Originally Posted by
Biker395
My risk factors are significant, but all have caveats:
Family History: I'm in my early 60s. My Dad died of a massive MI when he was in his late 60s. But then again, he was a 2 pack a day smoker all his life and with much of that on one lung. He got zero exercise and didn't eat well, either. My brother had a series of strokes in his 50s, but he was morbidly obese, diabetic, ate terribly, and was taking megadoses of vitamin K to try to stop the bleeding in his eyes.
Blood Pressure: Every time I go to the doc, my BP is high ... like in the order of 135-155. But the caveat is that it goes down to 115-120 by the time I've left. And the lower number is consistently low.
...
Cholesterol: Borderline. Sometime below guidelines, sometimes above.
I am similar to you. I'm 64.
1) My dad died instantly on the golf course from a heart attack at 74. He was really out of shape with quite a big pot belly.
2) I will sometimes measure high BP at the doc office, but when I measure it at home it varies all over the place including dropping very low. The Dr asked about taking BP meds, but when I mentioned what I measure at home the Dr immediately said they don't prescribe unless consistently high.
3) Same here with borderline cholesterol. Don't get tested much, but last time was borderline and the previous was fine. I eat a crap load of fiber, fruits, and veggies. I suspect that I inherited this from my Dad. Sister reports the same. But I also suspect that it reflects what I've been eating in the few weeks before the test. You can get it tested for about $30 without a Dr. I've been thinking about doing some spaced out tests and monkey with the diet in between to see the effect.
I'm 5-8, 138lbs, and don't have much body fat. I wakeboard a lot so my upper body is somewhat developed. I.E. not skinny fat. It's a bummer to stay in shape and eat well but still have some borderline measurements. But genetics are always part of the game. I'm really anti takings drugs unless it's dire. Since I rarely have any physical effects that lead me to believe I need medical health I tend to stay away from doctors. Had gallstones last Dec and ended up having my gall bladder removed. Definitely had pain that sent me to urgent care on that one.