cause is addressed such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cow's milk consumption, smoking, hypothyroidism, etc.
|
|
Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,795
|
Post by Mark K on Apr 20, 2017 17:48:08 GMT -5
I do drink a lot of milk.
|
|
|
Post by vegasjames on Apr 20, 2017 23:28:02 GMT -5
I do drink a lot of milk. The enzyme xanthine oxidase in milk is believed to damage arterial linings leading to atherosclerosis.
|
|
|
Post by nowyo on Apr 21, 2017 14:20:23 GMT -5
Wow. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. See what the cardiologist says, had the echo yet? Found out why I was feeling tired and lazy when I had a heart attack Dec. 14, 2014. Of course, didn't realize I 'd had a heart attack at the time. My GP figured it out a week or so later-he was great-went to cardiologist-he was okay, not great. Heart was in the 20% range. They tried to do stents but the one the call the widow maker (can't remember the correct name and not going to look it up) was 98% blocked-another was 90% blocked. I was actually fading kind of quickly, they hit me with all kinds of meds, got feeling better. Double bypass surgery Feb. 4th.
Never really felt fear, I was just pissed because I had a lot of things I wanted to do yet, and if I croaked my poor wife would have to clean up the mess I left behind. Surgery seemed to work, after that it's diet, exercise, some lifestyle adjustments.
Hopefully you won't need all that. Get second opinions from doctors you trust. They will push the urgency thing, in my case there really was some urgency. The cardiologist also wanted to put in a defibrillator but I felt that was mostly because I had decent insurance that would pay for it.
Take care of it and good luck
Russ
|
|
Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,795
|
Post by Mark K on Apr 21, 2017 15:11:45 GMT -5
I got to watch my heart pump on the TV today. They are sending the tests to Abbott so I will find out what they found out on Tuesday.
|
|
|
Post by vegasjames on Apr 21, 2017 15:39:41 GMT -5
Wow. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. See what the cardiologist says, had the echo yet? Found out why I was feeling tired and lazy when I had a heart attack Dec. 14, 2014. Of course, didn't realize I 'd had a heart attack at the time. My GP figured it out a week or so later-he was great-went to cardiologist-he was okay, not great. Heart was in the 20% range. They tried to do stents but the one the call the widow maker (can't remember the correct name and not going to look it up) was 98% blocked-another was 90% blocked. I was actually fading kind of quickly, they hit me with all kinds of meds, got feeling better. Double bypass surgery Feb. 4th. Never really felt fear, I was just pissed because I had a lot of things I wanted to do yet, and if I croaked my poor wife would have to clean up the mess I left behind. Surgery seemed to work, after that it's diet, exercise, some lifestyle adjustments. Hopefully you won't need all that. Get second opinions from doctors you trust. They will push the urgency thing, in my case there really was some urgency. The cardiologist also wanted to put in a defibrillator but I felt that was mostly because I had decent insurance that would pay for it. Take care of it and good luck Russ The widow maker is a blockage of the left descending coronary artery abbreviated LAD. The drawback to bypasses is they tend to fail within a relatively short period of time. The reason is because it is not high cholesterol that causes the atherosclerosis but rather inflammation to the arterial wall. Cholesterol is used in the healing process of injuries to the body so it is brought in when we have trauma to tissues. When arteries are damaged such as from high blood pressure, insulin damage, etc the cholesterol comes in and lays down on the arterial wall as sort of a "patch work" to aid in the healing. If the source of inflammation is not removed the cholesterol will keep coming in and depositing narrowing the opening of the artery. When a bypass is done the blood vessels are being cut, handled, trimmed and sewn all leading to trauma of the blood vessel. This starts the same deposition of cholesterol, just at a highly accelerated rate due to the more massive trauma. So it may have taken 60-70 years or more to block initially but bypasses frequently block within 10 years. But again there are ways to clean out the arteries such as lecithin granules as I mentioned earlier. Lecithin is also great for the brain, liver and weight loss and lowers cholesterol without the dangers of statins. Ozone therapy can also be used to rapidly remove arterial plaque. It works in a chain reaction creating lipid peroxides from the cholesterol that as broken down in to monotomic ("singlet) oxygen this will react with more cholesterol forming new lipid peroxides from the cholesterol. Very similar principle to how ozone has been shown to selectively kill cancer cells in a chain reaction.
|
|
|
Post by paulshiroma on Apr 21, 2017 19:08:19 GMT -5
Our thoughts and prayers are with you, sir.
|
|
Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,930
|
Post by Tommy on Apr 21, 2017 19:17:47 GMT -5
But again there are ways to clean out the arteries such as lecithin granules as I mentioned earlier. Lecithin is also great for the brain, liver and weight loss and lowers cholesterol without the dangers of statins What is the ideal way to transport lecithin granules into said blockage? Is this a worthy preventative measure for someone who has a healthy heart (stellar stress test and ultrasound two years ago) and typically low cholesterol, but who's father had bypasses and died of congestive hf? I don't think I've said this before but the way you explain medical stuff blows my mind. I wish I had an electronic pocket version of you I could pull out every time questions come up
|
|
|
Post by spiceman on Apr 21, 2017 20:36:55 GMT -5
Yes, James has replied to some my health troubles in ways I have never heard before. He also referenced web sites for me to read, to better understand the issue. He knows his stuff and backs it up with a web site version.
|
|
|
Post by nowyo on Apr 21, 2017 23:03:55 GMT -5
Thanks for posting, vegasjames. That's helpful and I'll look into the lecithin. Whole thing struck me out of the blue, I had a physical with bloodwork a couple of weeks prior to the episode. No high blood pressure, no high cholesterol, everything looked good. 57 years old. I guess 40 years of beer and cigarettes caught up with me. Oh, and I had already quit smoking. Don't want to make this about me, if it helps Mark or others it'll be good. Russ
|
|
|
Post by vegasjames on Apr 22, 2017 5:57:57 GMT -5
But again there are ways to clean out the arteries such as lecithin granules as I mentioned earlier. Lecithin is also great for the brain, liver and weight loss and lowers cholesterol without the dangers of statins What is the ideal way to transport lecithin granules into said blockage? Is this a worthy preventative measure for someone who has a healthy heart (stellar stress test and ultrasound two years ago) and typically low cholesterol, but who's father had bypasses and died of congestive hf? I don't think I've said this before but the way you explain medical stuff blows my mind. I wish I had an electronic pocket version of you I could pull out every time questions come up Lecithin granules can simple be added to foods or blended in smoothies. They have a slightly nutty flavor so do not taste bad as long as they are not rancid. So store them in the fridge after opening. Recommended dose is 1 tablespoon 3 times daily. Higher doses are not advised as the high phosphorus can be bad for bones by stimulating parathyroid hormone release. Once absorbed in to the bloodstream from diet the lecithin will make it throughout the body. Some will dissolve the paque over time, some lowering cholesterol and some being incorporated in to tissues or used for other purposes by the body. So it is not an immediate clearing as with ozone, but rather a gradual, long-term cleaning. Lecithin works because it is a fat emulsifier. One end of the lecithin molecule attracts fats while the other end attracts water bridging them together. For example oil and vinegar will not stay mixed alone. Add some lecithin though and shake it and the oil and vinegar will remain bound together forming a creamy dressing. This binding of lecithin in the body with fats, such as cholesterol, make the fats water soluble allowing them to be removed from the body easier. I prefer the granules to liquids or softgels because they are more concentrated with phospholipids. Crude lecithin is very thick and sticky so it is hard to swallow and especially to form softgels with. So the liquids and softgels are highly thinned out with soy oil so the lecithin can flow easier, but this also dilutes the phospholipids. The granules are from de-oiled lecithin concentrating the phospholipids. Phospholipids are used by the body to keep cells supple to and to allow transport across cell membranes. They are also used in the formation of nervous tissue, including the brain, and in the formation of the very important neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is essential for proper brain function, which is why anti-Alzheimer drugs target acethylcholineesterase, the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine. This is why lecithin has a long history of being used to improve memory. Being a fat emulsifier it can help reduce body fat, cholesterol and deal with fatty liver. Lecithin is also a component of bile and helps dissolve gallstones and reduce their risk. And lecithin aids in the absorption of dietary fats and fat soluble vitamins. These are some of the benefits of lecithin, so yes it is a good thing to take, even as a preventative. You mentioned generally low cholesterol. Did you know that abnormally low cholesterol significantly increases the risk of heart attack? Also stroke, dementia, depression and even cancer? Bet your doctor never told you that one. Cholesterol is essential for the production of various hormones in the body including prostaglandins. Low prostaglandin levels lead to increased blood vessel constriction leading to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. In fact, about 50% of heart attack victims have low to normal cholesterol levels. Decreased blood flow to the brain can also lead to dementia and low prostaglandin levels are associated with some cases of depression. Depression actually has numerous causes so only some cases are due to low prostaglandins. Cholesterol is also the precursor for vitamin D3, which among other properties is an immune modulator and has strong anti-cancer properties. This confuses some people since vitamin D is produced by sun but doctors claim the sun causes cancer. Actually if they did the research from the medical journals they would find that skin cancer, as with virtually all cancers, is from a viral infection. In the case of skin cancer the identified virus is a human papilloma virus (HPV). Cancer viruses though do not simply cause cancer. They must be activated to cause cancer. Some of these viruses are activated by immune suppression, others by hormones such as estrogens (the body's own, from ERT or strong synthetic xenoestrogens), etc. In the case of this HPV virus the activator is sunlight. So sunlight is not the cause of some skin cancers, only a co-factor. Cholesterol itself is regulated primarily by the liver and the thyroid. The liver synthesizes cholesterol when we need it and if working properly will also break down excess cholesterol to maintain normal levels. The thyroid's role is through the metabolism of fats, which includes cholesterol. So the only way to have high cholesterol is if either the liver is not functioning properly or the thyroid is under active or both. Unfortunately most people do not realize that the so-called "liver tests" do not test for liver function. They are not even specific to the liver. These tests are for enzymes released by the liver when damaged. Although these same enzymes can also be released by other organs when damaged and thus again the test is not really liver specific even thought that is what people are told. And thyroid function tests are pretty much a joke as they often miss cases of hypothyroidism for a couple of reasons including elevated rT3 levels, which is almost never tested for and I am not sure most doctors even have a clue what it is. Low cholesterol would most likely be due to either statin drugs, an improperly functioning liver or overactive thyroid. There are still other possibilities such as disorders such as cystic fibrosis that interfere with fat absorption or cholecystectomy (gallbladder removed) since this can also impede absorption and reabsorption of cholesterol. By the way dietary cholesterol generally has little to do with cholesterol levels as plants sterols in the diet bind dietary cholesterol preventing its absorption.
|
|
metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
|
Post by metalsmith on Apr 22, 2017 9:38:56 GMT -5
I had coronary issues a few years ago and now wear (have inserted) a pacemaker. Luckily I'm now pretty bomb-proof... the doctor said I'd need to be run over twice with a JCB in order to kill me. I've only been run over once and it wasn't a JCB so I'm still kicking! The thing that struck me about heart issues is that there are so many different 'flavours' each with it's own peculiarities. What is good for one isn't good for the others. For example nitroglycerine (yeah you read that right) is used to lower blood pressure for folk with heart-attacks; for people with my issue, it lead to my heart stopping outright for 2.5 minutes. It even had the cardio team twitching. For high blood pressure / heart attack likelihood they recommend reducing salt intake. I was on 10g / day. The funniest thing ever, going to dinner with a friend who had a quadruple bi-pass - he said 'Do you want chips with your salt'. Had to be there I guess. Get fully checked, some answers and DYOR out before making any decisions on whether or how to treat / self-treat. Otherwise you might do yourself more harm than good.
|
|
Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,715
|
Post by Fossilman on Apr 22, 2017 10:14:46 GMT -5
Get it fixed up,so you can get going with the things you want to get done in life!! Good luck!
|
|
|
Post by vegasjames on Apr 22, 2017 14:53:45 GMT -5
I had coronary issues a few years ago and now wear (have inserted) a pacemaker. Luckily I'm now pretty bomb-proof... the doctor said I'd need to be run over twice with a JCB in order to kill me. I've only been run over once and it wasn't a JCB so I'm still kicking! The thing that struck me about heart issues is that there are so many different 'flavours' each with it's own peculiarities. What is good for one isn't good for the others. For example nitroglycerine (yeah you read that right) is used to lower blood pressure for folk with heart-attacks; for people with my issue, it lead to my heart stopping outright for 2.5 minutes. It even had the cardio team twitching. For high blood pressure / heart attack likelihood they recommend reducing salt intake. I was on 10g / day. The funniest thing ever, going to dinner with a friend who had a quadruple bi-pass - he said 'Do you want chips with your salt'. Had to be there I guess. Get fully checked, some answers and DYOR out before making any decisions on whether or how to treat / self-treat. Otherwise you might do yourself more harm than good. Nitroglycerine is not used for and should not be used for high blood pressure and can be harmful in some heart attacks. It is a potent vasodilator so yes it will lower blood pressure. But it is for emergency use only primarily during angina attacks to improve blood flow to the heart. You are not the only person that this has happened to with nitroglycerine. This is a known side effect and can occur from Bezold-Jarisch reflex leading to heart block, or other causes of heart block or from medication interaction. Side effects of drugs can rarely be predicted in individuals and doctors often do not know the interactions of medications. When it comes to interactions pharmacists are a much better source of information. By the way the preferred treatment of Bezold-Jarisch reflex is ephedrine, which has the opposite effect of nitroglycerine both increasing blood pressure and heart rate. Also should be noted since nitroglycerine got brought up and since many people do not know this, once a bottle of nitroglycerine is opened it is only good for about 30 days before it becomes worthless. Many people have ended up in bad trouble because of this since the drug was ineffective when they really needed it. Often this was from people putting their pills in secondary holders like little metal vials on a necklace so it was handy when they needed it. But the drug degraded when exposed to air and so when it was needed it was worthless. Best to keep the pills in their original vial and if opened marked them with the date opened. After a month dispose of the opened bottle and keep a fresh unopened bottle on hand. In fact, would not be a bad idea to have a previously unopened bottle on hand even with a recently opened bottle just in case. As for salt and blood pressure that is very misleading. This is old school thought that still persists with some doctors today. Modern research has shown that only about 10% of hypertensive patients are sodium sensitive and thus can have their blood pressure raised by sodium. On the other hand too low of sodium can lead to abnormally low blood pressure, which is also very dangerous. This is why our bodies generally regulate sodium and its antagonist potassium so carefully. But as you mentioned some people are different. I had a friend who could not retain salt. So she had to take big old salt tablets through the day, heavily salted all her food and drank all sorts of beer and still ended up in the hospital numerous times with hyponatremia (excessively low sodium levels).
|
|
metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
|
Post by metalsmith on Apr 22, 2017 16:06:18 GMT -5
vegasjames - the nitro was a test to see if my heart / brain feedback was good. It wasn't... spectacularly. All good now. Yeah, I had slow sodium too.
|
|
Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,795
|
Post by Mark K on Apr 22, 2017 17:30:57 GMT -5
Get it fixed up,so you can get going with the things you want to get done in life!! Good luck! I still keep on doing the stuff I want to do. I have been like this for a while and I have gone to some wonderful places and have done some wonderful things. This is not going to stop me. It is not even going to slow me down.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2017 18:41:29 GMT -5
Get it fixed up,so you can get going with the things you want to get done in life!! Good luck! I still keep on doing the stuff I want to do. I have been like this for a while and I have gone to some wonderful places and have done some wonderful things. This is not going to stop me. It is not even going to slow me down. 💪😎
|
|
|
Post by vegasjames on Apr 22, 2017 21:20:51 GMT -5
vegasjames - the nitro was a test to see if my heart / brain feedback was good. It wasn't... spectacularly. All good now. Yeah, I had slow sodium too. The brain does not regulate the heart, which is on the autonomic nervous system. What you are likely referring to is the table-tilt test.
|
|
Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,795
|
Post by Mark K on Apr 25, 2017 15:00:41 GMT -5
OK, here is the poop.
I just got back from seeing the cardiologist. He says that the first test said I was at 21%. The tests 4 days later say that I am in the high normal range which is 50 - 70%.
I was 65-70%.
He does not understand how this was possible. There was no appreciable difference between the days.
|
|