I had a heart attack last week

[jaysunb]

Just got out of the hospital today...2 separate angioplasties and 4 stents later. I feel pretty good, but I think I'm going to have to give up the cigarettes...DUH !!
This is my second, the first being 11 years ago. I thought I was doing everything right; taking my meds religiously, eating healthy, exercising and the most baffling, always getting glowing reports on blood work every 6 months.( Doc put all the blame on the cigs)

Oh well, I'm back, and can say, I actually missed coming here everyday.
:hi:

[peace13]

1. Welcome Back!

Keep up the good work! Peace, Kim

[wellstone dem]

2. welcome back

stay healthy

[WI_DEM]

3. Glad to hear you are feeling better and giving up that damn tobacco!

Good luck on the beginning of a new and healthier life.

[Kutjara]

4. Welcome back, Jay!

And, yes, laying off the full strength, high tar coffin nails is probably a step in the right direction.

[Wickerman]

5. DAMN! Glad you are back with us

What a scare. Time to flush that habit. I quit about 6 years ago - best active decision of my life. PM me if you ever need some support.

[Subdivisions]

6. Oh my! I'm so glad you are ok!

[pitohui]

7. sorry to hear it and get well soon EOM

.

[niyad]

8. welcome back!! sorry to hear about the heart attack, and glad that

you are feeling a bit better. so, are you going to try to give up the ciggies? I understand that can be very difficult.

and we missed you, too, so stick around!!

[Missy M]

9. Welcome back!!!!!!

Glad you're doing better.

[Joe for Clark]

10. I wish you the best jaysnub - get better, the country needs you!!

Joe

[qanda]

11. Glad to hear you're okay

Take care of yourself-- we need you!

[Cleita]

12. Hey, jaysunb, I'm sorry to hear about your health problems.

Glad you are all better. Welcome back!

:hi:

[seabeyond]

13. i am glad to hear you are on the way to mending. i am on a new pill

to help quit, but insurance doesnt pay and it is way expensive. $112 for 30 days. i got it before i knew the price.... but i am cutting way back.

good to see you here.

[MnFats]

64. what is the medication? I gotta quit too...

..
dock told me to get a calcium score heart test but the hospital wants its money up front and my insurance may not reimburse......smoking is my biggest problem too....my blood pressure remains a very fine 120/70 or so....

[NMDemDist2]

14. welcome back! so glad you're feeling better! n/t

[Turn CO Blue]

15. Hey there! And get well soon...

[HysteryDiagnosis]

16. Well.... here is some data on cigs and what can help

mimimize their nasty effects.

1: Toxicol Ind Health. 2002 Jun;18(5):215-24.Click here to read Links
Pycnogenol in cigarette filters scavenges free radicals and reduces mutagenicity and toxicity of tobacco smoke in vivo.

* Zhang D,
* Tao Y,
* Gao J,
* Zhang C,
* Wan S,
* Chen Y,
* Huang X,
* Sun X,
* Duan S,
* Schonlau F,
* Rohdewald P,
* Zhao B.

Institute of Biophysics, Academia Sinica, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, PR China.

Despite large-scale anti-smoking campaigns throughout the world, the number of smokers remains high and cigarette smoking continues to represent a life-threatening health risk. Until a smoke-free society is achieved, reduction of cigarette smoke toxins may reduce the health burden. Current cigarette filter techniques are limited to the reduction of volatile tar constituents by dilution and by condensation on the filter surface. Vast quantities of harmful constituents, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic (aromatic) amines, free radicals and reactive oxygen species, are inefficiently retained in the filter. We investigated whether neutralisation of free radicals in cigarette filters is feasible and accompanied by a reduction in smoke toxicity. Addition of the bioflavonoid pine bark extract Pycnogenol to cigarette filters depleted free radicals in a dose dependent manner. This was paralleled by a reduction of toxicity and mutagenicity in rodent test models. In this model system, the acute toxicity of cigarette smoke was markedly reduced by up to 70% in rodents with 0.4 mg Pycnogenol in filters. Chronic exposure to cigarette smoke for 75 days revealed that Pycnogenol filters significantly reduced mutagenicity by up to 48% and decreased pathological changes in lung tissue.

PMID: 14653310



1: Integr. Med.. 2000 Mar 21;2(2):73-77. Links
Pine bark extract reduces platelet aggregation.

* Araghi-Niknam M,
* Hosseini S,
* Larson D,
* Rohdewald P,
* Watson RR.

College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

The effects of long-term consumption of the bioflavonoid mixture, French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol(R)), were assessed on aggregation of platelets from cigarette smokers and nonsmokers. Previously we showed that a single dose of Pycnogenol(R) reduced platelet aggregation in cigarette smokers in a dose-response fashion. Cigarette smoking increased platelet reactivity aggregation when measured 2 h after smoking the first cigarette of the day. Blood was collected immediately before and 5 min after smoking three cigarettes each. Smoking increased platelet aggregation (1.17 +/- 0.04). However 200 mg Pycnogenol(R)/day, taken 3 h prior to first cigarette for the day for 2 months, significantly (p <.0023) reduced smoke-induced platelet aggregation (0.98 +/- 0.05) to the level of nonsmokers. In a group of 19 nonsmokers, platelet aggregation was measured during in vitro stimulation by platelet aggregation factor (PAF) after 4 or 8 weeks of 200 mg/day of Pycnogenol(R) consumption. Platelet aggregation was significant when induced in vitro by PAF. However, Pycnogenol(R) consumption did not change platelet aggregation, suggesting that Pycnogenol(R)'s regulation of aggregation is by another mechanism. Thromboxane A2 (TxA2) is increased in smokers by release from platelets and rapidly becomes thromboxane B2 (TxB2). Smoking increased TxB2, which was prevented by Pycnogenol(R), lowering TxB2 levels to those of nonsmokers. However, Pycnogenol(R) had no effect on the lower levels of TxB2 in nonsmokers. These observations suggest that Pycnogenol(R) supplementation reduces a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, that is, platelet aggregation in smokers. The bioflavonoids in Pycnogenol(R) reduced platelet aggregation stimulated by tobacco smoke.

PMID: 10882879

[villager]

17. welcome back, indeed! Yes, ditch the cigs

...and stay around for a good long while! :hi:

[Marnieworld]

18. wow. Welcome back

You are very lucky and I'm so glad. Quit those smokes. I did almost 10 years ago cold turkey. It was a hellish 5 days but after going through it I vowed never to have that poison again.Stay well.

Peace. :hug:

[SoFlaJet]

19. how old are you Jay?

nm

[K8-EEE]

20. GWB Smiles When You Light Up!

That's what I always tell DUers who are trying to kick the habit -- go to opensecrets.org and see who the tobacco company's luuuv!

[Southsideirish]

21. Go on the Dean Ornish diet. Its hard but it will save your life.

My husband did it and he runs 5 miles a day now.

[RebelOne]

22. Happy to hear of your recovery.

Cigarettes will be my downfall, also. I guess it will take something life-threatening as you had to make me quit. My doctor lectures me all the time about the evils of tobacco. But it is such a hard habit to kick. I could give up eating easier than I could give up smoking.

[TheCowsCameHome]

23. Glad you're back, but pleeeeze give up the cigs - we need you.

[MikeH]

24. Welcome back, Jay

I enjoyed meeting you at the gathering in Laguna Beach in October 2002. Four years ago now.

I am glad you are doing OK now.:)

And best wishes to you in being able to stop smoking.

[Cha]

25. Glad to have you back and YEAH

I would have missed DU, too!

I won't give you any lectures on cigs cause it sounds like you got that covered on your own.

[LiberalArkie]

26. After 2 myself and a 4 way bypass.. it was the cigs..

You know quitting cigs was the easiest thing I have ever done.. quitting Burger King was a lot rougher.. I just had to say no to the cigarette oanic attack and it was over really quick..

[Caoimhe]

27. WOW! Glad you are ok!!!

Nasty things those cigs. I had to quit when I found out my heart was enlarged and failing. It's not worth it. How old are you, btw?

[jaysunb]

28. 63

heh heh !

[Dem2theMax]

29. So sorry to hear what you went through.

But so happy that you are well enough to be back with your DU family!

Take good care and do everything the doctor says. :)

[DesertRat]

30. Welcome back

Glad to hear that you're on the mend. I wish you good health. :hi:

[spooky3]

31. Rethugs own those cig companies--does that help?

Don't give them any more of your hard-earned $$$!

Glad you're feeling better--get well soon!

[bigwillq]

32. Welcome Back!

Glad to know you are feeling better.

:hi:

[David Zephyr]

33. Welcome back!

Dude, you are fortunate. Let the cigs go. We need you too much.

[TheDebbieDee]

34. I'm glad you feel better.........

If you want to quit smoking, please consider hypnosis - it worked for me. 3 and a half years without a cigarette and counting!

[proud patriot]

35. You can

quit smoking :hi:

[sam sarrha]

36. welcome back, i quit smoking and drinking using meditation. it was

really effortless.. the hard part was just sitting down for 10 minutes the first couple of weeks, after that i looked forward to it.

i started working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 4 months at Boeing.. working thru a microscope.. i got up at 4 am to meditate for 45 minutes before work.. i ended up doing 2.4 times more work than anyone else in our 22 person team.. No errors.. i quit being negative and annoyed and little things.. then even big things.. my blood pressure is great, i lost 30 pounds because i quit eating compulsively. meditation helps you to quit attaching negative emotions to words, thought, things.. levels the emotions. the best book i found is Rob Narin, Diamond Mind, you can get one for a few dollars used at amazon.com.

there is some good information at http://www.buddhanet.net they have a little video and some Audio information in their Buddhanet Audio section, lower left side of home page.. i really like Robert Thurman and pema chodron.. jack kornfield, sharon salzberg.

[DeepModem Mom]

37. Take care of yourself, jaysunb --- best to you!

[SlavesandBulldozers]

38. hey jaysun glad youre ok!!!!!

i bet its good to be out. i quit smoking pm me if u need help

[veness]

39. Smoking Cessation Aid

Hello Jay. Glad you made it back to DU :-)

A couple months ago I read a DUer's post where he/she said that the Commit lozenges really worked to stop nicotine craving. I bought a box of the strongest dosage (4 mg) and by golly these things truly do work! The intense craving is gone within a minute or two. For a few days it was hard to stay completely away from the cigs, and I cheated, still smoking at least a couple times a day even though I was using the lozenges the rest of the time. Now for the first time in years I've already gone up to a couple days without smoking at a time, and without suffering!

While looking for a link to include in this post I just learned people get addicted to this Commit stuff... Yikes. Well, I do cut each lozenge in half and that seems to be enough sometimes... Read reviews here: http://reviews.bodybuildingforyou.com/1800patches/commit-lozenges-stop-smoking.htm .

At this point I'd rather be addicted to lozenges for a while than to continue smoking. Am going to purchase another box. I have found it is sold where smoking cessation products are, in grocery stores or pharmacies, and in Costco.)

Many thanks to the DUer who originally posted about Commit!

All the best to you and to others who may be trying to quit.

[Solly Mack]

40. Harsh! Sorry to hear that. Glad you're feeling good!!!!

[AIJ Alom]

41. Welcome back and leave the smoking to us young guys ! j/k

[JerseygirlCT]

42. Wow. Hope you heal quickly. nt

[Old and In the Way]

43. Welcome back!

worst goddam addiction, cigs.

[Generic Other]

44. Welcome home Jaysunb

You take care of yourself.

:grouphug:

[stepnw1f]

45. Take Care of Yourelf.... Glad You are Ok (nt)

[DemoTex]

46. Welcome to life #2 buddy! Killing the cigs is great advice.

My 86 Y/O dad was diagnosed with lung cancer today. My radiologist brother did the PET scan. Dad gave up the cigs in the early 1980s.

Good to have you back. Stay healthy.

Mac

[B Calm]

47. smokeless tobacco will help you break the cigarette habit.

[1monster]

48. You and my husband. His was two weeks ago, but he had a triple bypass,

not a stent this time. He had a blockage right where the artery branched, and was ninety percent blocked. He actually worked a regular eight hour day and then went back for four hours after dinner...

At 3:45 a.m. in the wee hours of Sunday morning, he called 911 because four nitros in less than three hours failed to relieve the chest pain and the numbness in both arms.

The irony was that he was supposed to have gone into the hospital earlier in the week, but was somehow left off the list. He was then scheduled to go in for a catheterization on Thursday, but didn't quite make it that long.

It is amazing how fast he is recovering from the bypass surgery.

My husband had had a stent placement four years ago and has none of the risk factors that many people believe are the precursors of a heart attack. He has low blood pressure, his cholesterol is not high, he is not over weight, and until his first stent was walking two to four miles three to five nights a week. And he's only 59. That ole debil heredity has a lot to answer for.

You need to keep a close eye on yourself. If you start to feel breathless when walking or doing normal activities, get thee to a cardiologist immediately.

It is amazing how fast those blockages can spring up if you are prone to them.

[jaysunb]

53. Me and your Hubby are mirror

images.
I had bad chest pain for 3 or 4 days before I called my Cardi on Friday. I was in serious denial for the reasons I stated in the OP, but I started to get really worried Saturday and told the wife , " it's time." ( isn't that ironic ? LOL !)

Doc says I'm lucky for the second time w/100% block on the main line and about 40% on a secondary. He said I barely escaped the dreded bypass.

Good luck to Hubby, and you too !

[VOX]

49. Hey, jaysunb -- so very glad you are still with us -- stick around!!

Glad you're here -- keep up the good work with the exercise and healthy diet, do the meds, etc. and for God's sake NO coffin-nails! You're using up your 9 lives! :)

Hang in there and stay well! :thumbsup:

[jarnocan]

50. might want to dwell on this dali lama post-to reduce stresss TAKE CARE

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2374889
and comfort knowing you are in the company of somewhat like minded concerned people here. BUT - wow - take it easy.

[KurtNYC]

51. Welcome back - glad you're okay!

:hi:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

52. Wow! That sucks. So glad you made it and that you're back. n/t

[Octafish]

54. Wellcome back, jaysunb!

Get well soon! It's good to read ya!

[KoKo]

55. Welcome back...and sorry to hear you had to go through that.............

Are you on Statins? Did they ever put you on them? Have personal family experience with heart disease and that's why I ask.

Anyway! Good on You...to be back!

[BurtWorm]

56. Nice to have you back.

Congratulations on making it! You can give up cigarettes more easily than you think. My method: keep a cigarette-length straw handy and puff on it every time you have a craving. Permit yourself a moment to sit still and collect yourself when the cravings are really bad. Drink orange juice (if you can) or eat some fuit (something healthy) instead of going out for a smoke. Before you know it, a month will have gone by and then each passing day without a cigarette will become easier and easier. And you'll soon be able to start really smelling the world and tasting food again. Good luck!

:toast:

[bdamomma]

57. Welcome back

[caledesi]

58. Welcome back! Quit the cigs 10 years ago after trying to quit.

cigs at least 8-10 times without any luck Just keep quitting

[u4ic]

59. Glad you're okay, jay, and welcome back!

You already know what you have to do. Good luck! :hug:

[Roon]

60. My Uncle has had two heart attacks

His first one was when he was 32. He had another one a few months back,he's now 48. He had a quintuple bypass after his last heart attack. He still smokes, drinks beer, and eats like crap.

[Kajsa]

61. Welcome back !

I'm glad you're back.

Take good care of yourself.

:hi:

[mykpart]

62. So sorry to hear it!

Happened to me 5 years ago; no stents but a triple bypass. And gave up cigarettes. You can do it, and you'll be surprised at how much extra money you have. You've been thru the heart attack thing before, but I'll remind you anyway to watch out for depression. Glad you're OK!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

63. Glad you're back!

It might help you quit if you remember that every cigarette you don't smoke is money that you aren't giving to some rethuglican... :hi:

Be well! :hug:

[mom cat]

65. Just lay the cigs down. I did 27 years ago and it was the best

decision I ever made. It is tough, but you can do it.

[xchrom]

66. welcome back!

please take care of your self and HAVE FUN!


:hi: :woohoo:

[buddhamama]

67. oh my goodness!

i am happy to have you back with us. please take care of You! :hug:

[OzarkDem]

68. So glad you're doing better! n/t

[wildhorses]

69. glad to see you back. Stay strong with breaking the habit.

They truly are a health hazard. :hug::hi: K&R :kick:

[In_The_Wind]

70. I'm glad you made it through the crucial time.

Our bodies often surprise us when we think we're doing okay. If giving up cigarettes is the only thing you need to do to survive, you'll do it. :thumbsup: