Worried about my life expectancy?

Question

I had a medium heart attack 7 days ago, I was taken by ambulance to hospital, they found I had a main heart artery partially blocked sothey cleared it using a thromboloyte or something, anyway 3 days later Ithey perfomed an Angioplasty with stent placement. I have quit smoking immediately, and am making radical changes to my lifestyle such as more excersise, healthier eating, losing weight and generally getting myself fitter. My cholestral is 3.4, my BP is 120/80, (always has been) I am 55 years old. Is it possible/likely for me to be able to lead a normal life and live for many years to come if I follow the doctors reccomendations, or am I just going to drop dead in a few weeks time. Sorry to put it so blunly but to be honest I can't think of any other way.
I would appreciate honest and blunt to the point answers please, I would prefer to know what my prognosis is.
thanks
Roger

The procedure carried out was metal stent to right coronary artery, if that helps

Answer 1

Your prognosis is excellent, walking, dietary precaution as advised by your Dr. and regular medicine and avoiding all risk factors will help you out, and you will be playing with your grand children.
By the get rid of this negative thinking be positive OK.
Best of luck.

Answer 2

You are 55 . Big deal , you had a heart attack, and 'they' found a partial blockage?
You will have to pardon my lack of a 'bed side manner' here, but I have no faith at all in Doctors, In fact I'm pretty sure they all (GP's) could be replaced by computer programmes.
They have a standard list of questions and solutions, chest pains? Do you smoke?? Solution, stop smoking !!
Has any one else in your family had heart problems? Solution hereditary!!
Let me just expand a bit more, I am getting on for 70, I had a heart attack about 7 years ago, no good reason was found for that, but the wall of my heart was damaged, nothing could be really done about that!
Except for medication.
Then last year I had a stroke , some sort of blockage in a main artery, this was rodded out and cleared!
Your main question appears to be "How long before you drop dead"?? What is your prognosis??
No one can really answer that question , you should appreciate all the the answers from the 'Doctor knows best' squad!
I am not one of those!
I just live each day as it comes , 55 isnt very old , get on with your life !

Answer 3

Ok Roger. Quitting everything together isn't very sensible. If you fail one you will inevitable fail them all. Quitting smoking is a good idea. Start there and begin to alter your diet and try lots of different new foods so that you can find things you like. I know this sounds obvious but that is what's needed.

Try and make your food from scratch. Ready meals no matter how healthy they clainm to be can still carry hidden 'bad stuff'. Introduce fruit and veg into your daily routine slowly so you don't get p!ssed off with it.

Exercise - start off slowly, remember you have to let your heart recover. The biggest problem men of your age have is the 'I can do the same regime at the gym I did when I was 18'. Remember you'll ache like hell and it will probably put you off. Watch that pulse rate as well. Gentle exercise like walking and slowly step up to other activities - get your GPs ok first.

Salt. You need some, there isn't much in regular groceries, meat and fish, it's our problem of adding it that causes the problem.

BP 120/80, you are 55, it shouldn't be exactly that. Get your surgery to keep an eye on it and don't be to worried. Also read the leaflets and fact sheets they give you.

Take your medications. Get advice from your GP. That episode you had is a wake up call. If you don't listen to it, then the long and normal life is unlikely. Prognosis wise - ask your GP he has the facts in front of him.

Answer 4

Your doctor could give you the best idea because he has treated you personally.
I know you are scared. Heart disease is a terrifying thing. And I am sure you are thinking of your family's needs too.

The most important thing that will determine your life expectancy is actually how much heart damage occurred to the muscle. If you have significant Left Ventrical damage, it is not good. Eventually CHF would occur and end your life, but it could be controlled for many years.

There is a dangerous time period immediately after a cardiac event which puts you at a higher risk for an electrical rhythm disturbance. Because you are in the hospital on monitors that would be negated. And that time period has almost passed for you.

The stent also raises the possible complication of a blood clot. I assume they are put you on meds for that.

The most important factor in avoiding future heart problems is your triglyceride levels. It is more important than cholesterol levels. An easy way to drop triglyceride levels is simply eating a ketogenic diet. Don't worry about fat (healthy fats that is) but stop the sugar. Your blood levels will become stable if you control insulin output through sugar intake.

Do move everyday. You don't have to be a marathon runner, but do move. Walk as soon as your doctor clears you. And walk everyday.

Great that you stopped smoking. That will drastically increase you life span. GREAT JOB! Keep it up! Don't give up and go back to that habit. It is a killer.

Your doctor would be the best one to give you advice. But most of the things written in all these answers are good. Take care of yourself. You are worth it. The world is better with you in it.

Answer 5

Heck of a wake up call isn't it?

I think your chances are excellent. My father had a heart attack in 1977 when treatment was not as advanced as it is now. He had triple bypass surgery in the 80's. Last month he celebrated his 81st birthday.

Do what the Dr says, watch your diet and take your drugs and get a little exercise. You will feel better and do better than you did before the heart attack.

A heart attack is not a death sentence.

PS: Check out Cardiac Rehab. They will help a lot.

Answer 6

No one can give you any guarantees but you are certainly doing the right things to give yourself a better chance. The points in your favour (they are very strong points too!) is that your cholesterol level is excellent and you BP is reasonably good.
The one thing I would say from my nursing experience is do not be afraid of exercising...It is very beneficial to keep active, but obviously don't try overdoing it and discuss levels of exercises with your doctor. A good brisk walk each day would be a minimum level perhaps building up to light jogging/speed walk daily. This will of course help the weight loss campaign enormously.
Good luck. You sound like you have the determination to do everything right.

Answer 7

Okay, it is normal for a person who has gone though a heart attack major surgery, or cancer to feel apprehensive, you are making some major life changes and those are a plus. I am a cancer survivor , And I won't tell you that I don't have times that I feel depressed, I do. but like your self I made changes in my life, and I think the key is to do the best you can and tell your self, that I'm going to live till I die. and I'm going to try not to waste to much time dwelling on death. Many people, go on to live long , productive lives after these things and quite often it has a lot to do with attitude. Hugs!

Answer 8

A person's increased risk of contracting disease is directly proportional to the length of time that a person continues to smoke as well as the amount smoked. However, if someone stops smoking, then these chances gradually decrease as the damage to their body is repaired. A year after quitting, the risk of contracting disease is half that of a smoker.
Eat a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet. This kind of diet includes cottage cheese, fat-free milk, fish (not canned in oil), vegetables, poultry, egg whites, and polyunsaturated oils and margarines (corn, safflower, canola, and soybean oils). Avoid foods with excess fat in them such as meat (especially liver and fatty meat), egg yolks, whole milk, cream, butter, shortening, lard, pastries, cakes, cookies, gravy, peanut butter, chocolate, olives, potato chips, coconut, cheese (other than cottage cheese), coconut oil, palm oil, and fried foods.
The prognosis for patients with myocardial infarction varies greatly, depending on the patient, the condition itself and the given treatment.
Please see the web pages for more details on Tobacco smoking and Myocardial infarction (Heart attack).

Answer 9

I went through a similar experience about 8 years ago when aged 57. Like you I stopped smoking but my BP and Cholesterol are slightly higher than yours. Despite everything I still feel confident about living a good life for a good number of years to come.Recently celebrated my 65th and felt no different than 57.
Go for it Roger and importantly dont worry.

Answer 10

It all depends on how much damage you did. Your lifestyle changes will extend your life. (Don't overdo the exercise). Now you're under medical care, you're unlikely to drop dead in the short term (they wouldn't have bothered operating if you were a hopeless case). If you can keep up the new regime for a year, you're likely to see 70.