Take care of yourself guys

[BIG_DADDY]

In the last year I have had 6 friends die. 4 in their 50s, one in his late 40s and one in his early 60s. All appeared to be in great shape. Makes you think a little about your own mortality. Wish I had retired a couple years back when I had the chance. Seems so young to be kicking it. Still others have had major health issues and cannot enjoy any quality of life. What ever happened to the new 50 is the old 40?

[BryanBusby]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

people don’t realize how much they will regret smoking cigarettes until it’s too late. Smoked for 10 years myself. Quit 33 years ago.

I smoked for a little over 10 years and am really glad I stopped. I can definitely feel the impact from it, but I am doing a lot better overall vs when I was still smoking.

It's nice not having a coughing fit in the morning and tasting food again.

[Mennonite]

Those extra years you get don't get tacked on to your early 20's. All that time you spend exercising and not eating giant Oreos just means you get to spend a few extra years shitting yourself in the the third rate rate nursing home your ingrate kids stuck you in.

Beat your kids and then treat yourself to some Arby's. You've earned it.

[2112]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

people don’t realize how much they will regret smoking cigarettes until it’s too late. Smoked for 10 years myself. Quit 33 years ago.

Smoked for 22 years, from 13-35. It will be 19 years since I quit in September (hardest thing I ever did). I have a family history of heart disease so as a preventative measure I saw a cardiologist when I turned 50. He told me those smoking years still count lol they never go away. Anyways I work out regularly and he put me on a 20mg statin (even though my cholesterol is fine) as a preventative diesel ant-gel. All my numbers are great but you still never know if the pipes are clogged.

[Bugeater]

Pfft...I've smoked 1-1 1/2 packs a day for over 30 years. Still was able to knock out 44 miles of Iowa hills on my bike last summer.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by D2112

Smoked for 22 years, from 13-35. It will be 19 years since I quit in September (hardest thing I ever did). I have a family history of heart disease so as a preventative measure I saw a cardiologist when I turned 50. He told me those smoking years still count lol they never go away. Anyways I work out regularly and he put me on a 20mg statin (even though my cholesterol is fine) as a preventative diesel ant-gel. All my numbers are great but you still never know if the pipes are clogged.

Your cardiologist must be using some interesting data, because ASCVD risk calculators treat you as a nonsmoker once you've quit.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Why is life expectancy decreasing? I was hoping by the time I got real old we were at 100 years, or they can at least put my brain in a vat and I can live on with the help of a computer.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/21/healt...udy/index.html

Life expectancy in the United States has dropped again following last year's decline, which marked the first downturn in more than two decades.

On average, Americans can now expect to live 78.6 years, a statistically significant drop of 0.1 year, according to a report on 2016 data published Thursday by the National Center for Health Statistics. Women can now expect to live a full five years longer than men: 81.1 years vs. 76.1 years.

The last time the agency recorded a multiyear drop was in 1962 and 1963.

"I still don't think you can call it a trend, because you really need more than two data points to call something a trend," said Bob Anderson, chief of the mortality statistics branch at the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "But it's certainly concerning to see this two years in a row."

Anderson said he is particularly concerned about drug overdose deaths, most of which are opioid-related."We have data for almost half of 2017 at this point. It's still quite provisional, but it suggests that we're in for another increase" in drug-related deaths, he said. "If we're not careful, we could end up with declining life expectancy for three years in a row, which we haven't seen since the Spanish flu, 100 years ago."

The 10 leading causes of death remain unchanged and now account for 74.1% of all deaths in the United States, according to the report. Age-adjusted death rates decreased for seven of the top 10 leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, and kidney disease. The rates increased for unintentional injuries, Alzheimer's disease and suicide.

Unintentional injuries include accidental drug overdoses, which were the official cause of 63,600 deaths last year."It just keeps going up and up and appears to be accelerating," Anderson said. Opioids now kill more people than breast cancer. Opioids now kill more people than breast cancer
"In the past, those increases have been more than completely offset by declines in cardiovascular mortality," such as heart disease and stroke, he said. "What's happened in recent years, since about 2010 or so, is a substantial slowdown in the rate of decline for cardiovascular mortality. It seems to be leveling off to some extent, and as a result, the drug overdose deaths are more prominent in the overall picture of mortality."
A country's infant mortality rate (the number of births compared with the number of deaths of children under age 1) "is generally regarded as a good indicator of the overall health of a population," according to the report. In the United States, this rate "changed from 589.5 infant deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015 to 587.0 in 2016, but this change was not statistically significant."

The biggest takeaway from the report is that heart disease and cancer are still far and away the top killers of both men and women in the United States. The good news is that there are three things you can do to drastically reduce your risk of developing both: eat right, exercise and don't smoke.
It sounds like simple advice, but as anyone who has ever tried knows, it is easier said than done.

Obesity and metabolic syndrome

[2112]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Your cardiologist must be using some interesting data, because ASCVD risk calculators treat you as a nonsmoker once you've quit.

Really? after smoking for 22 years? Not according to him. My brother had a stent put in at 54 and he never smoked. He was on blood thinners for a year after that. Bottom line is he really pushes preventative care and not waiting until after an event.

[2112]

Hamas what kind of a doctor are you?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by D2112

Hamas what kind of a doctor are you?

Check your PMs.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by D2112

Smoked for 22 years, from 13-35. It will be 19 years since I quit in September (hardest thing I ever did). I have a family history of heart disease so as a preventative measure I saw a cardiologist when I turned 50. He told me those smoking years still count lol they never go away. Anyways I work out regularly and he put me on a 20mg statin (even though my cholesterol is fine) as a preventative diesel ant-gel. All my numbers are great but you still never know if the pipes are clogged.

Your doctor is a quack for putting you on drugs you don’t need to be on.

[BWillie]

I did this test https://www.bankrate.com/calculators...alculator.aspx

When I change my weight from 185 lbs to 300 lbs it goes from 81.5 yr life expectancy to 76.2 life expectancy. I really thought it would be way worse to be a fat **** - but apparently not.

When I change my alcohol consumption from once a week, more than 2 drinks to NEVER it goes from 81.5 to 83.5. Then when I change it to drink but never more than two drinks it goes to 86.1.

The lesson of this exercise. Being fat isn't a big deal. Drink often - just not heavily.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by D2112

Really? after smoking for 22 years? Not according to him. My brother had a stent put in at 54 and he never smoked. He was on blood thinners for a year after that. Bottom line is he really pushes preventative care and not waiting until after an event.

DAPT (dual antiplatelet therapy) for a year is standard after placement of a stent, as most stents now are drug-eluting, which helps prevent thrombosis in the immediate period after placement.

Preventative care is fine. If you were treated as a smoker in his fifties, you'd qualify at least for moderate-intensity statin therapy based on your 10-year risk of ASCVD, but not all statins are created equal in strength. If you're taking atorvastatin (generic Lipitor) 20mg, that's only moderate intensity, whereas 20mg of rosuvastatin is considered high-intensity

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by BWillie

I did this test https://www.bankrate.com/calculators...alculator.aspx

When I change my weight from 185 lbs to 300 lbs it goes from 81.5 yr life expectancy to 76.2 life expectancy. I really thought it would be way worse to be a fat **** - but apparently not.

When I change my alcohol consumption from once a week, more than 2 drinks to NEVER it goes from 81.5 to 83.5. Then when I change it to drink but never more than two drinks it goes to 83.5.

The lesson of this exercise. Being fat isn't a big deal. Drink - just not heavily.

That's horrible advice. If you are 300 lbs, your odds of developing Type II diabetes go through the roof. That alone will significantly decrease your life expectancy, especially if you aren't adherent to your regimen and don't maintain adequate control of your blood glucose, which is but one complication.

[2112]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

DAPT (dual antiplatelet therapy) for a year is standard after placement of a stent, as most stents now are drug-eluting, which helps prevent thrombosis in the immediate period after placement.

Preventative care is fine. If you were treated as a smoker in his fifties, you'd qualify at least for moderate-intensity statin therapy based on your 10-year risk of ASCVD, but not all statins are created equal in strength. If you're taking atorvastatin (generic Lipitor) 20mg, that's only moderate intensity, whereas 20mg of rosuvastatin is considered high-intensity

Yeah, I’m taking the artorvastatin 20mg. Like I said I don’t have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. And I’m in pretty good shape (I work out all the time). I had a stress test in 2015 and a nuclear stress test in 2016 and I’m supposedly clean as a whistle. But you just never know.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by D2112

Yeah, I’m taking the artorvastatin 20mg. Like I said I don’t have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. And I’m in pretty good shape (I work out all the time). I had a stress test in 2015 and a nuclear stress test in 2016 and I’m supposedly clean as a whistle. But you just never know.

I wouldn't sweat it too much. Statins are generally safe and well-tolerated. They increase your risk of diabetes slightly, but the cardiovascular benefits outweigh the glycemic risk for most patients. Biggest thing to worry about is muscle pain. If you start to notice extreme soreness and weakness in your longer muscles (quads, glues), then you may need to go down in dose or switch agents.