newbie with questions - High Cholesterol Message Board

pacmule98 · 03-19-2003, 07:50 PM

hubby has chol level 288 and hdl is 44. likes beer, is on 2 different bp meds, tried lipitor nightmare, then worchol that had wreaked havock on his memory, orientation, balance,... trying new one zetia but after 2 wks it has got anxiety level way up again, dizziness, shortness of breath, and headaches. I'm just worried that its something more than the drugs. already spent three days in ccu, two years ago for severe angina, and bad bp, with chestpain, and numbness in arm..... not sure where to go from here he says work is excersise and that he cant chew the salad properly..... always an excuse.... help
thanx

CobaltBlue · 03-20-2003, 05:10 AM

pacmule,

I feel for you, I really do, but I am not sure what you are asking about. Could those symptoms you describe be related to those cholesterol-lowering meds? Yes, they could be. It sounds like you are saying your husband eats unhealthy, consumes the wrong kind of alcohol, is sedentary and possibly at a weight that puts him at a higher risk?

If he is (or did) experience angina, then I can understand your frustration. My poor wife tried for years to talk some sense into me about my diet and lack of exercise. Even through 1.5 months of angina, I would not listen to her attempts to get me to a hospital. Not until the day of my MI, and just after did I listen--too weak to put up a fight then. Sadly, I was upset with her for making me go to the hospital, messing up my weekend, it was Friday of all days!

Anyway, the point is this: He is going to have to come around and figure it out for himself that a change in diet and exercise is whats needed. Its the best way to go really, and the hardest road to follow. I changed for no one else but myself, and can only hope he doesn't take it as far as I did.

Ulrich

pcovers · 03-20-2003, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pacmule98:
...already spent three days in ccu, two years ago for severe angina, and bad bp, with chestpain, and numbness in arm.....

Just curious if he had an angiogram done when he was hospitalized for the angina?

pacmule98 · 03-20-2003, 06:33 PM

thanks for the replies: just a little more info might help huh? ok so he's 176lbs. is a heavy equip operator, 41, had teeth removed because of periodontal disease, dentures still not fittin right, so he only wears bottom, so thats the excuse for no salad (did eat these before with little complaint.)but doesnt think twice about the pringles, and cheeto's he can still chew. He had really high bp when i took him into er 2 years ago chest pain, neck and arm tingling & numbness, dizziness, really uneasy feeling, so they ran bloodwork, did ekg,gave iv drugs, then told me if i wouldnt have brought him in he woulda had a massive mi in night and probably not make it.... wow that was scary, but apparently not scary enough... he has been good sometimes about his diet, then slacks off when he feels good, but no major life changes. He had a stress test done doc says ok here's some more bp meds, lipitor, anti anxiety, bla blah blah, diet excersise, and less stress.. but that only lasted a while. we both
work full time and more and have three kids, guess im the only one who can eat healthy here..... blames me because i'm the one who cooks and says i should feed him better.... ha aha hahahahahah. fast food is limited to 1x per week if that. so I think its his fault for not trying so i dont let it bother me.
anyway im still hangin in there even though i'd like to swat him a good one. I get scared that it is more than just med reactions.. can u have mild mi's without them being too severe???

CobaltBlue · 03-21-2003, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pacmule98:
blames me because i'm the one who cooks and says i should feed him better.... ha aha hahahahahah.

can u have mild mi's without them being too severe???

Hmm, lets address the first segment. He just opened the door for you to slap that salad down in front of him with a side of 3 oz of salmon. "Here you go Dear, I am feeding you better..."

Now for the more serious answer to the second part. Yes, I had what they call a mild MI. In order to see any damage/phase shift where the damage from the MI occurred, they have to look real hard at the leads that register the potential across the very bottom tip of my heart. My ejection fraction was 67% when checked afterwards, so they conclude that I have a very mild MI. The experience was notable, however! The nauseau, sweats, inability to make the dizziness go away after laying down. If that was mild...

Anyway, that fateful day--I was just going to dismiss it as one of those events where I worked my anxiety up to a level where I caused myself to almost pass out. I knew that upon laying down and trying to sit back up, that could not be the case (it never felt like that before).

If it truly was a mild MI, then the chances for another one are certainly likely. Had I not gone in for treatment it was a matter of time before the reduced flow through my RCA would have caused another. Addtionally, my LAD became 90% blocked 3 mos after that MI. Luckily, I was trying to add some jogging time to my walking, but everytime I took it up to a jog, I had the same angina (left arm pain) develop 15 sec into the run, and it would subside after taking it back to a walk.

Anyway, I am going off on a tangent here, but I hope I answered that somewhere above.

Ulrich

[This message has been edited by ubernier (edited 03-21-2003).]