The Coronary artery disease Support Center

 Every person is unique, but when you face a challenge like coronary artery disease, you are never alone. Countless people have faced exactly the same diagnosis and have survived and thrived. The following guide is designed to help you navigate your journey through coronary artery disease with the best information and resources that helped other survivors when they faced the same challenge.

TSC has scoured the Web to assemble links to the very best resources about coronary artery disease: articles, blogs, forums, and tools that can help you make better decisions and take action to overcome the range of physical, emotional, and other challenges that you're facing now.

As you’ll see, we always welcome your ideas and suggestions to make this Coronary Artery Disease guide even more helpful to survivors like you.

 

JUST FOUND OUT 

Survivors Say: Best Resources for Coronary Artery Disease

• American Heart Association  The "Heart Hub for Patients" offers a wealth of tools and resources, including warning signs to watch for, heart-healthy cooking recipes and a calculator for determining your risk of a heart attack.
• National Heart Lung and Blood Institute  This division of the National Institutes of Health explains the disease, from causes and symptoms to treatment and prevention.
• Mayo Clinic: Coronary Artery Disease Detailed information includes lifestyle and home remedies, and what questions to ask and information to give at your doctor's appointment.

The Big Picture

The coronary arteries are the main arteries that serve your heart.  If they become clogged up with the substance known as plaque, that restricts blood flow to the heart and puts you at risk to develop coronary artery disease, the number-one killer in America. It is considered one of the more common conditions that can affect a person’s heart but if left unchecked and untreated, it can lead to far more serious heart problems such as angina, a heart attack, even heart failure. The good news is that the causes -- smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes -- are almost all preventable. Therefore, eating a nutritious diet, getting plenty of regular exercise and avoiding cigarettes are important to prevent this condition.

• American Heart Association: Coronary Heart Disease Risk Assessment
• FamilyDoctor.org: Coronary Heart Disease - Reducing Your Risk
• CardioSmart: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

Your Coronary Artery Disease

It’s very important that you fully understand the condition so that you can take the steps necessary to treat it effectively and appropriately. When it comes to being diagnosed and understanding what's involved in treating the disease, the more information you have, the better.

Mayo Clinic: Preparing For Your Appointment

More women die from coronary artery disease than from the next five leading causes of death combined (including cancer, diabetes, and accidents). However, many women underestimate the threat coronary artery disease (CAD) poses to their health.

WebMD: Women and Coronary Artery Disease

Try tracking and monitoring your heart health. There are now online tools to check your blood pressure, cholesterol level,  diet and physical activity.

Heart 360 Cardiovascular Wellness Center

Myths about Coronary Artery Disease

• Only men get coronary artery disease
• Only old people get coronary artery disease
  
• Taking statins can prevent coronary artery disease
  

Cleveland Clinic: Eight Common Myths About Heart Disease

Information and Recommended Links for Survivors

Survivors say these are the best guides  -- check them out to learn more about your options.

• WebMD: Coronary Artery Disease - Living with Heart Disease
• Medline Plus: Coronary Artery Disease

Types of Treatment

Lifestyle changes

The less costly changes -- eating better, exercising more, reducing your stress -- are the most effective for preventing or slowing the progression of coronary artery diseases.

Mayo Clinic: Lifestyle and Home Remedies

Medications

Besides lifestyle changes, treatment for coronary artery disease may involve drugs like cholesterol-lowering medications, beta blockers and aspirin. If blood flow to the the heart needs , surgical procedures like bypass surgery, angioplasty and stent placement may be required.

• Mayo Clinic: Coronary Artery Disease - Treatments and Drugs
• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center: A Typical Patient's Journey - Coronary Artery Disease

Possible Treatment Side Effects

Every medication, including those for coronary artery disease, has potential side effects. Discuss all your treatment options ahead of time with your doctor or surgeon.  Your pharmacist should always give you a drug information fact sheet with your prescription, so make sure you read it carefully before you leave and ask the pharmacist any questions you may have.

WebMD: Keeping Track of Your Loved One's Heart Medicines

New Therapies

Researchers are continually discovering new solutions for diagnosis and treatment the disease. Many changes have been made  recently in medications and interventional therapies, such as catheter-based and surgical procedures.  But there is no substitute for leading a healthy lifestyle to keep your heart working properly.

Mayo Clinic: Coronary Artery Disease

Holistic Treatments

Many alternative therapies are based on the belief that mind, emotions, and spirit influence physical health. These treatments include meditation, yoga, aromatherapy and massage. Chelation therapy has been talked about as an alternative treatment but many medical experts and heart-health organizations don't believe it works.

• Cleveland Clinic: Integrative Medicine and Heart Disease
  
• American Heart Association: Questions and Answers about Chelation Therapy

Creating a Support Circle

• Set up your TSC Survivor Profile
• Join support groups of other survivors or set up your own
• Interact and provide updates on your profile or our forums

Insurance Matters

If you need surgical procedures to combat coronary artery disease, you probably know already that it won't come cheap. It's important to explore all your financial options, from health insurance to medical loans.

eHow: How to Finance Open Heart Surgery

Resources to Find Doctors

Wondering who treats coronary heart disease? A cardiologist is the medical expert most likely to treat your symptoms and explain your options.

• CNN Health: Five Tips for Finding the Best Cardiologist for You
• Cardiology Channel: What is a Cardiologist?
  

The Emotional Roller Coaster

The diagnosis of a ‘heart problem’ can certainly cause some worry and concern. However, the good news is that the condition is fully treatable. Even though it is perfectly natural to worry at the start, you can find that as the doctor explains how it can be fully treated, you'll feel less anxious. Still, it is really important that you learn as much as you can from your doctors and surgeon before you make any treatment decision. One option is to join a support group online or in your community to as questions of other survivors, and share your own experience. The more you know, the better able you’ll be to deal with what’s coming down the road for you.

• American Heart Association: Local Information
• Mended Hearts

Books Survivors Recommend

• Coronary Artery Disease: An Incredibly Easy! Miniguide by Springhouse (Ed.)
  
• Recovering From Heart Disease in Body & Mind: Medical and Psychological Strategies for Living with Coronary Artery Disease, by Brian Baker, M.D., and Paul Dorian, M.D.
• Reversing Heart Disease: A Vital New Program to Help Prevent, Treat and Eliminate Cardiac Problems Without Surgery by Julian M. Whitaker

What Survivors Wish They’d Known

Communicating with Your Healthcare Providers

• The most important step is to make sure you understand everything. Talk to your doctor and surgeon in an open, honest way – let them know all your concerns and listen to all the advice they have to offer.
• Take someone with you to an appointment if you feel nervous about going alone.Beside offering support, that person can take notes and ask the doctor any questions that you may have forgotten to ask.
• Don’t hold back anything about your medical history or lifestyle patterns. In order to giver you the best treatment, the doctor needs to know everything.

Dealing with Coronary Artery Disease: Information for Co-Survivors

How you can help

• People diagnosed with any kind of heart problem may fear for the worst. Lend an ear so he knows someone is listening.
• Encourage her to learn all she can about her condition – perhaps you can help her prepare a list of questions for their doctor or surgeon.
• Come visit him in the hospital – bring a balloon, book or another gift that can bring some joy and laughter into his day.
• Let her know you’re available – maybe she needs practical help, like a lift to an appointment, grocery shopping,  or a little bit of help around the house.

What to say

• “I’m available to help you as best I can.”
• “I feel you can get through this and make the changes you need to live a healthy life.”
• "How can I support you so that you can get through this okay?”

What not to say

• "No more good-tasting food for you!"
• "You can do whatever you want – stop worrying what the doctor says."
• "This is what happens when you let yourself get so fat."

Things you can do for a survivor every day:

• Let them know when you’re available to help.
• Buy them a cookbook of heart-healthy recipes.
• Offer to learn how to cook healthy meals with them.
• Become her exercise buddy by offering to go on daily walks, trips to the gym, or do other healthy exercise.

How to help a survivor deal with day-to-day challenges:

• Listen to his concerns and don’t try to whitewash them.
• Remind her of how far she has come and that you’re there for her.
• Let him know that he can live a full, vibrant life.

Remission / Recovery / Recurrence

One way to recover from coronary artery disease is learning how to take better care of yourself. One way of doing this is to enroll in a cardiac rehabilitation program.

WebMD.com - Cardiac Rehabilitation

A big part of a healthy lifestyle is eating a heart-friendly diet. That doesn’t mean eating bland foods for the rest of your life, but it does mean eating more fruits and vegetables, and less fat and grease.

• National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute: Introduction to the Heart-Healthy Diet
• American Heart Association: Healthy Recipes
  

Cardiac surgery can certainly be a difficult experience but you'll gain your health and energy back slowly but surely.

USC Keck School of Medicine: A Patient's Guide to Heart Surgery

Give Back

Impart the wisdom you've gained from your experience to others who are feeling nervous, anxious, worried or scared about the road ahead. They may just have been diagnosed or going through this for some time, but whatever help you can offer will be welcome. A quick, easy way to share your stories and advice is through online support groups.

• eHealthForum.com: Heart Disease and Heart Attack Forum
• About.com: Heart Disease Forum
  

Although treatment for coronary artery disease is becoming more successful at prolonging life and reducing complications, the disease can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure.

• American Heart Association:  Heart Attack, Stroke and Cardiac Failure Warning Signs
• WebMD: Heart Failure Health Center
  

To be prepared for the worst, it's a good idea to think about end-of-life decisions before these events happen, while you are still active and able to talk about your wishes with your loved ones.

WebMD: Coronary Artery Disease: End-of-Life Decisions