Holiday Heart Attacks

Researchers have long noted a correlation between an increase in cardiac events and the Holiday season. There are many theories offered. In fact, there is an excellent article that you can find here. I found it quiet interesting that one of the main reasons for the spike is that we tend to put things off during the Holidays. Just last year I had total knee replacement surgery on December 30. It basically ruined much of the Holidays. It was the first time that we did not put up a Christmas tree. I made the decision for financial reasons. My deductible was met, but I can easily see myself putting off a nagging feeling of discomfort in my chest or some other warning sign. Is holding out for Christmas worth that being the last Christmas you will ever see.

Food and the Holidays

Well I made it through Thanksgiving sort of. If a person is trying to eat heart healthy the holidays can be a killer. This seems especially true in the South where I live. In the South even spinach can be considered junk food. You see, in the South spinach must be "seasoned" correctly which usually involves the adding of about two tablespoons of bacon grease during the cooking process. In my path to recovery food has been a challenge. Right after surgery I was so afraid that I didn't want to eat period. I went for a full six month and had oatmeal for breakfast every day. At some point though I fell off the wagon. I remember well one day making sure that no one I knew was watching before I pulled into Wendy's for a double with french fries. I felt so guilty, but it tasted so good, and what was worse was that I didn't have a heart attach, not even a slight chest pain. What you eat can kill you but with a person with heart disease it's not like you have a food allergy. Nothing happens, in fact for me those bad foods, like deep fried catfish, taste just as good as they did before bypass surgery.  

As I have encountered people like me who have had serious issues with CAD I have seen three very different reactions to food. Some go radical and totally change everything about their diet. I have a friend who is a doctor that took this route. He also rides his bike to work every day. He has lost over 50 pounds and looks great. Others make some modifications to their diet, but find sticking to those lifestyle changes to be a constant challenge. Then there are many who just eat what they ate before they knew they had a problem. Some of these make a feeble effort to change their diet with the key being feeble.  From my own personal observation most people I have known who have had bypass surgery or angioplasty just don't eat right. 

The sad thing is that while genetics seems to play a real role in the development of heart disease so does diet. I have a strong family history of heart disease, but I also never met a fried food that I didn't love.  Eating the right kinds of food is a struggle for me, but I just cannot cease to struggle.