[sukarsan]

Originally Posted by sparkguy

How to achieve this? Any links please share.

No success so far. I have been able to maintain it for past 10 years. Still fluctuating between 110 to 140 for every test.
I am planning to start taking a a few grams of isabgol to see if it has any impact. I need to check with my doc first before I start this.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by Linuskm

Brief intro vegetarian, non alcoholic, have a bmi of 27. Had cholesterol in high normal range like ~220 for more than 2 decades. cardio issues for most of family members in late 50s.

For last 2 decades doing moderate gym/exercise. In year 2021 started seeing high BP readings and started taking medication for hypertension (not sure if COVAXIN vaccine is a factor).

...

Thanking God for giving me second life, the key thing in such situations is to reach to the nearest hospital and get medical help without any delay.

Hope this episode of mine helps someone.

Many thanks for sharing your experiences.
I am curious to know if you have been doing annual health check-ups.
BMI of 27 and Cholesterol of 220 are on much higher side - what were the health practitioner's advice/recommendation to you.


Also, on the exercise front - has most of your exposure been to "comfortable" effort exercises like walking / cycling or was it also regular bouts of high intensity (discomfort inducing for the lack of better word) - like sprinting, swimming, heavy weights in gym?

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by alpha1

BMI of 27 and Cholesterol of 220 are on much higher side - what were the health practitioner's advice/recommendation to you.

High is a blanket statement. All body builders have a much higher BMI. And Cholesterol numbers are debatable. A few decades ago the acceptable number was 300 and there also a school of thought that cholesterol is not a true indicator of any health condition. So it is not necessary that a doctor would have flagged these numbers if they found the patient is otherwise healthy.

[HRT_FPV]

Let me clarify on age factor, gym, and pushing too hard. Let me first qualify my credibility to comment on this issue. I'm 44 years old and suffered two heart attack episodes in a 6 hour span on 8th August 2024. During the first massive attack, I also cardiac arrested but was revived. Cardiac arrest is the term for heart function shut down including its electrical activity. Basically I died and was revived. Angioed now with two stents.

So now on to the gym. There isn't any correlation between intensity and age of person.

During controlled exercise and limiting the intensity, the body and mind experience pleasure and happiness, thus releasing endorphins which drive the feel good factor during exercise.

When exceeding limits, people cross over the pleasure threshold into a competitive state. Now the body immediately pulls back the endorphins and pumps out adrenaline and cortisol.

Adrenaline constricts blood vessels and poses high risk or rupturing plaque in an arterial block or the walls of the artery itself. This sets the body's reaction to think the rupture is loss of blood and triggers the clotting mechanism.

The clot immediately shuts off blood flow, leading to pain (attack) and stoppage (arrest) of the heart.

Cortisol is released during negative mood events along with adrenaline, which prepares fight or flight mode.

Endorphins meanwhile are a happy bunch of dopamine, serotonin, etc. Which PREVENT ruptures, hence no clot events are triggered. They promote a good mood with happy feelings.

I was given this information when I asked about the dopamine IV infusion for 72 hours.

This is why people who are young drop dead while in a gym. Or why anyone leaping off a tall building die before hitting the ground. Or during a shock inducing event.

STRESS is the main/leading cause of cardiac arrest events, which have occurred in people with zero blocks.

Originally Posted by GTO

You know what was common between all of them?

1. They were all middle-aged, and too young to die.

2. They all suffered a heart attack either while working out, or right after the gym.

I think there is a trend to be observed here. As Moderator Samurai frequently states, those in their 40s & 50s have to be mindful of their age while exercising. Your body gives up earlier at this age, recovery takes longer and injuries become stubborn. Don't push too hard in the gym. You aren't a 25-year old athlete anymore; go a bit easy on the treadmill / cycle instead of pushing your limits to 100%.

When it comes to taking care of our hearts, we only hear the usual + important lifestyle advice = exercise, reducing stress, healthy eating, good sleep etc. But all these incidents most certainly are wake up calls for those of us in our middle age. Don't overdo it on your cardio workouts please.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by HRT_FPV

I'm 44 years old and suffered two heart attack episodes in a 6 hour span on 8th August 2024. During the first massive attack, I also cardiac arrested but was revived.

Glad that everything turned out to be fine.

This has been a hot topic of discussion at our work to find out the reasons behind this, because just a week back, one of our colleague collapsed at the work, clear symptoms of cardiac arrest, as we all are certified for CPR's, it was imparted within minutes and also the availability of the portable AED device helped to revive the person, later he was shifted to the hospital and angiography was done because he had restricted/clogged arteries.

Luckily he was at a place where anyone could have given him CPR and AED device was readily available. I don't know what would have been the case if someone without CPR knowledge wasn't nearby.

Later when I talked to the doctor about the revivability due to the CPR in such situation of cardiac arrest, I was shocked to know it is 100%, if given within 2/3 minutes.

Can you share your story who was the guardian angel and how s/he revived you from cardiac arrest, only if you wish to.

[GTO]

Been about 2 years since I got the CT Angio done, along with all the regular heart checkups.

Now want to make it an annual ritual as I am 47. So, went last evening to a cardiologist and got my ECG, 2D Echo & Treadmill stress test done. Happy to note that I got a clean bill of health.

Would strongly recommend annual heart checkups to all BHPians (and guests reading this post ). It takes just 1.5 - 2 hours of your time but can save you & your family. There are just way too many scary stories of 40-50 year olds suffering cardiac arrests / heart attacks these days. I prefer taking evening appointments for such checkups so it doesn't interfere with work schedules.

IMHO, what is working for me:

- Intermittent fasting (16 hours from dinner to lunch)

- Exercising 6 days a week

- 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep every night

- Greatly controlled work stress levels to absolute minimal levels (a little stress is inevitable and beneficial IMHO). Stress is a giant killer

- Healthy eating (but I need to lose 7 kilos due to over-indulgences over the last 2 years)

- Daily meditation for 15-20 minutes

- Quitting smoking

Last but not the least, I wear an Apple Watch (even though I am a diehard Android & Windows fan). The health & wellness monitoring of an Apple Watch is unparalleled. Not only does an Apple Watch look fabulous, but in terms of functionality, it is way superior to all the Rolexes, Chopards, Omegas & Tag Heuers I have worn. As an example, I watch the BPM on all workdays. If I see it getting above comfortable levels, I know I am taking a little extra work stress. Immediately, I take measures to reduce the work load of that day. In tribute to all the benefits of the Apple Watch, I am going ahead and buying the good-looking Apple 10 Ultra 2 (I currently wear a 4-year old Apple Watch as my daily).