That’s how Rahul, 49, describes his journey. A journey from an athletic teenager to some one who is now a cardiovascular patient with hypertension and hyperlipidemia. All because he did not make his health a priority.
“It’s changed my family’s life and landed me in a situation I would not wish on anyone.”
I survived a heart attack two years ago. How did I get here? I was an athletic teenager. At the age of 20, I did a 200km trek and was regularly running half marathons. But today I am a cardiovascular patient with hypertension and hyperlipidemia.
My story is probably similar to many others’ stories. After I joined the workforce, my lifestyle changed. Late-night calls, oversized dinners, hanging out in pubs, stress… they all started taking a toll. I continued to run and play squash but I was gaining weight.
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During my annual health checks, doctors warned of high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure… but I brushed it aside. Those things happen to other people. Then, after a long flight, I felt uneasiness in my chest. I thought it could be acid reflux or the effect of over-eating and oily food. A few hours later, this got worse and I started have breathing difficulty. My wife rushed me to the hospital nearby (thank god I was in Singapore) and they promptly diagnosed the problem as Pulmonary Embolus that had occurred due to Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). In DVT, blood clots form in the deep veins, often in the legs, and these clots can travel through the blood stream, and get lodged in the lungs. I was 36 years old.
A detailed examination revealed that my cholesterol level was very high and I had high BP. I was put on warfarin (anti-coagulant) to reduce the possibility of clotting and cholesterol lowering drugs (statins). If you take warfarin, you have to be careful about not cutting yourself accidentally as the blood will not clot and the bleeding continues for a long time. It also caused diarrhoea and a continuous pain in my stomach. Statins caused muscle aches, bloating and constipation.
The regimen required me to visit the doctor every 2 weeks for PT-INR blood tests. This test gauges the effectiveness of the anti-coagulant warfarin and accordingly the warfarin dosage is adjusted. Being predominantly vegetarian, my INR would fluctuate wildly. Green vegetables have Vitamin K, which interferes with blood thinners. The doctor advised that I would have to be on warfarin for a very long time, probably forever, to contain the risk of DVT. Initially, I meticulously followed the regimen, but a couple of years later, tiredness and lethargy started to set in. I became irregular with my medicine intake and over time completely stopped taking the statins due to the side effects.
Over the years, I relapsed into a sedate life again.... lazy long lunches and over eating at dinners. Physical activity was limited to weekends with sporadic intense physical activity. There were tell tale signs. I would lose breath in a long squash rally or when I had to climb more than two floors. I would always tell myself that I would be more regular from next week.
When I was around 44 yrs old, in my annual health screening, doctors noted irregularity in the stress ECG. Immediately, I underwent an MRI for my heart, where narrowing of heart arteries was noticed (atherosclerosis). The doctor recommended that I undergo angiography and, if required, angioplasty immediately. I was horrified.
How could this happen to me! I was scared to break this to my wife. Our child was in high school… How will they react.. they will feel so vulnerable... I discussed this with my best friend and he said that I had to tell my family.
I wanted a second opinion before proceeding and went to National University Hospital. Upon seeing the reports, doctor said I must proceed with angiography immediately. When doing the angiography, doctors noticed tightening at two places and placed stents in two locations in my Left anterior descending (LAD) artery. I was immediately put on a strict regimen of Plavix, aspirin and Clopidogrel with strict instructions to be on regular medication.
I decided to adopt a strict physical fitness and moderate eating regimes and soon I had lost about 5 kg (down to around 65kg) and felt great and fit. I was back on the squash courts, riding over 40 km on the weekends. The doctor’s only advice was to regularly take medicines, eat moderately and exercise regularly.
Three years passed. My life was normal. I felt that my problem had never happened. I was getting lax with my diet and medicines. On our annual vacation, I realised I had not carried all my medicines... I thought I would manage by skipping a few days....
A day after returning to Singapore, I went for my regular squash game. After the game, I felt very restless and unwell. My wife rushed me to the hospital. I was immediately diagnosed with a heart attack - most likely due to plaque build-up due to irregular medication.
I am currently taking aspirin, Crestar (Statin), Carvideol and Perindopril arginine.While I am lucky to have survived to tell my story, others may not have been so lucky. So please lead a healthy life, see your doctor regularly and take your medicines on time.
