2 days before Christmas '25 i had a very strong heart attack. The Docs put in 1 stent and I have a triple bypass meeting with the surgeon on the 21st of Jan.

Now I am taking it easy to let the damage from this event heal.

My reason for posting here as I feel more of us are C&V ourselves.
My question is; Have any of you survived an attack or a bypass and what have you done to recover from either?
I have already lost 10 of 260lbs.

I haven’t, but I watched and helped my dad recover from a triple bypass. Diet and exercise is very important, diet as in healthy foods + weight loss. He mainly walked for exercise.

That's a *****.

I’ve had a few. 3 stents later I’m as good as new for the time being. Down the road, who knows?

I’m riding 3-4 days a week. Down to 180lbs.

I'm sure they will place you in a Cardiac Rehab program after the surgery. Do what your Doc says. G-d Speed to you for good outcome and health.

Goodness, that's a blow! I wish you a comfortable recovery. Walking does sound good. I read an interesting bit of advice. Rather I saw it in a video about health for the over 50 crowd. Work on reducing weight or building strength but not both at once. I don't know what someone in your position should focus more on, but you or your doctors will know. If you don't walk several miles a day, you'll be impressed with how strong it can make you overall. Most Americans don't walk enough because our built environment makes it both unnecessary and inconvenient.

Not me personally, but a friend had a heart attack while on a ride. He stopped, a bystander recognized the symptoms, and an ambulance was called. He survived and is still riding today.

IIRC, his recovery was extended. He wore a monitor and was careful to not get his heart rate too high. This was difficult because he’s always been a fast, competitive rider. He started using a booster and has gotten good at installing e-bike kits.

Yes, mine was over 19 years ago. At that time I was ten days shy of 57.

Driving in to work @ 6:45 AM, Kennedy Expressway in Chicago. Got off @ usual exit, stopped at an ER on the way to office. Left four days later w/ 2 stents in one coronary artery. Chief Cardiologist had come in early that day... lucky me.

Besides following my cardiologist's instructions? Quite a bit actually, in that it's been 19 years I've managed to survive since then.
Major positive change was getting back into some serious bicycling beginning in 2023, both using a trainer during winter months, commuting to work when possible augmented with longer 'recreational' riding (road, gravel, some trails) when the weather's suitable.

That's a good start. Likely as not that's all been water weight shedding, but again I emphasize the "follow cardiologist's instructions" part.

I did 6 months of PT after my episode, tried to continue with the physical aspects; following a job loss in 2010 (that Recession in '08 you know) that left me with more 'free time' than I'd liked I did some riding, but not like what I've been doing since 2023.

We moved in 2013, I found a part-time job in 2014 I still work three days a week. Retail, hardware store, lots of walking & some fairly heavy lifting when it comes to receiving then sorting & shelving freight. That activity really made a difference in my physical condition though the walking on a concrete floor can be a serious problem for some. For me it hasn't been, thankfully.

Right now I'm recovering from having somehow contracted COVID for the second time a few weeks back. Contact with public in a retail environment I've come to view as the greatest threat to my health and well-being in this post-COVID era. Symptoms are diminishing daily, I may even get back to work tommorrow since we're closing early. I'm hoping to manage getting five hours clocked in before 2026 arrives.

Ouch! I'll join Tom and the others in wishing you a comfortable recovery. Losing some of those 260lbs sounds like a good idea. (Unless you're 7 feet tall, of course.)

Just a quick note to express my sympathies and to wish you all the best going forward. It's a radically suboptimal way to spend the holidays.

On Christmas Day, 2013, I suffered a severe adverse drug reaction that left me with a rare and untnreatable form of heart failure. They tell me that the world record for surviving with my particular subtype is 11 years. Christmas 2025 marked the beginning of my 13th year. I'm not doing particularly well, but ... I'm here ... and I'm wrenching on bikes!

I'm not raising my story in order to make this about me. Rather, I'm hoping that my story might inspire you to make the very best you can of this hand you've been dealt and to never give up.

In post-MI cases, my understanding is that cardiac rehab can pay huge dividends. I hope it does for you.

No heart attack but I had open heart surgery on the 19th for a re-do aortic valve replacement. I just came up from the garage helping my son with our Classic '90 17' Mako restoration because I was TIRED and my chest was a little achy. My Cardiologist would not have recommended that. I'm resting now before I go for a 30 minute walk. So, when the docs say take it easy, do that. But also, do not sit on your butt. As mentioned more politely above and in other words, "If when you are finished getting back to normal, make it the new normal and when normal people call you skinny, that is a good thing." I have it easier than some in that my wife is a black belt whole foods plant based vegan runner Dr. PT Registered Dietitian and she has 95% control over what I eat. I also lost 10 pounds over the last two weeks. Prepare for your bypass by getting in shape for it. The more healthy you are, the more positive the outcome and faster the recovery. At the very least, do not take it so easy that you loose fitness between now and the triple bypass. If your surgeon will currently let you walk, ride, swim, ask him how much. and do as much as you can and then taper a day or two before your surgery date. PM me if you'd like. OHS is some crazy sh!+.

Words to live by!

Damn Brian, sorry to hear that, but glad that you've got good help.

If Doc recommends a change in diet, I can vouch for @Classtime's healthy diet. He makes world class veggie Mexican food. Ask him for recipes!

Yikes, Brian, that’s a holiday bummer! If you haven’t asked there already, the folks in the 50+ subforum seem quite knowledgeable about all manner of health issues (though no substitute for actual doctors’ advice, of course). Best wishes for a full recovery!

Porch Dog... That's what you are till after Cardiac Rehab!

For now sit back, relax, and let the Doc's do their thing. Loosing weight is always a good thing. Make sure you tank up on healthy food so that you recover from having your chest cracked and blood loss. Vitamin supplements will be needed. You can request a dietitian through cardiac rehab in most states. Also note that loosing more then 30 pounds in one year can be unhealthy. So if you are seeking to get below 200 pounds then consider it a two to three year job at the very least.

Looks like ya got your head in the right place. Break A Leg...

Brian,
Do what the docs say! My barber had the triple bypass procedure, and it stopped his drag racing career. Once the fluid cavity surrounding the hear is broken the heart is more susceptible to bruising withing the chest, so no more shocks from the shifting of the race cars for him. The porch dog comment is right, but the rehab will do wonders for you moving forward. Keep the positive thoughts going and know there is a whole forum of folks thinking good thoughts for you. Smiles, CrapMaster Honk

Brian, wishing you a speedy recovery. I'm not a doctor (nor cardiac patient) and I do not play one on TV so I won't pile onto the the good advice you've gotten here. Just sending healing vibes your way! Keep us updated and godspeed.

Dude,

I think everyone has covered it all. Bummer that it happened, now time to move forward. you have a ton of support here.

For me recovery took me out of physical exertion for at least a year+. For the first 3 months my cardiologist didn't even want me walking. No lifting anything more than a gallon of milk.
I'm 60 now. I have a total of 3 stents. Two from the first heart attack at 40 yrs old. 100% blockage. One stent in the location they call "The Widowmaker" and another in a location when the artery started to tear as my heart tried to pump past the blockage. One other stent from a lesser blockage years later. Stress tests, regular cardiologist visits and my doc has said it is ok to do regular exercise
My riding now is more recreational than workout.

I have not experienced a heart attack per se, but I did drastically change my food habits about 3 years ago. Completely eliminated soda, fast food, refined sugars for the most part. Buying all my meats from a reputable butcher shop and veggies and such from local farmstands. I start most mornings with a pinch of Celtic sea salt and a shot of apple cider vinegar 30 minutes before consuming any foods. Started incorporating things like garlic, cayenne, oregano and other spices into the meals I prepare. Your body and mind will thank you. Also recommend an 8 hour food consumption window. There is loads of good information out there, start digging and find a routine that works for you. Best of luck with your recovery!

Stipulated that I've never had a heart attack, but I am just over a year out of a 6-week hospital bed, after a massive GI bleed and liver / kidney shutdown. (My MELD (liver) score was 29. (40 = "you're gonna die."))

I'd spent the 2 years prior getting progressively sicker, too, so the last time I'd ridden a bike was about a year before the actual "event."

Being that sick is really, really weird. Recovering from being that sick is, in a lot of ways, even weirder.

A few things I think I might have learned over the past year, that might maybe be of use to others:

• Everything will be weird. Even if you take into account that everything will be weird.
• I was about as weak as a narcoleptic kitten.
• I had basically no endurance. When I first walked, after about 3 weeks "in hospital," one lap of the wing put me on my back for the rest of the day. Like "eating dinner was exhausting" kinda tired.
• Strength came back faster. I could pick a thing up much more than I could carry that thing.
• Whatever you do physically, doing it more than once is way, way more important that how much of it you do at once. Even if all you can handle is walking to the end of the block and back, it's probably better to go half a block twice a day than killing yourself once every other day.
• You'd be astonished at how easy it is to overtrain a body that's been knocked back this hard.
• You'll also be astonished at how quickly a body that's been knocked back this hard starts noticeably improving.

Listen to your body. Listen to your head. Exercise good judgement when judging good exercise.

For cycling-specific things, I've noticed two biggies. First, form comes back much faster than fitness. In my case, so much faster that it's almost been a crutch. "If I can't ride hard or long, at least I can ride well." The other thing is that my position has changed. I'm not sure if it's more about illness or age, but I find myself sitting a bit lower and further forward on the frame than I used to. What seems to be different from "normal" age-related fit changes is that it's almost all hips and booty... my front-end fit hasn't changed anywhere near as much as my rear-end fit.

Like I said, I had a different set of issues, but maybe they'll help in some general sense.

--Shannon

Best wishes on your recovery and establishing your next chapter!

I am 68, in 2020 I had a heart attack and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance.
They put in 4 stents in two sessions. I have high cholesterol it runs in my family and most of my brothers have heart disease.
I was put on cholesterol meds (statin) it reduced LDL initially but crept back up over time.
I started cycling again slowly building up to my former level but then in 2023 started having fatigue and leg pain.
My cardiologist recommended an angiogram which was done and they found another blockage and put in two more stents.
After that I got more serious about lowering my LDL, doctor wanted it below 55. After trying different medications I am now on Rosuvastatin 20mg and Repatha injection and my LDL is steady at 44.
I don't notice any side effects but have some leg pain which I am not sure is related to the medications. Earlier this year I started to have chest and head pain, it felt similar to when I had the heart attack.
Went to the ER and they did not find any evidence of a heart attack but my cardiologist told them to admit me so he could check me out the following day.
The next day we talked and he decided to go ahead with an angiogram. I am lucky this place Prebys Cardiovascular Institute is state of the art and the team of people working on me were incredible.
They gave me Fentanyl and Versed so while I am was semi awake nothing seemed to matter. After what seemed like 5 minutes somebody told me we are all done, no problem found.
So it seems that maybe the medications are helping and the only way to know is by doing an angiogram. My cardiologist is also a cyclist so that helps and he is really good at angiograms.
I have steadily increased my fitness and feel really good about the future.

Yeah - as an academic physician with a background in preventive medicine, was embarrassed to get a proximal left anterior descending stent at age 65.

Make sure your surgeon knows that under that body mass, you are a cyclist at heart (pun NOT intended). It might influence decisions from the multidisciplinary conference in which they discuss how best to handle results of your post-stent angiography.

Dean Ornish demonstrated years ago that we can open up some vessels with sufficient exercise and diet (and sleep).

Check with your cardiologist. If not done, he might recommend you start hanging around the cardiac rehabilitation specialists who train you to safely exercise, eat, and avoid further injury.

When I felt the stent had matured enough to do a maximal effort, I was disappointed to find that although my efficiency (as power output at a given heart rate) had not changed, my maximal heart rate had decreased.

My response to the "cardiac event" was a year of weight loss (aiming for the weight I carried at age 20) and progressive time on the bike. A year later, I took 6 months off from my job at the university and rode the GDMBR - starting out slowly and eventually putting in consistent hundred mile days. I'm now 69 y and on the bike every day and even manage to pass a few folks in the park on my way to work.

(One of the riders I met on the GDMBR was rocking a left ventricular ejection fraction of 35%. With the image that the body adapts to stress when given adequate recovery, he was doing pretty well up the hills, though with frequent rests and some recovery days.)

Remember to take your time. Keep us posted. Best wishes. (See sentiment from Dirty Harry in signature, below.)

(If you have general questions as you navigate the multidisciplinary world of cardiovascular medicine, send a PM)

Loving this part ^ “…start hanging around the cardiac rehabilitation specialists who train you to safely exercise, eat, and avoid further injury.…”

Wow. Sorry to hear you had to experience that.

I hope the recovery is quick and uneventful.

When your feeling up to it, feel free to shoot me a PM and we can go for a ride.

If memory serves me, your not that far from me, I am in Berwyn, Pa.