posted about summer 2008
I have a friend who just had open heart surgery. Two weeks earlier his stress test showed "good" cardio fitness for HIS age.
A couple of months ago he complained of shortness of breath. The prior year he had blockage in 2 of 4 carotid arteries which had been "cleaned" up. He's had issues with blood flow to his calves. About this time he began to cut down on saturated fats. He was not a terrible eater, but no health nut either! There's no prior family history.
After the stress test he continue to feel, "funky" so the Doctor ordered a heart CAT scan. They found one main artery totally blocked and another 90% blocked due to plaque buildup. The ONLY reason he hadn't suffered a major heart attack is because he exercised. The body had developed smaller arteries AROUND the blockage! This is common for people who exercise. The years of marginal eating probably was the main reason for the plaque in the first place.
He had to make a decision as how to handle blocked arteries. He could go with stents which allow for faster recovery but are less effective in some cases. Or he could go with open heart surgery which has a 3 month plus recovery time. He chose open heart, which saved his life.
The rest of the story is that when the Surgeon opened him up they found and aneurysm on the main artery leaving the heart. That like a bubble in an inner tube. IT could rupture at ANY time causing certain death. The Doctors fixed the aneurysm and then performed the bypass surgery. He's a lucky man.
His chest hurts every time he coughs. Almost 2 weeks later he's walking with a walker. Foretunately, he's a strong man who has exercised all of his life. However, his body is riddled with plaque and vascular disease.
