One must try to have a healthy body and a big part of this process is having a positive outlook on life. You must keep your mind active with some kind of mind thinking activity. This article comes to my mind as I just completed my annual cardiology exam. The Dr. is still amazed that I am still around working almost everyday, walking my dogs every morn and very seldom get sick other than a cold.
In 1988 I suffered a massive heart attack. My heart was so damaged that the muscle turned to a texture like oatmeal. (This is the way the Dr's. described the situation to us.) They kept me alive with a mechanical heart pump hoping the muscle would repair itself as I also had an aneurysm which could only be repaired if my heart turned to muscle tissue, other wise they could not repair the damage or do a double bypass.
Apparently, no one was giving up on me and I lived to get back on my feet and after convalescing went back to work and all was well until 1998. I did not feel well so went to emergency care. While there I had another heart attack, grand Moll seizure, mini-stroke and extremely painful headaches. After about a week they got me out of the hospital, but I was still having the headaches, until one night I had to go back to emergency care. The Dr. I had upon discharge used the old adage, take a couple of aspirin and call me in the morning.
We can thank our lucky stars as the Dr's. and nurses suggested we get a second opinion and the new neurosurgeon stepped in and they found that I had a brain hemorrhage. It was nip and tuck because medication that I would be on contraindicated each other and I would be in real trouble. We had a pow wow and it was decided to take our chances with both meds.
I went home. Two years later the old by passes plugged up so had angioplasty and 4 stents inserted. Couple years later I had a bout with blood clots in my legs so they put filters in so the clots could not go to my upper body. Two years ago after my tests it was decided that I would be a candidate for EECP therapy as my heart was only functioning at about 29%.
EECP is a non-invasive , outpatient therapy to relieve or eliminate angina. This therapy is a system that pumps when the heart is resting, and stops pumping when the heart is working. This counter-pulsation increases blood flow to the heart muscle and decreases the hearts workload, plus creates greater oxygen supply and less oxygen demand. My heart is now functioning at about 55% and I work almost every day managing our hair salon and work on my on line businesses. If you have heart problems discuss the therapy with your cardiologist. My cardiologist calls me his miracle patient and always tells me that it is my positive attitude and being active, (mind and body.)
