Sailing with heart condition

[DB_56___/)___]

I've angina, and take a couple of pills a day for that along with my Hypertension; nothing abnormal in either, but lifestyle familial history stuff gives me a predisposition. I've also just had cancer surgery, an appendectomy and retained my offshore medical. Angina isn't going to interfere with you as long as you listen to the best advice and understand it with relation to you, and respond to it.
Some of the people replying on this thread aren't sufferer's of it, but do have expert knowledge.
Best of luck to you, but you've got to keep positive, because that works.

Thanks Jamie

 

[DB_56___/)___]

Once you get used to angina pain you get to know what will bring it on and so its not difficult to manage.
I had a single artery bypass graft 2 years ago which has stopped the angina.
As others have said - take the pills, avoid the cold and watch out for the things that trigger attacks. Diet and weight are vital and regular blood tests ( 6 months) plus blood pressure checks.
Left upper arm, shoulder, back and chin/neck were my hotspots but only when really exerting myself.
They would have stented but it was on a bend so a bypass was considered a better more long term option.
Good luck.

Thanks Claymore

 

[DB_56___/)___]

To all who replied, thank you so much. I appreciate your time passing on your experiences. As I said its all new to me so I can draw upon all the positive messages, so again my thanks.

 

[claymore]

I like the idea of a "cardiac infraction"! (A prohibited percentage, perhaps...)

You seem to have been in the knifebox today shrouds, forestays, cardiac infractions - very sharp..

 

[mjcoon]

You seem to have been in the knifebox today shrouds, forestays, cardiac infractions - very sharp..

Thanks, I emerge from the usual fog now and again!

 

[chubby]

Lots of excellent and very sensible advice

 

[PlanB]

What sort of fit?
OH had partial focal seizure onset and had to surrender his driving licence for a year. Got it back after meds were found to stabilize condition.
Meds and caution exercised for rest of life!

 

[Praxinoscope]

And it gives you a stinking headache. I was on iv with it in hospital for a couple of days and had a stinking sore head. Doctor explained it was the dilated blood vessels in the head

I think the spray is basically nitrate based, workers in explosives (TNT) factories used to find that at weekends when they weren't at work they suffered severe headaches which disappeared again when back at work, to counteract this they would take a small piece of TNT home with them and use it as a sort of smelling salts.
I used to work a lot with Celulose Nitrate based film stock, if the room ventilation was not very efficient I would start to get a headache after a couple of hours working with it.

 

[johnalison]

Lots of excellent and very sensible advice so a slight thread drift: anyone got advice regarding a first unprovoked fit and how long to exercise caution sailing including single handed, the driving ban is six months after which there are no restrictions and you can drive solo! how about trigger factors: sleep deprivation with a night passage might not be a good idea? Any particular number of months for sailing?

My late BiL had a single fit when he was about 20 and no more before he died in his fifties from other things. However, I would have to say that if it were me or a close family member the only conclusion I would come to would be that the only safe option would be to give up sailing altogether other than short trips in company with others. I have no personal experience of epilepsy afloat and would be interested to see what others have found out.

 

[Leighb]

Lots of excellent and very sensible advice so a slight thread drift: anyone got advice regarding a first unprovoked fit and how long to exercise caution sailing including single handed, the driving ban is six months after which there are no restrictions and you can drive solo! how about trigger factors: sleep deprivation with a night passage might not be a good idea? Any particular number of months for sailing?

Unless the rules have changed in the last 20 years I thought that after a fit, other than a nocturnal one, the automatic driving ban was 12 months. A first fit in an adult should in any case be investigated fully.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

There, and my "received wisdom" on Apple products is that they are wonderful and nowhere near as frustrating as Microsoft or Android! (So I haven't gone near them...)

It's like politicians - everyone has their favoured party but the reality but the reality is that they're all after the same thing and as bad as each other.

 

[Alfie168]

Today 17th May is the tenth anniversary of my pacemaker implant. I can hardly believe it. I have a thing called sick sinus syndrome which leads to chronic atrial fibrillation and I also have complete AV block. If I have an AF episode then I can do nothing for the next 24 hours as you become a damp rag with an uncooperative ticker, and thats a real risk when sailing, but I only have about six such events in any given year. I have a GTN spray but have never used it. I just have to try and manage my life a little differently and I can't walk anything like as far and as fast as I am used to doing. Thats still frustrates me after ten years, but I can still do ten miles walking at a push....and I'm knackered after that believe me. Age 67 these days, so the job was done at 57 with no other heart surgery required. As the cardiologist said " Its not your plumbing, its your electrics" I'd had the condition since age 53, but it took years to meet somebody who actually knew what it was..and she was a cardiac nurse, god bless her !

 

[mjcoon]

Today 17th May is the tenth anniversary of my pacemaker implant. I can hardly believe it. I have a thing called sick sinus syndrome which leads to chronic atrial fibrillation and I also have complete AV block. If I have an AF episode then I can do nothing for the next 24 hours as you become a damp rag with an uncooperative ticker, and thats a real risk when sailing, but I only have about six such events in any given year. I have a GTN spray but have never used it. I just have to try and manage my life a little differently and I can't walk anything like as far and as fast as I am used to doing. Thats still frustrates me after ten years, but I can still do ten miles walking at a push....and I'm knackered after that believe me. Age 67 these days, so the job was done at 57 with no other heart surgery required. As the cardiologist said " Its not your plumbing, its your electrics" I'd had the condition since age 53, but it took years to meet somebody who actually knew what it was..and she was a cardiac nurse, god bless her !

Thanks for that description. Now I understand why I had to convince the DVLA that my pacemaker was not the defibrillator type so they would let me carry on driving! But I have the AV block, which is what it counters. I haven't asked whether the AV block is a consequence of earlier surgery for my plumbing mitral valve problem or if I would have developed it anyway.

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

Today 17th May is the tenth anniversary of my pacemaker implant. I can hardly believe it. I have a thing called sick sinus syndrome which leads to chronic atrial fibrillation and I also have complete AV block. If I have an AF episode then I can do nothing for the next 24 hours as you become a damp rag with an uncooperative ticker, and thats a real risk when sailing, but I only have about six such events in any given year. I have a GTN spray but have never used it. I just have to try and manage my life a little differently and I can't walk anything like as far and as fast as I am used to doing. Thats still frustrates me after ten years, but I can still do ten miles walking at a push....and I'm knackered after that believe me. Age 67 these days, so the job was done at 57 with no other heart surgery required. As the cardiologist said " Its not your plumbing, its your electrics" I'd had the condition since age 53, but it took years to meet somebody who actually knew what it was..and she was a cardiac nurse, god bless her !

I've found that the cardiac nurses know an awful lot more about the symptoms/effects of heart disease than most of the cardios!

 

[Alfie168]

I've found that the cardiac nurses know an awful lot more about the symptoms/effects of heart disease than most of the cardios!

Until I met her I'd been in hospital and told by all and sundry that I'd had a heart attack, no question, and to go home and recover. The nurse arrived for a home visit and after a long chat about my symptoms over a cuppa she just said " I've come across this a couple of times, I think I need to get you in front of somebody else", and three weeks later I was in front of a German cardiologist who was a senior lecturer in arrythmias at Leeds medical school and also another chap who was professor of cardiology. After the introductions they said straight away " The one thing we don't think you have had is a heart attack. There is no evidence on your scans and x rays" You could have knocked me over with a feather, but for the first time everything they said made sense in explaining what was going on.

I owe that cardiac nurse a lot, quite probably my life. She was the first person who properly listened to me.

I was told during my last check up that the brilliant German cardiologist has decided to go back to Germany after many years in the UK. I can't think why ?