Heart Health

[Velo]

I hope you guys don't stop and take this else where. I have had heart attacks, open heart quad by-pass surgery, three stents, and am on statins and other stuff. I'm interested in your stories. I'm 67 and normal weight. I don't know my father but I hear he lived to 89 so I don't know his history. My grandpa died of heart attack at about 70.

So this is an interesting subject ot me to hear others peoples stories. Thanks.

Thank you. This has been informative to me as well. And since this is a site that probably has a lot of members who are males in the age range when heart health is an issue, it is is good place to have this discussion. One thing I have learned just from the stories members have shared about themselves, I am not alone, and I should not ever feel like "woe is me, I have the family curse," because so many of you have suffered and survived more acutely than I have. So thanks for sharing, it really does help me to process my own personal experience. In my case, my father's side of the family doesn't appear to have the same genetic predisposition for heart disease as my mother's side. My father did die relatively young - 55 - but I don't think his heart was a factor. He was extremely alcoholic, and he was a prisoner of war for almost three years as a young man, and suffered some pretty harsh treatment, and that may have contributed to his early death. His predecessors were long-lived on both sides of his family. My paternal grandmother lived well into her 90s. It's my mother's side of the family that seems to have the genetics. Her father died at age 56 and as I stated in earlier post her brothers and their male offspring have suffered from heart disease, killing them at a young age in some cases. One of my cousins from that side of the family was an attorney in Portland, OR and dropped dead while at work in his office in his early 50s, without any warning, without being aware that he had heart disease. He was pretty sedentary, working long hours at his law firm for decades. In contrast our shared uncle, my mother's brother, out-lived him and all his siblings by decades and never suffered any heart trouble, that I know of. He developed Alzheimer's in his mid to late 90s, and that's what took him a month before his 99th Bday. Every one of his siblings suffered from heart disease.

[FoutsFan]

It is right that one should not neglect their health, no matter the genetics it will catch up. My family all lived well into their 90's or 100's and there is no history of any health issues other than kidney stones (thanks dad). But from what I have seen in my years in the medical field genetics are the biggest single contributor to pretty much anything health wise. Again, that does not mean we throw up are hands and feel condemned to a fate and just take it. Fight like hell against it. I hope everyone here keeps up the good fight and lives long lives!

[Craig440]

Well on a lighter side. Being a charger fan since 1961 as a seven-year-old and having season tickets for many years, knowing and working (I took care of their pools and built some) with them for many years, I blame the Chargers for my heart issues. haha. They have had so many heart stopping moments. They keep me alive though as I refuse to die before we win the big game.