I had some folks over to enjoy the long weekend. Smoked a couple of Boston Butts and ribs. Had two friends decline the pork so I improvised and threw a salmon on a cedar plank and they were happy.

The reason for the switch from pork to fish was most of the folks present had some type of high blood pressure, AFib, or arrhythmia condition. Most were taking some form of drug to help and were on a restrictive diet - too bad they didn't tell me this prior to cooking, but I did invite them over.

I go to the doctor about once in never, but I do check blood pressure, exercise everyday, and eat what I suppose is considered a heart healthy diet - nuts, avocados & oil, unsaturated fats, protein is mostly pork and chicken and some beef/bison, and avoid sugar like the Covid. Seems to be working but most of this is more related to the luck of your genetic makeup.

So who here is on a restrictive diet or using a pharmacological solution to deal with a heart related issue?

At 70 my father was walking a 1 mph, and so had to have heart bypass surgery. That kept him going to 90.

I had a bigger pot belly than my father from insulin resistance from eating carbs.

At 70 I scored a ZERO on CT Calcium scan.
I have zero heart disease.

I cured my pot belly and high blood pressure with a low carb diet.



Cardiac computed tomography (CT) for Calcium Scoring uses special x-ray equipment to produce pictures of the coronary arteries to determine if they are blocked or narrowed by the buildup of plaque

I take a pill for high blood pressure. I don’t eat like I should. With my genetics, it’s only a matter of time no matter what I do anyway. I’m going out happy.

I have an ex wife that claims I don't have a heart so I haven't seen a reason to go to the doctor in years.

I eat pork butts, ribeye steaks, hot dogs, dollar general girl scout cookies, lunchmeat, chocolate milk, chug mtn dew


fasting glucose is 100 or less. Sometimes in 60-70

Cholesterol is 150-160, high density upper 50s
Triglycerides never over 80-90

Blood pressure lately been so low, I just about collapse standing up 90/60s. Too low

Had to cut back on banana, potatoes and cantaloupe due to hyperkalemia/cardiac strain. Imagine that, healthy stuff will kill ya graveyard dead.

I check blood pressure 4-5 times a day,
Stick myself with diabeetus meter 2-3 times a week just cause im curious why im so dayum played out.

I aint diabetic. But my old man bought me a meter just to know when to eat. 🤣

I'm on a bunch of crap to keep bp and heart rate down, born with a defective valve. Getting my aortic root right down to the valve replaced shortly. Hopefully I'll see 55.

Sausage and eggs for breakfast then a sensible lunch of cheeseburger and fries. Finish the day off with a huge dinner with lots of red meat and starches, go to bed. Wash, rinse, repeat.

LOL

I don't know....but I am starting to think that the OP is a sockpuppet.

I have had a heart problem since I was born... not discovered till I was 42 (11 years ago)... had two surgeries to correct. I am a little overweight, take a pill for sugar, and eat whatever I want. Everyone seems to think the goal is to live as long as possible... not me... I want to enjoy life as I like and go on to heaven when it is time...

BP is normal, sometimes a little low.
My dad died of a massive heart attack at 80.
50 or more pounds overweight, didn't exercise, used to smoke and type 2.
Think his lifestyle and corrective meds conspired to clog him up.
He had high BP at least 20 yrs.

He was all plugged up, head to toe (vascular dementia kicking in) and refused to go to heart doc the last few years.
Ate and did what he wanted til the ticker crashed.

Lucky, his legs were bad and theyd have whittled on him.
Figure he knew that was coming and figured no, hed try to let the heart take him out first.
If so, the old fart got lucky, as his plan worked.

God bless you.

I had a hard attack this morning.

Thanks for sharing, but not necessary.

Had a monitor glued to my chest this morning. Mail it in Friday.

Pre-op exam ekg showed possibly a-fib. Never felt it.

Complete cardio workup 2 years ago showed all clear.

Knee replacement next week still going forward.

I had a friend who died while hunting....weeks before his early retirement.


I have a friend who had a heart attack while we were on a hunting trip. I spent days in the hotel next to the Billings hospital. He got the stint AND the pacemaker.

Thanks for the bullschit story.

LOL

I had a massive heart attack 5 and a half years ago. I would've still ate that Boston butt

My Grandfather almost died of a heart attack at 75. They did a triple bypass. His mind gave way to dementia a few years later buy he lived to a ripe old age of 86 because they fixed his ticker. But he had no dignity left. Not that he realized it. Sometimes it's better to just let your heart take you out.

All good so far, some people only have heart trouble once.

High Cholesterol is a genetic thing in our family as I found out AFTER I had heart problems. I was having a hard time walking across the parking lot at work after a day of work, then it got to the point I couldn't push my lawnmower around my yard once without having to stop and catch my breath. Went to my doc, he sent me to a cardiologist the very next day, and a couple days later I had four stents implanted in the clogged up vessels feeding my heart muscle. This was all about 12 years ago now. I've been pretty good ever since but I realize that eventually I will have to have them redone or worse- bypass surgery.. I'm on BP medication, cholesterol drugs, and blood thinners and they seem to be working but I worry about what all that chemistry is doing to my body. Not that I have much choice right now unless I have a death wish, which I don't....

My younger brother had a 5 way bypass about a year before I had my stents put in and my dad passed at 85 from congestive heart failure- a fancy term for heart failure brought on by blocked arteries. They said he wouldn't survive the surgery to correct it, so they gave him meds and let him live his last couple years in relative comfort. He kept busy right up until the end, but in the end it gets us all.

I went into the hospital a couple of years ago to have a too large kidney stone surgically removed. As soon as I recovered from that, I was informed they were transferring me to the cardio section. Scared the begeebers out of me as I had no idea, other than noticing for the previous maybe two years as getting much tireder than I should when doing physical things. Had been on high blood pressure meds for several years. I was diagnosed with afib and had an exploratory heart procedure with a camera inside my heart that determined I needed a stint. Back in surgery the next day and had the stint installed. Having that 11 mm kidney stone saved my life. Had a cardio check-up a few days ago and all is well. Not due for another for a year.

Thankfully, no, despite somewhat high cholesterol. Have lost 38 pounds in 7 months, BP is down, sugar low. Calcium heart scan score was zero. Still fat, but not obese.

Feeling pretty good, and I ain’t going back. Bread, sugar, grains, seed oils are out. Healthy fats, fresh veggies, meat, eggs, dairy, fish are in.

^^
Like.

There are certain pleasures in life that a Man should not forego.

My maternal grandmother died of heart disease at 70 back in 1962. My mother had stents after mild heart attacks. I never gave it a thought, even though some doctors said I had high bloof pressure. Then I had three heart attacks ten years ago. Two failed stents by a cardio group I subsequently fired, then bypass surgery, four. I'm OK now, on meds which open up my constricted arteries. My father died of a burst aorta, so I have that checked, too.

My first cardiologist said my life expectancy was 5-7 years, and he said that 6 years after my bypass. Lots of folks live a long life after bypass. I hope to.

I have higher than normal blood pressure and it stroked me out 10 years ago. When I get a headache or my ears start beating I take a blood pressure pill and aspirin if needed. I'm not going to train my body into needing medicine to survive. Ain't nobody getting out of here alive, hopefully when my time comes it'll be quick. Obamacare ACA taught me a valuable lesson, the better your insurance is the more they'll find wrong with you.

Grit I know I shouldn’t laugh but you made me chuckle.

Endeavor to persevere
Chief Dan George

Heart attack last year about this time. Now have 2 stents in the old ticker. Try to watch the diet pretty closely. Type II diabetes, high cholesterol, bp good. 54 yrs old and walk guys half my age into the ground come hunting season. Ride a Mtn Bike about 2,000 miles per year. Diet, exercise and genetics are the 3 legged stool. I have issues with the leg I can't do anything about.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, plus a hole in my heart that did not close in infancy. I take BP meds to keep it in check and an injectable cholesterol med. There are a lot of things I want to do in this life yet. Not taking some kind of meds to help me accomplish that is just stupid .

I want to keep active, slide into home plate screaming it's been a hell of ride.I have been retired now almost 20 years, Never missed an elk season. Parts of my body are wearing out,but so far the organs are still working except my lungs.

Waiting for a heart attack from not taking meds or controlling cholesterol and having a stroke leaving one a vegetable shows a person isn't the sharpest pencil in the deck

Heart attack years ago. Cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure now. Severe bundle blockage issues. Take a few meds, not a lot. Pacemaker/ICD is more important now than pills. It is what it is.

The five year mortality rate for heart failure is 50%. For you southern boys that means half y’all are dead in five years. That’s worse than most cancers.

Blood pressure and cholesterol.




P

Father died of a heart attack at 57 in 1994 (he had CHF for a few years before). I was in the hospital for a week at 40 YO (first week of buck season here in PA) with CHF and Pneumonia. They told me there were 27 things that could cause CHF and one was "We don't know".

Been on BP meds since and see my cardiologist every year (sometimes twice), he tells me I have an angel looking out for me. My EF was 18 back then (16 years ago) and I'm between 35 and 40 now. Am in pretty good shape (a little over weight) and haven't really had any heart trouble since. I consider myself very lucky.

ETA: One of the 27 things they said could cause it is alcohol. I had young kids back then and I wanted to see them grow up so I quit drinking for over 10 years. My kids are grown now so I drink a little (maybe a lot) now and then. Figure I'm worth a whole lot more to them dead than alive and I'm good with that.

Those with non-genetic high cholesterol (about 85%) could significantly improve their lipids if they dropped carbs and do what you speak of.

I had a mitral valve repair in 2014 when I was 59 and have had AFIB issues ever since. Have good days and not so good days. Past couple of years have been rather rough.

I’ve had congestive heart failure for 15 years. Still humming along. Takes 3 well salted tomatoes to actually put +1 tibial fluid on my shins.

If you grew really good tasting maters, like we do Out West, they wouldn't need salt at all.

Of course, in some places our water is so bad the maters basically come pre-salted!

I've had a leaky valve since the 1960's- - - - -it got me DQ'ed from playing football, but Uncle Sam still said it was OK for me be an anti-aircraft target for Jane Fonda. Fast forward to the early 1990's for two stents. A couple of years later it's "atrial fibrillation" and a 3 day hospital stay go get the electronics adjusted for a heart rate below 200. Last week- - - -same problem- - -rapid heartbeat, this time in the 130's. A stronger rate control medicine seems to be handling that problem, somewhat. Now a "home EKG" monitor seems like it's going to be my pocket pal for a little while.

So far, no open chest procdeures like bypasses, or a pacemaker. I choose to live every day to the fullest- - - -there's no guarantee tomorrow's going to get here! Anybody who doesn't like that- - - -check out the sprig of mistletoe attached to my back belt loop!

No heart, so no heart issues here!

Have fun today.

Had a little syncope episode last year, got 2 days in a hospital and lots of tests. They couldn't find anything wrong.

Tomorrow may not happen for anyone.

My family on both sides all die from heart disease and diabetes. That's just the facts. 13 brothers and sisters on My moms side, aside from the guy who got killed in WWII, the rest all are either dead from Heart disease or have some pretty bad issues. My dad dies at 67, heart attack. I have an aortic aneurism, high blood pressure off the charts. Military for 28 years, exercised every day, maintained healthy weight, ate right. I take beta blockers, 3 types of blood pressure meds, metformin. It's genetics. 99% of it.

Well we'll see:

Mom did, dad does, both grandads did.........

I'm 67ish, and it's time to establish a relationship with a cardiologist.................

Don't know. I stay away from the doctor because he likes to give bad news or stern warnings.

History of heart issues on my Dad's side. He passed at 57 (just) and his brother had his first heart attack at 37! Always watched my weight and stayed active, retired at 55.
Diagnosed with borderline high cholesterol about 15 years ago, Afib 4 years ago, two cardioversions since and a cardiac ablation this spring. Watch my weight, keep active and try to eat healthy (fairly!). No alcohol now, never was a big drinker. On blood thinner, beta blocker, statin, meds for gout and hypothroidism!
The option of not taking meds as required would be foolish, so here we are at 67!

Heart stent, 13 mar 99

2 heart attacks and some stents. Saw the white light on the last one.

Doing OK now. Still hike mountains when I get a chance.

Tachycardia (controlled) and PVCs a couple of years ago. Meds seem to have it under control. Cardiologist did a flow check and found one small vessel on the back of the heart with 15% blockage and all others ok. Subsequent EPS study didn’t find anything serious enough for ablation.
So far, so good.

I was cracking the hell outta this girl in the shower and my chest felt tight. Maybe?