Cheery Cardiovascular Disease Thread

[Blue Jam]

Yeh, i was in ER recently for similar reasons and tentatively given all clear. Best of luck.

Cheers... actually Blodders I was thinking of you when I started this thread. I was going to bump the Snooker 2019 thread when I remembered you mentioned being in the same boat as Mark Williams, then thought I should just start a new thread where people outside the CaB snooker contingent might see it. Good to hear you're well and won't have to forego the kebabs and Haribo anytime soon. I had been really panicking about the ECG but now I'm so glad I went for it- a five minute wait and a two minute test for the all-clear and now I'm feeling much happier.

I had a bit of the ol' anxiety a couple of years back but for me that manifested as a tight feeling in my chest (no chest pain) and a kind of crushing pain throughout my entire abdomen, which was nothing like I've experienced before and, along with my shitty job situation at the time, made me suspect anxiety. Is there any chance you can get a bit of rest when you return to the Toon? At least you can get yourself a regular checkup for free over here... all the best for the move and with getting well.

[a duncandisorderly]

Congrats on the clean pipes, and good luck for tomorrow.

doc now wants a piece of shite putting in a little bottle, to confirm the (hiatus hernia) diagnosis. that's got to be better than open-heart-surgery, right?  phew.

[Blue Jam]

Yeah.  My mum died young of lung cancer having never smoked.  Sometimes it just goes like that but not taking care of yourself means the chance of bad shit occurring is greater, I think that's fairly well established.

My maternal grandmother was a heavy smoker who died of natural causes at 78. This may be part of the reason why my mother had an It'll Never Happen To Me attitude, and why she didn't imagine dying of lung cancer at 63. Even genetics can't predict everything, and you can't completely overcome bad luck.

I have a friend who practically has an aversion to carbs and fried food, is a complete gym-bunny and is in great shape... and who was taken aback when he had a routine check-up at 40 and his GP told him his cholesterol was sky-high and he had better get on the statins ASAP. Again, it's probably genetics and bad luck in his case, but a good thing he got checked out.

more people get checked out by their GP too and treatments are much better know for all sorts of health problems.

Mmm. Significant reduction in population risk factors (and prophylaxis with anticoagulants), and we're better at rapidly identifying possible strokes and thrombolysing.

Thanks for your posts everyone, I've been reassured that going for a checkup isn't the time-wasting action of a hypochondriac, but basic self-care that everyone should be doing in addition to exercise and diet and all that. With modern treatments like angioplasty, stents and statins available it's worth looking at risk factors and keeping an eye on things rather than waiting and hoping.

You know how advice on diet and exercise often comes with a disclaimer "Consult a GP before undertaking a new programme of exercise"? I wonder how many people actually bother to do that, and if everyone did it, if we'd see a drop in the numbers of seemingly fit and healthy people who die of a sudden heart attack after a session on the treadmill...

[Blue Jam]

Found out my mum had a heart attack last night. The first she's had. She's awake and doing okay in hospital, but it's a sobering slap to the face. I don't even know what I'm trying to say with this post, really. It's just a shit thing that's happened.

Sending you hugs here. Again, with modern treatments it's very likely that something can be done to prevent a recurrence, all the best to you and yours.

[Buelligan]

She wasn't a blood relative, and was my first close relative to die - the closest before her had been people like my parents' aunts and uncles. We were close in steps removedness, but not in personal terms so I wasn't upset when she died of the cancer. In fact, that might have been the first non-wanker thing she ever did.

OK.  Sorry about your wanker of a step gran then.  Congratulations on reaching the end of that experience.

Sorry about your mum and all Kelv, hope she's right as ninepence soon as can be.

[BlodwynPig]

Cheers... actually Blodders I was thinking of you when I started this thread. I was going to bump the Snooker 2019 thread when I remembered you mentioned being in the same boat as Mark Williams, then thought I should just start a new thread where people outside the CaB snooker contingent might see it. Good to hear you're well and won't have to forego the kebabs and Haribo anytime soon. I had been really panicking about the ECG but now I'm so glad I went for it- a five minute wait and a two minute test for the all-clear and now I'm feeling much happier.

I had a bit of the ol' anxiety a couple of years back but for me that manifested as a tight feeling in my chest (no chest pain) and a kind of crushing pain throughout my entire abdomen, which was nothing like I've experienced before and, along with my shitty job situation at the time, made me suspect anxiety. Is there any chance you can get a bit of rest when you return to the Toon? At least you can get yourself a regular checkup for free over here... all the best for the move and with getting well.

Thank you.

No rest for the wicked sadly. The stresses and strains of being back in the UK and feeling alienated at work and at home. But I will manage. Expectation management. At least I'll have pancreas to bring me back to earth gently...

Anyway, if you are down in Newcastle we'll get a game in and I can give you one of the cues. We'll also have a mini Cab meet at a cholesterol free cafe.

[fat_abbott]

If this is heart poker I'm going all in.

I have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. HCM to give it it's sexy name. Sudden Death Syndrome to give it it's alarming one.

Genetic (thanks Dad), no pain associated, just a lifetime of avoiding heavy strain, no weights, strenuous exercise, I manage.

3 or 4 years ago went to see a new consultant and he decided to test it all more thoroughly because a genetics doc was interested in studying it. He did an MRI when I'd only had ECGs and scans in the past, and the upshot is I now have a ICD fitted, a lump of metal near my shoulder with cables into my heart, if the heart goes berserk, the box shocks me back to normal (theory).

It messes with your head, the worry of it all, but it's marginally preferable over death.

[Blue Jam]

Anyway, if you are down in Newcastle we'll get a game in and I can give you one of the cues. We'll also have a mini Cab meet at a cholesterol free cafe.

Cheers, that definitely sounds like a plan. Snooker is good exercise and it'd be best not to have the mini-meet where I live because cholesterol-free cafes don't exist in Scotland.

[St_Eddie]

I've had ongoing heart-area & left arm aches for the past several months but tbh I've had enough of being alive anyway.

It saddens me to read this.  You're one of my favourite posters on this site.  If you should ever feel the need to talk about things, then please do feel free to PM me.

Found out my mum had a heart attack last night. The first she's had. She's awake and doing okay in hospital, but it's a sobering slap to the face. I don't even know what I'm trying to say with this post, really. It's just a shit thing that's happened.

I'm so sorry to hear that, Kelvin.  Mortality is a son of a bitch and so are reminders of it.  I hope that you're holding up okay and also that your Mother should make a speedy recovery.  My thoughts are with you.

[Carpool Dragon]

I also randomly get bad pains in my chest/left arm/neck/jaw. When it gets really bad I go to the Dr and they always just listen to my chest and then fob me off because of my age. One doctor told me it's impossible for anyone under 35 who hasn't recently used cocaine to have a heart attack, which HAS TO be utter bollocks, right?

I also have seriously bad untreated anxiety though, so who knows? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[St_Eddie]

One doctor told me it's impossible for anyone under 35 who hasn't recently used cocaine to have a heart attack, which HAS TO be utter bollocks, right?

Yes, that's utter bollocks.  A heart attack in a person below the age of 35 isn't likely but it's far from "impossible".  If anyone's been taking cocaine, it's that doctor.

[BlodwynPig]

If this is heart poker I'm going all in.

I have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. HCM to give it it's sexy name. Sudden Death Syndrome to give it it's alarming one.

Genetic (thanks Dad), no pain associated, just a lifetime of avoiding heavy strain, no weights, strenuous exercise, I manage.

3 or 4 years ago went to see a new consultant and he decided to test it all more thoroughly because a genetics doc was interested in studying it. He did an MRI when I'd only had ECGs and scans in the past, and the upshot is I now have a ICD fitted, a lump of metal near my shoulder with cables into my heart, if the heart goes berserk, the box shocks me back to normal (theory).

It messes with your head, the worry of it all, but it's marginally preferable over death.

Christ. I'd die from the stress and then get shocked alive again, in a fucking loop of doom.

[non capisco]

Hope all's OK Kelvin. Bloody mums, eh? Why can't they stay all robust and typically capable forever? Bloody cheek if you ask me.

[Kelvin]

Thanks for the well wishes, everyone. I travelled to see my mum today (I live in another part of the country, and wasn't able to go Friday, due to work), and despite looking tired, she was in decent spirits, having a good laugh with us all, like usual.

We're all kind of in denial about it, I think - a situation heightened by the fact my parents have chosen not to tell my 89 year old nan - her mum - that she's had a heart attack, in case she freaks out. As it stands, my Nan just knows she felt ill and they've decided to fit a pace maker. Not sure how long they can keep that pretense up, but we're all avoiding the actual incident when around her.

My dad's particularly detached with us about it all. When he called my brother to give him the bad news about the heart attack, he spent ten minutes asking my brother about his job and mundane day to day events, before saying, "Anyway, in other news, your mum's had a heart attack."

One for the mad dad's thread, really.

[Kelvin]

To be clear, my dad's not actually detached from it all. He must be very worried, and he's a lovely, generous, gentle soul. He's just very bad at expressing or discussing his emotions and just acts like nothing's happened - at least around us.

[Avril Lavigne]

Yeh, that's just the menopause poor old Avril is suffering from. Or childbirth.

I realised this week after putting two and two together that the left arm thing is just from me propping myself up on my left arm for hours and hours when I can't sleep & am watching movies (most weekdays), which was also giving me neck-ache.  I've been really busy lately, coming home worn out at 2am & going straight to sleep and that seems to have alleviated the aches I was talking about so I guess I should just pay more attention to my posture (and stop doing coke).

It saddens me to read this.  You're one of my favourite posters on this site.  If you should ever feel the need to talk about things, then please do feel free to PM me.

Thanks very much Eddie, you're one of my favourites too.  I was drunk & in a dark mood when I made that post but it came out of being really sick and tired of dealing with chronic anxiety.  I've had heavy anxiety attacks this weekend too but in a better frame of mind I know that posting on here that I yearn for non-existence is a bit dramatic to say the least.  It just gets difficult to handle at times but I'm currently not feeling as low as I may have made out and I always drift back to feeling okay sooner or later.  Wishing you & everyone else in this thread well.

[BlodwynPig]

Is cocaine use so blasé these days?

"where you off to Avril?"

"Just the corner shop for a packet of skips and a bag of cocaine"

"get me some penny chews while you're at it"

[Avril Lavigne]

Is cocaine use so blasé these days?

"where you off to Avril?"

"Just the corner shop for a packet of skips and a bag of cocaine"

"get me some penny chews while you're at it"

Haha, I know a lot of rave-scene people and I also work with a bunch of them so I'm very often around people who either have it on them already or are planning to get some later.

[St_Eddie]

I used to take cocaine (and ecstasy) on a fairly regular basis, back when I was 18/19 years old.  These days it's the sort of thing that I'll only do if it's offered to me and seeming as none of my friends take it, that doesn't happen very often (maybe once or twice a year - usually from someone I'll get talking to at a bar).  I mostly just stick to getting drunk a couple of nights a week and having a couple of single paper joints on those same nights.

I was drunk & in a dark mood when I made that post but it came out of being really sick and tired of dealing with chronic anxiety.  I've had heavy anxiety attacks this weekend too but in a better frame of mind I know that posting on here that I yearn for non-existence is a bit dramatic to say the least.  It just gets difficult to handle at times but I'm currently not feeling as low as I may have made out and I always drift back to feeling okay sooner or later.  Wishing you & everyone else in this thread well.

I can relate.  I'm glad to hear that you're currently feeling a bit better.

[hummingofevil]

Hi guys and gals.

Another one here. I've got hiatus hernia and Barett's Oesophagus. I get the endoscope down every two years (I have a twisted stomach). When it first being a problem (late 20s - very young) I had loads of acid reflux that was causing the damage to my œsophagus but one of the most frequent problems was sudden chest pain and loss of breath. Fucking lovely stuff.

Anyway, long and short is that I've been monitored for 15 years take 20mg Omeprazole daily and the Barrett's (basically it's stomach cels in your oesophagus that can turn into cancer) has neither spread or developed any further. I think I have had chest pains twice in 5 years and that included a period of 3 years where I, like a fucking dickhead, started smoking again.

If you do have GERDs (or worse Barret's) it can really give you chest pain symptoms that make you shit your pants but it is easily controlled. I also found that the doctors and comsultants that I have seen are usually very blasé about the whole thing which initially shat me up as I thought I was dying of cancer in my 20s but now I realise it's just that my version is very minor (thank fuck) and living a healthish lifestyle of exercise, keeping weight off (I am currently a fairly slim 16st - big build), no tabs (no booze - nah, fail massively on that one) and particularly a positive diet where I don't worry about what I do eat but really try to make sure it includes plenty fresh veg keeps me sane.

Peace and love fellow worriers

[Mr_Simnock]

Yes, that's utter bollocks.  A heart attack in a person below the age of 35 isn't likely but it's far from "impossible".  If anyone's been taking cocaine, it's that doctor.

Unless the lad is over 40 stone and eats shite all the time with no exercise at all, or is massively stressed almost constantly or has some unidentified heart condition then the chances of dying from a heart attack under 35 are really really tiny (almost insignificant) but anyway I should imagine the reason the GP said what they did was probably more to do with just trying to calm the patient down and get them to stop fixating on heart issues or dying from them.

[BlodwynPig]

Hi guys and gals.

Another one here. I've got hiatus hernia and Barett's Oesophagus. I get the endoscope down every two years (I have a twisted stomach). When it first being a problem (late 20s - very young) I had loads of acid reflux that was causing the damage to my œsophagus but one of the most frequent problems was sudden chest pain and loss of breath. Fucking lovely stuff.

Anyway, long and short is that I've been monitored for 15 years take 20mg Omeprazole daily and the Barrett's (basically it's stomach cels in your oesophagus that can turn into cancer) has neither spread or developed any further. I think I have had chest pains twice in 5 years and that included a period of 3 years where I, like a fucking dickhead, started smoking again.

If you do have GERDs (or worse Barret's) it can really give you chest pain symptoms that make you shit your pants but it is easily controlled. I also found that the doctors and comsultants that I have seen are usually very blasé about the whole thing which initially shat me up as I thought I was dying of cancer in my 20s but now I realise it's just that my version is very minor (thank fuck) and living a healthish lifestyle of exercise, keeping weight off (I am currently a fairly slim 16st - big build), no tabs (no booze - nah, fail massively on that one) and particularly a positive diet where I don't worry about what I do eat but really try to make sure it includes plenty fresh veg keeps me sane.

Peace and love fellow worriers

Yes, I have this as mentioned - do you get the chest pains from the Barrett's even with omeprazole - that's what I told the doctor at the ER, that maybe its related to Barrett's but he didn't know. Do you get a sensation where it feels like your heart skips or that a void appears in your chest for a second?

ps. you didn't look like the sort of guy to get this (i.e. healthy looking from what I remember), whereas I definitely do.

[St_Eddie]

...I should imagine the reason the GP said what they did was probably more to do with just trying to calm the patient down and get them to stop fixating on heart issues or dying from them.

Well, quite.  It's still unprofessional and irresponsible for the doctor to have said "impossible" though.  All the doctor had to do is say what you just said...

Unless the lad is over 40 stone and eats shite all the time with no exercise at all, or is massively stressed almost constantly or has some unidentified heart condition then the chances of dying from a heart attack under 35 are really really tiny (almost insignificant)

What if Carpool Dragon, not believing that it was "impossible", had gone online to research the validity of that claim, only to be confronted by the reality that it is in fact possible.  That could potentially cause even more stress, not to mention create a mistrust towards doctors in general.  A doctor's job is not limited to trying to put a patient's fears to rest whenever appropriate but also to be honest and upfront.  There's such a thing as the Hippocratic Oath for a reason.

[hummingofevil]

Yes, I have this as mentioned - do you get the chest pains from the Barrett's even with omeprazole - that's what I told the doctor at the ER, that maybe its related to Barrett's but he didn't know. Do you get a sensation where it feels like your heart skips or that a void appears in your chest for a second?

ps. you didn't look like the sort of guy to get this (i.e. healthy looking from what I remember), whereas I definitely do.

What a rubbish thing to jinx each other on! :) TBF I don't have any real symptoms at the moment. Before diagnosed it was mainly being sick and even that was mainly after eating big meals and/or a load of booze. For some reason Chinese food and pies were particularly bad. The 6 pints of Prince Bishop I would drink in The Chilli Arms on a Sunday night probably didn't help either.

The chest pain would be a shooting, cramping pain in middle of left pectoral and then hurts to breathe and had to compose myself for a few minutes before I could do a full depth breath. Not entirely sure I get what you describe but kind of, its like everything comes to a halt for a moment. What causing it? Acid fumes? Muscle cramps? Fuck knows. Not nice though.

As for the Barrett's I really feel quite fucked off with how poor the information I have received about it and it took a random locum GP in Heaton to even explain basics. I have "short flames" - not a technical term - but if you compare my photos over the last 15 years they all look very similar. She even suggested that I might have had them for years since my child hood AND they might be far more common than we think in wider population but they just don't give some people symptoms; I was very worried that I was diagnosed so young in something that is potentially progressive but she just said take the tablets and chill out a bit. In short, for something that needs worrying about I shouldn't worry about it any more than just trying to live healthish life.

---

P.s. Thanks for kind comments. My two big things are booze (now Ive fully kicked the tabs) and weight. Can go up and down by stones in months. Been a solid 100kg +- 3kg for 6 months so am finally getting there I hope.

[BlodwynPig]

Ive had a sharp pain the left side, underneath left tit and a bit to the side (don't know if that is pectoral) for years, off and on. Thought it was just a trapped nerve.

The acid reflux went on for years and hence the Barrett's. Fucking any of those Shepherd Neame beers are guaranteed acid generators. The worst was when the Rennie didn't work and you ate a whole packet and started to foam at the mouth but still have the agony of the flux. Glad I'm on the omeprazole.

[Mr_Simnock]

Well, quite.  It's still unprofessional and irresponsible for the doctor to have said "impossible" though.  All the doctor had to do is say what you just said...

What if Carpool Dragon, not believing that it was "impossible", had gone online to research the validity of that claim, only to be confronted by the reality that it is in fact possible.  That could potentially cause even more stress, not to mention create a mistrust towards doctors in general.  A doctor's job is not limited to trying to put a patient's fears to rest whenever appropriate but also to be honest and upfront.  There's such a thing as the Hippocratic Oath for a reason.

Mate, he should more worried about dying by a meteor to the head, more likely to happen.

[Mr_Simnock]

Yes, I have this as mentioned - do you get the chest pains from the Barrett's even with omeprazole - that's what I told the doctor at the ER, that maybe its related to Barrett's but he didn't know. Do you get a sensation where it feels like your heart skips or that a void appears in your chest for a second?

ps. you didn't look like the sort of guy to get this (i.e. healthy looking from what I remember), whereas I definitely do.

I've had that for years, It's called a palpitation and nothing out of the ordinary, just mention it to your GP if your worried and see what they say.

[St_Eddie]

Mate, he should more worried about dying by a meteor to the head, more likely to happen.

MEMES.

Sorry for thinking that it's not a good thing for doctors to lie to their patients.  Silly me.

[a duncandisorderly]

I'm taking a lot of ibuprofen at the moment, though not anywhere near as much as the spanish doctor said I could.... impacted wisdom tooth, incredible agony for a few days, then it moved so that it trapped the nerve & now one side of my face is completely numb, like when you have a filling. still the odd bit of toothache.... so now I'm down from the 2 whole grammes the dentist recommended, to about 300mg.

in spain, you can buy painkillers over-the-counter up to 1000mg of paracetamol, 600mg of ibuprofen... big tablets. I break them in half.
anyway.

my mrs said if you're going to take that much (the 2g dose), you'll need summat to protect your stomach lining. omeprazole, again over the counter. since I started that, no symptoms except a bit of reflux last thing at night, & usually after a single-skinner. off the booze at the moment, hence the ganja.

so now I'm waiting on a maxilo-facial appointment. fun fun fun.

[Mr_Simnock]

MEMES.

Sorry for thinking that it's not a good thing for doctors to lie to their patients.  Silly me.

I think you should write a letter to the General Medical Council, your MP and the Beano about this horrendous case of lies and betrayal of patient care and ethics.