I have 90 and 75 percent blockage in one of my lateral descending branch arteries, but the nuclear imaging showed that the arteries are small making it riskier to put in stents than not. I am asymptomatic after 10.5 minutes on the treadmill even though I have a ST depression of about -3.5mm on V2 and or V3 electrode. I am on medication and have changed my diet. I have always been pretty active. But my doctor has told me not to exercise vigorously. Problem is that he won't define vigorously. My peak heartrate for from my two treadmills were 142 (before medication) and 136 bpms (after medication), respecitvely. It seems like I should be able to exercise at 110 to 115 indefinitly except that the artery walls (muscle) are viscoelastic, meaning that they can continue to deform over time even if the pressure does not increase. So, what about the idea of me taking a series of treadmill tests to better quantify my ST depression over a range of exercise levels and time?
Whatever you do, don't let anyone "roto-rooter" your arteries. Please read the chapter on heart procedures vs medication in Dr. Nortin Hadler's book WORRIED SICK, or search for his opinion pieces on abcnews.com. Nor is he the only one who has figured out that the zeal for surgical procedures in cardiology does more harm than good.
I'm so sorry you are suffering these problems. I hope you don't mind if I pray for you.
Aggie: I apprciate your response. I will follow through and check out Dr. Hadler's book. I think we have reached a conclusion that surgery is not the way to go here, although I have met a number of people who have benefitted from the use of stents and I have benefitted from other non-cardio surgeries. Thanks, Gary
Aggie: I apprciate your response. I will follow through and check out Dr. Hadler's book. I think we have reached a conclusion that surgery is not the way to go here, although I have met a number of people who have benefitted from the use of stents and I have benefitted from other non-cardio surgeries. Thanks, Gary
I have given some thought to your comment about praying for me. You will probably be able to tell from my reponse that I do not have a lot of "faith" in conventional religious beliefs that God can intervene. On the other hand, I do believe that faith, as a congnitive process, is important in the recovery process. As we gain a better understanding in faith as a cognitive process, I believe we will see an evolution in religion as the sacred and the secular tend to merge together. So given this background and context, I would very much welcome your prayers. Thanks