Ischaemic heart disease blog – The patient’s point of view

One of the goals of The Patient Experience is to allow patients, caregivers and those generally interested in a particular medical condition the opportunity to share their views and experiences.  We use blogs like this to give you the opportunity to discuss particular treatments and coping strategies; and the forums and blogs provide you with an opportunity to “vent”, if you need, with others who understand your point of view. Today we would like to focus on the lifestyles and treatments of people who suffer from ischaemic heart disease.  Ischaemic heart disease is one of the most common causes of death in OECD countries.  Ischaemic heart disease means that the blood supply to the heart is reduced.  Very often this is caused by coronary artery disease (otherwise known as atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries).  Risk factors for developing Ischaemic heart disease can include diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), hypercholesterolaemia (high cholesterol levels) and , of course, getting older and smoking.
There are a number of symptoms associated with Ischaemic heart disease.  These include angina (or chest pains), heart attacked or heart failure.
Once Ischaemic heart disease has been diagnosed treatments often involve antianginal drugs.  Revascularization or surgery to improve blood supply to the heart is also commonly used to treat the condition.  Lifestyle changes are also suggested such as giving up smoking, change of diet and increasing the amount of exercise undertaken.  Statins are typically prescribed to lower cholesterol levels.
We are interested in all aspects of your ischaemic heart disease story.  However we are especially interested in the following questions:-

• How old were you when you developed ischaemic heart disease?  Do you know what was/is the cause of your ischaemic heart disease?
• What were your main symptoms of ischemic heart disease?
• What sort of treatment were you offered?  How successful is the treatments?
• What changes in lifestyle were suggested and how easy were they to implement?
• What advice would you give to somebody who has just been diagnosed with ischemic heart disease?

Please treat these questions just as a guide. It would be great if you could tell us any part of your story.