After heart surgery. Looking for answers to stay alive.

Hi @miracleman, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I commend you on looking for ways that you can live well after having open heart surgery 3 times. For me that means working on making healthy choices when eating, moving around and being active and also taking care of my mental health, like spending time with family and friends. The best is when I can mix all 3 into one like going for a walk together after a healthy meal with my family.

I'd like to bring in some other members to share their experiences on how they embrace life after a heart event, like @thankful @predictable @mrsjaxx727 @harriethodgson1 @lioness and @eileena.

Miracleman, you say you're feeling lucky. What have you started to do to help yourself keep that lucky streak going?

@miracleman Hi Welcome to connect also . Im Lioness . You are lucky to survive heart surgery. In 1996 I developed symptoms of a heart problem . My cardiologist did all the testing and decided with 3 arteries blocked 85,90,95 % I needed a triple by pass. My arteries where to small for a stint the balloon they tried first burst so it was of to the O.R. Its been 24 yrs since that happened and I am doing quit well I give credit to God for keeping me alive all this time . I went on a healthy diet , do exercise of some kind every day and live right . Its important to have friends and family support . Most of what I eat is fruits and vegetables, The Dr told me to get of red meat ,so I did now I have it occasionally . . I have always used vitamins and minerals to supplement any lose with food. The only med Im on is a cholesterol med which keeps it within normal range. So if you eat healthy ,exercise not strenuous , and live a good life you have a good chance on this earth . One other thing is keep a positive attitude that is most important

Greetings @miracleman and welcome. Yes, it does feel like we got miracles that allowed us to take the world on for a bit longer. I've got an 11" zipper like most here.

My input here is about living the best life I can. I still take stairs, but really do best if I move around first instead of just just beginning with that type of movement. I also try to eat some veggies daily, have begun making sure to drink diluted lemon juice to make sure my stomach has the right balance and that way I digest my foods better. I did the 36 visits to the cardiac rehab gym. It was interesting to meet all those older than me who had all kinds of different conditions that led them there. I also walk from the halfway point in parking lots to the grocery entry, then while shopping I usually cover about 5,000 to 10,000 steps. I also try to be active doing things like ushering.
At Scripps they have once a month meetings on saturdays where a Cardiologist comes in and talks about new developments.

There are a few supplements I'd like to mention that really helped me. D-Ribose, a sugar used by your heart to help in stress recovery. Hawthorne, another heart helper. I mix them in water and drink them down.

You will get much input from others here and most of all you will get support on your new chapter of life.

Honestly, I'm trying to quit worrying and turn it over to God. He's ultimately in control anyway. I had my 11th stent put in Mid January and it kind of sent me into a "tailspin". I got busy trying to research what I could do to sustain my life. It finally hit me, I'm not in charge. All I can do is reach out to others who deal with this type of issue and turn it over to God.

I appreciate your reply to my post so much. I'm not a "candidate" for a 4th open heart surgery, which I now need, but am just trying to turn to my faith in God and relax a bit. It's sad that I waited until I've reached this point to finally "turn it over to God". I'm trying to create a new bucket list and move on with life being as positive as I feel I can be. Thanks for your input on the diet and exercise Lioness. Blessings to you!

Thanks for your input Eileena. I like your suggestion of diluted lemon juice. I struggle with digestion also. I've been type 1 diabetic for 49 years in addition to the heart issues. My doc says my Right Coronary artery is "layers of stents" and my Left Main artery/LAD has already been bypassed twice. So, most recently my bypass graph was stented last July, then in January it had to be restented (now a double layer of stents). I've finally, sadly it's finally, turned my future over to God. I'm not in control anyway and I'm running out of surgical options. I appreciate your input and co-championing of our cause.....trying to stay alive.

Blessings to you Eileena.

@miraclman Im glad you are letting God be your CEO if he brings you to it he will bring you through it . Have the believe and relax just do your part by the diet and exercise . Positive thinking always. Good luck I know it is hard even I want to be in control but know Im not !

@miracleman, my nephew has nine stents and is using serrapeptase enzymes, delta tocotrienol from annatto in addition to vitamin K2MK4 for maintenance and prevention. In addition to those, please investigate boron for it's benefit with type 1 diabetes. As they say there's nothing boring about boron. One more thing, liposomal vitamin C offers important arterial benefits that non-liposomal C t because it t lasts longer in the body. Be aware that thiamine needs magnesium to work and thiamine is involved in many body functions including digestion. Since a high percentage of the population is deficient in magnesium it's understandable the impact thiamine deficiency is having. I encourage discussing these suggestions with your health team and I hope a nutritionist is also a member.

Great testimony

Clean healthy diet, exercise and good nights sleep. I take good quality vitamins and antioxidants.