HalfHearted

I believe this is post number 100

John

SamDaBikinMan

lotek 

John,

So is Hotter Than Hell going to be your
first metric or imperial Century (come ride
with 1oldroadie and me!)?

Marty

KleinMp99

I do believe this is post 1559....

orguasch

You'll keep coming back for more,

Metal Cowgal

John

Maybe I don't want to know...but....what does "Got your zipper yet?" mean?!?!:confused:

HalfHearted

I had a quintuple bypass back in April. They break your breastbone and slice you open from an inch or so below the adams apple to about the bottom of the breastbone and the resulting scar looks an awful lot like a zipper, especially when it's just healing for the first few weeks after the stitches are removed...

The truly amazing thing is that there really isn't much pain involved. They keep you pretty doped up for the first three or four days while you have to cough the moisture out of your lungs but after that it's controllable with Darvocet and I've really had worse pain from headaches!

So, if your doctor recommends a bypass, go for it! Don't put it off for three years the way I did

John

HalfHearted

I really want to make the HTH100 and go for the imperial but I'm not sure I'll be able to a) get conditioned for it and b) get time off to get up there for it because of a killer project at work right now that's keeping me working too many darned hours.

I should know by early June if I'm going to be able to make the HTH100.

Even if I make it, that probably won't be my first century because I'm going to ride the full metric century at the Peach Pedal here in Weatherford in July. That one I could probably ride now though I'm sure I'd bring up the rear and be pretty sore after. I'll definitely be able to get ready for it by July. Are you and 1oldroadie up for that? It'll be my first time but everything I've read about it indicates it's a good ride except for a bit of confusion at the registration.

If forum members are up for it I'll pick up ride packets for them as soon as the CoC announces pickup points, saving y'all what seems to be the only real trouble reported in multiple years. After we get all smelly on the ride we can stroll around the Peach Festival downtown since passes are included with the ride registration

John

easttexan

Ain't it amazing how painless bypass surgery is. Other than coughs and sneezes(which for you non-bypass people, "hurt like hell"!), I have had worse visits to the dentist. Can't say I felt all that great, but seldom did I have any substantial specific discomfort. Ah, the wonder of modern medicine. The funny thing is, other than about 15 minutes, I have never before or since had any type of discomfort that I could relate to my heart. Life is better now. My father has survived bypass for 23 years and hasn't done the first thing right. I exercise, diet, sleep, etc. and I expect to live to 100.

HalfHearted

Yeah, I think the reason I talk about mine so much is to encourage others to have the procedure if their doctor is recommending it.

I delayed mine a couple of years and really wish I hadn't. They wanted to do the procedure in '99 but I didn't think it was necessary and I figured I couldn't afford the time on disability at half pay. But, I declined *rapidly* during that two years, in spite of eating right, and by the time I finally had it done my overall health was beginning to suffer. I had become really pasty white and had no breath at all. In fact, my cardiologist recommended the bypass in the strongest terms after having to pull me off the treadmill three minutes into a stress echo test because I was puffing like a steam locomotive. He said I was basically living on one artery and that one was 75% blocked.

Generally speaking, if you need a bypass, the earlier you have it done the better your overall health will be at the time of the surgery and the faster you will recover!

Now, I can run for over an hour on my elliptical glider at a fairly high resistance and not even be winded. In fact, I basically stop after 66 minutes only because a) the CD ended, b) I'm bored to tears, and c) I've just got too many other things to do! I'm probably in better shape than any time since my mid twenties, though because of the permanent damage from the attack in '98 I'll never have the peak capability of a person with an intact heart.

John

Metal Cowgal

Hi John

Thanks for explaining your moniker to me! I'm disappointed I didn't figure it out. I'm doing research with cardiac surgery (CABG) patients and I should have guessed that!!!

Congrads on your great health gains and your committment to your health. I follow the Ornish lifestyle -- you've probably heard about it given your cardiac experiences (extremely low fat, vegetarian, stress management, exercise, etc.). Ornish is the only behavioral intervention with scientific evidence that vessel plaques can be reduced and reversed. I've been able to drop my LDL 100 points without meds or other interventions by adopting this lifestyle. I'm a believer!!!! Like you, I like to share my experiences so others who are also at risk realize the tremendous benefits that lifestyle changes can make in the management and reversal of heart disease.

Again, congrads on your impressive committment to health and well-being.

Mary Ann

HalfHearted

Well, don't go building me up too much now I still like an occasional bite of chocolate and I'll probably never be a strict vegetarian, though I rarely eat red meat any more. I figure God wouldn't have given me all these sharp pointy teeth if he'd meant me to live on grass

I was really watching the fat extremely closely and my doc actually kind of hinted that I'd gone a bit too far because I was getting too many carbs in my diet. I was actually gaining weight in spite of exercise and a low fat diet! I was trying to live on rice and such and the human body just ain't made to live on rice, even if it does seem to work for the Chinese My triglyceride level went ballistic so they let me start eating more of the greens they'd told me to reduce when they put me on Coumadin. I've had to go through the whole Coumadin balancing thing again with the new diet. But, it's worth it 'cause I can have my spinach and broccoli again! I typically ate eight to ten servings of spinach and broccoli a week before they put me on Coumadin.

Now I have oatmeal every day, four or five servings of rice and fish a week, lots of eggbeaters, spinach, broccoli, salads, burritos made with low fat tortillas and fat-free refried beans, veggie burgers, the occasional lean pocket and for a real treat homemade lean chili with all the grease skimmed off. Deserts are fat-free puddings or sometimes a small bowl of sweet cereal like "Cookie Crisp." (Check the ingredients on Cookie Crisp sometime, it's actually healthier than some supposedly healthy cereals!)

Once in a while on a special occasion I'll go out and eat a "normal" meal at a restaraunt, though even then I avoid foods that are obviously going to be cholesterol bullets.

I also usually allow myself one bite-size chocolate bar or peppermint patty a day, 'cause life without chocolate wouldn't be worth living

I'm fortunate that I've never had a problem with cholesterol, even before the heart attack when I was living on pizza and fast mexican food. They put me on Zocor for its other benefits in plaque reduction. The cause of my heart disease is primarily hereditary (my mother died at 60 and had problems most of her life) compounded by the fact that I stupidly smoked and drank coffee by the pot for many years. I guess I was hoping to take after dad's side of the family -- they all lived to 900 or so

John

Metal Cowgal

You know that saying "You can pick your friends but not your family?!?!?"

I hear ya about the genetic loading. My dad died of MI at age 52. My mom isa health nut who exercises, eats low fat, etc., but her cholesterol is >400. So...I've got the risk factors on both sides, plus a few of my own. I smoked and drank coffee for several years (smoke-free 8 yrs; coffee free 3 yrs, decaf coffee/softdrink free 1 yr), and I'm still working on the weight loss.....

My mother has been a great example; she's the only one of her siblings who has lived a heart-healthy lifestyle since her 30s. The pay off has been huge....all of her siblings have had devastating cardiac events or strokes. By contrast, she's 74, and her only health problem is her elevated cholesterol. No heart problems, no related complications, and she can still run rings around folks half her age.

The cholesterol dilemna is big for me given my family history. Also, I had the kind of platelets that are sticky and little -- the highest risk when paired with elevated cholesterol. This is why I had to take it a step further and go the Ornish route. I had followed the low-fat diets religiously for 10 years and this really didn't help my cholesterol. It stayed the same and/or creeped up. Taking the fats down to 10% and following the other Ornish guidelines made the difference for me in the cholesterol arena. 100 point LDL reduction, and the platelets have normalized. THANK THE GOOD LORD!!!!

Gotta enjoy each day, that's for sure....each day is a gift!

Best regards

Mary Ann

ps the eliptical trainer is my favorite piece of gym equipment!

HalfHearted

I hate mine It's good exercise but I hate exercise just for the sake of exercise. The only way I can make myself stay on the thing is with some good drivin' music and letting my mind either work over job-related problems or drift off and get lost in the music. The minute I start thinking about what I'm actually doing, my willpower starts to waiver...

That's why I'm getting back on a bike. I'll still have to spend a fair amount of time on the torture glide but I'll be able to do something more enjoyable as well. The one thing I don't want to do is make riding into "exercise." I want to ride for enjoyment and keep it fun, or biking will become a necessary evil for me like the torture glide.

John

Metal Cowgal

I feel similarly....that's why I enjoy cycling so much. But of all the gym equipment I've tried, I like the eliptical the best, especially those that include arm action. You get a great cardiac workout. For me, I'm lost in thought/reflection during most "exercise". Sometimes this is true when I'm riding alone, although that becomes a more spiritual experience for me. We are fortunate to have beautiful rails-to-trails near me. I often ride along the Youghigheny River Trail (100 mile trail....entire trail is parallel to the river). It's nearly impossible to work through the problems of the day, work, etc., with the beauty of it. Truly "re-creation" time.

Best Regards and Happy Gliding!

Mary Ann