Coronary Heart Disease Support Group

I think surgery is very important and glad there are reasonably noninvasive things such as angioplasty and stents but the all round applications of everything including blood vessels taken from other parts of the body to help in repairing is good. I think the areas of genitic dispositions of the bodys complete blood vessel system is the greater issue and realisticly how can the heart stay alive and the electrical impulses keep it from stopping at all . Its just a whole biological engineering which allows for so many total beats and then stops known as human life span . What more can be done ? Stem Cell research is coming up with answers and so is Genetics... Okay having said that I think EKGs and Stress tests are completely irrational but thats my opinion ...all people should be monitored better and more often from the time of CHD dx and treated accordingly but there is no standards (Echos Xray MRI).I am lead to believe it has the highest death rates due to improper monitoring and care... to often the phrase silent killer is used when realisticly that doesn't have to be the case . I think its shameful people are having to make appointments and live with long waits and waiting time the education system can play a huge roll in heart care but noone seems to push for the importance they would rather look up to and depend on God for mercy .Can self testing ever make its way into reality beyond walmart bought BP monitors and pamphlets which explain signs to watch for? If I had the capital I would specialize in vending alot more than ever in history ...it is because todays doctors are horribly unreliable , unefficient , expensive and generally imperfectly human . Vending will never lie never be under educated and never worried about making it to the Golf tournament on time. What to do about surgeons well the only rational explanation is goverment promotion of finding and educating more surgeons even to the point of having the number of them spill over to third world countries . We exploit them for profits why not give them the benfits too . We are in a horrible lull of profit for health industry which is doing more harm than good because it fires people people for not administering profit shares to pockets . Maybe some of this you didn't want to hear but hopefully you can use some of it .Amen

Melissa,
I've had a much more positive experience with my bypass surgery, recovery, and rehab medical care than Banff.
My blockages were discovered during recovery from a dbl mastectomy and systemic MRSA infection. I'm fortunate to be treated at a major medical university. State of the art techniques, such as endoscopic vein harvesting, are used routinely. My rehab was taken as seriously as the surgery itself.
I just celebrated my 1st yr anniversery of my bypass. (Knock on wood) I'm strong now, my BP and cholestral numbers are at goal. I know I still have blockages in arteries too small for stents or bypass, but I'm eating "heart smart", and exercise much more. Life is good!
Continuing support from online forums and periodic cardiac exams keep me aware of the importance of diet and exercise (ugh).
We're anticipating retirement soon. Perhaps the most important factor in our selection of a retirement location is the continuing access to superior health care.
Good luck on your project. My email is jbarnett@wfubmc.edu. Let me know if I can help further.

I'm new to heart disease. I'm waiting for an appointment with a cardiologist, and that wait looks like being months. My local doctor is keeping an eye on me until/if i ever get an appointment.
Having said that, I am scared wittless...I am in my late 40's, have a family history of heart disease and until a month or so ago was healthy.
What i hope for is that i see a doctor before i end up in emergency, that they can help me by any means possible and that i live a lot longer.
My life has changed forever, I can't do all required in my job any more, I find tired all the time, I'm scared, depressed and overwhelmed with medication that i don't understand the use of. All in all life sucks and I only seem to find answers at sites like this from other people with similar conditions.

I just had an angioplasty with a medicated stent last Wed.
I have had five angioplasties
and many stents placed since they invented the medicated stents and I feel certain
they are the reason I am still alive. I had a bipass
graft over the main decending left in 90 but
my small artery disease is
hereditary...killed all
the male relatives of my grandparents era by their
late 40s oldest..the next
generation did better but
the women began getting it
too by then..the oldest of that generation was 64. I'm 58..59 in April..and doing
great. The ONLY reason I
am doing great are the medicated stents. I have
a VERY agressive doctor
who the moment I show
symptoms again does a
stress test..if the test
is not all it should be he
gets me in the hospital
immediately and does an
angiogram angioplasty and
medicated stents all in one
proceedure. It does not
matter how often I need
them..I get them the moment
I do. As for the future..I used to worry about my rapidly aging graft (18+ now) I did not enjoy anticipating another open heart surgery..but now I
no longer worry about that..
they can now place a stent right into the grafted artery when necessary. Beyond that I know they are
doing a lot of research on
this disease..growing new
arteries for one. Although
I am not a wealthy white male..I am fortunate to
have a wealthy white male's
disease...and so a huge amount of research dollars are going to find ever more
effective non surgical treatments. I believe there
is a possibility that I could
actually live to see my old age at this point.

I'm hoping hospitals and doctors start to pay more attention to the emotional after effects of this whole business of diagnosis to surgery etc. Read through a lot of journals and you will see easily enough the psychological suffering we go through and the feelings of isolation.
I also hope this country will wake the ^&*% up about insurance...basically even with health insurance I'm financially ruined at age 57 after working all my life.

Mellisa first I would like to thank you for taking an intrest and trying to improve care for us heat patients.

My hope for the future is education at the primary care level. I had an heart attack on 12/24/07. I had a stent placed. I was told I most likly had heart desease for the past 5years. I had always had blood work and anual exams at my PCP office and at no time did I have a cardo work up or refered to a cardologist. I would like for all patients over the age of 50 to have at least a ekg and blood work during their anual physicals.

As far as the surgery I had a good experience during and after surgery.

My lifestyle has change. Of course my diet I am aware of heart healty foods. Also I have slowed down a lot. I have 15% perment damage to the bottom of my heart. Learning to manage my meds is a huge part of my life. 1 month after surgery I experience a GI bleed and needed a blood transfusion. I don't know what to expect next.

This group is great people who actually have expeience heart desease and it is very helpfull listen to their stories and getting their support at any time during the day.