Bouncing back to better health after a heart attack

Q: I had a mild heart attack, but it scared me a lot and I am trying to do what I can to prevent another one and get healthier than I was before it happened. Can you help?

Roger F., Akron, Ohio

A: Congratulations on your commitment to improving your health and dodging another heart attack. If you can look at your situation as an opportunity instead of a debit, you can do a lot to improve today and all your days to come.

Investigators recently presented a study at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2021 showing that you could add seven-and-a-half extra years of healthiness to your life after a heart attack if you adopt healthy lifestyle habits and take your prescribed medications.

However, only 7 percent of the 3,200 patients age 53 to 69 who were in the study met the recommended targets for lifestyle improvements and medication adherence. For example, 30 percent were still smoking and 40 percent had a dangerously high systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or more. Also, around 15 percent of the patients weren’t taking blood thinners, cholesterol control meds or blood pressure meds.

How can you do better than they were? From 80 percent to 90 percent of the risk of a heart attack can be modified by stopping smoking, adopting a healthy diet, reducing abdominal obesity, getting enough physical activity and controlling high blood pressure, diabetes and elevated blood lipid levels — using lifestyle modifications and medication. So make your checklist: Take meds as prescribed. Get 30 to 60 minutes of exercise five days a week; no smoking; and adopt a diet that helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and control your cholesterol and blood sugar. Push your doc to get you to a blood pressure of 120/80, a LDL cholesterol of under 70, and to help you reduce overall inflammation so a blood test shows an MPO of less than 1 and an hs-CRP of less than 1. You’ll be around for a lot longer if you do.

Q: I hate to complain, but I feel picked on — I am having trouble with urinary incontinence, my breath is bad and I get so sweaty it’s embarrassing. I’m well through menopause, and nobody else my age (57) seems to be dealing with all this. What’s going on?

Stephanie W., Bayshore, N.Y.

A: When you get hit with embarrassing body issues, it can seem like you’re the only one in the world who has to deal with them, but rest assured they’re far more common than you imagine — and they can be managed if you just screw up the courage to talk to your doc about them.

It’s amazing how reluctant people are to bring up these supposedly delicate issues: Urinary incontinence is a common problem, affecting 30 percent of women age 30 to 60, according to the American Urological Association. But one study found that 66 percent of women don’t mention it to their physicians. Depending on the cause, Kegel exercises may strengthen pelvic floor muscles, bladder training can help you learn to hold it, and some medications and topical estrogen can relieve symptoms.

Bad breath afflicts most folks at one time or another. When it’s constant, it can be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD). Most usually, however, it comes from poor dental hygiene, gum disease and infrequent professional teeth cleaning. Make a dentist appointment (it is safe) and brush twice and floss once a day.

As for hypersweating: According to the Cleveland Clinic, what is called focal hyperhidrosis is an inherited skin disorder, and it usually shows up before the age of 25. If you develop excess sweating later in life, it may be related to a medical condition such as diabetes or Parkinson’s. Naproxen, some antidepressants, insulin injections and zinc supplements can also cause excess sweating.

Make doctor’s appointments to take care of each condition. You will feel so much happier and less worried.