Overall it’s possible to manage your health to prevent a future heart attack. You can’t control the factors you inherit from your family. I have plenty of these since most of my father’s family died from heart disease. The combination of a low fat diet, aerobic exercise and lowering stress are the big three that you have control over.

I find myself very aware of diet, exercise and stress. I am pretty good at managing them today. I can’t say I am perfect at it. I cheat on the diet and exercise little, but I am so much more aware of what I need to do. More importantly, I make good choices that I would never have even considered before my hospitalization. As with most heart disease patients, I have many medications that control hypertension, cholesterol and blood sugar. All of my tests in recent months have been very good.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I need to step up the exercise to 3 30 minute sessions a week; I need to maintain the low-fat, low-sugar diet and avoid stressful situations.