It’s good to have you alive… and back on CC too 
Thanks for sharing your story.
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There’s also this thread about healthy food tips, habits, eating, etc.
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Just checking in - nothing new or interesting. Playing pickleball 3 days a week, weather permitting, and biking at least 1-2, usually 25ish or more miles per ride. I Usually do a 4+ mile walk a time or 2 a week too. I’m on day 461 of my 500+ move points on my watch.
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By somewhat popular request…
First, a little background. I just completed my 40th year of Karate (inc. 4 black belts), so I have not been completely sedentary. I believe that in some way my Karate training helped me survive this fight. My father and brother had heart issues, so crappy DNA runs in the family (get it?). Add to that, I traveled for work for 15+ years working, 4 planes per week, 12+ hour days 6 days / week, and ate out almost every meal. I felt fine until I collapsed, i.e. no warning. I had actually seen a cardiologist for a different issue the year before, he put me on a heart monitor for a few days and the result was all good. What changed? They told me in the hospital that what he was looking for wasn’t what caused my heart attack. Only a stress test would have caught that.
Second, I am just a regular guy off the street, not a trained dietician or fitness trainer. What I am doing seems to work for me. I am not sure that it is wise to take health advice from a guy whose family had to be told that he died twice in one day as the result of a heart attack. Luckily, through the miracle of epinephrine, sodium bicarbonate, and electricity I came back twice, but I am not a shining example of what to do. BTW, I now hate the phrase YOLO ‘cuz it ain’t true.
Mental Health: How do you get through 50 days in the hospital?
· I decided early to have a good attitude. It wouldn’t do me, my doctors, or my nurses any good to have a bad attitude.
· Keep your sense of humor. Everyday multiple doctors and nurses would ask me “How are you doing?”. I always answered, “Other than all of this sh** you have plugged into me and the fact that I now walk like a toddler, I feel great! How about you?”
· Nurses have the hardest job in the world and are people too. Ask them about their family, interests, what they do for fun, etc. It shows that you care about them too and takes your mind off of your own situation. In 50 days I was on every floor of the hospital (inc. the roof when they flew me in), so I had a lot of nurses and they are all angels. One set of nurses started a “What will G#’s Creatinine level be on the day of surgery” pool.
o After you get discharged, go back in a few weeks dressed as a regular person and thank them for everything they did to get you where you are.
o Also, go back and visit the EMTs who saved your a** and drove or flew you to the hospital. They love to see a “success story.”
· Follow doctor’s orders. They aren’t perfect, but most know more than you do.
· “Discomfort” is a euphemism for something that is going to hurt. You will survive it. I can’t count the number of tubes that I had in me that had to be removed. My favorite was , “I can give you a shot to numb this, but the shot will hurt as much as me just pulling it out.”
· Once out of ICU, I convinced the nurses to put a “Do not disturb 11:00PM – 5:00AM” sign on my door. Continuous sleep helps a lot.
· DW gave me homework on a laptop so I could relearn my computer skills. Starting with making a Word document simple list of Things I Hated (Lifetime Channel), Things I Liked (popsicles) , and Things I Look Forward To When I Get Home (taking a shower).
· Crossword puzzles to use your brain even if you suck at them like me.
· Visitors. The highlight of my day was seeing DW almost every day. 
· Write a long letter to your spouse telling her how you really feel including how you want her life to be whether you survive the surgery or not. She doesn’t need your permission, but might appreciate knowing that you want her to fall in love again if you don’t make it.
· It’s OK, normal to be sad or scared sometimes. You are a moron if you aren’t.
· It’s OK, normal to be happy sometimes. I couldn’t stop saying “I made it! I made it!” the day after surgery.
· It’s OK to be simultaneously happy and sad. Happy for the woman next door who just got a new heart. Sad for the family of the donor who is somewhere grieving.
· Learned to stop trying to rationalize why the 59YO guy made it when there are children in the hospital who will not. That is not for you to understand and will drive you crazy if you try.
· Learned to “Avoid the Kellys.” For whatever reason, I could not bear to watch Kelly Clarkson or Kelly Ripa.
· All doctors told me “It took multiple miracles for you to still be here.” I told DW, “I guess I was too stupid to know that I had an option.”
· Apps are your friend. Every day, I knew my lab results long before the doctors came to discuss them with me.
What do I eat now?
Low Salt, Low Fat, Low Sugar – I jokingly call it the “Flavor Free Diet.” It’s really not as bad as it sounds. I do allow myself a “cheat” every now and then, but everything in moderation. Once you cut back on salt, foods with salt start to taste super-salty.
· Replaced salt with spices. Nephrologist and Cardiologist steered me away from salt substitutes made from Potassium Chloride (bad for kidneys and can make your heart stop!).
· Cardiologist says that Ornish Diet is the only one proven to reverse heart disease. It is too strict and I knew I would fail.
· Hospital recommended Mediterranean Diet. I asked if that meant a lot of prosciutto and gelato. They laughed.
· Basically only Olive Oil for oils.
· A lot of Balsamic Vinegar… you can put it on just about anything and make it edible.
· I eat a lot of hummus and harissa, but be careful some brands add a lot of salt.
· Drink mostly water and Ginger Ale. I should drink more to help my kidneys. 2.5 liters / day recommended. I am closer to 1.5 liter / day.
· Decaf Coffee with plant-based creamer.
· Substitute Oat Milk for 2% Milk in some cases (like on cereal). FWIW, I do not like the taste of almond milk.
· Whole wheat pasta. You get used to it. I tried some sort of pasta made from zucchini (I think). It is the only thing that I have told DW that I cannot eat. It is terrible.
· Multi-grain bread. Tastes OK to me.
· Avoid “dark” soda, i.e. Coke and Pepsi. Hospital Nephrologist says they are bad for kidneys due to phosphates. Told me, if you have to drink dark sodas, drink Dr. Pepper or Root Beer… no phosphoric acid.
· Eat very little red meat which used to be a staple. Maybe 1 hamburger or small steak every 2-3 months now. Every meal, ask DW if I can have a ribeye with that.
· Eat a lot of chicken, turkey, and fish. Luckily, I really like salmon, trout, and tuna. Turkey sausage is not a bad substitute for “real” sausage.
· Eat a lot more salads, veggies, fruits, and nuts. Salad dressing homemade: equal parts Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Balsamic Vinegar, and Dijon Mustard tastes pretty good.
· Stay away from pre-packaged foods as much as possible. They are convenient, but contain a lot of salt and fat.
· Smart Balance instead of real butter. Vegan butter is just as bad as real butter.
· Sugar Free yogurt.
· Something sweet: honey or 85%+ cocoa chocolate.
· Not a big deal for me, but I avoid alcohol. Doctors and chemists told me that even the “1 glass of wine a day is good for you” thing has no merit and those studies are funded by the wine industry.
· Gave up my crack habit. OK, I was just checking to see if you were still reading. I basically took no medicine (legal or otherwise) before the heart attack.
· Eat out ~1x / week and watch what I order. We frequent a restaurant where we know the waitress well and she always goes back to the kitchen to be sure they don’t add salt.
· Balance issues: Nephrology diet: Bad=kale and rhubarb (oxalates), Good=Bacon. Cardiology: Bad=Bacon, Good=veggies.
· Read labels which makes grocery shopping take a lot longer.
· DW supports me and basically eats what I eat.
· If someone brings in donuts or pizza in the work kitchen, pretend they don’t exist.
Exercise
· In the hospital, Physical Therapy is your friend. Do what they ask! I had to in order to get the strength to have surgery. If anyone asks you if you want to try to walk, the answer is always “Yes.” There is a whole world outside your room.
· Now…
· At least ½ hour of walking every day.
· Some light (couple of miles) hiking.
· Swimming. 7/4/22 was my first attempt and I couldn’t do 2 laps (awkward). Was able to do 30 laps by end of summer.
· Hand weights – 8-10lbs. exercises provided during cardiac rehab.
· Elliptical at the Gym.
· Karate – practice on my own so far. Cleared to return by cardiologist with no heavy contact. I guess they don’t want me to undo everyone’s good work. The first time they let me walk without a walker in the hospital, I made myself get through 1 kata.
OK, I’ve wasted enough of your time. DW tells me that I should take my story on the road and become a “Motivational Speaker.” Ha!
Time for you to get back to that “Chance Me: Berklee for the kazoo challenged” or “Why RISD has the most awesome mascot” thread
CC should be removing my login any minute now.
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We have a thread for that too. 
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I read all the way to the end! Your humor and attitude shine right through!
I had to laugh at the Kelly’s. Kelly Ripa was brand new when I was stuck in the hospital with younger S for a week right after he was born. I saw lots of her, lol.
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Thanks for sharing your story
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Thanks to all for the kind words about the bummer part of our trip.
DW and I are both fairly resilient so we were able to quickly shift to how to make the best of situation.
We are just about 2 weeks out from our next vacation
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Gosh, I think you need to make this into some sort of “after a health crisis” primer. Your words are both serious, humorous, smart, kind and human.
I love the task your wife gave you to relearn the computer. What a smart woman!
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Went to my mom’s after eight days and, of course, gained weight. But it was less than usual, and I’ve already dropped 1.5 of the pounds. It’s amazing how easy it is to lose when I’m at home and eating when and what I want. If only she didn’t have ice cream in her house! I know so much of my eating is emotional and caring for my 91yo mom with Alzheimer’s is as emotional as it gets. Giving my self lots of grace along with the ice cream.
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No one should live a life of worry over a couple of pounds one way or another unless you’re a wrestler needing to meet a weight class! Vacations, stress moments, celebrations and sometimes just needing a delicious pat on the back - all within reason are reasonable!
Your mom’s care is worth the temporary scale number. <3
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Menopause, my daughter’s cancer, my mom falling, her subsequent move to independent living and my husband’s surgery and recovery put me on the wrong track, weight wise.
But I think I need to give myself grace instead of beating myself up. I’m still out there exercising and working at it. But weight is definitely harder to take off now.
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Grace is good. (((hugs)))
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I think it’s AMAZING how you folks somehow manage, managed or are managing life’s “curveballs,” which are thrown at all of us at some point in our lives. A BIG 
A status update for me. I’ve signed up for my 2023 version of a “duathlon,” this coming Fall. Spaced about a week apart, I’ve signed up for both a half marathon and powerlifting (squat, bench and deadlift) competition.
The powerlifting competition makes me nervous because of the singlet and audience aspect of it, and I actually don’t consider myself a powerlifter, per se, but I need the thrill of competition and community facets.
Of course, lifting weights for big power #'s and running are antithetical to each other, but as I’ve told people who think I’m nuts for doing both, I don’t care. I’m doing it for fun. And they’re both local.
As I’ve told my SO, I can always “leak oil” for a 5K, and my base now is good for 6-8 miles. I just need a little “stretching out.” I’ve already started this week adding some running miles to my program.
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Hey, I’m curious whether you follow Dr. Peter Attia. I have fallen down a rabbit hole of his stuff and was curious what you think of him. He has the no. 1 nonfiction book on the NYT list.
I’ve watched this one podcast, which a CC member, maybe you?, recommended months and months ago. He speaks about various exercise metrics. I found it interesting, but maybe not for me.
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@ClassicMom98 how are things going in your world? You have a lot going on right now I know.
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Dh and I have been playing lots of driveway pickleball in preparation for visiting and taking down ds1 next week. 
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Just checking in-- this was a week where I just played soccer a couple of times.
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Thanks for checking on me. H’s surgery went really well. He’s doing much better than we thought he would. He only takes the narcotic at night. And was able to go up and down steps on the first day. The second was probably the hardest after the good anesthesia drugs wore off, but it’s been steadily improving. He’s down to a cane but doesn’t use it as he should IMO.
I do most of the house stuff anyway - we contracted out yard stuff this summer since H was in too much pain to do that. And I’d rather scrub toilets all day long than do yardwork. I’m so allergic to it all anyway. But the added chores aren’t that big is a deal. It’s just between that and checking on H - I dole out all the meds as needed and fill up the cryo ice machine thing and all that stuff just has me out of my routine.
But I’ve been able to work out as usual which is good. I come in and check on him in between the aerobic portion and lifting portion.
As far as the leukemia mess. That’s tabled for now. He’ll call next week to set up an appointment with wake forest whenever they can get him in. So I’m trying not to think about that now. And then he also has to do his colonoscopy! He was due this summer and with his history that one is actually important. Poor guy. What a year.
Older S/GF stopped here late Thursday night through early this morning on their way to Hilton Head. It was nice for him to have the company since I have been at work every day. And they will stop back here next weekend on their way back home.