Just to list a few of the things that contribute..? 25 10 31
Aged 60 when I celebrated my 60th b-d with a party arranged by my Ma and sister Marion I can't remember ever taking any pills with the possible exception of aspirin or Anadin for the occasional headhache: that is excluding childhood diseases which occasionally did the rounds in our neighbourhood like Measels, Coughs and Colds, Hooping Cough, and Mumps, though I dare say for some of these the main medication was simply rest, or something to placate a young fellow..?
Aged 60 I still smoked cigarettes, a pipe and the occasional cigar, and still drank alcohol, red wine beer and the occasional wee dram of whiskey, and on the whole lived as someone immortal.
Happily this all changed in the week of 3rd April 2002, when going for our usual evening walk and "lighting up" immediately my wife and I vacated our house, wearing this Red Blouse of a lined lightweight jacket I am still wearing occasionally, with elasticated cuffs, I felt a tightness that was a new sensation in each of my wrists: the first heart insufficiency feelings from partially blocked arteries!
The background was 6 months of being away from home, attending a twice yearly meeting in Brussels in November and March, when on the back of them, I would take a swing through UK to visit my mother and relatives in my home town of Bury, Lancashire. In November 2001 I visited in England and Scotland, climbing Dubcreig in the Mamores with nephew Dave in the latter, attending mother's 88th birthday Party in Bury the former; then in December visiting Maderia with my wife to spend New Year on a week long walking holiday, straddling December and January 2002. In February we had a week in Pafos, Cyprus in which we were joined by Patrick, Jaana, Fabienne and Simone, our younger son and his family, when we had more walking in the area of Mt. Olympus; lastly in March another visit to England and Brussels, climbing Fairfield and St. Sunday Crag on the 15th March in "Whiteout" conditions in the English Lake District, with nephews Nick and Greg.
Funny now looking back because I used to boast "Egg and bacon all the way" in this succession of travelling away one week in every calender month, the last of my days of immortality in the two years: end of 2001 and beginning of 2002, pushing the top of my game as Chairperson of the CIPCEL meeting in Brussels and then beginning a 2 year term as President in 2002 in between the attack and my bypass surgery.
23 yrs later recalling these events I recall being prescribed a Beta-Blocker, Emconcor, medication to slow me down, Primaspan, an enteritic Asprin. to dilute one's blood, and Lipitor the Atavastatin cholesterol reducing medication produced by Pfizer, the market leader, on which at the time they made $14 million pa profit, its patent still preventing others from producing.
Further background is that coronary heart disease and associated bad teeth, or perhaps more precisely periodontitis, a degenerative condition of the gums to do with bacteria in the mouth, associated with coronary heart disease, or arteriosclerosis and diabetes, which took the lives of my paternal grandfather and great grandfather, plus my father's only sister all aged in the interval 50/52, my Dad taken in WWII by an acute form of Leukemia aged 39.
Still working as I was in 2002 the heart specialist in Tammisaari hospital, where I was taken by ambulance in the early morning post 3 35 when the alcohol ran out to keep my arteries dilated, this particular Saturday morning of the 6th April, treating me was surprised when I told him I wished with all speed to return to work, telling me no-one goes back to work so soon after their myocardial infarction, until after the bypass surgery, a 95% blockage in one of my two main cardio-arteries. Similarly, surprise was expressed by my heart sugeon that I was still alive, given the diagnosis pertaining to the extent of the blockages, when I have to conclude all my working out was paying dividends in terms of overall health..?
That I did decide to return to work drugged as described didn't continue for very long however because for the stressful job I was engaged in: being responsible for the company's Quality Assurance function, amongst other duties, and when battles raged between a particular person in the Marketing Department who liked to think that every problem to do with poor quality of the finnished food product, was related to bad workmanship on the part of the producers, also required me to be on top form healthwise. My fighting spirit no longer supreme thanks to the emconcor perhaps, for example.
That suffering a myocardial infarction when one believes one's self to be in one's prime, is beyond doubt a game-changer: stopping smoking was one irreversible consequence. How could one continue to smoke thereafter, the inescapeable pain that almost ended my life too strong a reminder: not only did I succeed but my wife also stopped, or in her case switched her from getting nicotine, via cigarettes, to using nicorette chewing gum as a first step to stopping completely, some years later. Others in our family had no such object lesson and paid eventually with their loss of life.
In the wake of my MI, a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes and Hypothyroidism followed, when in each case I was prescribed new medications of Diformin for Diabetes in 2005, and Thyroxine in 2006 as supplements.
But before these events I have to return to the fact that my daily working out with ever increasing walks began already in 1960 aged 21 in the light of the first serious case of girl-trouble kicked in, with this friendship with a girl from a foreign culture, whom I had met on holiday began writing to me and signing off "Sinun Mirkusi" meaning "Your Mirkku". Starting with walks round the neighbourhood, perhaps following my old Newspaper Round circuits, but quickly taking in Whitehead's Lodges, in say hour-long, sometimes nocturnal, walks adding to what I began to call my Ongoing Story.
That I didn't succumbe to a myocardial infarction in the same time frame of the three generations connected to my father, including his own, is undoubtedly due to a number of influences such as nutritional considerations for example, but life-style choices for someone able to decide for himself far more than any of his predecessors, living as I have in more enlightened times, with a more successful career, I have to consider myself most fortunate.
Consider for example the sequel to my infarction when its diagnosis suggested a triple bypass operation to repair my coronary arteries was decided; re-directing an artery in my breast to serve my heart with several grafts of veins, or arteries, taken from my left leg in procedures unknown in former generations. And thereafter 3 weeks of rehabilitation when we were lectured by a series of experts to do with physical training, nutrition including how to reduce harmful substances such as salt from one's diet, a phycologist to put across her message, etc: two weeks in the spring of the year following surgery, and a follow-up week in the autumn to ensure one kept focus on a different life style.
Still employed I was working only 3 days a week partly retired and was most fortunate to be able to join a fitness programme sponsored by my Employer called the "Aino" programme which included a waist-mounted step-monitor to help the organisers monitor one's progress. At the conclusion of the latter the organisers: after putting me on a bycle and increasing wheel reistance in 50 Watt increments up to 200 Watts, that my appearent age fell short of my real age by 13 years or feeling one's self to be 50 at age 63 not bad!?
What this is building up to is how in the 21st centuary those of us still taking the medication are still here telling the tale as my Mam was often want to proclaim: now i have just been prescribed another range of medications whose names I so far scaresly remember. Suppose I come back with a sequel to relate on them and their efficasy in the fullness of time..???
Aged 60 I still smoked cigarettes, a pipe and the occasional cigar, and still drank alcohol, red wine beer and the occasional wee dram of whiskey, and on the whole lived as someone immortal.
Happily this all changed in the week of 3rd April 2002, when going for our usual evening walk and "lighting up" immediately my wife and I vacated our house, wearing this Red Blouse of a lined lightweight jacket I am still wearing occasionally, with elasticated cuffs, I felt a tightness that was a new sensation in each of my wrists: the first heart insufficiency feelings from partially blocked arteries!
The background was 6 months of being away from home, attending a twice yearly meeting in Brussels in November and March, when on the back of them, I would take a swing through UK to visit my mother and relatives in my home town of Bury, Lancashire. In November 2001 I visited in England and Scotland, climbing Dubcreig in the Mamores with nephew Dave in the latter, attending mother's 88th birthday Party in Bury the former; then in December visiting Maderia with my wife to spend New Year on a week long walking holiday, straddling December and January 2002. In February we had a week in Pafos, Cyprus in which we were joined by Patrick, Jaana, Fabienne and Simone, our younger son and his family, when we had more walking in the area of Mt. Olympus; lastly in March another visit to England and Brussels, climbing Fairfield and St. Sunday Crag on the 15th March in "Whiteout" conditions in the English Lake District, with nephews Nick and Greg.
Funny now looking back because I used to boast "Egg and bacon all the way" in this succession of travelling away one week in every calender month, the last of my days of immortality in the two years: end of 2001 and beginning of 2002, pushing the top of my game as Chairperson of the CIPCEL meeting in Brussels and then beginning a 2 year term as President in 2002 in between the attack and my bypass surgery.
23 yrs later recalling these events I recall being prescribed a Beta-Blocker, Emconcor, medication to slow me down, Primaspan, an enteritic Asprin. to dilute one's blood, and Lipitor the Atavastatin cholesterol reducing medication produced by Pfizer, the market leader, on which at the time they made $14 million pa profit, its patent still preventing others from producing.
Further background is that coronary heart disease and associated bad teeth, or perhaps more precisely periodontitis, a degenerative condition of the gums to do with bacteria in the mouth, associated with coronary heart disease, or arteriosclerosis and diabetes, which took the lives of my paternal grandfather and great grandfather, plus my father's only sister all aged in the interval 50/52, my Dad taken in WWII by an acute form of Leukemia aged 39.
Still working as I was in 2002 the heart specialist in Tammisaari hospital, where I was taken by ambulance in the early morning post 3 35 when the alcohol ran out to keep my arteries dilated, this particular Saturday morning of the 6th April, treating me was surprised when I told him I wished with all speed to return to work, telling me no-one goes back to work so soon after their myocardial infarction, until after the bypass surgery, a 95% blockage in one of my two main cardio-arteries. Similarly, surprise was expressed by my heart sugeon that I was still alive, given the diagnosis pertaining to the extent of the blockages, when I have to conclude all my working out was paying dividends in terms of overall health..?
That I did decide to return to work drugged as described didn't continue for very long however because for the stressful job I was engaged in: being responsible for the company's Quality Assurance function, amongst other duties, and when battles raged between a particular person in the Marketing Department who liked to think that every problem to do with poor quality of the finnished food product, was related to bad workmanship on the part of the producers, also required me to be on top form healthwise. My fighting spirit no longer supreme thanks to the emconcor perhaps, for example.
That suffering a myocardial infarction when one believes one's self to be in one's prime, is beyond doubt a game-changer: stopping smoking was one irreversible consequence. How could one continue to smoke thereafter, the inescapeable pain that almost ended my life too strong a reminder: not only did I succeed but my wife also stopped, or in her case switched her from getting nicotine, via cigarettes, to using nicorette chewing gum as a first step to stopping completely, some years later. Others in our family had no such object lesson and paid eventually with their loss of life.
In the wake of my MI, a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes and Hypothyroidism followed, when in each case I was prescribed new medications of Diformin for Diabetes in 2005, and Thyroxine in 2006 as supplements.
But before these events I have to return to the fact that my daily working out with ever increasing walks began already in 1960 aged 21 in the light of the first serious case of girl-trouble kicked in, with this friendship with a girl from a foreign culture, whom I had met on holiday began writing to me and signing off "Sinun Mirkusi" meaning "Your Mirkku". Starting with walks round the neighbourhood, perhaps following my old Newspaper Round circuits, but quickly taking in Whitehead's Lodges, in say hour-long, sometimes nocturnal, walks adding to what I began to call my Ongoing Story.
That I didn't succumbe to a myocardial infarction in the same time frame of the three generations connected to my father, including his own, is undoubtedly due to a number of influences such as nutritional considerations for example, but life-style choices for someone able to decide for himself far more than any of his predecessors, living as I have in more enlightened times, with a more successful career, I have to consider myself most fortunate.
Consider for example the sequel to my infarction when its diagnosis suggested a triple bypass operation to repair my coronary arteries was decided; re-directing an artery in my breast to serve my heart with several grafts of veins, or arteries, taken from my left leg in procedures unknown in former generations. And thereafter 3 weeks of rehabilitation when we were lectured by a series of experts to do with physical training, nutrition including how to reduce harmful substances such as salt from one's diet, a phycologist to put across her message, etc: two weeks in the spring of the year following surgery, and a follow-up week in the autumn to ensure one kept focus on a different life style.
Still employed I was working only 3 days a week partly retired and was most fortunate to be able to join a fitness programme sponsored by my Employer called the "Aino" programme which included a waist-mounted step-monitor to help the organisers monitor one's progress. At the conclusion of the latter the organisers: after putting me on a bycle and increasing wheel reistance in 50 Watt increments up to 200 Watts, that my appearent age fell short of my real age by 13 years or feeling one's self to be 50 at age 63 not bad!?
What this is building up to is how in the 21st centuary those of us still taking the medication are still here telling the tale as my Mam was often want to proclaim: now i have just been prescribed another range of medications whose names I so far scaresly remember. Suppose I come back with a sequel to relate on them and their efficasy in the fullness of time..???
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