I Had A Heart Attack On Sat 22/8/2015

[messtafarian]

I want to propose to the moderator that when people who seem to be very ill show up on this site that they are immediately transferred to a section I'd call Triage where only the very serious and knowledgeable among us are allowed or invited to reply. I am sure I am not one of those people, but I believe a lot of us are just meandering through our own health journeys and the philosophical, science-y answer from the general throng could mislead such a person, or worse.

Dear OP:

There are ways to manage health problems through nutritional, functional and science based means but it takes time and awareness. When we are sick is the least likely time in our lives for us to truly be aware. For now, take your medicine (I really don't like statins but that is an argument for another day), get as much rest as you are possibly able and eat as nutritious a diet as you can manage and afford.

You might explore:

Thyroid Function
Vitamin E
Salt balance ( potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium)
All other fat soluble vitamins ( D, A, K)
The role of progesterone, pregnenolone and DHEA
The role of polyunsaturated fats.

This is a place to start in your own research but it is only as good as how well you apply it to your own situation. Be well :).

 

[Elderflower j58]

Thank you Messtafarian, great idea particularly for me as I'm new to all this but eager to learn.Im going to stay on cardio's med's because I'm very scared for my heart but I'm also going to include supps yourself and haidut recommended. I was told my thyroid was : normal:,I will get a thermometer and start tracking temperature,I have eaten a lot of puffa over the years,don't do that any more otherwise allway'scooked from scratch roasts, stews ,but lots and lots of (what I thought was healthy ) fat homemade chips with vegetable oil.

 

[Elderflower j58]

Hello again, just to add a bit of history,I had cellulitis twice,first time age 31,really bad hospitalised for 3 weeks,10 years later caught in time antibiotics at home 5 day recovery.Abnormal smear tests laser treatment never had anymore smear tests ,1 mammagram sister died from brain cancer ,primary breast cancer,she was on high strength HRT for 10 years,decided too many mistakes made in uk regarding diagnoses .appendix removed in childhood,I have always been unfocused,sleep problems ,fatigue.bloodpressure always on low side.First heart blockages age 39, 90% and 60% treatment balloon plasty,2 further stents 4/5 years later,the heart attack Ive already posted.full on panic attic 1day after discharge had to call ambulance,thought I was dying.Its good to share feel less scared allready thank you :)

 

[InChristAlone]

Thats good you made it through! out of curiosity what were the signs you were having a heart attack? everyone describes it differently and I've had concerns for my heart because I wake up sometimes with chest pain, tachy, nausea and shortness of breath (but been dealing wtih this for over a year).

 

[Elderflower j58]

High Jannelle,first time around I felt weird sensations ie weakness ,nausea,strange shoulder pain,and very tired for about a month beforehand,also weird feeling in my throat.must stress that time was not heart attack,but still hospitalised and angiplasty's done .Most recent ,a couple of days before attack my left arm felt weak an I said to my husband I felt my heart was in trouble again.I have been suffering depression and fatigue for years so did'nt notice anything out of the ordinary ,possibly a little weak On day of attack I was more stressed than normal as I rarely go out and it was my grand daughters first birthday.Family picnic in Hamstead Heath it was a hot day for London,got there late ,felt ok,played a catch ball game with my adult son (I'm very competitive) slightly breathless after short time so Isat down on grass,then everything went weird .My son kept asking if I was ok ,could'nt seem to respond normally ,then washed over by extreme weakness ,immense pressure/pain in chest and dead left arm.I vomited profusly 3 times ,thought I was going to die on the grass ,eventually ambulance came .It was the most frightening thing in the world.my god it seems so dramatic writing it down

 

[InChristAlone]

So the angioplasty doesn't prevent heart attacks? Then why is it done? Wow all that sounds terrifying!

 

[charlie]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/97798/ I want to propose to the moderator that when people who seem to be very ill show up on this site that they are immediately transferred to a section I'd call Triage where only the very serious and knowledgeable among us are allowed or invited to reply.

We are taking this under consideration.

 

[tara]

It does sound terrifying.

I too have read that statins are statistically unlikely to help most people (and are likely to do some harm), but that for people who have already had cardiovascular events (esp. men, not so sure about women), this is the group for whom they have shown to reduce risks. Maybe you will be able to find a way to reduce the need for these drugs over time.

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/97055/ It would be instructive to get the full TFT (thyroid function test) numbers, rather than a report they are in a normal range. Is it accurate to conclude that Cr is creatine, in units of µmol/L?

You should be able to contact your doctor and ask for the detailed results for your blood tests, including all thyroid results (numbers).

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/97076/ I have not read the book by Broda Barnes, "Solved: The Riddle of Heart Attacks", but you may find it helpful. Barnes also wrote "Hypothyroidism: the Unsuspected Illness" in which he has a chapter about heart attacks.

Good idea.

In the short-term, it make sense to do whatever you can to lower your immediate risk.

In the long-term, diet and lifestyle changes may make a significant difference. There are many fronts you can consider.
If you want to you could post about what you are eating. One of the most important aspects of diet is probably minimising as far as practically possible the eating of polyunsaturated fats - particularly any oil that is liquid at normal room temperature. Favour coconut oil and butter over any other vegetable oil.

Are you getting regular sunshine, and sleep, and a little regular movement (not vigorous exercise)?

How's your breathing? Panic attacks are often associated with hyperventilation, which can lower CO2 levels far to low, and consequently affect circulation and reduce oxygen supply to tissues. Hyperventilation is a habit that may be able to be retrained to some extent. There is a description about how to use a Buteyko method breathing technique to reduce the risk of a threatening heart attack here: http://www.normalbreathing.com/learn-4A ... athing.php
Buteyko method is not all the same as Peat's ideas, but both Buteyko and Peat recognise the central importance of adequate CO2 levels for all manner of health issues - it is a central governing substance in the body. There are many people who have found Buteyko method really helpful for various things, but it does take quite a bit of effort to learn and practise it.
Personally, I have not put lots of time into practising it, but I was able to improve my breathing to good effect with some fairly simple techniques. Peat recommends paper bag breathing briefly a few times a day, for some similar effects. (Don't try to push any of the exercises to far too fast - they can have strong effects.)

Take care.

 

[Elderflower j58]

Hi jannelle,angoiplasty clears blockage so does greatly help.I had further blockages in various other arteries so needed more angios to unblock. Hope that explains it

 

[Elderflower j58]

Hi Tara and thank you for your responses,I stopped using vegetable oils last November and now use coconut oil,butter, olive oil,I'm irish so love mashed potato,always with butter ,Love. Cabbage very well cooked, this combo I eat I eat about twice a week ,I use minced beef ( not premium quality) about twice a week ,lamb,chicken.Im going to add gelatine because of what I've learned here.I started drinking milk and orange juice just recently andI have ordered supplements (heart healthy) according to haidut.My panic attack was a first,Don't have any breathing problems and know about buteko but don't practice it regularl.Huge problem I rarely go out,sleep badly,no activity,but I'm really going to try and fix these,only just realised how important they are.normal weight,blood pressure on low side.

 

[Blossom]

Elderflower, As you have experienced sometimes unfortunate things happen and we find ourselves needing/receiving medical treatment. It's can be a difficult situation to navigate through in order to figure out the best course of action for our individual situation. Educating ourselves takes time and there will always be conflicting information to sort through as well. There is a book I read with a very informative chapter on cholesterol that I wanted to share with you because the author goes into detail on the science of when treating high cholesterol has actually been proven to benefit a person. This is the book http://www.worldcat.org/title/disease-d ... /172984358
One of the sad situations that has occurred in modern medicine is greed on the part of the pharmaceutical industry and a perfect example of this has been promoting statin drugs to more and more people and systematically lowering the cut off limits to create more patients. That doesn't mean that statins are never indicated just that the waters have been muddied so to speak with controversy due to the over prescribing of the meds. For your situation I think the book and in particular the chapter on cholesterol would be a good read.

 

[Elderflower j58]

hello blossom ,Just spoke to library,there going tot ry and get hold of it for me.I've been reading lots of articles over the last few months about the pro's and con's of statins for lowering cholesteral and I'm definitly leaning towards a more natural or nutrient based method of doing that if needs must.Hard to believe that the very people you are meant to trust with your health can end up hurting you.For now I'm going to take my meds as I'm all alone in my thinking .Family were furious when I stopped last time and won't even discus anything excepttrust the doctor.thanksfor yourhelp

 

[InChristAlone]

Did your heart attack come after starting more milk and OJ?

 

[montmorency]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/98012/ hello blossom ,Just spoke to library,there going tot ry and get hold of it for me.I've been reading lots of articles over the last few months about the pro's and con's of statins for lowering cholesteral and I'm definitly leaning towards a more natural or nutrient based method of doing that if needs must.Hard to believe that the very people you are meant to trust with your health can end up hurting you.For now I'm going to take my meds as I'm all alone in my thinking .Family were furious when I stopped last time and won't even discus anything excepttrust the doctor.thanksfor yourhelp

@Elderflower :

Hi, I don't know if you saw my PM, but some more information here I think you should look at:

http://paulingtherapy.com
http://www.internetwks.com/pauling/stories.htm
http://vitamincfoundation.org/suppress.htm

Please PM me if you have any questions.

One small point: from a Peat perspective, I think the advice would be to go easy on the olive oil, and ideally only use it in the unheated form, e.g. in salad dressings. It doesn't resist heating as well as coconut oil.

Good luck.

 

[Blossom]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/98012/ hello blossom ,Just spoke to library,there going tot ry and get hold of it for me.I've been reading lots of articles over the last few months about the pro's and con's of statins for lowering cholesteral and I'm definitly leaning towards a more natural or nutrient based method of doing that if needs must.Hard to believe that the very people you are meant to trust with your health can end up hurting you.For now I'm going to take my meds as I'm all alone in my thinking .Family were furious when I stopped last time and won't even discus anything excepttrust the doctor.thanksfor yourhelp

Good luck Elderfower! I mean that truly and sincerely from the bottom of my heart. I would feel exactly like you about preferring a more natural nutrient based method long term but I don't think you should worry too much about taking the statins for now. The approach Dean Ornish (that Mittir referred to) developed seems to have some scientific backing for existing heart disease. I learned about it over 20 years ago in an undergraduate nutrition course and all I remember is that it was a VERY low fat diet. It might be helpful to read what Ornish has to offer and if it appeals to you I see no reason that you couldn't integrate that into a Peat inspired lifestyle! I just wanted to add that to the other helpful information you've received.

 

[montmorency]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/97984/ Hi jannelle,angoiplasty clears blockage so does greatly help.I had further blockages in various other arteries so needed more angios to unblock. Hope that explains it

As you are probably aware, although the angioplasty will clear the blockage, it will do nothing to prevent further blockages.
That is where the Pauling Therapy (with some enhancements based on discoveries since Pauling's death, as listed by Owen Fonorow) can help. It should prevent further blockages, and can even reverse existing ones. See also:

http://www.practicingmedicinewithoutali ... m/protocol

 

[tara]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/98026/ One small point: from a Peat perspective, I think the advice would be to go easy on the olive oil, and ideally only use it in the unheated form, e.g. in salad dressings. It doesn't resist heating as well as coconut oil.

I agree. And also it is about 10% PUFA (more or less depending on the kind). Peat has said a tsp a day might be OK, but in this situation it might be even better to go lower, if you can bear it.