Heart problems at 39?!

Author
Discussion

pidsy

7,958 posts

156 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
Having had a whole world of issues over the past year (well documented in the “had a heart attack on Monday thread”) - get seen by the cardiologist - I’ve learnt over the last 12 months that there is a LOT that can go wrong with the heart and associated systems - most of which are very minor.

Cardiology will help you out - don’t Google stuff, don’t listen to us all on here, just do whatever tests you need to do and get fixed.

I’m 42 in a week - this time last year, I thought I was on my way out.

It’s not always doom and gloom.

C70GT

317 posts

86 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
I have been fit and healthy all my life. Active lifestyle, 32 waist, 12 stone, non smoker and only occasional drink and have a fairly healthy diet.

At 60 years old, I felt unwell and 'out of sorts' which was unusual for me as I had not been to the doctor for years apart from a diagnosis for Coeliac Disease. Went and saw doctor, did the tests and referred me to the local hospital 'just for completeness'. Went to cardiology the same day - trotted in like a two year old - and had further tests. Result: your not going anywhere, we will operate tomorrow and look at fitting stents.

Stayed in overnight and next day had two stents fitted. Surgeon said: I have never seen a person looking so fit with a heart in such poor condition. I had seven various junior doctors/medical staff come to see me as they had never seen anything like it before - I felt like a freak show, even more than I do normally smile

Discharged from hospital with the instructions to come back in two months for a second op to fit stents on the other side, Apparently they cannot operate on both sides at the same time.

Back in for second op and had three more stents fitted. During this op the surgeon stopped and just looked at the screens for what seemed an enormous length of time, before continuing the procedure. Later he told me he was contemplating ending the op and referring me to Harefield for open surgery, but he hoped it would all be fine.

Went home and soon recovered and got back to some sense of normality. Four pills a day and now eight years later feel fine, no symptoms and back to doing what I have always done. I no longer think about it.

What struck me during visits to cardiology was the range of other patients there, from teenagers to elderly, fat, thin, men and women, in fact a real cross section of society.

As others have said: follow the advice of the professionals - you will be in good hands and there really is nothing to fear. I am the worst when it comes to medical things - go all weak knees just thinking about it, yet the whole experience was no worse than a visit to the dentist.




dandarez

13,246 posts

282 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
C70GT said:
I have been fit and healthy all my life. Active lifestyle, 32 waist, 12 stone, non smoker and only occasional drink and have a fairly healthy diet.

At 60 years old, I felt unwell and 'out of sorts' which was unusual for me as I had not been to the doctor for years apart from a diagnosis for Coeliac Disease. Went and saw doctor, did the tests and referred me to the local hospital 'just for completeness'. Went to cardiology the same day - trotted in like a two year old - and had further tests. Result: your not going anywhere, we will operate tomorrow and look at fitting stents.

Stayed in overnight and next day had two stents fitted. Surgeon said: I have never seen a person looking so fit with a heart in such poor condition. I had seven various junior doctors/medical staff come to see me as they had never seen anything like it before - I felt like a freak show, even more than I do normally smile

Discharged from hospital with the instructions to come back in two months for a second op to fit stents on the other side, Apparently they cannot operate on both sides at the same time.

Back in for second op and had three more stents fitted. During this op the surgeon stopped and just looked at the screens for what seemed an enormous length of time, before continuing the procedure. Later he told me he was contemplating ending the op and referring me to Harefield for open surgery, but he hoped it would all be fine.

Went home and soon recovered and got back to some sense of normality. Four pills a day and now eight years later feel fine, no symptoms and back to doing what I have always done. I no longer think about it.

What struck me during visits to cardiology was the range of other patients there, from teenagers to elderly, fat, thin, men and women, in fact a real cross section of society.

As others have said: follow the advice of the professionals - you will be in good hands and there really is nothing to fear. I am the worst when it comes to medical things - go all weak knees just thinking about it, yet the whole experience was no worse than a visit to the dentist.
I had a friend with Coeliac Disease. He was told from the onset that one thing he was at higher risk of was two different types of cardiovascular disease: ischemic heart disease (ie coronary artery disease) and AF (atrial fibrillation).

Coeliacs, he was told, had an increased risk of dying from heart disease, but by following a specific diet could lessen it.

M3333

2,258 posts

213 months

Saturday 18th March 2023
quotequote all
We have a terrible history on the male side for cardiovascular problems and early deaths.

My great grandad died in his 30's.

My grandad died in his 40's.

My Dad beat all the records and has made it to 68 today BUT at 65 he started to suffer strokes (from AF even though on Apixaban medication to avoid clotting) and sadly in 2021 had a massive one. He is now heavily disabled and requires 24 hour specialist care. He started to have elevated BP in his 40's. The advancement in medication has kept dad going.

I am now 42 and on high levels or BP medication. I tried everything to avoid it and never wanted tablets.

Sadly it appears genetic for us.

It's pretty depressing. Yes it causes health anxiety and fear every single day, especially when i have a 2 year old daughter.

Finding the balance to relax and enjoy life is difficult.

Edited by M3333 on Saturday 18th March 07:31

anonymous-user

53 months

Saturday 18th March 2023
quotequote all
Derek Smith said:
There's this belief we're all definable by the norm. I'm not sure it is true.
I agree with this. There are always people outside of the norm/average who manage to defy the logic of the health profession.

NDA

21,488 posts

224 months

Saturday 18th March 2023
quotequote all
MrSmith901 said:
Thanks all.

I wasn't expecting a diagnosis by posting, but then I am not sure what I was expecting :-)

All I can do is wait for this appointment and hope for the best. Hopefully the fact that I feel normal/fine means I am not going to drop down dead in the immediate future and whatever is causing my heart to be "weaker than normal" is treatable in some way. And as some have suggested, if it has been caught early, maybe it is a blessing in disguise.

One of the things that annoyed me the most about this was receiving a generic text message from my doctors telling me my heart was weaker than normal, a phone call to discuss it would have been nice. I promptly called them the next day to talk it through but the GP didn't really help much other than to give me this 50% ejection fraction number. I then googled it and decided I was basically dead. I am good at worst case scenario.
My low ejection fraction was caused by a 'left bundle branch block' - these are the electrical filaments over the heart that receive signals to cause the heart to contract. I had an ICD fitted which effectively repairs/replaces that function.

You need to see a cardiologist and I'd see no harm in asking about left bundle branch block.

pidsy

7,958 posts

156 months

Saturday 18th March 2023
quotequote all
NDA said:
MrSmith901 said:
Thanks all.

I wasn't expecting a diagnosis by posting, but then I am not sure what I was expecting :-)

All I can do is wait for this appointment and hope for the best. Hopefully the fact that I feel normal/fine means I am not going to drop down dead in the immediate future and whatever is causing my heart to be "weaker than normal" is treatable in some way. And as some have suggested, if it has been caught early, maybe it is a blessing in disguise.

One of the things that annoyed me the most about this was receiving a generic text message from my doctors telling me my heart was weaker than normal, a phone call to discuss it would have been nice. I promptly called them the next day to talk it through but the GP didn't really help much other than to give me this 50% ejection fraction number. I then googled it and decided I was basically dead. I am good at worst case scenario.
My low ejection fraction was caused by a 'left bundle branch block' - these are the electrical filaments over the heart that receive signals to cause the heart to contract. I had an ICD fitted which effectively repairs/replaces that function.

You need to see a cardiologist and I'd see no harm in asking about left bundle branch block.
How you doing with the ICD?

I’m 5 months in - feeling so much better than I did before.

NDA

21,488 posts

224 months

Saturday 18th March 2023
quotequote all
pidsy said:
How you doing with the ICD?

I’m 5 months in - feeling so much better than I did before.
All good.... smile

C70GT

317 posts

86 months

Saturday 18th March 2023
quotequote all
dandarez said:
C70GT said:
I have been fit and healthy all my life. Active lifestyle, 32 waist, 12 stone, non smoker and only occasional drink and have a fairly healthy diet.

At 60 years old, I felt unwell and 'out of sorts' which was unusual for me as I had not been to the doctor for years apart from a diagnosis for Coeliac Disease. Went and saw doctor, did the tests and referred me to the local hospital 'just for completeness'. Went to cardiology the same day - trotted in like a two year old - and had further tests. Result: your not going anywhere, we will operate tomorrow and look at fitting stents.

Stayed in overnight and next day had two stents fitted. Surgeon said: I have never seen a person looking so fit with a heart in such poor condition. I had seven various junior doctors/medical staff come to see me as they had never seen anything like it before - I felt like a freak show, even more than I do normally smile

Discharged from hospital with the instructions to come back in two months for a second op to fit stents on the other side, Apparently they cannot operate on both sides at the same time.

Back in for second op and had three more stents fitted. During this op the surgeon stopped and just looked at the screens for what seemed an enormous length of time, before continuing the procedure. Later he told me he was contemplating ending the op and referring me to Harefield for open surgery, but he hoped it would all be fine.

Went home and soon recovered and got back to some sense of normality. Four pills a day and now eight years later feel fine, no symptoms and back to doing what I have always done. I no longer think about it.

What struck me during visits to cardiology was the range of other patients there, from teenagers to elderly, fat, thin, men and women, in fact a real cross section of society.

As others have said: follow the advice of the professionals - you will be in good hands and there really is nothing to fear. I am the worst when it comes to medical things - go all weak knees just thinking about it, yet the whole experience was no worse than a visit to the dentist.
I had a friend with Coeliac Disease. He was told from the onset that one thing he was at higher risk of was two different types of cardiovascular disease: ischemic heart disease (ie coronary artery disease) and AF (atrial fibrillation).

Coeliacs, he was told, had an increased risk of dying from heart disease, but by following a specific diet could lessen it.
Yes, that is true - although only slightly. The other main issue is an increased risk of bowel cancer due to the damage in the digestive tract. Coeliac Disease has to be managed by diet and not only avoiding gluten ingredients in food, but also cross contamination in preparation is a real issue. I have been paranoid about what I eat and how it is prepared, but in eighteen years since being diagnosed, have avoided being 'glutened'. The biggest issue I find is folks accepting there is a bona-fide medical issue and not just a 'faddy eater'.

Don1

15,936 posts

207 months

Saturday 18th March 2023
quotequote all
I had heart surgery at 44. Yeah, scary but I took a 'suck it up, buttercup' approach and it was far better than the alternative!

Hope yours isn't too bad.

Deliveredenergy

54 posts

187 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
Where was your Echocardiogram done? You’ve got to consider measurements made on moving images will have some variability depending on who measured it and what methods were used. EF is challenging and should be treated as a piece in the jigsaw - the same sequence of images measured by someone different, or even the same person at a different time would be unlikely to give exactly the same number. Some machines also have clever tech which highlights areas where the muscle function is less good than others. I’d try hard not to be too concerned if you feel well, other investigations have come back OK and there’s been a credible reason for your symptoms found. Hopefully the Cardiologist will be able to weigh up everything and provide reassurance.

OMITN

2,095 posts

91 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
OP

I went through this mid-30s (different cardiology investigation). To this day I recall the stress of waiting to see the consultant.

The only thing I would say is that you need to press them for a clear assessment and to consider all possible tests - including a cardiac MRI (which isn’t much fun but will give the best understanding). I started with one consultant but ended up with a specialist in the electrical behaviour of the heart.

Ultimately for me they spotted something early, giving me a chance to modify lifestyle (stopping exercise basically) and give me the best chance of a long life.

I guess my point is that you don’t know whether this will result in something to deal with or nothing to worry about. Until you see the consultant take it easy but don’t wind yourself up. You’re heading into the right part of the healthcare system (I can now read an ECG better than my GP). You’ll get to a clear understanding soon enough.

Take care!

MrSmith901

Original Poster:

268 posts

128 months

Wednesday 12th April 2023
quotequote all
Thanks for the comments everyone. The last few weeks have been stressful but got the all clear from my consultant today.

I had to have a special MRI which was not fun but has proved there is actually nothing wrong with my heart. I managed to get fast tracked by going private as I am covered through work.

The blessing in disguise is that I have altered certain lifestyle habits since the initial scare, mainly less salt and sugar intake.

Don1

15,936 posts

207 months

Thursday 13th April 2023
quotequote all
Glf to hear it. Yep, sugar isn't good. Horribly addictive though.

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 13th April 2023
quotequote all
Don1 said:
Glf to hear it. Yep, sugar isn't good. Horribly addictive though.
I haven't had any sugar (No sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cakes, fizzy drinks, ice cream etc.) for about 3 months. We went away this weekend, and as part of our package I ended up having two puddings and a small Easter egg.

Not only did I manage to put on 1KG in 4 days, I have felt like absolute rubbish this whole week, no energy and really struggling to get out of bed in the mornings.

The weird thing is I didn't even enjoy eating them, I have not craved anything sweet for months and I have easily turned down everything I have been offered over the past few months.

I also cut out salt at the same time as I had a high blood pressure, high cholesterol scare at the end of last year. Bit annoyed with myself I ordered them as I really wasn't bothered in the first place.