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[grimple]

It's been a whirlwind 10 days, the bad kind.  My husband was in the hospital for a week.  Two coronary arteries are completely blocked, but his aorta is clear.  High cholesterol.  A smoker until last week.  Bad diet.  Little exercise.  Terribly high blood pressure.   Because he has always been so afraid of going to the doctor, I didn't insist until last week, when he'd been having terrible trouble catching his breath at night. 

The cardiac surgeon said only one of his blocked arteries is potentially viable for bypass.  For now, my husband is on loads of medications, and I've put him on a low salt, low fat, cardiac diet.  We also exercise regularly, and he has quit smoking.

None of the doctors gave us any kind of prognosis other than to say that "people with 30% ejection fraction (heart function - normal is 55-60%) can live for years."  My dear husband is 46.  Do any of you have any experience with CAD or information on life expectancy?  Can we expect 5 years?  10 years?  More? 

[veleda]

Grimple, sorry to hear about your husband. Just to reassure you, I was diagnosed with CAD when I was 42 and I'll be turning 56 this summer, so yes, one can live a "normal" active long life. I have had 7 stents placed, and take 13 different meds a day, but I have not had a heart attack. I am not a candidate for bypass, so I am vigilant about diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management. I'm not always successful at that but I do try to take care of myself.

It sounds, though, that your husband has heart failure also (the diminished EF), not just artery disease? When I worked in cardiac rehab (I am a clinical exercise physiologist), we had patients with EFs at that level who were able to exercise vigorously. He'll have to adjust to a "new normal", but may not be as limited as you fear. I taught exercise classes for years (popped nitro!), and still work as a personal trainer on the side, along with my academic teaching. I guess I'm trying to say that things will change for him in the context of his disease (and for you too), but not necessarily in the ways you might think.

It's really scary at first, but it gets better.

[grimple]

Thanks, Veleda.  I hope it does get better.  He's getting depressed, and I'm getting more depressed.  He does have heart failure.  Apparently, he'd had a heart attack and some heart tissue died, so now the heart works at 30% EF.  The docs said stents wouldn't work due to complete blockage.   I know he'll get used to the changes; I simply want him to have a good life and as long a one as possible!

[mountainguy]

Grimple, I'm sorry to hear about your husband. In addition to medication, exercise, and diet, your husband may want to look into getting psychiatric help if his depression persists. It will help his life expectancy.

This may sound like a random question, but has your husband seen a dentist recently??? There is significant evidence suggesting that periodontal disease (inflamed gums/receding gumline) increases one's risk of a heart attack.

Best wishes to you and your husband!

[frogfactory]

Grimple, I'm sorry to hear about your husband. In addition to medication, exercise, and diet, your husband may want to look into getting psychiatric help if his depression persists. It will help his life expectancy.

This may sound like a random question, but has your husband seen a dentist recently??? There is significant evidence suggesting that periodontal disease (inflamed gums/receding gumline) increases one's risk of a heart attack.

Best wishes to you and your husband!

Dental infections can be good predictors of bacterial endocarditis and associated valve infections that can lead to heart problems, but I don't think this is likely to be the major issue here (and any cardiologist would check this).