Heart Problems - Angioplasty, Stents, and What You Do Next
I've been terrified a number of times.
The tornado that took the roof off the house in 1969 made me cringe at every thunderstorm for decades.
Being tossed by a fast moving horse made me think I was about to meet my Maker.
Nothing has scared me as badly as hearing that my husband has coronary artery disease and needs immediate angioplasty.
The symptoms weren't gradual.
He was in the habit of hiking every weekend, and was doing so when the first symptom appeared.
It felt almost like a sore throat.
After several days feeling this, he went to the doctor.
Even then, nothing would have been done, except for the fact that his father died from his third heart attack at the young age of 58.
"Just to be sure...
" He has had angioplasty three times and currently has four stents in his heart.
I've had to sit in the cardiac intensive care waiting room multiple times and it is *not* a place I like being.
There are a couple of reasons for this article.
The first one is to warn you about symptoms that may require immediate attention.
Heart problems don't necessarily start with chest pain in the general area of your heart.
Unexplained pain in any part of your chest, including around your trachea and esophagus need addressed.
Unexplained pain in your neck, jaw, left shoulder and left arm should be checked out by your doctor.
Any other symptoms...
racing heart, shortness of breath and fatigue associated with this are also important.
They could be warning you of a cardiovascular problem.
The other is to show you things that could help you make this problem less likely.
Let's go back to my husband's problem.
It turns out that a change I made in our diet a year before this may have saved his life.
I weighed nearly 300 pounds.
Our younger daughter asked me to change my diet, and as I'm Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, I changed *all* of our diets.
Gone were pork fat, butter and heavy whipping cream.
Olive oil, Smart Balance and turkey burger became main staples.
Salt, fat and cholesterol were cut dramatically.
This is important.
And, it doesn't have to mean you give up flavor, have to research weird and outlandish ingredients or really go very far out of your way to make good food.
It may mean you'll want me to actually write the 736 ways to describe the taste of birds, but even that doesn't have to be a problem.
Here are a few tips: Butter Substitute: While I do miss butter in baking, 99% of the time, I can work around it.
For savory uses, I mostly use olive oil.
The grade of oil you use will define how much flavor it imparts in the dish.
You'll have to experiment to find what you like when.
For lighter dishes, I use one of the trans fat free, Omega-3 added margarines.
It's not quite the same as butter in baking, but it's not that off.
When I want to make a thickening agent, you can do so two ways.
You can use it to make a roux with no problem.
If you want to use it later to thicken, mix equal parts of the margarine with flour.
I've given up looking for a bacon substitute.
Turkey bacon does *not* count.
They really need to work on that recipe, but I will tell you that turkey sausage (breakfast and Italian) tastes great...
and some are pretty close to the real deal.
Heavy Whipping Cream: It's not the same, but fat free half and half comes fairly close.
If you want it to thicken the same way, you may have to use corn starch or another thickener, but it is a healthy alternative.
Cheese: It is possible to find reduced fat and fat free cheeses.
I must point out that (thus far), I have yet to find a fat free cheese that melts well.
Meat: Ok, here the cardiologist and I disagree.
I'll tell you what I've found and what I do, but you will have to do your own research and make your own (educated...
hopefully) decision.
We were told that we could never eat any beef or any pork again.
Dark meat turkey and chicken were on the forbidden list.
Better (if we ate animal products) would be seafoods.
Well, there's a bit more to it than that.
Cardiologists don't really study nutrition.
It's part of my field.
There are cuts of both beef and pork that are lower than untrimmed boneless skinless chicken breast.
These parts are the leaner ones, usually located around the loin.
If you want to make the chicken leaner, cut the fat (easily visible) off.
Herbal Remedies: Some of what I've done is food based, which I think is one of the best ways to do nutritional supplements.
Some of it involves taking supplements...
particularly if you are unwilling to take salmon oil.
Garlic is your friend.
It's best in your food, but you don't lose all the benefits if you take the supplements.
It will make your breath and your sweat smell like garlic.
One side benefit is that it will encourage bugs to dine elsewhere.
There have been some recent studies that offer mixed results, but I still say go for it.
Fish oil is another one.
It really is better if you eat the fish, but the oils will work.
The fishes most useful are cold water; salmon, halibut and trout all can offer the benefit.
Can't stand the fish burps? Try flax oil.
Red yeast rice is another option, but be careful.
This remedy is a statin and it has all the same side effects, precautions and interactions of a prescription statin.
The tornado that took the roof off the house in 1969 made me cringe at every thunderstorm for decades.
Being tossed by a fast moving horse made me think I was about to meet my Maker.
Nothing has scared me as badly as hearing that my husband has coronary artery disease and needs immediate angioplasty.
The symptoms weren't gradual.
He was in the habit of hiking every weekend, and was doing so when the first symptom appeared.
It felt almost like a sore throat.
After several days feeling this, he went to the doctor.
Even then, nothing would have been done, except for the fact that his father died from his third heart attack at the young age of 58.
"Just to be sure...
" He has had angioplasty three times and currently has four stents in his heart.
I've had to sit in the cardiac intensive care waiting room multiple times and it is *not* a place I like being.
There are a couple of reasons for this article.
The first one is to warn you about symptoms that may require immediate attention.
Heart problems don't necessarily start with chest pain in the general area of your heart.
Unexplained pain in any part of your chest, including around your trachea and esophagus need addressed.
Unexplained pain in your neck, jaw, left shoulder and left arm should be checked out by your doctor.
Any other symptoms...
racing heart, shortness of breath and fatigue associated with this are also important.
They could be warning you of a cardiovascular problem.
The other is to show you things that could help you make this problem less likely.
Let's go back to my husband's problem.
It turns out that a change I made in our diet a year before this may have saved his life.
I weighed nearly 300 pounds.
Our younger daughter asked me to change my diet, and as I'm Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, I changed *all* of our diets.
Gone were pork fat, butter and heavy whipping cream.
Olive oil, Smart Balance and turkey burger became main staples.
Salt, fat and cholesterol were cut dramatically.
This is important.
And, it doesn't have to mean you give up flavor, have to research weird and outlandish ingredients or really go very far out of your way to make good food.
It may mean you'll want me to actually write the 736 ways to describe the taste of birds, but even that doesn't have to be a problem.
Here are a few tips: Butter Substitute: While I do miss butter in baking, 99% of the time, I can work around it.
For savory uses, I mostly use olive oil.
The grade of oil you use will define how much flavor it imparts in the dish.
You'll have to experiment to find what you like when.
For lighter dishes, I use one of the trans fat free, Omega-3 added margarines.
It's not quite the same as butter in baking, but it's not that off.
When I want to make a thickening agent, you can do so two ways.
You can use it to make a roux with no problem.
If you want to use it later to thicken, mix equal parts of the margarine with flour.
I've given up looking for a bacon substitute.
Turkey bacon does *not* count.
They really need to work on that recipe, but I will tell you that turkey sausage (breakfast and Italian) tastes great...
and some are pretty close to the real deal.
Heavy Whipping Cream: It's not the same, but fat free half and half comes fairly close.
If you want it to thicken the same way, you may have to use corn starch or another thickener, but it is a healthy alternative.
Cheese: It is possible to find reduced fat and fat free cheeses.
I must point out that (thus far), I have yet to find a fat free cheese that melts well.
Meat: Ok, here the cardiologist and I disagree.
I'll tell you what I've found and what I do, but you will have to do your own research and make your own (educated...
hopefully) decision.
We were told that we could never eat any beef or any pork again.
Dark meat turkey and chicken were on the forbidden list.
Better (if we ate animal products) would be seafoods.
Well, there's a bit more to it than that.
Cardiologists don't really study nutrition.
It's part of my field.
There are cuts of both beef and pork that are lower than untrimmed boneless skinless chicken breast.
These parts are the leaner ones, usually located around the loin.
If you want to make the chicken leaner, cut the fat (easily visible) off.
Herbal Remedies: Some of what I've done is food based, which I think is one of the best ways to do nutritional supplements.
Some of it involves taking supplements...
particularly if you are unwilling to take salmon oil.
Garlic is your friend.
It's best in your food, but you don't lose all the benefits if you take the supplements.
It will make your breath and your sweat smell like garlic.
One side benefit is that it will encourage bugs to dine elsewhere.
There have been some recent studies that offer mixed results, but I still say go for it.
Fish oil is another one.
It really is better if you eat the fish, but the oils will work.
The fishes most useful are cold water; salmon, halibut and trout all can offer the benefit.
Can't stand the fish burps? Try flax oil.
Red yeast rice is another option, but be careful.
This remedy is a statin and it has all the same side effects, precautions and interactions of a prescription statin.
