Thank you so much for your prayers and kind cards. We thought this would be a good time for an update. I’m feeling totally back to normal.
In general, there isn’t much of a recovery from an angiogram and stent. I wasn’t to lift more than ten pounds for four days, and that was it except for no dental procedures or MRIs for three months.
However, following the angiogram, two stents, and eight hours in bed, when I got up, I had an unexplained but very significant weakness in my legs. I felt as if my legs had aged 20 years. The doctor said the procedure could not have caused it. Gratefully, within a week, that was totally resolved on its own.
Stents do not fix heart disease, they are only stop-gap solutions and do not extend life expectancy. If lifestyle changes aren’t made, you become a “stent frequent flyer” or crash. Even though the American Heart Association would have approved of my previous diet, clearly it needs improvement. (I can’t even remember the last time I had a Big Mac or similar.)
We have been praying and doing research, and we have a diet plan. We have begun making radical changes and will refine it over time. (We will share what we settled on later.)
Also, my weight had crept up over the winter to 188, currently 184, and with God’s grace, I’m targeting less than 165.
Since I originally mentioned this, it has been amazing how many stories I have heard/read of heart attacks and strokes about people who were much younger than I am and had no clue they were at risk. One thing I have heard several times is that the first symptom for 50% of those with coronary artery disease is a heart attack, and 50% of those don’t make it to the hospital alive, although better sources say Angina is usually the first symptom. (That is what I had.) We have also read that the United States has 50% of the world’s heart disease (courtesy of the Standard American Diet (SAD)) and only 5% of the population.
Finally, Teri and I are delighted to have fully resumed our daily exercise.
In Christ Jesus,
Steve
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)