Heart Disease No Longer Just for the Old

There has been a lot of heart health related news over the last little while, former Presidents having blocked arteries cleared, former Vice-Presidents having heart attacks and the sudden passing of an Olympian's Mother due to a Heart Attack.

Sad and sobering news. There have been a couple of major reports on the state of health of North Americans recently as well. We are facing a crisis.

Recent statistics tell us that one out of every five of us has high blood pressure severe enough to require medication. Another study reveals that people in their twenties and thirties are living with high cholesterol, too much weight and on and on.

The most provocative thought from all of this news is that we could find ourselves sitting beside our children in emergency rooms both being treated for the same heart related illnesses.

Heart disease is no longer reserved for the old.

I can't help but think that we have to address some of the issues with our food supply. It doesn't matter how many Olympic athletes are sponsored by a fast food restaurant chain, if the food has too much salt and any trans fats at all, it is really just a slow poison.

Sleep Problems After Heart Surgery

It is apparently very common after open heart surgery to have problems sleeping. What a curse it is too. Even now a little over a year down the road from my quadruple by pass I rarely sleep through a full night.


In the first weeks after coming home from the hospital sleeping was an ordeal. Just getting into bed involved some careful planning. As painful as it was to get into bed, getting back up was worse.

As time went by, it was easier getting up and down but sleep was still more of a doze interrupted by crazy, vivid dreams. As the house quieted in the night I would hear my own heart beat or feel it. Again, a very normal after affect but still a bit creepy.

When the breast bone healed it was easier to get into comfortable positions and sleep improved. I would still sometimes be uncomfortably aware of my own heart beat but not as often. I would still awaken every couple of hours. When I say awaken I mean wide awake. Glance at the clock to see if it is time to get up wide awake.

So it has gone, first awakening every hour or two, then after three hours and so on. For a month or more I would drift off and sleep well only to bolt into wakefulness at precisely 4:30 AM. Then I would I lay there thinking in circles, listening to my heart beating and reliving all of those moments of my life that seemingly only have the power to haunt in the dark watches of the night.

You know, it wouldn't be so bad if I remembered happy things, triumphs or great fishing trips while I lay there waiting to sleep again but it doesn't seem to work that way.

As I say, it is a common after effect of open heart surgery and should fade away with time. It is something that a doctor could likely help with but I have an aversion to the thought of taking more drugs. I reckon that now that I'm more fit and getting lots of exercise it should soon be getting a lot better.

There Is No Cure for Heart Disease

Well the news about President Clinton serves as a reminder that even though the immediate problem of blocked arteries can be repaired by a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, the fact of the matter is that heart disease is only repaired not cured.

A bypass lasts for a decade or so and by then new blockages will have usually formed in the veins used to create the graft.

President Clinton's latest problem was fixed in an interesting way. They didn't perform another bypass to replace the graft that had plugged. The surgeon decided to use angioplasty to clear the artery that had originally blocked requiring him to have the bypass graft in the first place. Once it was cleared the surgeon inserted two stents to keep it open.

Mr. Clinton had his quadruple bypass in 2004. That seems like a short time for one of the grafts to have plugged up again but if ten years is the average time I suspect it is a matter of luck and how strictly he followed his diet and workout routine.

The good news for those of us living with heart disease is that as long as the heart isn't damaged by a heart attack, chances are we will live long and productive lives. We may have to go through more grafts or stents but I guess that beats the alternative.

So, my fellow members of the Zipper Club remember:

• eat well
• take your medications to keep your Cholesterol under control
• exercise
• watch your blood pressure
• reduce stress as much as possible
• keep your doctor's appointments
• call 911 at the first sign of chest pain

With luck, our grafts will be the ones that never get clogged again.

A Little More on Treadmills and Cardio Rehabilitation

For those of us working at getting more daily exercise, a treadmill is a great way to go. Before Cardio Rehab I had never used one or even thought much about them. Truth is, once I was back on my feet after my heart surgery I really didn't have much trouble disciplining myself to walk every day. It quickly became a part of my daily routine to head out immediately upon getting home from work and before eating dinner. That was until late last month. The cold, icy weather has made footing treacherous and the whole outdoor experience fairly miserable.

At about the same time I was feeling less inclined to take long evening walks I started noticing treadmills on sale in the department store flyers delivered to the house every Tuesday evening. A quick comparison of the cost of joining a gym and the cost of a good treadmill made the treadmill option look more attractive to me. It seemed less expensive, more convenient and if I just didn't use it the way I thought I would I could sell it.

While in Rehab the physio therapist once offered some advice for those of us contemplating buying a treadmill for home.
It should have:

• a motor of 2hp or better
• the stride length of the belt must be long enough for you

I will add one more thing, power incline is a great feature and really a "must have" from my recent experience. I like the pre-programmed work-outs but they and the rest of things like i-pod connections, fans and stuff like that are more a matter of personal preference than critical to getting a good, reliable machine.

After a month of dithering and suffering through the weather I finally committed to buying a treadmill. I chose the model in the picture above, a Tempo 911t. It was on sale for around one third of its regular price and I was comfortable that I was getting a lot of machine for my money.

The nagging issue was, "how to get it home"? These things are big and heavy. The first thing I did was to visit the store and compare the various machines on display. Firstly to reassure myself that I was making the best choice for the money and then to get an idea of just how big the respective machines really are.

Reassured on both points, that it was a good choice and that I could handle getting it into place once home, I got the boys from the store to put it in my car for me.

The machine comes partially disassembled in a huge, flat box bound in yellow nylon strapping. By putting the front seats all the way ahead and folding the back seats down, it fit smoothly into the back of my RAV4 although it was a two man job to lift it in.

Once home I was able to slide it out and walk it by rocking, moving one side a few inches, then the other, in a slow but steady fashion onto the doorstep and into the house.

When inside I was able to lay it on a mat then slide it to where I wanted it to end up. It is recommended that you open the box and assemble the treadmill where you are going to use it.

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box to find tools included as well as well written directions. The trickiest bits are already put together so it was really just a matter of adding the hand rails and mounting the electronics display. Within an hour the treadmill was together and running.

I have it set up beside a window that I can just reach over and crank it open to control the temperature if I get too hot when working out. A television is directly in front so that I can watch a movie when walking. One thing, I have a set of wireless headphones I wear so that I don't have the TV blasting while I huff and puff. I really recommend that.

All told, I got a great buy on a great piece of equipment. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so that I can get back outdoors but in the meantime I'm really enjoying the treadmill. I'm also getting a thousand or so extra steps a day with no fear of slipping and falling.

I'm obviously no expert, but if you are thinking about a treadmill and have any questions, drop me a note or leave a comment. I've done a fair amount of research on the topic in the last few months and will happily share what I have learned.

Steps yesterday: 11890

Smarter Heart Medications Are on the Way

Last week I read about a study done recently that identified more than a dozen genes that control the rate of our heart beat. After comparing the genetics of tens of thousands of people from European and Indian descent, researchers were able to isolate these genes. If you have certain combinations of them you are more or less likely to have heart conditions involving arrhythmia. Arrhythmia is an irregular heart beat.



Anyway, this discovery is the sort of thing that can lead to smart drugs that target specific conditions more effectively and efficiently. It is important because heart disease according to the report I read, kills almost seven million people a year. Half of those people suffer from some form of irregular heart beat.

On another note, I bought a treadmill the other day and have been using it with some regularity. Sorry for the bad pun but just trying to stick with the theme of this post. I bought a Tempo 611T as pictured above.

It was a work out just getting the thing in the house, down a flight of stairs and then wrestling it out of the box and assembling it but it seems well worth it.

The streets and side walks are icy and treacherous for walkers in this part of the world at this time of year so it is nice to get my ten thousand steps in the comfort of my home. It is pleasant to be able to walk away the stress of the day while reading or watching TV and without having to cope with sub-zero temperatures. I do miss the human parade of dog walkers, joggers and fellow heart walkers but spring will eventually come and I can resume my lakeside promenades.

My daughter is trying to teach one of the dogs to use it but he much prefers going out. If you have been thinking about getting one and have a good spot for it in your house I'd recommend it.

Steps today: 5,654 so far but I've been averaging around 11 to 12 thousand since getting the treadmill.

One Year After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

One year ago today I was waking up from CABG surgery. It has been an amazing and challenging journey back to health. I am still not where I would like to be but compared to where I was just one year ago well, it is almost unbelievable.

For those of you about to undergo bypass surgery and for those of you at various places in your recovery, take heart and forgive my terrible pun. You will get through this and come out the other side better.

The things I did right:

• My family got involved in my recovery. I wouldn't have tried so hard without their support.
• I took advantage of every educational and physical rehabilitation program that was offered to me.

The things I should have done:

• I should have kept in touch with the fellows who were in the hospital ward with me having the same procedure.
• I should have kept in touch with the people I went through Cardiac Rehabilitation with. It is easy to become isolated while working your way back. I think being able to meet up with folks going through the same thing would be really positive and encouraging.

Well, that's it. I just wanted to mark the anniversary of my heart surgery and wish to all health and growth in the New Year.

More Puppy Pandemonium and Starting a Running Program

Pandemonium, that is the right word for what is going on in my house right now. We have brought another pup into our home.
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This fellow is a Springer Spaniel named Schalke, after my daughter's favourite footie team.




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The little pup Shorty, our Maltese is fun to walk although in truth it is really more of a carry with frequent stops to chat with other pedestrians who are captivated by his cuteness. No kidding, it almost like a super power with this dog. The power of cuteness.

Walking Schalke on the other hand is already an athletic event. Thankfully he doesn't have much stamina yet.
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I was speaking with a friend of mine recently who is a marathon runner. He gave me some information on adding running to my daily walks to enhance my cardio-fitness.
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The idea is to walk for five minutes and then run for a minute, walk for another five minutes, run for a minute and so on. Gradually you will build your stamina and muscles by increasing the minutes of running until you can do the distance running you have set as your goal.
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Walking the Springer Spaniel puppy is like that anyway although I suspect his stamina will increase at a much faster rate than mine but I am going to give it a try.
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The cautions for those of us recovering from heart surgery are of course to be careful not to over-do it. If you can't talk and do what you are doing, you are over doing it! I find that simple rule is much easier to apply out on the street than monitoring my pulse.
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I remember a discussion during my cardiac rehabilitation that mentioned that those people with dogs appeared to do better at maintaining their fitness goals over the long term. I can see why.
Puppies lift your spirits. They need to be played with and walked. It is hard to be too much of a couch potato in a house with two puppies.
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Steps today: 10,164