Who's the Man?

 

They said they had to get my heart rate to 130 or higher to get a good nuclear scan.  153 would be the maximum for my age.  Okay then, 154 is the goal.  We spent 14 minutes on the treadmill to get me there.  They injected the marker fluid at 153.  I got all the way to 157 before they slowed down the treadmill.  It felt great.  No pain.  No blips on the EKG and blood pressure monitors.  Nothing but healthy on the nuclear scans.  This is the best stress test I’ve ever had.  I was above my calculated maximum heart rate and when they slowed down the treadmill, I still had more.  I could have kept going!  Everything about my heart looks as healthy as it possibly can.  They sent me on my way with No Restrictions and said to check back with them in two years.  Two years!  Every time before they’ve told me to come back in six months, or be careful with the chest pain and remember to take my nitroglycerine.  What a difference between then and now.  Whatever twinge I felt last Sunday, and lightheadedness last Tuesday, wasn’t my heart.  The news couldn’t have been any better.

 

We took a while to bask in the glow before I went back to work.  When I had my first heart issues I had four blockages, needed three stents, and was continuing to accumulate plaque fast.  It was only a year and a half until I needed the next round of stents.  They gave me a choice, basically: take a Statin drug or die.  I didn’t like the choice as presented.  I’ve taken Statin drugs and that’s not an option for me no matter the consequences.

 

I did some research on the internet and found there were other opinions out there about heart health.  Many people share my adverse reaction to Statin drugs like Lipitor.  I filtered through the information and misinformation.  I made my best guess.  I settled on a regimen of nutritional supplements from a company in New Zealand called XtendLife.  I take a lot of pills every day now; about 20, but none of them are prescription.  All these pills aren’t cheap, and there were no guarantees that this was going to work.  Anecdotal results, not clinical trials.

 

These stress test results are so spectacular because they mean I have accumulated no new plaque in the last three years!  They gave me two choices and I found a third.  The supplements I’m taking might really be working.  I might have found a long-term solution for my heart.

 

Wow.  We’re still stunned.